Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus – A Mere Proverb, or an Important Clue?

[valcana]

I think you may all be over complicating it. I believe it is JK's short way of warning the evil-doers in the story. The phrase "a sleeping dragon" normally hints towards dormant, unknown skill or one with such skills. The sleeping dragon could actually be Harry, who has power unbeknownst even to him. The enemies keep "tickling" him by messing with him and so they get their butts kicked. Harry simply wants to be left alone but they keep "tickling a sleeping dragon".

[pvictorg]

The sleepy Dragoon of Hogwarts:

The new cover of luxury of the book that shows Harry, Hermione and Ron mounting a dragoon: this it will be the dragoon sleepy of Hogwarts that makes reference the famous phrase or motto of the school, as the Hogwarts school is for the good, perhaps their dragoon is good and collaborates with Harry in a right cause. Harry wakes up to the dragoon by right causes… Another possibility is that as Harry and Voldemor have the same blood after book six, This has caused that some Dragoon of Voldemort has been confused by the sense of smell of the blood and believes that Harry is Voldemort.

Summarizing:

the cover of the USA of Harry Potter 7: Harry and Voldemor are in the Coliseo; Harry takes medallón to the neck (that is a Horrocruxes) that prevents that Voldemort sends a mortal spell to him to Harry because would destroy its own Horrocruxes (Harry can use medallón because he has the same blood of Voldemort). with respect to the treasure where he appears Harry, Ron and Hermione; This could be the treasure of Voldemort where is horrocruxe.

[tiddlypops]

In Deathly Hallows, when Ron, Harry & Hermione discuss the Tale of the Three Brothers, this passage stands out to me:

...
'You don't believe it either?' Harry asked him.
'Nah, that story's just one of those things you tell kids to teach them lessons isn't it? "Don't go looking for trouble, don't pick fights, don't go messing around with stuff that's best left alone! Just keep your head down, mind your own business and you'll be OK."
...


I think "never tickle a sleeping dragon" is probably just one of those things too...

Ron's explanation does pretty much sum the motto up perfectly, it seems to me like JK might have done it deliberately.

[theredheadedgrl]

Good ideas... the four animal allusions seem a tiny bit farfetched, but who knows with a mind like Rowling's...
Perhaps it could also have alluded to the power within Hogwarts and its students? Hogwarts was a peacable school... indeed, a "sleeping dragon"... until the Dark Wizards came and did their "tickling". Then the beast was awakened and all hell broke loose... perhaps it all ties in.

[sirmunchkinzach]

I quite like this post, very thought provoking.
Perhaps tickling the sleeping dragon, as you mentioned being tied to the school itself, could also be a metaphor for Lord Voldemort. It's quite possible that his very education was the tickling. It's also possible that when Albus Dumbledore decided against his instincts to take the young Tom Riddle into Hogwarts, he tickled the sleeping dragon. It might have slept on, and the world might never have known Voldemort.

Just a different perspective...

Quite possibly, another metaphorical "sleeping dragon" is Neville Longbottom. The boy, under circumstances of great need, blossomed into the ***-kicking epic friend we all knew he would turn out to be. All he needed was... need I say it? to be "tickled."

Quite possibly, another metaphorical "sleeping dragon" is Neville Longbottom. The boy, under circumstances of great need, blossomed into the ***-kicking epic friend we all knew he would turn out to be. All he needed was... need I say it? to be "tickled."

[RoonilWazlib27]

Really, the person who could have benefited most from this advice (draco dormiens nunquam titillandus) would be Tom Riddle. Had he heeded this advice, he may have never marked Harry "as his equal". By never tickling that sleeping dragon he may have ruled as Lord Voldemort for many centuries.

[Aberleigh]

I think that the Edgar Allen poe theory is a bit far-fetched. Has anyone read any books by Lewis Carroll? Then you are sure to find out that there is much controversity over this riddle "How are a Raven and a Writing desk alike?" It was meant to be a riddle that had no answer but so many arguements struck up that Lewis finally said that if he had meant for the Riddle to have a answer it would be 'Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!' In many recent editions the 'nevar' has been edited out. If you haven't noticed 'nevar' is raven backwards. It was a message to his fans that he published in his next book in 1896. Thatis I think a much more reasonable answer.

[megan_black]

i simply dont get it all it means is "never tickle a sleeping dragon"

[EpaphusDelphin]

Originally Posted by harpwench

I am sure that the Hogwarts motto does have some meaning besides the obvious. However, I do not have any idea what it is, and frankly this editorial did not illuminate anything for me. If the Hogwarts founders wrote the motto in the 10th or 11th century, they would not have had a 19th century poem in mind, for starters; I don't think you're really onto anything connecting the words to the houses. Also, even if JKR is using the word draco as a double entendre to refer to Malfoy, the Hogwarts founders again would not have been. Therefore, there is still no explanation as to why the founders chose this proverb as the school motto.

Well, I agree with you about the 'words to houses' connection. Not much there. But about Draco, Harry does rather provoke him at times and this leads to a war, of sorts, between them. And, Voldemort also is 'tickling a sleeping dragon' when he tries to force Draco to kill Dumbledore. At the time, Dumbledore was the owner of the Elder Wand and when Malfoy disarms him, he becomes the owner of it.

Spoiler: show

Harry ends up overpowering Draco and stealing three wands in the Deathly Hallows. Voldemort tries to kill Harry, but the curse backfires. So, in a sense, Draco brings the wand into Harry's ownership so Voldemort will meet his destruction.

And, since the Founders, most likely, hadn't foreseen that this would happen, they probably just chose it for no real specific reason. But, then again, they weren't the ones who wrote the book, JKR was. Maybe we'll never know, or maybe we will... does Pottermore come to mind? Just my thoughts on the issue. Many possibilities!

[Matraguna]

well guys, its quite simple. i think this motto has nothing to do with the storyline. the dragon is the sexual force from every being; "never tickle a sleeping dragon" means that you should not wake that force just like that because you're wasting it and that's the source of your magic power. i know many will not agree this but this has the deepest sense...

[Tonks_Animagus]

I love this motto, and JK Rowling for using it I never understood it's meaning though. I guess it's something to do with the Houses? It would be interesting if pottermore reveals some information about it fro JK.

[Quickquill]

All proverbs pass on tidbits of wisdom. So of course there is a meaning to it. It's a wizarding version of "Let sleeping dogs lie." or "Don't rock the boat". I seriously doubt that it originally had any deeper connection to the plot though. It probably was a reminder to cocky young wizards that just because they could do something did not mean that it was always wise to actually do it.