Embedded Files
Godric Gryffindor and the House of Gryffindor
Godric Gryffindor and the House of Gryffindor
Godric Gryffindor is one of the biggest wizards of all times. His name comes from the Anglo-Saxon Godric which means he who rules well, or he who rules with God. His surname, as we all know, is also the name of the house he created when they, the founders, established the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in a castle. The first bit Gryffin is related to the magical beast Griffin, which is a half lion and the House symbol, or crest, is a lion as well. The second bit, the dor, comes from the French d'or, which means made from gold and it shows that the house colors have gold.
Godric Gryffindor comes from a small West Country village, called Godric's Hollow, though when he was born, the village was still quite empty and not populated. It was a moor as people say, and later the village got the name Godric's Hollow in honor of Godric himself as people wanted to reward him for all the good he's done.
He was loved by both wizards and muggles. Wizards and witches loved him since he was very skilled and was even considered the most accomplished dueler of that time, and unlike many others he used his power for good, not for bad. Muggles loved him since he was a true fighter against Muggle-discrimination. Witches on the other hand, loved him both for his skill and his appearance (as you can see from the card on the left, he wasn't bad-looking!).
He was a very close friend with Salazar Slytherin, another of the four founders of Hogwarts. Though, as time passed their friendship kind of "faded away", since they didn't share the same opinions about Muggle-borns. Salazar hated Muggle-borns and was against letting them study in Hogwarts, he wanted only pure-blood wizards and witches to be let in.
However, Godric, and the other two founders, didn't agree on that with Salazar They thought whoever showed talent and skill should be able to study. Thus, that lead to a fight between Godric and Salazar, which ended their friendship.
Although at first the founders themselves chose who they will take in their house, later the Sorting Hat chose the students' house based on their character. Here's what the Sorting Hat's song says about the house of Gryffindor:
"You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart."
From that it can be seen that Godric honored mostly courage, determination and pure of heart above all other traits. So having the lion as a house symbol comes as no surprise. The house's Common Room is located in one of the castle's three highest towers. The entrance can be found in the east wing of the seventh floor, though it is guarded by the portrait of The Fat Lady, dressed in a pink dress, who will let someone pass only if they give her the correct password (and she changes it quite often!).
Additionally, the famous Sorting Hat was property of Godric himself. Another well-known piece of property of his is a sword adorned with rubies in the handle, and Godric Gryffindor's name engraved below the hilt. It's made by the goblins (it is believed Ragnuk the First, a goblin, made it himself), who state that the sword had been stolen.
It's not known Godric died, though it is known that after the fight between him and Salazar, Salazar left Hogwarts, while Godric together with Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw stayed.
Other known facts about the house is that its ghost is Nearly Headless Nick (that is his nickname actually, his full name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington), who always loves to welcome first years and help them around. The house colors, as visible from the crest on the left, are gold and scarlet or red. It's said that the house of Gryffindor roughly represents the element of fire.
That's it! Click here to be taken to the first assignment.
Wizard Card #48 © Electronic Arts ™Images © DeviantArt, Pottermore and Zoki PhantomLesson © Zoki PhantomAll material related to Harry Potter is © J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books (US), Carlsen Verlag (D), Bloomsbury Publishing (UK), or Warner Bros.This site is unofficial, non-commercial, not related in any way to any of the above people or companies, and it is used solely for entertainment and learning purposes.Lessons © Zoki Phantom 2009-2012. Assignments © Alaia Logan 2012-2013.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse