Word Ruminations

One of the many delightful quirks of the Harry Potter series is the naming scheme JK Rowling bestows on her characters. The Black family, for example, are mostly named after stars in different constellations such as the Orion, Canis Major and Leo -- everyone knows that.

Bellatrix is my favorite name from the set, unfortunately given to a vile and evil character. The name comes from the female version of the Latin word for 'warrior.' 

And then, somehow, even though the words are very different in meaning, my mind jumps to the word 'belletrist,' which, according to Oxford Languages, means

a person who writes essays, particularly on literary and artistic criticism, that are composed and read primarily for their aesthetic effect.

Both are pretty words. 

EDIT: An earlier version of the blog suggested -- somewhat embarrassingly given my claim "everyone knows that" -- that all of the Black family members are named after stars in different constellations. My friend and immortal quiz partner, Abhinav Malhotra, pointed out that Narcissa Malfoy is not named after anything in the night sky. Some more research brought out another example in Lycoris Black. Both Narcissa and Lycoris are named after plants. Thanks bhai.