March 13, 2024
Harry Potter | Hogwarts Houses | Gryffindor House Information, Guide, & Facts
We've got all the info a brave heart might need when learning about Gryffindor, one of the best houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
>Buy: Harry Potter - Gryffindor Merch
Buy: Harry Potter - Gryffindor Merch
~Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
You aren't a Harry Potter fan if you haven't wondered which house you'd be in. If you consider yourself to be brave and heroic, then you're a Gryffindor, one of the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Continue on to explore what it means to be a Gryffindor, such as personality traits, members of the Gryffindor house, and more!
Basic Info
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House Colors: Scarlet and Gold
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Mascot: Lion
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Head of House: Professor Minerva McGonagall
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House Ghost: Nearly Headless Nick
Characters In Gryffindor
| Character Name | Date of Birth | Starting Year at Hogwarts |
Blood-Status |
| Harry Potter | July 31, 1980 | 1991 |
Half-Blood |
| Hermione Granger | September 19, 1979 | 1991 | Muggle-Born |
| Ron Weasley | March 1, 1980 | 1991 | Pure-Blood |
| Ginny Weasley | August 11, 1981 | 1992 | Pure-Blood |
| Neville Longbottom | July 30, 1980 | 1991 | Pure-Blood |
| Fred and George Weasley | April 1, 1978 | 1989 | Pure-Blood |
| Lily Evans/Potter | January 30, 1960 | 1971 | Muggle-Born |
| James Potter | March 27, 1960 | 1971 | Pure-Blood |
| Sirius Black | November 3, 1959 | 1971 | Pure-Blood |
| Remus Lupin | March 10, 1960 | 1971 | Half-Blood |
| Albus Dumbledore | August 1881 | 1892 | Half-Blood |
| Seamus Finnagin | July 14, 1980 | 1991 | Half-Blood |
| Dean Thomas | January 7, 1980 | 1991 | Half-Blood |
| Lavender Brown | 1979 | 1991 | Pure-Blood |
Gryffindor Personality Traits | What kind of person is a Gryffindor?
Those sorted into Gryffindor show signs of bravery, nerve, daring, and chivalry. They have a heroic nature and are the type of person to jump first and ask questions later. The most notable Gryffindor wizards and witches were bold, courageous, and adventurous, but this often led to trouble. Gryffindors can also display a sense of self-righteousness, recklessness, and short tempers despite their many great characteristics. Those sorted into this Hogwarts house have a strong moral compass and a drive to do what is right.
Gryffindor students tend to have an aptitude for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Beasts. A lot of members of the house go on to be Aurors or Professors.
Gryffindor House History
Gryffindor house was founded by Godric Gryffindor along with the other three houses: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Gryffindor valued heroism which reflected his own personality. He was born in a small village within the wizarding world that later became known as Godric’s Hollow. This is the same village that Harry was born in and where Lily and James Potter were killed by Voldemort.
Two of Gryffindor’s prized possessions make an appearance in the Harry Potter series. Firstly, the Sword of Gryffindor, a goblin-made sword that can absorb that which makes it stronger. In Harry's second year at Hogwarts, the sword absorbed Basilisk Venom, giving it the ability to destroy Horcruxes. The sword also has the ability to appear to any true Gryffindor during their time of need.
Less notably, the Sorting Hat also belonged to the founder of Gryffindor. After their death, the founders wanted the students to be sorted into houses properly. They decided to enchant Gryffindor’s hat, and this started the sorting ceremony. Every Hogwarts student participates in this at the start of their first year. The hat is placed on their head and they are sorted into different houses based on their strongest traits.
Unfortunately, not all the founders got along. Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were close friends until their opinion on whether muggle-borns should be allowed to attend Hogwarts ended that friendship. Gryffindor opposed Slytherin’s opinion and advocated the hardest for their education at Hogwarts.
From that point on, Gryffindor and Slytherin houses became rivals. Not even the Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws cared much for the students sorted into Slytherin. This rivalry was present even during Harry Potter’s time, where he became rivals with the Slytherin student, Draco Malfoy. The rivalry of the houses continued up to the fight against Voldemort during the battle of Hogwarts, where most Slytherins, who were dark witches and wizards, opposed Harry and sided with Lord Voldemort.
It is not known how Godric Gryffindor died, but his legacy lives on.
Sir Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor’s house ghost, lived and died during the 15th century. During his time at Hogwarts, he was a Gryffindor student. After he graduated, he was a knight in King Henry VII’s court and was beheaded after his failed attempt to fix a lady-in-waiting’s teeth with magic.
Gryffindor Common Room
The Gryffindor common room is located on the highest floor of the Gryffindor tower, hidden behind the portrait of “The Fat Lady.” In order to enter, one must know the right password and the portrait will swing open to reveal a cozy common room. The house colors are scarlet and gold and the room is decorated to reflect this theme.
This house is associated with the element of fire. Plush red armchairs take up the room, concentrated mostly around roaring fires that keep the tower warm. Gryffindor students can be seen playing games like Wizard’s Chess or daring one another to see just how brave they really are. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Popington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick and the Gryffindor house ghost, can be seen in the common room and roaming around the castle, helping students who are lost.
Stairs lead up to separate housing, and should a male student decide to enter the girl’s dormitory, the stairs will vanish and the student can be seen sliding back down them. There are seven dorms each, one for each year. Inside the dorms, the rooms are curricular with four-poster beds draped in red curtains. Between each bed is a window that offers a beautiful view of the castle.