The Harry Potter Compendium
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"Ora et Labora."
—Professor Swott's motto, inscribed on his portrait.[src]

Professor Amrose Swott[1] (d. 1724) was a wizard. He was once a Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[2]

Biography[]

File:AmberoseSwott.jpg

Amrose Swott as a younger man.

Lifetime[]

Professor Swott lived in the early 18th century. He became the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at some point.

Post-mortem[]

Professor Swott died in 1724.[3] Two portraits of him hung at Hogwarts: one depicted a bespectacled young man,[4] and another, hung in the Headmaster's office, depicted an older wizard with a long ginger beard.[2] Swott's name was also carved into a wood panel on the wall of the school's Divination classroom.[5]

In the winter of 1993, Swott's name appeared on the Marauder's Map,[6] presumably indicating that he lingered at Hogwarts as a ghost after his death,[7] or that there is a student named after him.

Etymology[]

"Ambrose" is a name, which ultimately derives from the Greek name Ambrosios, meaning "immortal".[8] Swott may have been based on swot, a British slang term, meaning "to study hard" or "one who studies hard."[9]

Behind the scenes[]

  • It is possible that Swott's portrait is a reference to a portrait of Johannes Kepler, a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer.
  • The motto inscribed on Swott's portrait, "Ora et Labora" (meaning "Pray and Work") was the motto of the Benedictine monks.

Appearances[]

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Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter Limited Edition - The Paintings of Hogwarts: Masterpieces from the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Sets
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) DVD (Disc 2 - Dumbledore's Office) (see this image)
  3. In interviews, J.K. Rowling has stated the portraits at Hogwarts are "all of dead people," and "all the portraits you see in the headmaster's study are all headmasters and mistresses who died." Swott's portrait is visible in the "Dumbledore's Office" tour on Disc 2 of the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) DVD, and it's dated 1724.
  4. See this image.
  5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - see this image
  6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - Chapter 16
  7. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 24, Harry notices on the Marauder's Map that Draco Malfoy is in a boys' bathroom with Moaning Myrtle, thereby confirming that the Map shows ghosts.
  8. "Ambrose" on Behind the Name
  9. "Swot" on Wiktionary


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