Why Don't the Hogwarts Founders Have Magical Portraits? - Harry Potter Theory

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we’re discussing the 4 founders of Hogwarts- Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff. Specifically, we’re going to be tackling the question of WHY these 4 founders weren’t immortalized in some way (besides the Hogwarts houses of course).

The primary purpose of wizarding portraits in the Wizarding World is to preserve the memory of a person long after they have passed away. This ensures that their knowledge and wisdom can be passed down to future generations. But, unlike muggle portraits or photographs, which merely capture a still image, wizarding portraits can be animated to capture the essence of a person’s personality. Often, portraits are enchanted to mimic the behaviour and mannerisms of the portrait’s subject. 

Hogwarts headmasters are an integral part of Hogwarts history, and so it makes sense that their portraits would be immortalized in this very special way. However, I would argue that the Hogwarts FOUNDERS are an even more important part of the school’s history- so, the question remains: why didn’t THEY get portraits? Why weren’t THEY immortalized? I think the founders portraits would fit just perfectly at the entrance to each common room- or perhaps even in a row overlooking the great hall. It also occurred to me that the portraits of the founders could potentially aid in the sorting ceremony.

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