Rowena Ravenclaw
Origin: Harry Potter
Hair:
Eyes:
Species: Human
Birthday:
Child: Helena Ravenclaw
Residence: Lorrah Street 5 (40-58)
Occupation: Teacher (Magic Academy)
Affiliation:
Talent: Magic
Medical notes:
Sports/Instruments:
Languages:
Import Date: 5 (+)
Familiar:
Rowena Ravenclaw (fl. c. 993) was a Scottish witch and one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was noted for her intelligence and creativity. Ravenclaw died sometime in the eleventh century, after she fell fatally ill. Legend had it that a broken heart was the cause — because her daughter Helena ran away with her diadem. Rowena's portrait remained at Hogwarts.
Biography
Early life
Rowena Ravenclaw was born sometime in the tenth century. She was from the glens of Scotland,[2] and was either born or married into the Ravenclaw family. Rowena was also a close personal friend of Helga Hufflepuff, who was from the Welsh valleys.[10]
At an unknown time and by unknown means, Rowena acquired a wand.[11] It is possible she purchased it from the Ollivander family, who had been in the wand-making business since 382 B.C.,[12] or made it herself.
Hogwarts founder
United by the common goal of creating the world's best magic school,[10] Rowena Ravenclaw and her good friends Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin built Hogwarts Castle together and established Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry[6] sometime around 993.[13] It is a popular historical theory that the location and name of Hogwarts were both chosen by Rowena, who dreamt that a warty hog was leading her to a cliff by the lake.[14] She also came up with the ever-changing floor plan.[15]
Rowena selected her students according to intelligence and wisdom.[10] Ravenclaw House therefore values a sharp mind, wisdom, creativity, and cleverness in its members.[16] At some point, Rowena bore a daughter, Helena,[8] who was taught by Rowena herself at Hogwarts.[17]
After a time in which the school enjoyed great prosperity, Rowena's fellow founder Salazar Slytherin proposed a controversial action in which Muggle-born students should not be admitted to Hogwarts based on their heritage. Ironically, a large percentage of Ravenclaw's own house were of Muggle descent. She and the rest of the founders refused Slytherin's plan and the problem escalated to such degrees that Salazar ultimately left the school permanently.
At some point after her graduation from Hogwarts School, her daughter Helena stole Ravenclaw's diadem, which was said to enhance the wearer's wisdom. Helena was jealous of her mother's famous intellect and took the diadem with her to Albania, far away from her mother's reach, in hopes of surpassing her. Ashamed of her daughter's betrayal, Rowena opted to keep her daughter's treachery a secret from others and denied it even from her fellow founders.[8]
Shortly afterwards, Rowena fell fatally ill. Disregarding her treason, she asked the Baron, who was in love with Helena, to go and find her daughter, merely wishing to see her one last time. He eventually tracked her to a forest in Albania but when she refused to return with him, the Baron flew into a fit of rage, furious at her refusal and envious of her freedom, and stabbed her. Immediately overcome with guilt, he then took his own life. The two would later become, respectively, Ravenclaw and Slytherin house ghosts.[8]
Thus, Rowena apparently didn't get the chance to reconcile with her daughter before their untimely deaths, unless her daughter's ghost returned to the castle before Rowena's own death. Legend had it that a "broken heart" added to her early demise.[18] This story may have had origin in her estrangement with her daughter. Rowena was the first of the founders to die[19]
Legacy
Rowena's stolen diadem would remain hidden in its lonely locale for centuries until the mid 1900s, where her daughter's ghost was charmed by Sytherin student Tom Riddle, who, unbeknownst to her, was a distant relative of Salazar Slytherin himself, into revealing its location. Acting on this information, Riddle took the diadem from its hiding place and defiled both it and the memory of Ravenclaw by turning it into a Horcrux. The defiled artefact was then hidden within the castle Rowena had helped build for years more until it was destroyed by Vincent Crabbe's out-of-control Fiendfyre, during a failed attempt to kill by Harry Potter during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.[8]
During the 1988–1989 school year and also the 1989–1990 school year, Rowan Khanna, who aspired to be a professor, would sometimes teach the History of Magic class during Professor Binns's frequent naps and inattention. One of Rowan's techniques was to bring in a portrait of Ravenclaw, allowing classmates to hear about the founding of Hogwarts directly from the memories of one of the founders.[20][21][22]
According to the questionable publication The Quibbler, Rowena also developed a strategy for traversing the tricky stairs of the Grand Staircase.[23]
Physical description
From her statue in Ravenclaw Tower and Xenophilius Lovegood's bust of her, Rowena was a beautiful yet austere-looking and slightly intimidating woman.[24][25] She was tall,[8] had pale skin, dark eyes, and long black hair.[18] Rowena spoke in a pronounced Scottish accent.[5]
Personality and traits
Ravenclaw's most notable traits were her intelligence and creativity. She valued the same characteristics in her students.[16][10] Rowena seemed strict and intimidating,[25] but despite this she seemed to be forgiving and loving. This shown by the fact that she was willing to disregard her daughter's betrayal just to see her one last time on her deathbed.[8]
Ravenclaw was very proud, not admitting that her daughter had run away with her diadem not even to her close friends, the other founders.[25] However, she was not prejudiced towards those of Muggle parentage or inheritance, as she disagreed with Slytherin's views on their admittance to Hogwarts.[26]
Magical abilities and skills
Ravenclaw was described as the most brilliant witch of her time. Her capacity to cast a Patronus[9] further showed her superior magical abilities.
Charms: Rowena had a considerable level of skill and proficiency in charms. Along with the other founders, she bewitched the Sorting Hat into a sentient magical artefact with personality to sort students well after their lifetime. She presumably enchanted her diadem to enhance the wearer's wisdom. Furthermore, Rowena was capable of conjuring a non-corporeal Patronus,[9] despite its immense difficulty.
Magical architecture: It is thought that Rowena herself devised the ever-changing floor plan of Hogwarts Castle.
Divination: According to legend, Rowena dreamt about a warty hog leading her to a cliff by the lake where she and her companions would build Hogwarts.[14]
Invention: Rowena presumably crafted and enchanted her diadem personally. No other witch or wizard was ever able to replicate its effects.
History of Magic: Rowena's portrait was knowledgeable about wizarding history and could help teach this to students in History of Magic lessons, with Rowan Khanna's assistance.[20][21][22]
Possessions
Wand: Ravenclaw owned a wand made of an unknown wood, length, core and flexibility.
Diadem: Rowena owned a diadem enchanted, presumably by Ravenclaw herself, to enhance the wearer's wisdom. The diadem was stolen by her daughter Helena Ravenclaw and hidden in an Albanian forest. It was later found and turned into a Horcrux by Tom Riddle.