The cornerstones of the Hogwarts house system, and perhaps the most iconic symbols associated with each house are the house MASCOTS.

For Gryffindor, this mascot was a lion.

For Slytherin, a serpent.

For Hufflepuff, a badger.

And for Ravenclaw, an eagle (or RAVEN in the films).

But what do these creatures have to do with anything? What connection do they have to the founders?

And how did these seemingly mundane creatures (at least, looking at it from the perspective of a MAGICAL world) get chosen as representatives for these houses? I've got nothing against lions, serpents, badgers or eagles- but in a world filled with things like DRAGONS, ACROMANTULAS, THESTRALS and NUNDUS- these creatures seem...less impressive.

I'm going to start with WHY these creatures were chosen, and then move on to why MAGICAL creatures weren't chosen.

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