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If you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’s a phrase you’ve probably read over and over again, and yet you might not even know what it means. The title page of every novel in the immortal seven-book fantasy series features the crest of the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. In addition to being made up of the animal mascots of the four houses — Gryffindor (lion), Slytherin (snake), Hufflepuff (badger), and Ravenclaw (not a raven, but an eagle) — the school crest also features the Hogwarts motto.

With Hogwarts Legacy currently the video game of the moment (for better or for worse), Wizarding World lovers may again be wondering exactly what the meaning is behind the motto of Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s alma mater. So, let’s make like a lumos spell and shed some light on the mystery.

What is the Hogwarts school motto and what does it mean in English?

As you may know, the Hogwarts motto reads “Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.” And, no, it’s not a reference to Harry’s adolescent enemy Draco Malfoy. Once translated from Latin into English, the school creedo reads: “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.”

Although the motto dates back to the school’s origins in 990 AD, when it was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff, the warning definitely feels part and parcel with the whimsical sense of humor associated with Hogwarts’ most famous headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. On the surface, it offers a very handy piece of advice for wizards who might one day encounter a dragon — it’s best not to surprise anything that has fire for breath.

The Harry Potter Fandom points out that “Never tickle a sleeping dragon” could also be considered the Wizarding society’s equivalent to the common muggle saying “let sleeping dogs lie,” which is a proverb meaning that it’s better to avoid interfering with a situation that is not currently causing you any harm but could do if not handled sensitively.

However, this doesn’t explain exactly why this curious, and humorous, phrase was decided upon as the perfect motto for Hogwarts. An interesting fan theory, that was first posted on Reddit 9 years ago, offers perhaps the best explanation you’ll find.

The theory has it that the “sleeping dragon” is actually a veiled reference to Hogwarts itself. In this reading, the motto becomes a warning to those that mean the school and its students harm. “Its purpose is to educate and train the wizards of tomorrow,” the theory creator wrote. “It is of no threat to anyone. Unless you p*ss it off. You march on Hogwarts and you better be ready to die. Painfully.” This, of course, came to pass when Voldemort and his followers besieged Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows.

While this is far from confirmed, it is certainly a smart interpretation that helps make more sense out of Hogwarts’ mysterious motto.

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