Why *are* the spells in HP all mangled Latin?

[conuly]

Is it just because Latin is cool? Or is there some reason for it? Would spells from other countries sound different... ooh! Does that mean that maybe Chinese people have completely different spells, or even that there's some language difficulties - no "translation" for reparo, you have to do something different, but they have a spell that wouldn't exist in England...?

On a tangentially-related note, despite whatever you have heard, alea iacta est does *not* mean "the die is cast". Latin has a really messed up tense system. Third principle part + is = has been. Don't ask me why. So "alea iacta est" means that the die has been cast, not that it is cast.

Comments

[wodhaund.livejournal.com]

Because in the Western world, Latin is the most common root language?

My theory is that the spells themselves are nothing more than a focusing agent. Look at Snape - all he has to do is wave his wand, or make a vague guesture and shutters and windows close. And Harry inflates his aunt without even knowing what it is that he's doing - not to mention, he "willed" a snake free in the first book.

The more adept the wizard is at the use of magic, the less spells he or she uses.

And in other areas of the world, I would imagine they use their native tongue. In fantasy work in Asia, Sanskrit is the most common (that I've seen) "spell language", being used freely there much like Rowling uses Latin. Again, it's more a focusing agent than anything else, though.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

and didn;t Lupin just wave his wand at the dementor, in PoA, and it went away, while he told harry it was a very complicated spell? Gah!