Behind the names of Beasts and Magical Creatures (Etymology)
written by Snitch-Tail
Beast: an animal, especially a large or dangerous four-footed one e.g. Hippogriff Creature: comprised of both magical and non-magical entities and are split by the Ministry of Magic into three classifications: Being, Beast, or Spirit e.g. Acromantula Beware SPOILERS and missing datas
Last Updated
05/31/21
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O & P
Chapter 9
Occamy:
The word "occamy" is derived from the name of the English philosopher Occam, who invented the methodological principle "Occam's Razor", which asserts that when evaluating two competing explanations for a situation one should accept the one that requires least assumptions to be made (or, in other words, nothing should be presumed to exist that is not absolutely necessary for explanation).
As such, the naming of this creature as an "occamy" is a joke on the part of J. K. Rowling, since the existence of the occamy itself (and just about every other creature described in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) has no reason to exist and came into being solely for the sake of fleshing out the aforementioned book.
"Occamy" is also phonetically similar to the Japanese word "ookami" (大神), which translates into "great god" or "wolf" (a wordplay used in the video game Okami, which starred a goddess in the form of a wolf).
Poltergeist:
"Poltergeist" comes from the German, poltern, meaning "to make (loud) noise" and geist, meaning "ghost" or "spirit." The German plural form is "Poltergeister."
The word "occamy" is derived from the name of the English philosopher Occam, who invented the methodological principle "Occam's Razor", which asserts that when evaluating two competing explanations for a situation one should accept the one that requires least assumptions to be made (or, in other words, nothing should be presumed to exist that is not absolutely necessary for explanation).
As such, the naming of this creature as an "occamy" is a joke on the part of J. K. Rowling, since the existence of the occamy itself (and just about every other creature described in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) has no reason to exist and came into being solely for the sake of fleshing out the aforementioned book.
"Occamy" is also phonetically similar to the Japanese word "ookami" (大神), which translates into "great god" or "wolf" (a wordplay used in the video game Okami, which starred a goddess in the form of a wolf).
Poltergeist:
"Poltergeist" comes from the German, poltern, meaning "to make (loud) noise" and geist, meaning "ghost" or "spirit." The German plural form is "Poltergeister."
