Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Rawenclaw were BFFs. They shared gossip over coffee daily.

The four founders of Hogwarts had not been together for long before they started school. They were originally two separate sets of friends. Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff were BFFs long before that.

They participated in creating Hogwarts partly because they wanted to teach their offspring together. Helga is from Wales, while Rowena is Scottish. It is unknown when the two ladies met, but they are both medieval witches.

The Sorting Hat song

“…For were there such good friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffindor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw…”

-An excerpt from the book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is just a part of the Sorting Hat Song that gives many clues as to how the founders found each other. It speaks of the virtues they embodied and wanted to pass on to their students.

What virtues did Rowena Ravenclaw champion?

Rowena asked her students to value wisdom and intelligence above all else. Philosophy is a big part of the House Ravenclaw teachings. Proof of that is the famous diadem created by Rowena. It enhanced the wearer’s intellect.

What virtues did Helga champion?

House Hufflepuff was built upon standards of justice and loyalty. Being true and brave are the traits most sought after, but Helga was strictly against any kind of discrimination. She inspired hard work in her students and championed equality.

Did Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff marry?

Several online sources claim that Rowena and Helga married and had a child even, but this is unlikely true. This information does not come from J.K. Rowling nor is it supported by any of the largest HP lore sources.

Rowena was the first of the founders to die

Rowena’s daughter Helena stole her mother’s diadem and ran to Albania. The mother was heartbroken by her daughter’s betrayal but kept it a secret from the others. She soon fell ill and wanted to see her child once more before death.

Rowena sent Baron, a man who was in love with Helena, to go and bring her back. Baron did find Helena but she refused him and her mother’s deathbed call. Baron killed her and then committed suicide in desperation and rage. Baron and Helena’s ghosts haunt houses Slytherin and Ravenclaw since.

Rowena’s untimely demise came soon after and she was the first of the four Hogwarts founders to die, sometime in the 11th century.

Rowena Chose the name Hogwarts and designed the floors

Before her death, Rowena was the one to design the ever-changing stairs at Hogwarts. She also chose the name and the location of the school, based on a dream she had. She dreamt about a warty hog on a cliff overlooking a lake. It is the lake near Hogwarts we know from the books and movies.

What does the name Rowena mean?

Rowena is Scottish in Harry Potter lore, but in Welsh poetry, that name signifies the “mother of a nation”. There is a character in Ivanhoe epic by that name also and in old Germanic Rowena would mean something like fame, joy, friend, or all of the above.

What does the name Helga mean?

Helga Hufflepuff is Welsh, but in Old Norse etymology, the name stands for blessed and holy. The symbol of the house, the badger, is also a symbol of a hard-working animal, which is the quality Hufflepuff House teaches.