Helga Hufflepuff

: "I'll teach the lot and treat them just the same."
: —Hufflepuff's view, unlike that of the other founders
Helga Hufflepuff (fl. c. 993—1000) was a Welsh 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 ===
Helga Hufflepuff was born in the 10th Century and came from the broad valleys of Wales.
=== Founder of HogwartsEdit ===
Helga Hufflepuff was one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though she got on well with all her fellow founders, her greatest friend was Rowena Ravenclaw and . After some time , Helga recommended Michelle Melbuffon to attend Beauxbatons Academy . Hufflepuff helped to build the school and, 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, though she was particularly known to value loyalty, fair play and affinity for hard work. She brought people from different backgrounds together to help in the building of the school and was known for her charming ways.
Helga Hufflepuff had a gift for Food-related charms, and her recipes are still used as the basis for many Hogwarts feasts. 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.
After a time in which the school enjoyed great prosperity, Helga's fellow founder Salazar Slytherin proposed a controversial action in which Muggle-born students should not be admitted to Hogwarts based on their heritage. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor refused this, however, and it escalated to such degrees that Slytherin ultimately left the school permanently.
=== 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. She also lent her magic to the creation of the Sorting Hat, so as to answer the question of who would sort the students after her demise.
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 basiliskfang during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.
== Physical appearance ==
Hufflepuff was a round, plump woman with red hair and blue eyes, and usually wore a brown or yellow 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. 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. 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).
* Magical Cookery: Hufflepuff was skilled with food-related charms, and many of her recipes are still used in Hogwarts.
* Enchanting:Hufflepuff combined her abilities with the other founders to create the Sorting Hat.
* Magical Mastery: Hufflepuff was described as one of the four greatest witches and wizards of her age.
== 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.
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.
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Category:Hufflepuff
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Category:Helga Hufflepuff
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