r/TopCharacterTropes • u/dream_monkey • 11h ago

Lore (Loved Trope) Aptronyms

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Aptronyms are characters whose name is heavily symbolic or represent them as a character. Sometimes it is a subtle play on words, sometimes it’s just a clunky transliteration. Either way, it can help characterize a character and provide more allegorical depth. Authors must be careful not to delve into the realm of cliche, though.

  1. Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series) His name means Evil Dragon, and he tries really hard to live up to his name.

[Many commenters have pointed out that Darth Vader is not a true aptronym. I stand corrected .]

  1. Darth Vader (Star Wars series) His name means Dark Father, which cleverly conceals one of the biggest reveals in cinema history.

  2. Cthulhu (Lovecraft mythos) Cthulhu may just sound like a nonsense syllable, unpronounceable by a human mouth. The name is derived from the word “cthonic” which means a being that lives under the earth or in the underworld, so an ancient and terrible god that lies dreaming in death at the bottom of the ocean would definitely fit the description.

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u/KGBFriedChicken02 9h ago

There's also a brief appearence in book 6s by an italian vampire named "Sanguini"

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u/LordMordred 9h ago

Having never read the books, I refuse to believe this is real

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u/KGBFriedChicken02 9h ago

Tbf he is a throwaway bit character who appears for a single paragraph in the background of a party

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u/Notte_di_nerezza 2h ago

Fun question, from someone who hasn't read that book in almost 2 decades: does Sanguini call themselves that, or do the wizards refer to them as such? If it's the latter, there could be an interesting discussion on the Wizarding World's othering and dismissal of others.

If it's the former, that's so lazy even Warhammer 40K did it better.