- "I'll teach the lot and treat them just the same."
- —Professor Hufflepuff's view, unlike that of the other founders[src]
Professor Helga Hufflepuff was a witch of medieval times and was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While the other founders chose to have special students, Hufflepuff accepted them all, but the students of her house are described as loyal and hard-working. It is unknown when she died. Helga's portrait remains at Hogwarts.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "From valley broad...."
- —The Sorting Hat on Hufflepuff's birthplace[src]
Helga Hufflepuff was born in the 10th Century and came from the broad valleys of Wales.
Founder of Hogwarts[]
Helga Hufflepuff was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[3] She was a friend of Rowena Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff helped to build the school and admitted students into her House that were loyal, fair, and unafraid of hard work. While the other founders took students based on either ambition, bravery, or intelligence, Helga Hufflepuff took the rest, treating them all equally and teaching them all she knew.[4] She brought people from different backgrounds together to help in the building of the school and was known for her charming ways.[5]
Helga Hufflepuff had a gift for food-related Charms, and her recipes are still used as the basis for many Hogwarts feasts.[6] Helga Hufflepuff also arranged for the house-elf contingent to work in the kitchens, giving them somewhere safe to work, where they would not be mistreated or abused.[7]
Post-mortem[]
Helga Hufflepuff lent her name to one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hufflepuff. She does not appear to have applied particularly strict standards of selection to her house, which sets her apart from the other founders by making her an egalitarian.
One relic of Hufflepuff's, a small golden cup, had been passed down to her distant descendant Hepzibah Smith. Smith said the cup was supposed to have some magical powers, many of which she had not tested. The Cup was stolen from Smith by Tom Riddle, who corrupted Helga's legacy by changing it into a Horcrux. However, the Cup was destroyed by Hermione Granger with a basilisk fang during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.[8]
The symbol of Hufflepuff house is the badger, and the colours are yellow and black.
Appearance[]
Hufflepuff was a round, plump woman with red hair and blue eyes, and usually wore a brown dress. She often sported a wide smile.
Personality and traits[]
Hufflepuff favoured loyalty, honesty, fair play, and hard work. Members of her Hogwarts House usually display at least one of these traits in varying degrees. Cedric Diggory, the deceased Triwizard Tournament Champion, was one of the students who appeared to embody all four. Additionally, Hufflepuff was renowned for her compassionate nature; she took in the house-elves to work in Hogwarts Kitchen where they could work in peace and safety, and while the other founders were careful in selection of students, Hufflepuff took in the rest.[9] She was said to be kind and caring, and particularly famous for her dexterity at food-related charms. She was also a woman of tolerance, as she was willing to accept Muggle-born students and disagreed with Slytherin's pure-blood exclusiveness. Given that all of her portraits show her with a wide smile, it can be inferred that she was a very jolly woman.
Magical abilities and skills[]
- Magical device inventor: Hufflepuff created a cup which, according to her descendant, Hepzibah Smith, had special magical powers (though it was never revealed as to what they were).
- Charms: Hufflepuff was skilled with food-related charms, and many of her recipes are still used in Hogwarts.
Etymology[]
Helga[]
The name Helga is from Helge, from Old Norse heilagr, meaning "prosperous" or "brave." Their symbol is the badger, a large mammal related to the weasels with distinctive white stripes on its head. In Celtic mythology, a badger was a guide. The badger also can symbolise a tendency to be hard-working, strong, and tenacious. Hufflepuffs are known for loyalty and hard work.
Behind the scenes; origin and development of Helga[]
Helga was a name which was common in northern Europe; in countries such as Norway. It was soon adopted by many soviet countries and others which bordered with the north, including; Russia, Latvia, Denmark and Belgium. As those in northern Europe pronounced the 'e' in Helga as more of a cross between 'e' and 'o', and, like the french, didn't pronounce the 'h', the soviet countries adopted the name as 'Olga'. Some countries, including Germany, kept the name as 'Helga'.
Hufflepuff[]
Hufflepuff could mean "huff and puff" or blustery. "Huff" also means to breathe; "puff" is a medieval term for pastry.
Behind the scenes[]
- Helga Hufflepuff was the May 2007 "Wizard of the Month" on J. K. Rowling's website. Both the famous wizard card and the illustration on Rowling's website depict her as a plump woman with red hair.
- While the other founders took students based on either ambition, bravery, or intelligence, the "Good Hufflepuff" took the rest and taught them all she knew, which is further proof of Hufflepuff's kindness.
- It is theorised that Zacharias Smith is related to Hepzibah Smith and thus is a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. Although Smith is obviously a very common last name, both Zacharias and Hepzibah are uncommon names of Hebrew origin. It seems unlikely that the two first names are a coincidence. Should Zacharias be truly a descendant of Hufflepuff, this would be an odd irony because he lacks the loyalty and fair play that Hufflepuff's house commands, despite being in her house. It's possible that Zacharias was only put in Hufflepuff because he lacked the qualities needed for the other houses and going by one of the Sorting Hat's songs, Hufflepuff did take those at Hogwarts who did not meet the needs of the other houses.
- At Template:WWHP, Helga Hufflepuff speaks in a Welsh accent in her portrait on the Forbidden Journey Ride. This lends further credence to her coming from Wales.
See also[]
- Godric Gryffindor
- Rowena Ravenclaw
- Salazar Slytherin
- Hogwarts founders
- Helga Hufflepuff's Cup
Appearances[]
Template:Imagecat
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) Template:FWC
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Template:1st Mention
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) Template:Mention
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) Template:Mention Template:FWC
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Template:Mention
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) Template:FWC
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Template:Mention
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Template:Mention
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Template:Mention
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Template:Mention
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7[10]
- Wizard of the Month
- Template:WWHP Template:Portrait
- Pottermore Template:Mention
Notes and references[]
- ↑ The Sorting Hat refers to Helga as "sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad", which is likely a reference to the Welsh valleys. Furthermore, in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Helga's portrait speaks with a Welsh accent.
- ↑ Given Slytherin's hatred of Muggleborns, it's unlikely he'd work with one.
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ Famous Wizard Card
- ↑ Wizard of the Month, J.K. Rowling's official website
- ↑ J.K. Rowling PotterCast Interview
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ Hufflepuff is available in the Nintendo DS version of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. For other devices, she is available in the "Downloadable Character Pack" DLC for the game.
Hogwarts Houses: | |||
Namesake Founders: Godric Gryffindor · Helga Hufflepuff · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin | |||
Heads of House: Minerva McGonagall · Pomona Sprout · Whitney Houston · Severus Snape | |||
House Ghosts: Nearly Headless Nick · Fat Friar · Grey Lady · Bloody Baron |
Gold cards: Alguff the Awful | Amarillo Lestoat | Armando Dippet | Albus Dumbledore | Babayaga | Barberus Bragge | Bertie Bott | Billywig | Blodwyn Bludd | Bowtruckle | Bran the Bloodthirsty | Carlotta Pinkstone | Carmilla Sanguina | Common Welsh Green | Cyclops | Cordelia Misericordia | Double-ended Newt | Doxy | Dzou Yen | Eargit the Ugly | Giant Purple Toad | Giant Squid | Goliath | Gringott | Godric Gryffindor | Gytrash | Hermione Granger | Hebridean Black | Hengist of Upper Barnton | Herbert Varney | Herpo the Foul | Helga Hufflepuff | Harry Potter | Hungarian Horntail | Imp | Kelpie | Leticia Somnolens | Montague Knightley | Malodora Grymm | Manticore | Morholt | Mountain Troll | Norwegian Ridgeback | Old Mother Hubbard | Phillipus von Hohenheim | Phoenix | Roderick Plumpton | Rowena Ravenclaw | Romanian Longhorn | Ronald Weasley | Salazar Slytherin | Streeler | Troll | Ug the Unreliable | Unicorn | Urg the Unclean | Vlad Drakul | ||||
Silver cards: Alberic Grunnion | Alberta Toothill | Andros the Invincible | Artemisia Lufkin | Blenheim Stalk | Bowman Wright | Chauncey Oldridge | Circe | Cliodna | Crispin Cronk | Cyprian Youdle | Daisy Dodderidge | Derwent Shimpling | Donaghan Tremlett | Dunbar Oglethorpe | Dymphna Furmage | Elfrida Clagg | Felix Summerbee | Fulbert the Fearful | Gaspard Shingleton | Gideon Crumb | Glenda Chittock | Gondoline Oliphant | Gregory the Smarmy | Gwenog Jones | Honoria Nutcombe | Ignatia Wildsmith | Joscelind Wadcock | Kirley Duke | Laverne de Montmorency | Leopoldina Smethwyck | Maeve | Mirabella Plunkett | Mopsus | Morgan le Fay | Oswald Beamish | Sacharissa Tugwood | Thaddeus Thurkell | Thurkell brothers | Wendelin the Weird | Xavier Rastrick | ||||
Bronze cards: Adalbert Waffling | Almerick Sawbridge | Archibald Alderton | Balfour Blane | Beatrix Bloxam | Beaumont Marjoribanks | Bridget Wenlock | Burdock Muldoon | Cassandra Vablatsky | Celestina Warbeck | Cornelius Agrippa | Devlin Whitehorn | Dorcas Wellbeloved | Edgar Stroulger | Elladora Ketteridge | Ethelred the Ever-Ready | Flavius Belby | Gifford Ollerton | Glanmore Peakes | Glover Hipworth | Greta Catchlove | Grogan Stump | Gulliver Pokeby | Gunhilda of Gorsemoor | Havelock Sweeting | Hengist of Woodcroft | Heathcote Barbary | Herman Wintringham | Hesper Starkey | Jocunda Sykes | Justus Pilliwickle | Merlin | Merton Graves | Merwyn the Malicious | Miranda Goshawk | Mungo Bonham | Musidora Barkwith | Myron Wagtail | Newton Scamander | Norvel Twonk | Orsino Thruston | Perpetua Fancourt | Quong Po | Roland Kegg | Stoddard Withers | Tilly Toke | Uric the Oddball | Yardley Platt |
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