This may not be appropriate, but...

[mozarteffect.livejournal.com]

Have you ever wondered why the houses have their animals? Like a badger for Hufflepuff and a lion for Gryffindor? I mean, we know about Salazar and his connection with snakes, but what do you suppose the other founders had in mind when they chose those animals to be the symbols of their houses? (I mean, for Hufflepuff, badgers aren't exactly very cuddly and nice...)

--Momo, Hufflepuff

Comments

[megaleena.livejournal.com]

Well, lions are brave - so that answers that one. What's Ravenclaw, a raven? Which are notorious as the most intelligent bird. haven't a clue about the badger though - are they loyal? Any badger-baiters here to answer that?

[moonchild337.livejournal.com]

i think ravenclaw is an eagle actually. maybe not.

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Badgers are tenacious, and a good reminder of why it's not a good idea to underestimate Hufflepuffs.

Atalanta Pendragonne, Slytherin

[gracelessiv.livejournal.com]

I think someone's speculated somewhere (Or mayhaps it's fact) that Rowena Ravenclaw was an eagle animagus with black claws, hence her name and house symbol. Not terribly sure on that. Good question! O.o

[moonchild337.livejournal.com]

oh, thats a sweet idea, maybe all the animals are the founders animagus form.

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Eagles are also specifically associated with the element of Air, the element connected to the intellect.

Atalanta Pendragonne, Slytherin

[boley.livejournal.com]

Ah, but see...badgers look kinda soft and cuddly...but you have this innate sense not to go poking one with a stick, because...they are wild animals and they do have a tendency to protect thier territory.

And perhaps JKR had a soft spot for them and thought they needed to represent with their own house...hehehe, who knows? :-D

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

you have this innate sense not to go poking one with a stick


Or a spoon.


Atalanta Pendragonne, Slytherin

[jmpovrthemoon23.livejournal.com]

but you have this innate sense not to go poking one with a stick

I have to ask, was that an Eddie Izzard reference or did you really just make that up? Either way, you rock.

[loved-gamgee.livejournal.com]

i'm kinda with boley. badgers look all cute and could be cuddley, but they are actually vicious when provoked. speaking as a Hufflepuff, i can testify. i look all sweet and cuddley but when you get too close and start to make me feel a bit uneasy, that's when the claws and the teeth come out!

[aurora-borialis.livejournal.com]

hehe! Me too! I'm all nice and sweet until you get on my bad side. Then you better just leave me alone or I will bite. lol!

Austynne:: 'Puff

[theropicus.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I always figured house animals were chosen to both correspond with the founders' names as well as the characteristics associated with each house. Like...

Ravenclaw (eagle): Birds have a long association with learning and knowledge. In Egyptian mythology the god of learning/scholars is Thoth, who has the head of an isis. In ancient Greece/Rome Athena/Minerva's (goddess of knowledge) patron animal is the owl. I suppose Ravenclaw doesn't have an owl as its animal because, in the wizarding world, owls have a stronger connection to the mundane practice of mailing things. As for why an eagle... well, its a noble bird that looks cool, and the animagus theory is interesting as well. Also, the eagle is Jupiter's bird as well as the symbol of Rome and the Roman Empire. Possibly Rowena wanted to connect her house to the wisdom of antiquity?

Gryffindor (lion): A gryphon is part eagle and part lion - eagle's already been taken by Ravenclaw and lions are thought to be the "king of the beasts." From what we've seen in the books, Gryffindors generally are the leaders/heroes/etc., making them the "kings" among wizards. Lions are very popular animals in heraldry as well (tho' I couldn't for the life of me tell you their heraldric meaning).

Hufflepuff (badger): Hmmm... there doesn't seem to be any connection between name and animal for this house, but then are there any animals that can be associated with the name Hufflepuff (aside from puffskeins, and I don't think magical creatures were considered when forming the house crests). Badgers are often overlooked animals that (if I remember correctly) can be rather nasty buggers. They may also represent industry and hard work because they burrow. Personally I would have gone for beavers (the phrase "busy as a beaver" comes to mind), but I suppose badgers look cooler :D

Slytherin (snake): See, snakes "slyther" (slither)... :) Traditionally snakes are associated with evil and other bad stuff because of the whole Adam and Eve thing, and (sorry, I know the Slytherins are going to zing me for this one) Slytherin is the house of "evil". On a more positive note (?), snakes can be seen as sneaky little guys because they can get into all types of little nooks and crevices. If you can hide easily you should be able to eavesdrop overhear things easily - something that has to be handy when it comes to being ambitious. Plus, Slytherin is, as we all know, the "cool, sexy bastards" house and what could possibly be cooler than a snake?

Ack, went a bit over the top there explaining things -.-; Sorry I skimped on the Gryffindors but I haven't really thought that much about Gryffindor/lion association...

Mandy, Ravenclaw

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

Are beavers native to the UK? I was sure they were US critters, then I remembered the beavers in THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE and now I'm not certain. But European wizards 1,000 years ago wouldn't know about New World (or Australian, for that matter) fauna, unless you posit that they were secretly going places Muggles of their era and native land hadn't found yet.

[medens-lupus.livejournal.com]

maybe it's just me, but every time i see Hufflepuff I think of Jigglypuff from pokemon.

And as I Hufflepuff I could not be more amused.

Carry on.

[mozarteffect.livejournal.com]

(I've always wondered a bit about the founders, too) Nah, you didn't go overboard, it's always nice to learn something new about the wonderful world of Harry Potter and make new theories.

[lonly-girl.livejournal.com]

Just a small thing, I think Thoths head was in IBIS...Isis is the name of the goddess married to Osirus
Sorry for that. Im Egyptian and stuff and really interested in Egyuptology (YES its a real word)
~*~RITA~*~

[calliopeia17.livejournal.com]

Eagles are the heraldic symbol of quick-wittedness and ingenuity; lions the heraldic symbol of courage and fortitude, and badgers the heraldic symbol of industry and hard work. The snake should be obvious, but, to be specific, snakes are symbols of cunning and sometimes of evil (and of medicine, but that's a different story, though one that's interesting to play with because of the association between Slytherin and Potions). :-)

The animals are symbols of the qualities of the House.

Calliopeia, Ravenclaw

[theropicus.livejournal.com]

Ah, someone who knows heraldry! Thanks :D I wasn't sure about the heraldic meanings of them earlier ::points up at long post:: but I thought I remembered something about lions being the heraldic symbol for courage/bravery/etc.

Is there a long-standing association between Slytherin and Potions? I thought it was just that Snape happened to be Head of of Slytherin as well as the Potions professor...

::thought suddenly occurs to her:: D'oh! I forgot, of course Slytherin would be a snake because, if nothing else, Salazar Slythern was a parselmouth. Obviously I'm not awake yet today -.-;

Mandy, Ravenclaw

[ascendingflame.livejournal.com]

I think that association with medicine is very valid. Also the snake is a symbol for re-birth as it renews itself by shedding its skin. This is especially interesting as Voldemort is struggling to be "re-born" in PS/SS as well as in CoS until he finally succeeds in GoF.

My Elemental Theory

[ascendingflame.livejournal.com]

Here I am again with my elemental theory :D

Gryffindor = fire:
The lion has always been associated with courage and the element of fire. The lion is also the King of the Beasts and is therefore fittingly associated with the positive forces in the books. Also JKR is a Leo (=lion), so she made Harry one as well (giving him her birthday) and associating him with the lion and the lion with Gryffindor, the house of the brave.

Slytherin = water:
The snake (dragon) is traditionally a creature associated with water. Water is the natural opposition to the element of fire as green is the compliment to red. The snake is also a symbol for re-birth (because of the shedding of its skin and thus renewing itself), of wisdom and also of course of slyness, and biblically of evil incarnate.

Ravenclaw = air:
The eagle is a creature of air. It is traditionally far sighted and thus very wise and knowledgeable. Also it can't be kept in a cake, the eagle is very proud and free, as the thoughts of a wise man (or woman, says the feminist) should be.

Hufflepuff = earth:
The badger is a creature of the earth and is actually the least traditional of the animals, even though earth dwellers and diggers were always associated with the element. I suspect that the black that goes with the Hufflepuff-yellow symbolizes the badger's stripes.

Re: My Elemental Theory

[theropicus.livejournal.com]

OooOoOoo... ::is interested by elemental theory:: Out of curiousity, what would be the traditional animal to be associated with earth? A mole or a rabbit? Also, it occurs to me that wouldn't it be interesting if you re-worked this looking instead at associated colors? E.g., Gryffindor = fire, Slytherin = earth (for green things), Ravenclaw = water, Hufflepuff = air (I think yellow/white is the color commonly attributed to air, but I may be wrong).

Also it can't be kept in a cake, the eagle is very proud and free
::laughs:: I'm sorry, I keep on seeing this person trying to force an eagle into a mixing bowl - that or a whole bunch of little Ravenclaws singing Four and Twenty Blackbirds XD
Surely you mean 'cage'? (can't help it, is very amused by typo) :)

Mandy, Ravenclaw

Re: My Elemental Theory

[mozarteffect.livejournal.com]

That is brilliant, really, I would have never thought of that O_o (I haven't been very active in this topic, I am going to be right...now)

--Momo, Hufflepuff

[rocknrollpixie.livejournal.com]

Wow, I really feel like I'm learning a lot from this post!

Pixie ~ Hufflepuff

[ravingraven.livejournal.com]

Wow, lots of interesting theories being batted about.

Okay, this may be reaching a little, but anyway, here are my thoughts on Hufflepuff.

The original kind of tarot cards didn't have wands, cups, swords and pentacles - instead, the four houses were represented by birds, fishes, beasts and serpents. The King card of the house of beasts pictured a man with a badger beside him. The badger was his spiritual animal, a devoted family creature, a nocturnal beast of immense strength and fair intelligence. The black and white of the badger was said to represent things of importance such as winter/spring, dark/light, death/life.

(Interestingly, and a little off topic, the ace of beasts in this deck of cards is represented by a stag. The spiritual animal most closely allied to Merlin himself - referring to the time he spent in the forest and ran with the deer. Prongs anyone?)

Kathy ~ Hufflepuff

[mozarteffect.livejournal.com]

*Captain Jack Sparrow voice* That's interesting...

(Really, I'm not supposed to look at tarot cards, me mother would freak)

It's funny that I've always loved animals but only study their biological statistics rather than what they symbolize.

--Momo, Hufflepuff

[xexit-thestarsx.livejournal.com]

That's a very good question.
After reading everyone else's comments I have nothing to add.
Good post!

Charity Sapphire// Hufflepuff