Skip to main content

harry potter - What is the association of the 4 house animals to the Hogwarts houses and who picked them?


In Harry Potter each Hogwarts house has its own animal that represents it; is it ever explained how these animals came to represent a specific house? I never read a canon explanation to who chose the animals, is that known?



Answer



Since the four founders were involved in choosing students for their houses, it seems reasonable to assume that they also chose their house animal.


Reading the welcome letters on Pottermore offers one explanation: the animals were chosen because they had the traits that the founders valued in their students.





  • Slytherin and the snake. From the welcome letter:



    We’re like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood.



    It’s also well-known that Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth, and had an affinity with snakes. (I don’t know if Parseltongue had such a negative connotation when Hogwarts was founded; if so, I’m surprised he chose to advertise it.)




  • Gryffindor and the lion. From the welcome letter:




    Our emblem is the lion, the bravest of all creatures



    The lion is often depicted as the “king of the jungle/beasts” and as a symbol of bravery. If you look on heraldic crests, the lion is a popular choice for royalty, for similar reasons. It’s easy to see why Godric chose it.




  • Ravenclaw and the eagle. From the welcome letter:



    Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb



    This is a not-so-subtle reference to the fact that Ravenclaws believe themselves to be more intelligent than other students.



    You could look at the answers to When is a raven like an eagle? When it's on the Ravenclaw house crest for a bit more discussion of the Ravenclaw house crest.




  • Hufflepuff and the badger. From the welcome letter:



    Hufflepuffs are trustworthy and loyal. We don’t shoot our mouths off, but cross us at your peril; like our emblem, the badger, we will protect ourselves, our friends and our families against all-comers. […] Like badgers, we know exactly how to lie low – and how to defend ourselves.



    I discussed Hufflepuff’s association with the badger more fully in another answer on the site.





Somebody who knows more about history than me might be able to comment on thehistorical significance of these symbols in medieval times (when these animals would have been chosen).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

warhammer40k - What evidence supposedly supports Tau as related to the Necrontyr?

I've heard of rumours saying that the Tau from Warhammer 40K are in fact the Necrontyr. Is there anything that supports this statement, in WH40K canon? I just found this, on 1d4 chan 1 : Helping Necrons? Or are they Necrontyr descendants? An often overlooked issue is that Tau have no warp signatures, just like Necrons, hate Warpspawns and Warp in general, just like Necrons, have the exact same skull shape,stature and short lives, and the overwhelming need for Technology and beam weapons, JUST LIKE NECRONS. GW may have planned a race that simply prepares a pacified, multiracial galaxy for Necrons to feast upon, supported by Ethereals that have a C'tan phase blade. Then there is a reference of "dark seed in east" by the Deceiver, so the tricky C'tan might give Tzeentch the finger in the JUST AS PLANNED competition. Or maybe GW just has so little creativity that they simply made a new civ conforming to an Old One's standards without knowing it. Is this the connec...
Post a Comment
Read more

story identification - Animation: floating island, flying pests

At least 20 years ago I watched a short animated film which stuck in my mind. The whole thing was wordless, possibly European, and I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it... It featured a flying island which was inhabited by some creatures who (in my memory) reminded me of the Moomins. The island was frequently bothered by large winged animals who swooped around, although I don't think they did any actual damage. At the end one of the moomin creatures suddenly gets a weird feeling, feels forced to climb to the top of the island and then plunges down a shaft right through the centre - only to emerge at the bottom as one of the flyers. Answer Skywhales from 1983. The story begins with a man warning the tribe of approaching skywhales. The drummers then warn everybody of the hunt as everyone get prepared to set "sail". Except one man is found in his home sleeping as the noise wake him up. He then gets ready and is about to take his weapon as he hesitates then decides ...
Post a Comment
Read more