For fans of theHarry Potterseries, the history of Hogwarts is something that will never get boring. With a deep history rooted in magic and powerful witches and wizards, the founding of one of the most famous magic schools in Europe is something that fascinates fans. Luckily, there is plenty of information on the history of Hogwarts, chiefly among that history, the origins and founders of Hogwarts.
Exactly what kind of witches and wizards from theHarry Potteruniverse would have the time, skill, and ambition to create such a magical school is a fair thing to wonder about. Creating something as magically intricate as Hogwarts can’t have been a simple task, and that is likely why four powerful wizards had to come together to start the school in the first place.
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Who Were The Founders Of Hogwarts?
Four powerful witches and wizards came together to create Hogwarts, and their names were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. Assome of the most powerful magical beingsin existence back in the 10th century, the four powerful spellcasters each created their own houses for the school which would take each of the witch and wizards’ last names.
Godric Gryffindor, the founder of Gryffindor house, was one of the most powerful wizards of his age, so powerful that he was said to be the greatest duelist of that era. Always ready for battle, Godric wouldn’t just use a simple wand, he’d also wield a mighty sword. Luckily, he never needed to use either against his fellow founders, although there was a major issue between Godric and Salazar. The two butted heads over Salazar’s insistence that Hogwarts be kept pure instead of letting in any kind of muggle-born students.
Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw, wasone of the brightest witches in existence, and as a result, the students she’d choose for her house would reflect that. While her house was filled with brilliant students who demonstrated their excellence with their minds, many of them were muggle-born, something that would put her at odds with her friend Salazar years later.
Rowena was a very calculated person, but she was capable of showing immense compassion to both her students and her own traitorous daughter. Her own daughter had stolen her diadem for petty reasons, but Rowena decided to keep that information hidden from the other founders in the hopes that she could see her daughter again. It is unknown whether or not she was able to see her daughter in spirit before she would eventually pass on.
Helga Hufflepuff really did seem to be the most uncontroversial figure among the founders. The creator of Hufflepuff took herview of students in a much simpler lightand preferred those who were willing to work hard while remaining loyal to those around them. Being particularly skilled in charms, Helga was a major contributor to the food at Hogwarts both in the work she did with house elves and with the various recipes she created herself.
Salazar Slytherin was the most controversial figure of all the Hogwarts founders. Starting Slytherin, Salazar was incredibly involved in deciding which students would make up his house. His biggest concern was that his students were of pure blood, though traits like cunning, skillful lying, and rule-breaking were also important.
Salazar was a rule-breaker in his own right, as he waswilling to teach unforgivable cursesto his students. The draw among Slytherin house to study the dark arts was something that drew a large rift between Salazar and the other founders, and it all came to a head when Salazar confronted the others about the nature of the birth of Hogwarts students. The other founders would disagree with him, leading to his departure from the school.
How Was Hogwarts Created?
Some people may believe that a school as historic as Hogwarts would have an elaborate and magical beginning, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Once the four founders came together, the construction of the school itself seems to have been a fairly simple and straightforward task. Hard times would come eventually, but that would be much later than when they initially created the four houses of the school and would center around the types of witches and wizards the school was admitting.
There is at least one rather unique quirk to Hogwarts, and that is the manner in which it is protected fromthe prying eyes of the muggle world. When the school was founded, being a witch or a wizard wasn’t exactly looked on with kind eyes. To avoid mobs of angry muggles, protection charms were set up to deter any muggles from ever setting foot on Hogwarts grounds. Those charms would cause a non-magical person to simply see old ruins and little else.
What Did Each Founder Contribute To Hogwarts?
Godric Gryffindor’s most enduring contribution to the school was his very own hat, an object that would become the Sorting Hat. Each of the founders charmed the hat to have the means to continue to select students with their key traits in mind long after each of them was gone. His sword would also be passed on, though that would have little to do with Hogwarts itself.
It’s said that the location of Hogwarts and its unique floor plan were both decided by Rowena Ravenclaw. A dream led Rowena to decide on the location for the school, something that worked out considering the school would survive for more than a thousand years. She’d also leave behind her diadem,something that would contribute to the school’s dark history.
While Helga Hufflepuff may not have contributed as much as some of the other founders, she was still a key figure. Her food charms would continue to be used to provide food at Hogwarts, and she’d even leave behind a secretive magic cup that would later be stolen by none other than Tom Riddle.
Salazar Slytherin would leave many things behind, but his most famous contributions werethe Chamber of Secretsand the Basilisk. Both would live on only as a legend until the chamber would eventually be reopened, leading to basilisk attacks that would shake Hogwarts to its core.
Are The Founders Still Alive?
While witches and wizards are capable of living much longer than the average human, none of the founders are alive by the time Harry Potter first steps into Hogwarts. Luckily, most of the founders have rather few details surrounding their deaths, something that likely means they were able to pass on peacefully, but unfortunately, that is something that can’t be said for all of them.Rowena Ravenclaw in particularhad a much sadder end than any of the other Hogwarts founders.
Her own daughter Helena Ravenclaw, who would eventually become the Ravenclaw house ghost, stole a magical diadem in order to become as brilliant as her mother. Helena’s jealousy would prove to be the undoing of them both. Rowena would fall ill and send a baron to bring her daughter back, resulting in tragedy. While it isn’t known for sure, it’s possible that Rowena never got to see her daughter before her death, only contributing to her worsening condition thanks to her aching heart.
