Hogwarts Crest

• Type: Coat of Arms, Emblem
• Owners: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
• Maker: Unknown, presumably the Four Founders of Hogwarts

The Hogwarts crest is the official coat of arms for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The primary book-canon description comes from Harry Potter's first Hogwarts letter, which depicts “a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'”. The crest consists of a shield divided into four quarters, with each quarter representing one of the four Hogwarts Houses. The design elements are as follows:

• Gryffindor: A golden lion rampant on a scarlet field.
• Slytherin: A silver serpent on a green field.
• Hufflepuff: A black badger on a yellow field.
• Ravenclaw: A bronze eagle on a blue field.

Surrounding or integrated with the shield is the school motto inscribed on a scroll: Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. This is a Latin phrase that translates to “Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.”

The Hogwarts crest serves as the primary symbol of the school. Its primary uses are:

• Official Emblem: It is used on all official school documents, most notably the acceptance letters sent to new students.
• Symbol of Unity: The crest represents the intended unity of the four Houses, combining their individual symbols into a single, cohesive whole. It stands for the entire institution of Hogwarts, a place of learning and refuge.
• Decoration: While individual House emblems are more commonly displayed within the castle (such as above the House point hourglasses in the Entrance Hall), the full Hogwarts crest is understood to be a significant part of the school's iconography, likely appearing in prominent locations like the Great Hall.

The crest itself is not known to possess any inherent magical properties. It functions purely as a symbolic and administrative emblem.

The exact origin of the Hogwarts crest is not documented in the novels. However, it is logical to assume it was designed and adopted at the time of the school's founding circa 993 AD. The creators would almost certainly have been the Four Founders of Hogwarts—Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin—as it is a composite of the animals and colours they chose for their respective Houses. The crest has remained the unchanging symbol of the school for over a millennium.

The Hogwarts crest is one of the first magical symbols Harry Potter encounters. Its appearance on his acceptance letter marks the formal beginning of his transition from the Muggle world to the wizarding world and establishes Hogwarts as a central and official institution. The school motto is mentioned by Albus Dumbledore to the Triwizard Tournament champions, where he explains its practical, common-sense meaning. Throughout the series, the crest functions as a powerful background symbol. While the individual House crests often highlight the rivalries within the school, the unified Hogwarts crest represents the school as a whole—a beacon of magical education and, during the Second Wizarding War, a bastion of opposition to Lord Voldemort.

• The Motto: J.K. Rowling stated in an interview that she wanted a fun, practical motto for Hogwarts, as many real-world schools have rather grand or pompous ones. “Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon” served as a piece of sound, practical advice (J.K. Rowling interview).
• Ravenclaw's Emblem: A notable difference exists between the books and the film adaptations. In the novels, the Ravenclaw animal is an eagle and its metal is bronze. The films changed this to a raven and the metal to silver (film). Most official merchandise produced since the films has adopted the raven/silver combination, but the eagle/bronze is the original book canon.
• Visual Design: The widely recognized visual layout of the crest—the specific shield shape, the style of the animals, and the scrollwork for the motto—was standardized and popularized by the Warner Bros. film series. It is heavily featured on student uniforms, banners, the Hogwarts Express, and as architectural detailing throughout the movie sets (film).