20

I received Harry Potter: Film Wizardry (Updated Edition) and the Hogwarts letter seems to be different than in the book and the film, according to how Harry reads it out loud in Sorcerer's Stone. At the bottom of the letter it says:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore, D.Wiz, X.J. (sorc), S. of Mag. Q.

What does "D.Wiz, X.J. (sorc), S. of Mag. Q." stand for? I think I've figured out that "Wiz" stands for Wizard (this seems pretty obvious), (sorc) stands for sorcerer, and Mag likely stands for Magic, but I don't know what the other letters stand for.

Does anyone know what D.Wiz, X.J. (sorc), S. of Mag. Q. stands for? Is it something real, or just gibberish for the Film Wizardry book?

Improve this question
13
  • 1
    Here's wiki the wiki that talks about it. harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/…
    – Niffler
    Jun 7, 2019 at 12:26
  • 4
    Doctor of Wizadry, X.J. (sorc), Sorcerer of Magic, Questionable care giver.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Jun 7, 2019 at 12:32
  • 3
    @TheLethalCarrot - Hmm, I'm going to guess that "X.J." stands for "Xtra Jammin'".
    – Slytherincess
    Jun 7, 2019 at 14:56
  • 1
    The Hogwarts letter "official" replica from MinaLima, the films' graphic designers, also has the same titles on it, so I don't think it's something specific from that book. (The script isn't the same as the letter, but that doesn't mean it's a different prop.) I did email to ask if they have any information on where the inspiration for those titles came from, and got a reply that said they didn't know :(
    – Luna
    Jun 27, 2019 at 20:10
  • 1
    Perhaps "Doctorate of Wizardology, X.J. ([specialty in] sorcery), Society of Magicians, Quidditch (or perhaps Society of Queer Magicians) "
    – Aaron Gullison
    Aug 14, 2020 at 0:31

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

The bona fides “Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore, D.Wiz, X.J. (sorc), S. of Mag. Q.” appeared verbatim at least in the Harry Potter Mini Exhibition at Philatelic Museum circa November 17, 2016 in relation to the release of the film Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them.

One of the exhibits is a letter from Dumbledore, with these credentials: Dumbledore’s Credentials

This has also appeared in same form in MinaLina’s replica acceptance letter. MinaLina Letter

It has been surmised that the credentials might mean the following:

D. Wiz. Doctorate of Wizardry

X.J. (sorc.) Sorcery specialty

S. of Mag. Society of Magicians

Q Quidditch

There is no official confirmation or endorsement, and from the comments from those who reached out, it appears that at least some of the Harry Potter licensing staff have no idea what these abbreviations mean.

Improve this answer
1
  • 2
    There's also the question of where someone would study a Doctorate of Wizardry, especially as it's implied in the stories that completing wizarding school with enough NEWTs is the highest level of education that really seems to matter. Is such a degree purely honorary, or can someone explicitly enroll in it?
    – Robert Columbia
    Dec 3, 2021 at 21:05

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.