A Naming Seer is a wizarding occupation undertaken by wizards with the ability to see the future. A Naming Seer will predict a newborn child's future and suggest an appropriate name, generally in exchange for a "hefty payment of gold". Naming Seers are becoming increasingly rare in modern times, as many parents dislike receiving hints of their child's potential future. Those that do use Naming Seers often find that they worry themselves on the way home afterwards, and often wish they had never heard the prediction in the first place.[1]
Behind the scenes
- This piece of information from Pottermore seems to be a nod of J. K. Rowling's to the fact that she occasionally names her characters with etymologically significant names. See, for instance, Bellatrix Lestrange (Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion; it is also known as the Amazon Star — the Amazons were warrior women in Greek mythology), Sybill Trelawney (a "Sibyl" was a prophet and a priestess in ancient Greek mythology), Remus Lupin (after Romulus and Remus, the legendary brothers who founded Rome, having been raised by a mother wolf whose cubs had died. Lupin originates from Lupa, the she-wolf who cared for them.), Quirinus Quirrell ("Quirinus" is associated to the Roman god Janus, a Roman god that is often depicted as two-faced), Pomona Sprout (in Roman mythology, Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards), Argus Filch (Argus, in Greek mythology, was the name of a giant with one hundred eyes who served the goddess Hera as a watchman).
- In line with the Pottermore information, there are much fewer characters in Harry Potter's generation with this kind of significant names.
Appearances
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)