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A comment on Read the column The New York Times didn’t want you to read. Parent comment

Re:Read the column The New York Times didn’t want you to read by names_are_hard on Friday February 12, 2021 @10:38AM (#26114818)
> "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" in Harry Potter is another example of a rhetorical device used to instill bloodcurdling fear and larger-than-life authority of a a Wizard-of-Oz-style villain. Note that this is a children's book. Every adult person should be able to see through that.

Moreover, that's a theme in the books. From the outset,Harry is one of the few (along with Dumbledore, the wise old sage) who are not afraid to say the name and consider such fear silly. He's also the only person who can stand up to Voldemort, and presumably those things are related. To him Voldemort is just a guy, not some kind of superhuman Satan, perhaps because he doesn't let himself get caught up the hysteria.

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Re:Read the column The New York Times didn’t want you to read by bluefirebrand on Friday February 12, 2021 @12:16PM (#26115946)
Beyond that, it's a common theme in mythology and stories that names have power, and uttering the name of a powerful fae or wizard might actually attract the notice of said powerful being. Which of course might bring ruin to you if they decide they don't like you using their name and decide to deal with you in person.
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