The Four Founders of Hogwarts

The Four Founders were four of the most brilliant witches and wizards of their age who, around the 10th century, joined forces to establish Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The group consisted of Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They created the school with the shared goal of providing a safe haven where young magical individuals could be educated away from Muggle persecution. Each founder established one of the four Hogwarts Houses, seeking to select students who embodied the qualities they personally valued most. For a time, the founders worked together in harmony, but a fundamental disagreement over student admissions—specifically Salazar Slytherin's insistence on accepting only pure-blood wizards—created a schism that led to his departure and the creation of the legendary Chamber of Secrets.

The history and personalities of the founders are primarily recounted through the songs of the Sorting Hat and the lessons of Professor Binns.

• Godric Gryffindor: Hailing “from wild moor,” Godric Gryffindor was a courageous and daring wizard who valued bravery, chivalry, and nerve in his students. He was a proficient duelist, known for using his enchanted sword against Muggles. He was once a close friend of Salazar Slytherin, but their friendship fractured over Slytherin's prejudice against Muggle-borns. It was Gryffindor's own enchanted hat that became the Sorting Hat.
• Helga Hufflepuff: Described as “sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,” Helga Hufflepuff was a kind, loyal, and fair witch. She valued hard work, patience, and dedication above all else. Unlike the other founders, she believed in accepting all students, regardless of their background or aptitude, famously stating, “I'll teach the lot, and treat them just the same.” She was particularly skilled in food-related charms, and many of the recipes traditionally served at Hogwarts feasts originated with her.
• Rowena Ravenclaw: Known as “fair Ravenclaw, from glen,” Rowena Ravenclaw was a famously intelligent and creative witch, praised for her wit and wisdom. She valued a sharp mind and a thirst for knowledge, selecting students who shared her intellectual curiosity. Legend states that she was responsible for designing the ever-changing floor plan of Hogwarts. Her personal motto was “Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.” Her legacy is also marked by the tragedy of her daughter, Helena Ravenclaw, who stole her enchanted diadem and later became the Ravenclaw house ghost, the Grey Lady.
• Salazar Slytherin: Hailing “from fen,” Salazar Slytherin was a powerful, cunning, and ambitious wizard. He was a known Parselmouth, an incredibly rare ability that allows a wizard to speak to serpents. He valued resourcefulness, determination, and, most importantly, pure-blood ancestry. His belief that magical learning should be kept exclusively within wizarding families led to a severe conflict with the other founders, particularly Gryffindor. After failing to persuade the others to ban Muggle-born students, he left the school.

The Four Founders left behind a powerful and enduring legacy, both through their collective and individual works.

• Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Their greatest joint achievement, which became the premier wizarding school in Great Britain.
• The Hogwarts Houses: Each founder created a house to shelter students who possessed the traits they admired: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
• The Sorting Hat: To ensure students would be sorted long after their deaths, the four founders enchanted Godric Gryffindor's hat, instilling it with their combined intelligence and criteria for sorting. The Hat sings a new song at the start of each school year, often providing historical insight into the founders' time.
• The Chamber of Secrets: Before leaving Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin secretly built a hidden chamber deep within the castle. He concealed a Basilisk inside, intended to one day be used by his heir to purge the school of all students he deemed unworthy to study magic.
• Founders' Artefacts: Each founder owned a personal artefact of great power. These were the Sword of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff's Cup, the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and the Locket of Slytherin. Tragically, three of these—the cup, diadem, and locket—were later defiled by Lord Voldemort and turned into Horcruxes.

The harmony among the founders was ultimately broken by a profound ideological conflict. Salazar Slytherin grew distrustful of Muggle-born witches and wizards and argued that they should not be admitted to Hogwarts. The other three founders strongly disagreed, with Helga Hufflepuff willing to teach all, and Godric Gryffindor being Slytherin's most vocal opponent on the matter. The argument escalated into a serious fight, likely a duel, between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Unable to sway the others, a bitter Slytherin chose to leave the school for good, but not before creating the Chamber of Secrets to enact his will posthumously.

• According to Pottermore, Godric Gryffindor was born in a small West Country village that would later be named Godric's Hollow in his honour (Pottermore).
• The full portraits of the Four Founders that hang in Hogwarts were first depicted in detail in the films and later established in the lore via Pottermore (film, Pottermore).
• Author interviews and supplementary writings on Pottermore have expanded on the founders' histories, including details about their wands and the specific locations in the British Isles from which they hailed (J.K. Rowling interview, Pottermore).