Hey everyone, Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s theory, we’re going to be discussing the Hogwarts house system, specifically Ravenclaw House.
Now, as we all know, the four houses of Hogwarts can be identified by very unique, defining characteristics.
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Characteristics of Hogwarts Houses
Characteristics that allow these houses to stand out from the others:
- Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and hard work.
- Gryffindors for their bravery.
- Slytherins for their cunning.
- Ravenclaws for their knowledge and wisdom.
Of course, I am talking in generalizations here, but if the Sorting Hat is anything to go by, it’s reasonably fair to summarize the houses based on the traits it preaches. The Sorting Hat does sort students into houses after all.
The Sorting Hat and Ravenclaw
Or yet in Weiszold Ravenclaw, if you’ve already mined, where those of witted learning will always find their kind. Okay, so the houses can be recognized by defining attributes pertaining to traits of the house, but that’s not all that distinguishes them.
If you’re any kind of Harry Potter fan at all, then you’ll know that each house is also represented by specific colors and, of course, most important to this theory, an animal which is unique to the house.
This is first referenced in the Philosopher’s Stone, before Harry has even had a chance to step foot on the Hogwarts grounds. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms, a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.
House Mascots
- The lion is Gryffindor’s mascot.
- The badger is Hufflepuff’s.
- The snake is Slytherin’s.
- The eagle is Ravenclaw’s.
Lions have historically represented courage and power, so it seems an obvious choice for Gryffindor House. Snakes have long held the reputation of being cunning, so again, it seems like an obvious choice for a house mascot. Hufflepuff’s badger is a little more complicated, but based purely on my own speculation, I’d say that it’s probably something like this.
Badgers are relatively easy-going creatures that mind their own business, shying away from conflict. However, badgers are also known to be quite fierce when someone or something stands in their way, whether that be in the way of food or friend.
And I think it’s easy-going nature, paired with an edge, that makes them befitting of Hufflepuff House. This brings us to the animal mascot associated with today’s theory, and Ravenclaw House, the eagle.
The Eagle vs. The Raven
Or, wait, is it Raven? From the day the first Harry Potter film came out, and film is an important word here, there has been a considerable amount of confusion surrounding Ravenclaw House, and whether or not the house mascot is an eagle or a raven.
If you look up Ravenclaw on Google, you’re inevitably going to be bombarded with images of both ravens and eagles, but mostly ravens. If you want to buy Harry Potter merchandise, there’s a strong chance that you’re going to end up with a raven on the house crest.
So what’s the deal? Well, as we know, the book is true canon, and when it comes down to a matter of book vs film, the book should always be prioritized above its theatrical counterpart. Yes, in the film, the house is represented by a raven, and the colors are blue and silver, but in reality, the real Ravenclaw, the original Ravenclaw, and the book Ravenclaw, is represented by the colors blue and bronze, with an eagle serving as its mascot.
This is proven by several passages in the books, including the one I mentioned earlier. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms, a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H, as well as a passage from the Deathly Hallows which specifically references the bronze coloring as well as the eagle.
The Hogwarts Crest
At last, they reached a door. There was no handle and no keyhole, nothing but a plain expanse of aged wood and a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. Furthermore, the Hogwarts crest is printed in some editions of the first book, and it’s clearly an eagle that’s depicted representing Ravenclaw.
Given that the official colors and mascot of the house were effectively replaced with unofficial substitutes, it has prompted many Harry Potter fans who identify as Ravenclaws to become vocal about the misrepresentation of their house.
It’s also never been made entirely clear why the switch was made for the films. Why go from bronze to silver? Why go from eagle to raven? Well, I suppose one argument that could be made, at least as far as color is concerned, is that blue and silver simply worked better on screen, but that doesn’t explain the raven.
I think the simplest explanation here is that filmmakers simply felt that a raven should represent Ravenclaw House, and that an eagle representing Ravenclaw might confuse fans. However, if we dig into the name Ravenclaw a little deeper, then it’s not unreasonable to infer that Ravenclaw is referring to black claws or black talons, as Raven also means black.
And it just so happens that a particular breed of eagle, the golden eagle, a native to Eurasia, has dark claws. However, with all that said, I do still wonder if the raven could have potentially been a better pairing with the house.
The Eagle’s Significance
Why is the mascot for Ravenclaw an eagle in the first place? What does an eagle have to do with the traits of the house? Well, if we look closely at the four Hogwarts houses, we should be able to notice a pattern.
Each house appears to represent a different element. Alchemy maintains a prevalent role in Harry Potter, and so it should be one of the first things to consider when scrutinizing Harry Potter lore.
- Gryffindor is associated with fire.
- Slytherin with water.
- Hufflepuff with earth.
- Lastly, Ravenclaw with air.
And, as it so happens, the eagle is commonly linked to the element of air, where the raven is not. Eagles are also known for their keen vision and ability to fly to great heights, which reminds me an awful lot of a passage from the book referencing the mascot of the house.
“Our emblem is the eagle, which soars where others cannot climb. Our house colours are blue and bronze.”
The eagle is also a symbol of strength and immortality, with strong ties to mythological gods such as Zeus from Greek mythology, and Odin from Norse mythology.
Above all else, however, the eagle’s historical representation of wit, intelligence, and high spirit are perhaps the overarching attributes that caused it to become the symbol of Ravenclaw House.
Though one could argue that a raven also represents these things, particularly intelligence, it’s also important to note that they are also associated with traits that bear a more negative connotation, like cunning and manipulation.
The raven is a more ominous symbol, and for House Ravenclaw, this type of characteristic just doesn’t fit. One final note: just because Rowena had Raven in her name, it certainly doesn’t mean that her house mascot had to be a raven.
The same way Gryffindor’s mascot isn’t a griffin, Hufflepuff’s a huffle, or Slytherin’s a slither. The founder’s names were products of devised alliteration, and I don’t think that JK Rowling, at any point, felt that these names would have to be connected to the house mascot.
And that’s it for this blog post! What do you guys think of the Raven and Eagle being confused? Are you a Ravenclaw? Comment below.
