On Monday, the Harry Potter The Hogwarts Legacy game in the series introduced a new character named Sirona Ryan. She would be the first transgender character to be featured on the popular series. Although this might be something to celebrate, netizens were furious that the name had masculine undertones.
How is the name Sirona Ryan coded as masculine and transphobic? https://t.co/yLD9m9Ahtw
In the game Hogwarts Legacy, Sirona Ryan works at the Three Broomsticks bar in Wizarding, London. She plays a key role in all goblin related quests. According to Game Revolution, Sirona interacts with her goblin friend of hers. lodgok.
It seems that the game Hogwarts Legacy introduced the transphobic character to move away from JK Rowling’s anti-transphobic views. However, one cannot forget the author’s history of giving characters problematic names, including cho chang and Kingsley Shackle, who are people of color. Many noted that the names were racist and that there were significant cultural and linguistic errors.
Why are fans against the name? Sirona Ryan?
The nickname is a unique name. In Celtic mythology, Sirona is the goddess of healing to whom snakes and eggs are attributed. Her name is spelled several ways, including Thirona, Sirona, and Dirona, among others. Those in east-central Gaul, which is part of western Europe, mostly pray to the goddess. She often wears long dresses and carries a bow and libation scepter.
The name Sirona has also been associated with wells and springs according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Since the character is the witch who owns a pub, the name chosen would make sense.
However, it seems that netizens did not like the name of the transgender character. Many disliked that the first syllable of his name is spelled “sir”, which is mainly given to male knights or baronets in the United Kingdom. It also notes the classification of men elsewhere.
Some other Twitter users noticed that the last five letters of the name Sirona Ryan that is, ‘A’ of sirona and Ryan when placed together, they form the word ‘Aryan’, making people think primarily of eugenics.
The character’s middle name, “Ryan,” is also a conventionally masculine name that only added fuel to the fire.
The Sydney Morning Herald also revealed that despite the character being female in-game, it appears to be done by a cis-male voice actor.
It is unclear who came up with the name. However, it’s safe to say that JK Rowling was not behind the move. It was recently revealed that the character was introduced solely to “move the conversation away” from the disgraced author. In an interview with IGN, a representative from Portkey Games, which developed Hogwarts Legacy, shared that Sirona Ryan was included because:
“The team felt it was very important to create a game that was representative of the rich and diverse world of Harry Potter, as well as the groups of people who play the game, which includes the LGBTQIA+ community.”
This isn’t the first time Hogwarts Legacy has faced criticism. Many felt that any money spent on products related to the Harry Potter series symbolizes an endorsement of the author’s political positions.
The game developer had not responded to the Sirona Ryan name controversy at the time of writing this article.