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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (/ˈhɒɡwɔːrts/) is a fictional boarding school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setting in the Wizarding World media franchise.[2]
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry | |
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![]() Model of Hogwarts at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter | |
Universe | Harry Potter |
First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) |
In-universe information | |
Type | |
Founded | c. 9th/10th century |
Location | Scotland |
Owner | Ministry of Magic |
Motto | Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus [a] |
Overview
Hogwarts was founded sometime between the 9th century and 10th century by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. It is located in the Highlands of Scotland and its purpose is to both educate young witches and wizards and to keep them safe from Muggle persecution.[3] The school's precise location is kept secret from Muggles and from other wizarding schools.
Hogwarts is a coeducational, secondary boarding school that enrolls children from ages eleven to eighteen.[4] According to Rowling, any child in Britain who shows magical ability is automatically admitted to Hogwarts.[5][6] However, education at the school is not compulsory. Rowling has offered varying accounts of how many students are enrolled at Hogwarts at any given time.[7][8]
Houses
When a first-year student arrives at Hogwarts, the magical Sorting Hat is placed on their head. It examines their mind and assigns them to a House based on their abilities, personality, and preferences. Hogwarts has four Houses, each named after one of the founders of the school. Throughout the school year, the Houses compete for the House Cup, gaining and losing points based on actions such as performance in class and rule violations. The House with the highest end-of-year total wins and has its colours displayed in the Great Hall during the following school year. Each House also has its own Quidditch team that competes for the Quidditch Cup. Each House is under the authority of one of the Hogwarts staff members.
- Gryffindor values courage, nerve and chivalry. Gryffindor's mascot is a lion, and the Head of House is Minerva McGonagall. The Gryffindor dormitories are in a high tower, and students must use a password to gain entry. According to Rowling, Gryffindor corresponds roughly to the element of fire.[9]
- Hufflepuff values hard work, patience, justice, and loyalty. Hufflepuff's mascot is a badger, and the Head of House is Pomona Sprout. According to Rowling, Hufflepuff corresponds roughly to the element of earth.[9]
- Ravenclaw values intelligence, learning, wisdom and wit.[10][11] The house mascot is an eagle in the novels and a raven in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. In the novels, the Head of Ravenclaw House is Filius Flitwick. The dormitories are in Ravenclaw Tower, and students must solve a riddle to gain entry. According to Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds roughly to the element of air.[9]
- Slytherin values ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness. The mascot of Slytherin is a serpent. Severus Snape is the Head of Slytherin House until he becomes headmaster, at which point Horace Slughorn assumes the position. The Slytherin dormitories are accessed by speaking a password in front of a stone wall in the dungeons, which causes a hidden door to open. According to Rowling, Slytherin corresponds roughly to the element of water.[9]
Each year, two fifth-year students from each House are selected as prefects. The position grants them certain privileges and the authority to give detentions for infractions. The leaders of the student body, the Head Boy and Head Girl, are chosen from among the seventh-year students. Hogwarts students in their third year or higher are allowed to visit the nearby wizarding village of Hogsmeade.
Subjects
The novels mention twelve subjects which are taught at Hogwarts. Astronomy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions, and Transfiguration are required subjects for the first five years. At the start of their third year, students must choose at least two additional subjects. The five elective subjects are Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination and Muggle Studies. Students must also take flying lessons during their first year, and may take Apparition lessons during their sixth year.
- Ancient Runes is a generally theoretical subject that studies ancient runic scripts. It is taught by Bathsheda Babbling.
- Arithmancy (also known as numerology) is a branch of magic concerned with the magical properties of numbers. It is a favourite subject of Hermione Granger. Arithmancy is taught by Septima Vector.
- Astronomy classes are held in the Astronomy tower and are taught by Aurora Sinistra. Lessons involve observation of the night sky with telescopes.
- Care of Magical Creatures teaches students how to care for magical beasts. During Harry's first two years at Hogwarts, the class is taught by Silvanus Kettleburn. Starting in Harry's third year, Rubeus Hagrid is the professor. When Hagrid is absent, the class is taught by Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank.
- Charms is the class that teaches incantations for bewitchment. Rowling has described Charms as a type of magic concerned with giving objects new properties.[12] Charms lessons are described in the novels as frequently noisy and chaotic.[13] The subject is taught by Filius Flitwick.
- Defence Against the Dark Arts teaches practical techniques to defend against the magical Dark Arts. Throughout the series, the class is taught at various points by Quirinus Quirrell, Gilderoy Lockhart, Remus Lupin, Barty Crouch Jr (impersonating Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody), Dolores Umbridge, Severus Snape and Amycus Carrow. Due to the fact that no professor remains in the position for more than a year, Dumbledore suggests that Voldemort jinxed the subject because his application to teach it was rejected.[14] The existence of this jinx was eventually confirmed by Rowling. She said in an interview that after Voldemort dies, the jinx is lifted and a new professor teaches the subject for many years.[15] In Deathly Hallows, Defence Against the Dark Arts is renamed "Dark Arts" when the Death Eaters take control of Hogwarts.[16]
- Divination is the art of predicting the future. The various methods of divination described in the novels include astrology, cartomancy, crystal ball consultation, dream interpretation, fire omens, palmistry and reading tea leaves. Divination is described by Minerva McGonagall as "one of the most imprecise branches of magic".[17] Some wizards claim that the practice is fraudulent. Divination is taught by Sybill Trelawney.
- Herbology is the study of magical plants and how to utilise, care for and combat them. The novels describe at least three Hogwarts greenhouses, which contain a variety of magical plants. The course is taught by Pomona Sprout.
- History of Magic is the study of magical and wizarding history. The subject is taught by the ghost professor Cuthbert Binns, whose lessons are depicted as some of the most boring at Hogwarts. His lectures cover topics such as goblin rebellions, giant wars and the origins of wizarding secrecy.
- Muggle Studies is a class that involves the study of Muggle culture from a wizarding point of view. Charity Burbage teaches Muggle Studies until she is murdered by Voldemort in Deathly Hallows. When the Death Eaters take control of Hogwarts, Alecto Carrow teaches the class. Her compulsory lessons describe Muggles and Muggle-borns as subhuman and worthy of persecution.
- Potions is the art of creating mixtures with magical effects. It requires correct mixing and stirring of ingredients in the proper sequence and at the proper temperature. The subject is taught by Severus Snape during the first five novels and by Horace Slughorn in the final two books.
- Transfiguration is the art of changing the properties of an object or being.[12] Transfiguration can alter an entire object or only part of the object. It can make objects vanish and it can conjure them out of thin air.[18] Transfiguration can also change inanimate objects into animate ones and vice versa.[19] The subject is taught by Minerva McGonagall.
- Flying is the class that teaches students how to fly on broomsticks. It is taught by Rolanda Hooch.
- Apparition is a form of teleportation which allows a wizard to disappear ("Disapparate") from one location and reappear ("Apparate") in another. A wizard must be at least 17 years old to Apparate. Students at Hogwarts may take Apparition lessons during their sixth year. In Half-Blood Prince, Wilkie Twycross teaches the Apparition lessons at Hogwarts. For further information, see Magic in Harry Potter.
Castle and grounds
Rowling has stated that Hogwarts is located in Scotland.[20] She has described the school as a "huge, rambling, quite scary-looking castle, with a jumble of towers and battlements." She said it "isn't a building that Muggles could build, because it is supported by magic.[5] The castle grounds have sloping lawns, vegetable patches, greenhouses, a Quidditch pitch and a large wooded area known as the Forbidden Forest. There is also a lake, which is home to merpeople, Grindylows, and a giant squid. Wizards cannot Apparate or Disapparate on Hogwarts grounds.[21] In Goblet of Fire, it is explained that Muggles cannot see Hogwarts because there are numerous enchantments on it.[22]
Chamber of Secrets
The Chamber of Secrets, which is deep under the school,[23] was home to an ancient Basilisk, intended to be used to purge the school of Muggle-born students. Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, built the Chamber before he left the school.
The entrance to the Chamber is hidden in the second-floor girls' lavatory (haunted by Moaning Myrtle). One of the sink taps has a snake scratched into its side; when a command in Parseltongue is spoken, it opens to reveal the mouth of a dark, slimy chute, wide enough to slide down, that gives onto a stone tunnel. The tunnel leads to a solid wall, carved with two entwined serpents with emeralds for eyes.[23] At a command in Parseltongue, the wall opens to expose a long, dim corridor, lined with monumental statues of snakes, including two rows of towering stone pillars with more carved serpents that brace the ceiling. A colossal statue of Salazar Slytherin, looking ancient and monkey-like, is at the centre. The Basilisk rested inside the statue and emerged from its mouth when the Heir of Slytherin, Tom Riddle, summoned it.[24] In his second year at Hogwarts, Harry uses Parseltongue to open the chamber and destroys the diary containing the embodied memory of a 16-year-old Tom Riddle from his own days at Hogwarts and also slays the basilisk. It is later revealed that the diary was a Horcrux. In Deathly Hallows, Ron and Hermione enter the Chamber. Ron opens the door (despite not speaking Parseltongue) by imitating sounds he heard Harry use to open Slytherin's locket. They pull a basilisk fang from its skeleton to use to destroy the Horcrux made from Helga Hufflepuff's cup.
When Tom Riddle opened the Chamber, Myrtle was sulking in a stall after being teased by student Olive Hornby. She opened the door, intending to tell him to leave, but died immediately upon meeting the Basilisk's gaze and decided to become a ghost to get revenge on Hornby.[23] The bathroom remains operational, but is rarely used by students because of Myrtle's disagreeable presence and her habit of flooding it when she is distraught.
Passages
There are usually seven hidden passages in and out of Hogwarts, although additional passages are created at various points in the series. The passages include:
- A tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow which leads to the Shrieking Shack.
- A caved-in passage behind a mirror which leads to Hogsmeade.
- A passage beneath a witch statue which leads to the cellar of Honeydukes.
Room of Requirement
The Room of Requirement appears only when someone needs it. To access it, one must walk past its hidden entrance three times while concentrating on what is needed. The room will then appear, outfitted with whatever is required. Harry learns about the room from Dobby in Order of the Phoenix and realizes it is the perfect location for the meetings of Dumbledore's Army. In Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy uses the room to hide and repair a Vanishing Cabinet, which allows him to smuggle Death Eaters into Hogwarts.
In Deathly Hallows, the students who need a place to hide from the Carrows, two Death Eater professors, use the room. It is also revealed that the Room of Requirement's current version can change while still occupied, though should a completely different version be required (e.g. the Room of Hidden Things instead of DA Headquarters) the room must be empty. The Room can also answer to the desire of the wizard within the room, such as providing Harry with a whistle when he needed one during a Dumbledore's Army meeting, or creating a passage to the Hog's Head (as the room cannot produce food). Later, Ravenclaw's diadem is found to be one of Voldemort's Horcruxes and has been hidden in the Room of Hidden Things by Voldemort. Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the Room, with Harry knowing that he must look for a place to hide things, and find the tiara; but they are ambushed by Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. The diadem is finally destroyed when Crabbe fills this version of the Room with what Hermione believes to have been Fiendfyre; a destructive magical fire. It is not known if the room continues to function after the events of Deathly Hallows; Ron expresses concern that it may have been ruined in all of its forms by the cursed fire.
Due to the Room of Requirement not being in a fixed location, it is one of the select locations in Hogwarts that does not appear on the Marauder's Map.
Hogwarts Express
The Hogwarts Express is a train that carries students from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station in London to Hogsmeade Station, near Hogwarts. It is the primary means of transportation to the school, and students use it at the start of each school year. The train began operation in the 1850s. Before that, students reached Hogwarts on brooms or in enchanted carriages.[25]
A completely functioning full-scale replica of the Hogwarts Express was created for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's expansion at Universal Orlando Resort connecting King's Cross Station at the Diagon Alley expansion in Universal Studios Florida to the Hogsmeade station at Islands of Adventure,[26] manufactured by Doppelmayr Garaventa Group in the form of a funicular railway people mover.[27] The Hogwarts Express King's Cross Station features a wall between Platforms 9 and 10, where guests can "walk through" to get to Platform 9¾, as in the first film.
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The GWR 4900 Class 5972 Olton Hall, the steam engine used in the film series as the Hogwarts Express
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Crowds of people around 5972 in York, which had worked an enthusiast special from Manchester in June 2014
Creation for books and films
Rowling has suggested that she may have inadvertently taken the name from the hogwort plant (Croton capitatus), which she had seen at Kew Gardens some time before writing the series,[28] although the names "The Hogwarts" and "Hoggwart" appear in the 1954 Nigel Molesworth book How to Be Topp by Geoffrey Willans.[29][30] The name "Hogwart" also appears in the 1986 Labyrinth fantasy film.[31]
Most exterior scenes were shot on location at Alnwick Castle, but views of the exterior of the entire school were created from shots of Durham Cathedral with a digital spire added to the towers. Durham Cathedral also served as a set for Hogwarts interiors.
A scale model was created for exterior shots of the entire school. Models of Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral were also built to create more integration between the model and on location shots. It took a team of 86 artists and crew members 74 years worth of man hours to complete the model.[32]
Cultural impact
Hogwarts school was voted as the 36th-best Scottish educational establishment in a 2008 online ranking, outranking Edinburgh's Loretto School. According to a director of the Independent Schools Network Rankings, it was added to the schools listing "for fun" and was then voted on.[33]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Haas, Heather A. (15 April 2011). "The Wisdom of Wizards-and Muggles and Squibs: Proverb Use in the World of Harry Potter". The Journal of American Folklore. 124 (492): 29–54. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.124.492.0029. ISSN 0021-8715. JSTOR 10.5406/jamerfolk.124.492.0029.
- ^ Steve Wohlberg (April 2005). Hour of the Witch: Harry Potter, Wicca Witchcraft, and the Bible. Destiny Image Publishers. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-0-7684-2279-5. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "The origins of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Wizarding World. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Riphouse, Acascias (2004). The Harry Potter Companion. United States of America: Virtualbookworm Publishing. p. 100. ISBN 1-58939-582-4.
- ^ a b Rowling, J. K. (3 February 2000). "Transcript of J. K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com". Scholastic. Archived from the original on 13 April 2001.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. "F.A.Q. – About the Books". J. K. Rowling Official Site. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "Transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com". Scholastic. 16 October 2000. Archived from the original on 1 May 2001.
- ^ "The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two". MuggleNet. 16 July 2005. Archived from the original on 24 July 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d Rowling, J.K. (10 August 2015). "Colours". Wizarding World. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1551929767.
- ^ a b Simpson, Anne (7 December 1998). "Casting a spell over young minds; Anne Simpson face to face with J.K. Rowling". The Herald. Scotland. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2003). "Dumbledore's Army". Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2005). "Lord Voldemort's Request". Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747581088.
- ^ Brown, Jen (24 July 2007). "Stop your sobbing! More Potter to come". Today. MSNBC. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2007). "The Lost Diadem". Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1551929767."Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defence Against the Dark Arts, except now it’s just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who’ve earned detention..."
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (1999). "Talons and Tea Leaves". Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747542155.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2003). "Detention with Dolores". Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747551006.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (1997). "The Potions Master". Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Bloomsbury. ISBN 0747532699.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2000). "An interview with J. K. Rowling" (Interview). Interviewed by Lindsey Fraser. London: Mammoth. pp. 20–21. ISBN 9780749743949. OCLC 59569316.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2000). "The Madness of Mr. Crouch". Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bloomsbury. ISBN 074754624X.
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (2000). "Aboard the Hogwart's Express". Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bloomsbury. ISBN 074754624X.
- ^ a b c Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 16
- ^ Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17
- ^ Rowling, J. K. (10 August 2015). "The Hogwarts Express". Wizarding World. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
- ^ MacDonald, Brady (9 May 2013). "What may come to Wizarding World of Harry Potter 2.0 at Universal Orlando". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Doppelmayr/Garaventa built the Hogwarts Express" (Press release). Doppelmayr Garaventa Group. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- ^ Abel, Katy. "Harry Potter Author Works Her Magic". Family Education. Archived from the original on 10 May 2006.
- ^ LRB: Thomas Jones, Swete Lavender, lrb.co.uk, 17 February 2000
- ^ Independent: Potter's Magic School, The Independent, 22 September 2000
- ^ "Did J. K. Rowling Take Inspiration From 'Labyrinth' When Writing 'Harry Potter'?". Odyssey (publication). 15 October 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
- ^ "ART DEPARTMENT". wbstudiotour.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "Harry Potter's school outranks Loretto". The Scotsman. 31 March 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
Further reading
- Boyle, F. (2004). A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World: Exploring the Harry Potter universe. ECW Press. pp. 192–195. ISBN 978-1-55022-655-3. Retrieved 18 June 2016. (subscription required)
- Fowler, C. (2014). The Ravenclaw Chronicles: Reflections from Edinboro. Cambridge Scholars Publisher. pp. 74–77. ISBN 978-1-4438-6598-2. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- "Harry Potter West Coast Railway". Jacobite Steam Train. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- Highfield, R. (2003). The Science of Harry Potter: How Magic Really Works. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-200355-8. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- Inggs, Judith (May 2003). "From Harry to Garri: Strategies for the Transfer of Culture and Ideology in Russian Translations of Two English Fantasy Stories". Meta: Translators' Journal. 48 (1–2 Traduction pour les enfants / Translation for children): 285–297. doi:10.7202/006975ar. S2CID 145173155.
- Leroy, Kath (20 August 2020). "Harry Potter: What Is 'Hogwarts' In French? (& 9 Other Translations For The School)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- Neal, C.W. (2002). The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Spirituality in the stories of the world's most famous seeker. Gospel According to Series. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22601-5. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- Spencer, R.A. (2015). Harry Potter and the Classical World: Greek and Roman allusions in J.K. Rowling's modern epic. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-2141-8. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- Stouffer, Tere (2007). The Complete Idiot's Guide to the World of Harry Potter. Penguin. ISBN 9781440636615.