“Hufflepuff!”
If we got to choose our Hogwarts house, how many of us would pick Hufflepuff?
“I was sorted by the Sorting Hat on Pottermore.
I’m 100% Hufflepuff.”
“I’m so sorry” [laughs]
To quote Mindy Kaling: “Nobody wants to be Hufflepuff.”
In the first Harry Potter book, Malfoy says,
“Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?”
In our Slytherin video,
we talked about the story’s anti-Slytherin bias.
but at least that house has a certain coolness and prestige.
The story pretty much dismisses Hufflepuff as
essentially, insignificant and boring.
It’s got the silliest sounding name and the least badass mascot.
People write off Hufflepuff as the place
where you sort those leftover students who don’t have something special about them.
“We play our game, Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance.
We're stronger, quicker and smarter.”
Yet if you look at the facts,
this perception of Hufflepuff is completely off-base.
Hufflepuffs aren’t the riff-raff of Hogwarts-
if anything, they’re aspirational.
Hufflepuff represents decency and goodness that doesn’t seek to be recognized.
It embodies fairness, justice and loyalty for their own sake-
even when no one is looking.
In short, what the world needs now, is more Hufflepuffs.
So maybe it’s time that more of us started stepping up
and claiming the Hufflepuff identity with Pride.
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“You know what I see in Hufflepuff?
I see loyalty, I see fierce friendship.
So we are hardworking, we are compassionate,
and at the end of the day, we are going to do the right thing
and not because of the glory, not because of the glory,
but for the greater good”.
The philosophy of Hufflepuff is this: always do the right thing,
just because.
In the first book, the Sorting Hat tells us:
“You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil.”
Just take a second to think about how long this list is.
Hufflepuffs are,
one, fair,
two, loyal,
three, patient
four, honest
and five, hardworking.
Put another way,
is there anything wrong with Hufflepuffs?
They’re almost morally perfect- deeply virtuous people.
“You saved me!
Take it!”
If you had to use one word to sum up Hufflepuff’s superpower,
it would be integrity.
And this is precisely what we hope for from the people
we’d like to make up the world around us.
Loyalty, friendship, a good work ethic and honesty,
that’s everything we’d want in a friend or a colleague.
Yet, at the same time
most of us would like to think of ourselves as
successful Slytherins, or daring Gryffindors,
or genius Ravenclaws.
Rowling speaks of her love for Hufflepuff,
“In many, many ways, Hufflepuff is my favorite house.”
But, of course, the author herself is partly responsible
for this dismissiveness towards the house.
Listen to this anecdote:
“My daughter Jessica said something very profound to me,
not many days ago actually, she said to me—
and she, by the way, was not sorted into Hufflepuff house—
she said to me,
‘I think we should all want to be Hufflepuffs.’”
Did you notice how even as she’s praising Hufflepuffs,
in the same breath, she feels the need to clarify
that her daughter is definitely not one?
So why is it that few of us like to identify as Hufflepuffs,
when it’s clear that Hufflepuffs make the world a better place?
Part of the problem is that Hufflepuff strengths
are devalued in our society -
patience, honesty, and loyalty are far less rewarded
than smarts or bold moves.
The biggest reason Hufflepuffs don’t get appreciation, though,
is probably that they’re not out there bragging about their achievements.
Rowling explained her respect for Hufflepuff
by referring to their behavior during the Battle of Hogwarts:
“The Hufflepuffs virtually to a person stay, as do the Gryffindors.
Now, the Gryffindors comprise a lot of foolhardy and show-offy people...
You know, there’s bravery and there’s also showboating.
Now the Hufflepuffs stayed for a different reason --
they weren’t trying to show-off, they weren’t being reckless.
That’s the essence of Hufflepuff house”.
Hufflepuffs do good without expecting anyone to see it.
And that’s a rare and special person, who embodies both courage and humility.
How many of us can really sustain virtuous behavior
without getting back some kind of validation or gratitude,
even just a simple acknowledgement?
“Sorry to burst that bubble, Pheebs.
But selfless, good deeds don’t exist.”
“I’m going to find a selfless, good deed.
I’m going to beat you, you evil genius.”
Only a Hufflepuff can pull off a selfless good deed.
"Please take these Occamy eggshells as collateral for your bakery."
The main Hufflepuff we get to know in the story, Cedric Diggory,
embodies the qualities of the house.
“Cedric Diggory was, as you all know,
exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded,
and, most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend.”
Harry envies Cedric,
because he’s essentially a better looking, more popular, version of him.
“Just wondering if, maybe, you wanted to go to the ball with me?”
“I’m sorry, but someone’s already asked me.”
Cedric is hardly the person you want to be competing against,
either in the TriWizard Tournament, or in romance.
“The other boy.
The handsome one.
Cedric”
Meanwhile, mature Cedric seems to be above Harry’s petty feelings
of competition and jealousy.
“Look, I realized I never really thanked you
properly for tipping me off about those dragons.”
“Forget about it.
I’m sure you would’ve done the same for me.”
“Exactly.”
In a way it’s hard to imagine this perfect Hufflepuff
being the hero of our story
because it’s hard to relate to someone who’s so lacking in flaws.
“And this strapping young lad must be Cedric, am l right?”
“Yes, sir”.
So while we tend to look down on Hufflepuffs in the abstract,
it’s really the Hufflepuffs who have plenty of reasons
to look down on everybody else.
Cedric Diggory is the one who earns his spot in the Triwizard Tournament
-
which means that, objectively speaking, he’s the best all-around student at Hogwarts.
“The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!.”
Meanwhile, Harry just gets entered in due to his special connection with Voldemort,
and Cedric ends up being the casualty of that situation.
So this plot is a perfect example of the way
that a Hufflepuff excels and outperforms,
only to get overshadowed and even martyred in a cruel, unfair world.
“We'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest, and brave and true.”
Likewise, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,
Hufflepuff Newt Scamander is too good for this world
“You’re too good, Newt.
You never met a monster you couldn’t love.”
Newt embodies an empathetic humanity,
his selfless concern for animals represents an alternative
to the human cruelty that’s dominating his world.
“They're currently in alien terrain,
surrounded by millions of the most vicious creatures on the planet—
Humans”.
To further make the case for why the world needs Hufflepuffs,
let’s look at some pretty great ones outside of Harry Potter.
This Is Us patriarch, Jack Pearson, would be a Hufflepuff.
“I will encourage you, trust and respect you.”
He’s endlessly giving, loving, humble and brave,
never seeking glory,
and always putting his family first, over his own pride.
“You are…something else.”
“I try.”
In real life, “The Rock,” Dwayne Johnson is a Hufflepuff
The world’s highest paid actor this year exudes down-to-earth friendliness and kindness,
essential Hufflepuff qualities that are no doubt a big part of
why he’s such a universally likeable box office draw.
And despite his buff, macho appearance,
he’s also been open about his struggles with depression -
“I fell into a deep depression, and I remember at that time,
the only thing I wanted to do was clean the walls.”
So this shows the Hufflepuff way of doing the right thing,
over curating a self-aggrandizing image.
The deeply good Mr. Rogers would be another Hufflepuff.
[singing] “Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?”
Instead of trying to act macho or cool,
he’s given boys a model for masculinity that’s about gentleness and decency.
We could actually group Jack, Johnson, and Mr Rogers together because -
while each represents a very different image of masculinity -
all three can be nurturing and vulnerable,
and that’s important in male role models.
Some of the best friend characters from literature and movies
would certainly be Hufflepuffs -
like Sam from Lord of the Rings.
He’s loyal and hardworking,
and there’s no way Frodo would have got to his destination without
Sam.
“I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.”
Samwell Tarly from Game of Thrones, too.
“I always wanted to be a wizard.”
Yes, he has a Ravenclaw-like bookish nature, but he clashes with the Maesters
because they value knowledge over doing the right thing,
“These Maesters, they set me to the task of preserving that man’s
wind-accounting, and enrollments, and bowel movements, for all of eternity.
While the secret to defeating the Night King
is probably sitting on a dusty shelf somewhere
completely ignored.”
and Sam puts helping his friends, and saving humanity, first.
“I made a promise to defend the wall, and I have to keep it.
Because that’s what men do.”
More Hufflepuffs in Game of Thrones would be the incomparably faithful knight
Brienne,
“Nothing’s more hateful than failing to protect the one you love.”
The morally steadfast Ser Davos,
[Shouting] “You burned a little girl alive!”
“I only do what my lord commands.”
“He commands you to burn children, your lord is evil!”
and Jorah Moramont, who, despite a dark past, is now defined by his loyalty
to Daenerys and her cause.
“All I’ve ever wanted was to serve you.”
Ned Stark some might call a Gryffindor, because of his bravery,
but he’s a Hufflepuff,
because he does the just thing for its own sake,
without expecting any credit -
“I hope I serve you well.”
Just look at the way he let everyone falsely believe he had a bastard son
in order to protect Jon Snow.
Looking at some beloved literary figures, Jane Eyre could certainly be a Hufflepuff.
She’s humble, modest,
and doesn’t think a lot of herself, or chase glory.
“I must respect myself.”
Beth from Little Women would be Hufflepuff -
she’s almost unbelievably kind and virtuous -
“Perhaps you could send the Hummels our bread.”
that’s why it breaks everyone’s heart when she gets.
“God wants me with him, there is none who will stop him.”
“I never saw myself as anything much.”
Unfortunately, because Hufflepuffs are so morally pure,
they make great martyrs and victims,
and they get killed off by writers who want to manipulate our emotions.
George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life”
is someone who struggles with his Hufflepuff identity -
he’d like a more exciting life
“I’m shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my feet,
and I’m gonna see the world!”
but in the end, his Hufflepuff integrity forces him to put his personal dreams aside
“I got two-thousand dollars, here’s two-thousand dollars,
this’ll tide us over until the bakery opens.”
so that he can help all the regular folks from his home town who need him.
“To my big brother George, the richest man in town.”
Looking at some of our animated favorites -
Dory and her mantra
[singing] “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming,
just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”
remind us of that Hufflepuff optimism and friendship.
“Come on, trust me on this!”
“Trust you?”
“Yes trust.
It’s what friends do.”
Baloo from The Jungle Book is likewise a great friend,
and values the simple things of life.
[singing] “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities.”
And you could say that the Disney princesses across the board embody Hufflepuff virtues,
especially the originals.
Their defining characteristic is kindness,
followed by patience, honesty, loyalty, fairness, and optimism.
Giselle from Enchanted,
who’s kind of a summary of the Disney princesses,
shows how bringing this Hufflepuff good-heartedness
into our cynical modern society
“You are very lucky.
I mean just look at how her eyes sparkle.
It’s no wonder you’re in love.”
makes the world a far better place.
“But dreams do come true, and maybe something wonderful will happen.”
Hufflepuff’s colors are yellow and black.
“Yellow” is associated with warmth and the sun.
It makes us think of a positive outlook.
Studies show that people connect yellow to words
like “cheer,” “happiness,” and “playfulness.”
There’s also The Wizard of Oz’s “yellow brick road,”
[singing] “Follow the yellow brick road!”
which symbolizes that - if we want to succeed-
we just have to stick to a steady path with our friends by our side.
Black makes us think of seeing things as “black and white” --
this color doesn’t have different shades, so it represents a fixed moral code.
While Hufflepuffs have sunny, optimistic “yellow” natures in daily life,
the black represents their intense, fighting serious spirit
that comes out when it’s needed.
And Hufflepuff’s the only Hogwarts house that doesn’t have one metallic color,
just as Hufflepuffs don’t feel the need to shine and show off.
The house is linked to the element earth.
Hufflepuffs feel “down to earth” and “of the earth.”
In astrology, earth signs are seen as hardworking and practical.
And of course, earth is where plants grow --
“Today we’re going to re-crop Mandrakes.”
And more broadly, there’s something inherently nurturing and life-giving about Hufflepuffs.
“Rescue, nurture, and protect them.”
Hufflepuff’s house animal is the badger.
The mascot might seem like a tame choice
compared to the other three houses’s animals of prey.
But in real life, badgers actually are fierce carnivores,
Likewise, Hufflepuffs are often underestimated or perceived as milder than they are.
Just look at cool, edgy Hufflepuff, Tonks.
[sternly] “Don’t call me Nymphadora.”
The badger also brings to mind the expression “to badger someone” --
which makes us think of persistence.
Badgers dig in the earth -- Hufflepuff’s element --
and this symbolizes how Hufflepuffs aren’t superficial;
they understand it’s the deeper things that really matter --
think of how Newt can see beyon
the freaky, frightening appearances of magical creatures.
In pop culture we meet a number of badger characters with good hearts
who make the most loyal of friends.
These badger characters might like to be homebodies -
and Hufflepuffs like a cozy home space, too.
“Although he almost never went in search of society,
he was always at home to his friends.”
Real badgers border on antisocial.
A Hufflepuff, like Newt, has trouble connecting to other people…
“I’m writing a book about magical creatures.”
“Like... an extermination guide?”
“No.
A guide to help people understand why we should be protecting these creatures
instead of killing them”.
but once he does,
he’s the most faithful friend you could ask for.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“No, WE’RE going somewhere”
On Pottermore, Rowling describes the Hufflepuff common room
as, quote, “a cosy, round, low-ceilinged room…
reminiscent of a badger’s sett.”
In the books, Hufflepuff’s common room is near the Hogwarts kitchens.
We know that Hufflepuff’s namesake, Helga Hufflepuff,
was associated with food charms and created many classic Hogwarts recipes.
So this house clearly enjoys eating,
and by extension, creating a comfortable home life,
enjoying life’s fundamental pleasures.
Rowling has said, quote,
“The complexity or otherwise of the entrance to the common rooms
might be said to give a very rough idea of the intellectual reputation of each house.”
Hufflepuff has the simplest common room entrance of the houses --
it just requires someone to tap out the rhythm of “Helga Hufflepuff.”
So we might take from this that the rest of Hogwarts
perceives Hufflepuffs as the lowest on the intelligence ladder,
but Rowling makes a point of noting that we shouldn’t conclude from this that quote,
“Hufflepuffs are dimwits or duffers.”
While they may not all be cerebral,
the Hufflepuffs we meet seem to be perfectly intelligent, good students.
The simplicity of their entrance routine reinforces instead
that they value a stable home life without unnecessary complications.
Hufflepuff’s ghost is the jolly Fat Friar.
As a religious figure,
the Fat Friar reflects Hufflepuff’s humility and moral goodness.
He was executed after people in the church started distrusting him
because he was able to cure the pox.
So this fits that Hufflepuff pattern of not getting rewarded,
and even being punished for their good deeds.
Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts,
embodied fair-mindedness.
In the Order of the Phoenix book, the Sorting Hat tells us:
“Said Slytherin, ‘We’ll teach just those Whose ancestry is purest.’
Said Ravenclaw, ‘We’ll teach those whose Intelligence is surest.
Said Gryffindor, ‘We’ll teach all those With brave deeds to their name.’
Said Hufflepuff, ‘I’ll teach the lot And treat them just the same’”.
So fundamental to the Hufflepuff philosophy is the democratic belief
that all people should be treated equally.
We see Helga’s legacy continue in the Fantastic Beasts sequel --
Newt teams up with Dumbledore to try to defeat the fascist Grindelwald,
who believes wizards are entitled to rule over muggles.
So to sum up,
it’s about time we started giving this house
the respect it deserves.
We should think of Hufflepuff, the way we think of Cedric:
as somebody better than most of us,
as a moral role model we can aspire to be like,
“Cedric did know this stuff.
He was really good.”
The world needs Hufflepuffs,
so let’s all try to be a little more Hufflepuff ourselves.
“I can only say to you,
that I would not at all be disappointed to be
sorted into Hufflepuff house.”
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