Learn Italian with Harry Potter
If you are a Potterhead like me, you will certainly know that there are four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Scotland. These are:
- Gryffindor
- Slytherin
- Ravenclaw
- Hufflepuff
In this lesson, we will take a look at the translation of Ravenclaw in Italian, and we will even talk about its founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, its main personality traits, and its resident ghost.
All aboard the Hogwarts Express!
How do you say Ravenclaw in Italian?
Corvonero is how you say Ravenclaw in Italian.
Corvonero
Ravenclaw
Now, let’s see some example sentences with Ravenclaw in Italian.
I colori di Corvonero sono blu e argento.
Ravenclaw’s colors are blue and silver.
Luna Lovegood è una Corvonero.
Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw.
Unlike the English word Ravenclaw, it’s interesting to note that Corvonero in Italian doesn’t have a plural form. The plural remains unchanged.
Tre Corvonero vanno a lezione di Pozioni.
Three Ravenclaws go to Potion class.
Corvonero is a compound word
Corvonero is a compound noun. This means that it’s made up of two words. In this case, it’s made up of corvo (raven) and nero (black).
Il corvo
The raven
Nero
Black
Corvonero literally means black raven in Italian.
For example, you can say…
I corvi hanno delle bellissime piume nere.
Crows have beautiful black feathers.
If we were to literally translate Ravenclaw in Italian, we’d have to use a combination of corvo, which we already know means raven, and artiglio, which means claw.
It’s easy to see why it starts with corvo, because the symbol of Ravenclaw House is, in fact, a raven. Black is also one of Ravenclaw’s official colors along with silver, and that’s why it was used in the translation. All translations of the 4 Hogwarts Houses in Italian feature a different color.
A change of name
In the earlier editions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter e la Pietra Filosofale in Italian), Ravenclaw was translated as Pecoranera, “black sheep”. This was later changed to Corvonero to better fit the House stem. As you can imagine, Pecoranera wasn’t the most accurate translation…
Who founded Ravenclaw in Italian?
As you may have noticed, all the Hogwarts founders’ names use alliteration:
- Godric Gryffindor
- Salazar Slytherin
- Rowena Ravenclaw
- Helga Hufflepuff
This too has been rendered in the Italian translations of the Harry Potter books and movies, but there’s a story behind it.
As we’ve seen in the previous paragraphs, the previous translation of Ravenclaw in Italian was Pecoranera, which begins with a P. Rowena’s name was then translated as Priscilla to match that letter.
However, when the name was later changed to Corvonero, Rowena’s name wasn’t changed to match the initial C letter and remained Priscilla in the books. For years, the founder’s name was actually Priscilla Corvonero, and it clashed with all the other founders’ names because it was the only one without a wordplay.
When the movies came out, her name was changed in the dubbing to Cosetta Corvonero, as you can hear in the next clip at 1:18. This was only in the movies!
In later years, Salani, the Italian publisher of the Harry Potter books, commissioned a new translation that eventually changed Rowena’s name to Corinna Corvonero once and for all.
We basically have four different translations in chronological order:
- Priscilla Pecoranera
- Priscilla Corvonero
- Cosetta Corvonero
- Corinna Corvonero
What’s your favorite? I think the latest translation leaves a lot to be desired, but I just love the name Corinna! 🙂
Corinna Corvonero
Rowena Ravenclaw
For example, you can say…
Corinna Corvonero è la fondatrice della Casa di Corvonero.
Rowena Ravenclaw is the founder of the Ravenclaw House.
Fondatrice comes from the verb fondare, to found, and literally means female founder. If you’re talking about a male founder, use fondatore instead.
Helena Corvonero, Corinna‘s daughter, is famous for being the owner of a very precious diadema (diadem) that could grant the power of intelligenza (intelligence) to those who wore it.
Il diadema
The diadem
Who is the resident ghost of Ravenclaw in Italian?
The Grey Lady (Helena Ravenclaw) is Ravenclaw’s resident ghost in the original English versions of the Harry Potter books. This was translated into Italian as Dama grigia, literally “grey lady”!
La Dama Grigia
The Grey Lady
For example, you can say…
La Dama Grigia è il fantasma di Corvonero.
The Grey Lady is the ghost of Ravenclaw.
Ravenclaw’s main traits in Italian
Each Hogwarts House values a different set of personality traits. Ravenclaw especially values:
- Arguzia (wit)
- Apprendimento (learning)
- Saggezza (wisdom)
- Tolleranza (acceptance)
- Intelligenza (intelligence)
- Creatività (creativity)
For example, you can say…
Servono arguzia e creatività per entrare nella Torre di Corvonero.
It takes wit and creativity to enter the Ravenclaw Tower.
Si dice che gli studenti di Corvonero siano scelti per la loro intelligenza.
Ravenclaw students are said to be chosen for their intelligence.
More free Italian resources
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Harry Potter © J.K. Rowling