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Hogwarts is named after the hogwort flower, also known as cow parsnip. Presumably the area chosen by its founders was covered with the stuff before the school was built.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (/ ˈhɒɡwɔːrts /) is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. 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] In the novels, Hogwarts is described as a ...
Aug 26, 2015 · I'd seen them seven years before and they'd bubbled around in my memory. When Hogwarts occurred to me as a name for the school, I had no idea where it came from. — The story behind the Potter legend, Sydney Morning Herald (October 2001) Presumably the name got stuck in her subconscious, and just floated up when she was writing the books.
- Overview
- Description
- History
- Typical school year
- School spirit
- Houses
- House ghosts
- Administration
- Subjects and teachers
"The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world."
— Rubeus Hagrid's praising of Hogwarts
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, often shortened to Hogwarts, was a Scottish wizarding school located in the Scottish Highlands. It accepted any magical student residing in the islands of Great Britain and Ireland at the age of eleven years old at the start of the incoming term for enrolment. It was a state-owned school, funded by the British Ministry of Magic.
The precise location of the school could never be uncovered because it was rendered Unplottable. To Muggles, the school appeared to be an old, abandoned castle. Similarly, most wizarding schools' locations were protected in order to protect the students and schools themselves from any harm.
Established around the 10th century, Hogwarts was considered to be one of the finest magical institutions in the wizarding world, though other notable schools included Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, the Durmstrang Institute implied to be in northern Europe, and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States.
British and Irish children with magical abilities were enrolled at birth by the Quill of Acceptance and Book of Admittance, and acceptance was confirmed by owl post at age eleven. However, if the child in question was a Muggle-born or a half-blood like Harry Potter with no knowledge of the wizarding world, a special messenger from the school visited the child and his or her family in order to inform them of their magical heritage and the existence of the wizarding world. It was possible for students to transfer to the school as well.
Hogwarts School, located somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland, consisted of the large Hogwarts Castle and extensive school grounds surrounding it, which included sloping lawns, flowerbeds, vegetable patches, as well as a loch (called the Black Lake), a large dense forest (called the Forbidden Forest), several greenhouses and other outbuildings, and a full-size Quidditch Pitch. One of the castle's towers held an owlery, which housed all the owls owned by the school and by students.
The castle was set upon huge rocks above the Black Lake. Its three highest towers were the Astronomy, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor Towers. The castle's 142 staircases were known to change position. The castle was known for its many updates and changes in layout throughout the years. It should be noted that some rooms in the school tended to "move around", as did the steps on the Grand Staircase. Albus Dumbledore once noted that even he did not know all of Hogwarts' secrets. The castle had been around for centuries, and consequently had a long history of ancient magic.
Founding
"We'll teach just those whose ancestry's purest." — Professor Slytherin's opinion on the running of Hogwarts Hogwarts was founded around 990 A.D. by four of the greatest wizards and witches of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They each represented an aspect of personality that they wanted to bring out in new students. They also placed certain protective enchantments in place to ensure the well-being of their students, for which reason the castle and grounds had both always been protected with Anti-Apparition Charms. Around the same time, the four founders employed the school's first caretaker, Hankerton Humble, who would often clash with Peeves, the resident poltergeist, which he would have in common with every successive caretaker after him in the history of Hogwarts. Although the four founders cooperated well for a time, shortly after founding the school, Slytherin had a falling out with the other founders about blood purity, and wanted to admit only pure-blood students. He felt only pure-blooded students deserved to learn magic, and those of other ancestry such as Muggle-borns and half-bloods were unworthy. The other three founders all disagreed, especially Gryffindor. Slytherin left the school, but not before secretly building the Chamber of Secrets. He foretold that only his own heir would be able to open it once they arrived at the school, and the heir would unleash a murderous basilisk living inside to purge the school of all Muggle-born students. Despite the fact that the founders of Hogwarts were effectively in charge of the school during their time, none of them held the title of Headmaster or Headmistress of the school, as that was only used sometime after Slytherin's departure, and held by another wizard, who was the first person to be entrusted the stewardship of Hogwarts Castle and the surrounding grounds after the three remaining founders passed away. The first student class to graduate from the school were immortalised in a portrait that would continue to hang in the school for over 1000 years.
Early history
According to the eventual Gryffindor House ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, because Hogwarts Castle was always intended as a safe place, the school had historically shouldered the responsibility of protecting "dangerous things" from falling into the wrong hands, and carrying the burden of the job remarkably well despite the fact that subsequent heads of the school and members of the faculty came to recognise how it compromised the security of the castle. Indeed: Albus Dumbledore would reiterate this truth to Harry Potter years later during their private lessons into the history of Lord Voldemort, when the then Headmaster described Hogwarts Castle as "a stronghold of ancient magic", and explained that his refusal to employ him as a teacher stemmed in part from the suspicion that the Dark wizard would unravel more of its mysteries and take advantage of untapped stores of magic within the school for his own, nefarious purposes. About three hundred years after the school was founded, the Triwizard Tournament was established as an interscholastic competition between three of the most prestigious magical schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons (France) and Durmstrang (an unknown Northern European country). This tournament was considered the best way for wizards and witches of different nationalities to meet and socialise. The tournament continued for six centuries, until the death toll became too high. The tournament was discontinued until 1994. At some point in the 13th century, following the invention of Floo powder by Ignatia Wildsmith and the subsequent development of the Floo Network, a long line of Heads of the school refused to permit the school's fireplaces to be accessible this way, for fear of the castle's security could be breached. However, by the 19th century, a network of Floo Flames had been set up that allowed students to quickly travel both within the castle, or between the inside and outside.
Unrest with ancient magic
In the Tudor period, four professors of the school, Percival Rackham, Charles Rookwood, Niamh Fitzgerald and San Bakar, formed the Keepers dedicated to keeping the secrets of ancient magic away from dangerous forces. They welcomed Isidora Morganach to the school as a new student who started unconventionally as a fifth-year and learnt that she had the rare abilities of detecting and harnessing ancient magic. Professor Rackham, a wizard with similar abilities, mentored her to wield and master this power, but after becoming the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Isidora ultimately went down a different path in which she used her abilities to extract pain from others, sometimes even without their permission, till the point where she ridded her father of all emotions, creating an ancient magic repository stored in the Keepers' Caverns. The Keepers disapproved of her actions and faced her in a duel, ending in Professor Bakar eliminating Isidora with the Killing Curse. They then constructed a path leading to their portraits in the Map Chamber which might only be followed by another with abilities of ancient magic, and set up trials around the castle to make sure that their successor would be worthy of the power and make the right choices. During the 1700s, there was a proposal to install an elaborate plumbing system in the castle. This threatened the secrecy of the Chamber of Secrets, forcing Corvinus Gaunt, a Slytherin student, descendant of Salazar Slytherin and Parselmouth, to protect the entrance to the Chamber by having it concealed behind plumbing fixtures and sinks in second-floor girls' bathroom, so only future heirs of Slytherin would know how to open the Chamber. In 1876, then caretaker Rancorous Carpe made a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to rid the school of Peeves by trying to bait him into a trap involving a wide variety of Muggle weapons and a vast, enchanted bell jar reinforced with various Containment Charms, which resulted in the evacuation of the castle and a three-day standoff between the vengeful poltergeist and then Headmistress Eupraxia Mole. In the end, the good professor agreed to sign a contract promising him additional privileges, including weekly swim in the boys' toilets on the ground floor, pickings of stale bread from the kitchen for throwing purposes and a new hat — to be custom-made by the Parisian witch Madame Bonhabille. After this, Carpe went into early retirement for "health reasons" and was succeeded by Gladwin Moon. The faculty didn't attempt to evict the poltergeist again, though he still had a strained relationship with them, notably Madam Agnes Scribner, the librarian, who had Peeves as her "sworn nemesis", and Professor Phineas Nigellus Black, who at some point had taken over as the least popular Headmaster the school had seen and was often tormented by Peeves. In 1889, Mudiwa Onai travelled from Uagadou to Hogwarts to teach Divination, bringing her daughter Natsai Onai to the school. The spring of 1890 saw the injury of a pure-blood student during the Quidditch final, leading to Professor Black banning Quidditch in the next school year. That year, a new student would arrive at the school who, like Isidora Morganach, would begin as a fifth-year. Professor Black and the Deputy Headmistress Matilda Weasley worked with the Ministry to devise a plan for the student to ensure their success. They were personally mentored by Professor Eleazar Fig to hone their magical skills, and, through their unexpected detour while travelling to Hogwarts, showed abilities of ancient magic. After enrolling, they successfully reached the Map Chamber, whereupon they completed all four of the Keepers' trials. Their time at Hogwarts coincided with the goblin Ranrok's pursuit of the power within the ancient magic repositories, during which an uneasy alliance was formed between Ranrok and the Dark wizard Victor Rookwood. After vanquishing Rookwood, the student faced Ranrok in a final battle in the Keepers' Caverns aided by the faculty, and ended his rebellion. However, it also saw the death of Professor Fig, for whom the school held a memorial ceremony. During this time, the student also joined their classmates Natsai Onai and Poppy Sweeting in taking down Theophilus Harlow, Rookwood's right-hand man, and thwarting the plots of poachers, respectively. The student also helped Sebastian Sallow with finding a cure for his sister Anne Sallow, which ended in failure.
"Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you…"
— Start-of-Term Feast speech
Term began on 1 September. Students usually reached Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express, which left Platform 9¾ of London's King's Cross Station at 11 a.m. sharp. There seemed to be other ways of entering the school, such as via broomsticks or Floo Powder, or simply Apparating to a nearby location such as Hogsmeade. Missing the Hogwarts Express for any reason was a very serious problem, but would not cost the student points as long as they got there before the term had officially started. The Hogwarts Express brought the students to Hogsmeade Station. First years traditionally crossed the Black Lake in boats with the gamekeeper, travelling under an opening in the rocks upon which Hogwarts was built, through a curtain of ivy, and finally into an underground harbour.
Older students travelled on the road in carriages pulled by Thestrals (invisible to any that hadn't witnessed death) to the castle. The Start-of-Term Feast took place in the Great Hall. This feast included the Sorting Ceremony, followed by a few words from the current Headmaster or Headmistress. The banquet started after this, including large quantities of food and drink. The feast was closed with a few more words from the Headmaster or headmistress, including the usual "start-of-term notices".
After dinner, students were led to their house common room by a prefect. This was a special time for new students to get comfortable with their surroundings, because the next day classes would begin. The class schedules were handed out during breakfast by the Heads of House. After two weeks of classes, the Quidditch team trials and flying lessons for the first years usually occured.
Homework was usually assigned to students at the end of classes or at the end of the school term. It was usually completed by students in the Study Hall, Study Area, library, Gryffindor Tower reading room or another common room. A homework planner could be used to help students to keep track of all their homework assignments. Some magical planners also told the students to complete the homework when it was opened. If a student failed to complete the homework or was late in handing it in, they could be given a detention as a punishment.
"And be warned: thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts."
— Albus Dumbledore explaining the rules of Hogwarts to a young Tom Riddle
"We must unite inside her, or we'll crumble from within."
— The Sorting Hat
"About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first-years."
— The ghosts of Hogwarts
Hogwarts was the most heavily haunted dwelling place in Britain (and this was against stiff competition, as there were more reported ghost sightings/sensings on these damp islands than anywhere else in the world). The castle was a congenial place for ghosts, because the living inhabitants treated their dead friends with tolerance and even affection, no matter how many times they had heard the same old reminiscences. Each of the four Hogwarts houses had its own ghost.
Slytherin boasted the Bloody Baron, who was covered in silver bloodstains. He was well known for being extremely unsocial and many students, including those of his own House, were known to be slightly afraid of him. While alive, he was a hot-tempered man. The least talkative of the house ghosts was the Grey Lady, who was long-haired and beautiful. She was the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, making her the only house ghost who was directly related to one of the four Hogwarts founders.
Hufflepuff house was haunted by the Fat Friar, who was executed because senior churchmen grew suspicious of his ability to cure the pox merely by poking peasants with a stick, and his ill-advised habit of pulling rabbits out of the communion cup. Though a genial character in general, the Fat Friar still resented the fact that he was never made a cardinal. He also frequently suggested that Peeves be given a second chance, whether or not he deserved it.
Gryffindor house was home to Nearly Headless Nick, who in life was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. Something of a snob, and a less accomplished wizard than he believed, Sir Nicholas lounged around the court of Henry VII in life, until his foolish attempt to beautify a lady-in-waiting by magic caused the unfortunate woman to sprout tusks. Sir Nicholas was stripped of his wand and inexpertly executed, leaving his head hanging off by a single flap of skin and sinew. His ghost retained a feeling of inadequacy with regard to truly headless ghosts.
Heads of Hogwarts
The Headmaster or Headmistress was appointed by the Hogwarts Board of Governors to oversee the safety and the day-to-day functioning of the school, and had the power to override any decision made by any other authoritative facilitator at the school.
Deputy Heads
The Deputy Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress (depending on gender) assisted the headmaster or headmistress in his or her duties. In the event of a headmaster or headmistress' incapacitation, the deputy also served as temporary head until the Board of Governors could select a new, permanent one.
Heads of House
Head of House was the title held by a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who was responsible for looking after the students in one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. It was possible for a Head of House to serve concurrently as Deputy Head, but not as Headmaster/Headmistress.
"We teachers are rather good at magic, you know."
— Description of Hogwarts' Professors
Hogwarts had in its faculty an abundance of wise and talented professors. Each specialised in a specific subject. Other staff positions included that of a school nurse, caretaker, librarian, and Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. There were a variety of classes taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These included both the core curriculum and the electives, available from third year forward. Some classes could be dropped in the sixth year.
Numerous lessons were described, instructing the students in various branches of magic. Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology were compulsory subjects for the first five years. At the end of their second year, students were required to add at least two optional subjects to their syllabus for the start of the third year. Five of the choices were Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies.
Feb 12, 2023 · Rowena Ravenclaw Named Hogwarts Based On A Dream. The traditional story within the wizarding world is that Hogwarts was named based on a dream that one of the founders, Rowena Ravenclaw, had experienced. In the dream, a warty hog led Rowena to a cliff by a lake, the very cliff which later was the location the school was founded on.
- Staff Writer
Rowling, Molesworth, Influence and Intertextuality. September 8, 2016 by John 5 Comments. Jo Rowling has been quite explicit about the origin of the name of the School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in her Harry Potter novels. In a 2001 interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, she told us ‘Hogwarts’ comes from a plant she encountered at a ...
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