Lucius Malfoy, in the Harry Potter series, is the father of Draco Malfoy.
In the last post about J.K. Rowling’s famous series, we looked into the meaning of Draco’s name. In case you weren’t paying attention, Draco is Latin for dragon, or snake. Malfoy is a French-Latin combination meaning, bad faith.
Lucius Malfoy has a Latin name, too. Lucius derives from the Latin word lux, meaning, light. The genitive of lux, is lucis. It is not too difficult to see how lucis became the name Lucius.
Here is where things get interesting.
English draws multiple words from this Latin root. Lucent, translucent, lucid, lucidity, lucifugous (shunning light), elucidate, pellucid, and (brace yourself), Lucifer.
Let’s talk about Lucifer (always a fun conversation starter).
Lucifer derives from two Latin words. We know the source of the first part of his name. The second part of his name, fer derives from ferre. Ferre means, to carry, or to bear. The name Lucifer means to bear or to carry light.
You may remember that Lucifer was the “brightest of all the angels.” Yet, because of pride, he fell from his exalted position. The next time we see him, he is in the garden of Eden as a serpent, or in Greek, a dragon. The Latin translation of the Greek δράγων is Draco. Lucifer fell from heaven. By the time he arrives in the garden, he is a dragon.
It seems to me, something deep, and interesting is building in the Harry Potter series. We know Rowling plays with words. I doubt seriously this is an accident.
Lucius, the once-promising Hogwarts student, chooses the dark side. Throughout the series, he is obsessed with purity. He wants only pure wizard families admitted to Hogwarts. No half-bloods allowed. In other words, Lucius Malfoy is proud. His pride is reflected in his son, Draco… the dragon.
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