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NYMPHADORA TONKS
Nymphadora means "Gift of the Nymphs". Nymphs are guardian spirits in Greek mythology who rule trees, sacred groves, streams and the ocean. During the Renaissance, northern Europeans equated the classical nymphs with their own legends of elves. Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream sees traditional English elves like Robin Goodfellow alongside Greek nymphs as servants of Diana (Titania). If we therefore read "gift of the nymphs" as "gift of the elves", this echoes the ancient myth of babies stolen by elves and replaced by hideous monsters called changelings. The metamorphic Tonks could be described as a "changeling". A "nymph" is also a mythological semi-divine maiden.
Interesting Fact
'Nymph' is also the name of the immature stage of a dragonfly or damselfly before it molts, metamorphosing into a winged adult.
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