Ravenclaws: A warm welcome

A Word of Welcome

Welcome Ravenclaws! Welcome to the house where the bright and intelligent dwells. Ravenclaws are well known to study hard and reputed to be the best academic achievers at Hogwarts and also noted for their great skills in quidditch. So live up to your expectations and gain as much point as you can, for winning the house cup is a great glory and honor.

(Go the Claws! Note: Ravenclaw is the first house to have their welcome sign and history posted, so we're double awesome )

Ravenclaw: A History

Here is a bit of history for the house of Ravenclaw: (Note: all credits go to www.wikipedia.org)



Ravenclaw values intelligence, creativity, wit, and wisdom."Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure" is an oft-repeated Ravenclaw proverb. Its animal is the eagle rather than a raven; the house name is a reference to the eagle's black claws. The house colors are blue and bronze (blue and silver in the movies), and its ghost is the Grey Lady, who was revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to be Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Hogwarts co-founder Rowena Ravenclaw, after whom the house was named and whose diadem was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. According to Rowling, Ravenclaw corresponds roughly to the element of air.

The dormitories are located in Ravenclaw Tower on the west side of the school. The common room, which went undescribed in the series until the climax of Deathly Hallows, is round and filled with blue hangings and fat armchairs, has a domed ceiling painted with stars, and also features a bust of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem. A logical riddle must be solved in order to gain entry, whereas the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin common rooms only require a password.

The current head of Ravenclaw house is Filius Flitwick.


Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw



Rowena Ravenclaw was a witch noted for her cleverness and creativity, and was described by Xenophilius Lovegood as "beautiful." The Sorting Hat introduced her as “Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,” suggesting she was from Scotland or Ireland. She was a good friend of Helga Hufflepuff; their friendship is used to emphasize the failed friendship between Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin. Ravenclaw devised the ever-changing floor plans and moving staircases in the Hogwarts castle, and coined the proverb "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

Ravenclaw is described by the Sorting Hat as having selected students according to intelligence and wisdom. Ravenclaw House thus values in its members a sharp mind, wisdom, creativity, and cleverness for its own sake, and thus, rather than asking for a password from her members to get to the dormitories, a bronze eagle knocker asks them a riddle-like question which, if answered incorrectly, would force the student to wait until another could answer the question correctly, allowing the failed student to learn.

In Deathly Hallows, Harry learns that an artifact of Ravenclaw's became a Horcrux: her lost diadem, which grants enhanced wisdom to its wearer. Her daughter, Helena Ravenclaw (The Grey Lady) had once run away with it to surpass her mother in terms of intelligence and wisdom and hid it in Albania, in which its whereabouts remained unknown ever since. She, however, revealed its location to a young Tom Riddle, who proceeded to retrieve it and turn it into a Horcrux. In the original uncursed form, it is said to be able to imbue its wearer great wisdom. Late in her life, Rowena, suffering from a terminal illness, sent for the Bloody Baron to find her daughter so she could see her one last time before she died. However, Helena refused to go with the Baron, and he killed her in a sudden fit of rage. Immediately overcome with guilt, he then took his own life.

"One of the four famous Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Rowena Ravenclaw was the most brilliant witch of her time, though legend has it that a broken heart - cause unknown - contributed to her early demise." Her Wizard of the Month status was cleverly revealed, for she appeared the month after the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", thus concealing what possible Horcrux item she possessed until after the books release.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now go forth Ravenclaws! Study hard, play hard, party hard!

Regards
Prof. Filius Flitwick