tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post112326405305925997..comments2023-05-29T08:58:13.381-04:00Comments on Recycled Knowledge: Mwahahahahahah!John Cowanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post-1157685237546035262006-09-07T23:13:00.000-04:002006-09-07T23:13:00.000-04:00It seems that Woldemar is a German variant of Wald...It seems that Woldemar is a German variant of Waldemar (the name of several Danish kings), and that the name indeed has the same origin as Vladimir: <I>wald-</I> 'ruler' (<I>volod-</I> in Russian) + <I>meri</I> 'famous'.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post-1124886709091711652005-08-24T08:31:00.000-04:002005-08-24T08:31:00.000-04:00We discussed this in #swhack, but for the record, ...We discussed this in #swhack, but for the record, the usual assumption is that Voldemort is simply French <I>vol de mort</I> 'flight from death'.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post-1123346939386841492005-08-06T12:48:00.000-04:002005-08-06T12:48:00.000-04:00Funny. Lori pointed the same article out to me as...Funny. Lori pointed the same article out to me as a matter of passing interest. I told her I'm not surprised because I'm betting Rowling was trying to be cure with the name, stitching a bit of Old English (drunken Germanic, really) in "wolde", "wanted" (3rd person sing IIRC) and mort, "death" from Norman. Of course, it's a crazy combination, but what d'ya want from a fount of bookish teen witch tales?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post-1123294899618243252005-08-05T22:21:00.000-04:002005-08-05T22:21:00.000-04:00It seems very likely, though I don't know for sure...It seems very likely, though I don't know for sure. I'm named after my grandfather, Woldemar Schultz, whose family lived in the Russian Empire for centuries.<BR/><BR/>My grandfather eventually moved to Germany just in time for World War I to break out, when he was promptly drafted into the German army as a translator. He spent the war, according to family tradition, telling Ukrainian POWs they would be shot the next day. (I don't know if they were or not.)<BR/><BR/>After that, he married my grandmother, moved to the U.S., and eventually sent for my mother, who arrived here in 1931.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11807812.post-1123269993761760892005-08-05T15:26:00.000-04:002005-08-05T15:26:00.000-04:00Is Woldemar related in any way to Russian (Slavic?...Is Woldemar related in any way to Russian (Slavic?) "Vladimir"? If so, we could have something in common...Wolf550ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01589558437133485141noreply@blogger.com