Gryffindor

What is Gryffindor?

Gryffindor is one of the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was founded by Godric Gryffindor, one of the four witches and wizards who built the school more than a thousand years ago.

The house values courage, daring, nerve and chivalry. Gryffindors are the students who step forward when others hesitate: who speak up, take risks and stand between a bully and their target.

It’s the house of the series’ main heroes. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all Gryffindors, as were Dumbledore, McGonagall and most of the Order of the Phoenix. But Gryffindor’s courage comes with real flaws, and the books never pretend otherwise.

The history of Gryffindor House

Godric Gryffindor

Godric Gryffindor was the boldest of the four founders. According to the Sorting Hat, he came from moorland, and the village of Godric’s Hollow, in the West Country, is traditionally said to be his birthplace. Harry’s parents lived and died there.

Gryffindor prized bravery above every other quality. He was also known for his chivalry, and he opposed Salazar Slytherin’s wish to keep Muggle-born students out of the school. Their quarrel, and Slytherin’s departure, began the long rivalry between the two houses.

The Sorting Hat

The Sorting Hat itself belonged to Godric Gryffindor. When the founders worried about who would choose students once they were gone, they enchanted his hat with their judgment. Read more in how the Sorting Hat works.

The sword of Gryffindor

Godric Gryffindor’s sword is a goblin-made silver blade with a ruby-studded hilt. It presents itself to a worthy Gryffindor in great need, usually by appearing from the Sorting Hat.

• Harry pulls it from the Hat in the Chamber of Secrets to kill the basilisk.
• Ron uses it to destroy Slytherin’s locket in Deathly Hallows.
• Neville pulls it from the burning Hat to kill Nagini, the last Horcrux.

Because it absorbed basilisk venom, the sword can destroy Horcruxes, which makes it one of the most important objects in the series.

The Gryffindor crest and colours

Symbol	Gryffindor’s version	What it means
Colours	Scarlet and gold	Bold, warm and impossible to miss
Animal	Lion	Courage, and a hint of pride
Element	Fire	Passion, energy and a quick temper
House-points gem	Rubies	Fill the Gryffindor hourglass
Ghost	Nearly Headless Nick	Friendly, brave and a little vain

The lion is one of the oldest symbols of courage. It also hints at Gryffindor’s flaws: lions are proud and quick to roar. See house colours, animals and elements explained.

The Gryffindor common room and dormitories

The Gryffindor common room sits at the top of Gryffindor Tower on the seventh floor. The entrance is a portrait of the Fat Lady in a pink silk dress. Give her the password and the portrait swings open onto a round hole in the wall. Passwords over the years include Caput Draconis, Pig snout and Fortuna Major.

Inside is a round, cosy room full of squashy armchairs, tables and a large fireplace, decorated in scarlet and gold. It’s warm and noisy, a place for homework, celebrations after Quidditch wins and late-night plans.

Spiral staircases lead to the dormitories, where students sleep in four-poster beds hung with deep red velvet curtains. The girls’ staircase is enchanted to turn into a slide if a boy tries to climb it.

The entrance is the most trusting of the four: anyone with the password gets in. That’s how Sirius Black got through in Prisoner of Azkaban, using a list of passwords Neville had written down. Read about all four in the Hogwarts common rooms.

What it means to be a Gryffindor

Core values

Trait	What it looks like
Bravery	Facing danger, fear or difficulty head-on
Daring	Willingness to take bold risks
Nerve	Keeping your head under pressure
Chivalry	Protecting others, especially the vulnerable
Moral courage	Telling the truth and doing what’s right when it costs you
Loyalty	Standing by friends and causes

Gryffindor at its best

At its best, Gryffindor produces people who act when others freeze. They protect the vulnerable, stand up to bullies and refuse to back down from what’s right. Their courage is often moral as much as physical.

Gryffindor at its worst

At its worst, Gryffindor is reckless, self-righteous and quick to judge. As teenagers, James Potter and Sirius Black bullied Severus Snape, and Harry was ashamed when he saw it in Snape’s memory. Many Gryffindor plans succeed through luck, or because someone else did the preparation.

Gryffindor in everyday life

Situation	A typical Gryffindor response
Someone is being bullied	Steps in immediately
A hard exam	Wings it with confidence (or gets Hermione’s notes)
An unfair rule	Breaks it openly
A dangerous mission	Volunteers first
A friend in trouble	Charges in to help

Famous Gryffindors

Character	Known for
Harry Potter	The Boy Who Lived, who defeated Voldemort
Hermione Granger	The brightest witch of her age
Ron Weasley	Harry’s loyal best friend, who destroyed the locket
Albus Dumbledore	Headmaster of Hogwarts
Minerva McGonagall	Head of Gryffindor and a famous hatstall
Neville Longbottom	Killed Nagini with the sword of Gryffindor
Ginny Weasley	Led the resistance at Hogwarts
Rubeus Hagrid	Keeper of Keys and Grounds
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin	Harry’s godfather and his favourite teacher
James and Lily Potter	Harry’s parents
Fred and George Weasley	Pranksters and founders of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
Peter Pettigrew	The Gryffindor who betrayed the Potters

Gryffindor in the books

Book	Key Gryffindor moments
Philosopher’s Stone	Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville win the House Cup with last-minute points.
Chamber of Secrets	Harry pulls the sword of Gryffindor from the Hat.
Prisoner of Azkaban	Gryffindor wins its first Quidditch Cup in years.
Goblet of Fire	Harry becomes a Triwizard champion.
Order of the Phoenix	Gryffindors lead Dumbledore’s Army.
Half-Blood Prince	Harry becomes Quidditch captain.
Deathly Hallows	Gryffindors stay to fight in large numbers; Neville kills Nagini; Harry defeats Voldemort.

Gryffindor at Quidditch

Gryffindor’s Quidditch team is at the centre of the books’ sporting rivalries, especially against Slytherin.

Position	Players in Harry’s time
Seeker	Harry Potter (youngest in a century); Ginny Weasley as stand-in
Keeper	Oliver Wood (captain), later Ron Weasley
Beaters	Fred and George Weasley
Chasers	Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet; later Ginny Weasley
Captains	Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, then Harry Potter

When Harry joined, Gryffindor hadn’t won the Quidditch Cup since Charlie Weasley left. They finally won it in Prisoner of Azkaban, and again in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince. Commentary was usually provided by Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor with a famously one-sided style.

Notable Gryffindors through history

Gryffindor’s influence on the wizarding world goes well beyond Harry’s generation:

• Godric Gryffindor founded the house and owned both the sword and the Sorting Hat.
• Albus Dumbledore defeated Gellert Grindelwald in 1945 and founded the Order of the Phoenix.
• The Marauders (James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew) created the Marauder’s Map, and three of them became unregistered Animagi to keep Lupin company during full moons.
• Lily Potter died protecting Harry, and her sacrifice gave him the protection that defeated Voldemort’s curse.
• Rubeus Hagrid was expelled in his third year after being framed by Tom Riddle, and later became Keeper of Keys and Grounds.
• Arthur and Molly Weasley raised seven Gryffindor children and were key members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Common myths about Gryffindor

Myth	Reality
“Gryffindors are always the good guys.”	Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Potters.
“Gryffindors aren’t clever.”	Hermione, McGonagall and Dumbledore are among the most brilliant characters in the books.
“Bravery means having no fear.”	Ron and Neville are often afraid and act anyway.
“Gryffindor is the best house.”	It’s the house of the main characters, which isn’t the same thing. See what is the best Hogwarts house.

Gryffindor vs the other houses

	Gryffindor	Slytherin	Ravenclaw	Hufflepuff
Core value	Courage	Ambition	Intelligence	Loyalty
Acts on	Principle	Strategy	Curiosity	Fairness
Typical flaw	Recklessness	Ruthlessness	Aloofness	Over-trusting
Element	Fire	Water	Air	Earth

For the oldest rivalry at Hogwarts, read Gryffindor vs Slytherin.

Are you a Gryffindor?

You might be a Gryffindor if:

1. You’d rather do the right thing than the easy thing, even when nobody’s watching.
2. You speak up when something’s unfair.
3. You act first and think on the way.
4. Being called a coward would hurt more than almost anything.
5. You’d follow your friends into danger.

Take our house quiz to find out whether courage really is your strongest value.