Severus Snape is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters in the Harry Potter saga. Until now, many fans believed that his name was Latin-inspired from the word severus — severe in English — but it seems that it has an entirely different origin. Author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to reveal that she took inspiration from a road’s name.
“Real Harry Potter inspiration alert: I walked past this sign every day on my way to work when I was living in Clapham,” she wrote. “Much later – post-publication – I revisited the area & suddenly realised THIS was why ‘Severus’ had leapt into my head when thinking of a 1st name for Snape.”
Real Harry Potter inspiration alert: I walked past this sign every day on my way to work when I was living in Clapham . Much later – post-publication – I revisited the area & suddenly realised THIS was why 'Severus' had leapt into my head when thinking of a 1st name for Snape. pic.twitter.com/q5wzsQb3m9
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 23, 2020
In the saga, Snape is a double agent who spies on Voldemort, on Dumbledore’s behalf. Despite Harry’s dislike for his potions teacher, Snape has always kept an eye on him because of his love for Harry’s mother, Lily.
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Recently, Rowling also announced her upcoming novel. Much to some fans’ disappointment, it won’t be a Harry Potter spin-off but a stand-alone fairy tale called The Ickabog.
“The Ickabog is a story about truth and the abuse of power,” wrote the authoress in a statement. “To forestall one obvious question: the idea came to me well over a decade ago, so it isn’t intended to be read as a response to anything that’s happening in the world right now. The themes are timeless and could apply to any era or any country.”
Over 10 years ago, I wrote a stand-alone fairy tale called
The Ickabog. You can read more about how, why and
when The Ickabog was written at https://t.co/MgH9NZnSAS2/13
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 26, 2020
The authoress also revealed that she would post a chapter every weekday between 26th May and 10th July on a soon-to-be-launched website.
What do you think about the origin of Snape’s name? Let us know in the comments section below.
Recommended Reading: Harry Potter Box Set: The Complete Collection
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