Gryffindor Qualities

[LuNaLoVeGoOdLoVer]

Okay, I agree, Selina (right?) Although that's really what I meant - NOT that Hufflepuff is the basket-case house, but that ... that if perhaps, you are braver then you are smart, but you are not necessarily the bravest person around you could be placed in Hufflepuff instead. Although you are correct that no liable source says that the 'rest' go to Helga, but if she is willing to take all...

Another important trait is that Gryffindors can't resist a dare, and have the urge to prove themselves, and if you want to write a fic, I think this is pretty important.

[AidaLuthien]

Urge to prove themselves... isn't that a more Slytherin thing? Vauntless ambition and the like, right?

Nothing directly stated by the Hat hasn't anything to do with Gryffindors wanting to prove themselves.

Do Gryffindors need to prove that they're brave? Is their bravery defined by others? Are you only as brave as other people believe you are?

Thanks to everyone who's responded to this thread! It's really helping me out with this character.

[Vorona]

Do Gryffindors need to prove that they're brave? Is their bravery defined by others? Are you only as brave as other people believe you are?

I've always thought of Gryffindors not as necessarily needing to prove they're brave, but I do see them as attracting attention. I don't think that's deliberate in all cases (certainly, Harry would prefer NOT to be in the spotlight as often as he is), but they're all really obvious about the things that define or interest them. Even Harry is when it comes to telling everyone that Voldemort is back. I think part of their bravery is in not being afraid of the spotlight/being willing to be unpopular because of what other people might see/hear.

[LuNaLoVeGoOdLoVer]

[QUOTE-AidaLuthien]
Urge to prove themselves... isn't that a more Slytherin thing? Vauntless ambition and the like, right?

Nothing directly stated by the Hat hasn't anything to do with Gryffindors wanting to prove themselves.

Do Gryffindors need to prove that they're brave? Is their bravery defined by others? Are you only as brave as other people believe you are?[/QUOTE]

I meant more along the lines of a dare. Yes, Slytherins are the ambitious ones, but I'm not sure they are the ones that would take you up on a dare - I now i can hardly ever resist one, and the other Gryffs I've asked said they can't either. Goes with the ego

[AidaLuthien]

So Gryffindors like dares... they like to be challenged? If you tell someone to jump, they'll ask you how high and dare you to do one better? Perhaps bordering on being daredevils?

Yes, I'm enjoying this thread a lot.

[LuNaLoVeGoOdLoVer]

That's exactly what i mean :P Daredevils... reckless... defianetly Gryff qualities. XD

[lilyevansfan]

Gryffs are also very loyal. Like a dog, I guess?

I think you're missing one of the key elements of a Gryffindor--loyalty! Gryffs are almost blindly loyal sometimes to those they care about.

I was wondering when someone was going to say that!

That's exactly what i mean :P Daredevils... reckless... defianetly Gryff qualities. XD

I agree with you!

Do Gryffindors need to prove that they're brave? Is their bravery defined by others? Are you only as brave as other people believe you are?

Depends on what you mean...I'm NOT brave. Really. I'm scared of a single ant when I see one. But I am brave when it comes to standing up for people (not that I get bullied). Once, in the sixth grade, this very mean girl started rumors about my friend, so me and my other friends fought right back! (Not what you think I mean, not like revenge. We stood up to her and told her to knock it off, which didn't work so we just told on her to a teacher.) Okay, it's not that hard to stand up for people, but for people like me (who are afraid of everything) it's pretty brave.

Honestly, I don't think so. Gryffindors can also be Gryffindors if they are loyal and have all the other qualities. Being brave and a daredevil is only a PART of being a Gryff. At least that's what I think.

[OliveOil_Med]

I think I agree the most with Vorona on how the the Sorting Hat goes about how it places young children who haven't completely formed their personalities.

Gryffindors: passionate for what they think is the "right" thing. Gryffindors are really concerned about right and wrong, and fairness.

Ravenclaw: passionate about matters of knowledge. Hermione could have been a Ravenclaw, but her passion for right vs. wrong is stronger than her passion for knowledge.

Hufflepuffs: passionate about a person or ideal to which they are loyal. Passionate about staying true to their friends and causes.

Slytherins: passionate about achieving their goals. This is how they end up as cunning and ambitious -- because their goals are what is most important to them.

Even though I can't recall knowing any friends in the sixth grade who I thought were particularily ambitious, heroic, witty, or cunning, but I do remember plenty of people who cared about 'doing the write thing', learning everything they can, and ones who had big plans for themselves for the future. And certainly people who were fiercely loyal to their friends and families.

[Equinox Chick]

I think the Sorting is less about a 'who is the bravest' contest, and more about what you prize the most. You could find a brave person in every single house, and be hard pushed to say that someone was braver than the other (Go ERNIE!!!!)

To a Ravenclaw, they prize intelligence - that's what Luna is about - the ability to think outside the box wanting to be intelligent. Hermione is seriously clever ... brighter than all the Ravenclaws in the DA for instance, but perhaps she prizes courage above that because she knows she's bright.

Slytherins are ambitious, selfish (but so many successful people are), and have a 'thirst to prove themselves'. That doesn't make all of them evil. (See Slughorn, for instance)

Hufflepuff is more difficult because although loyalty and hard work are mentioned, they also take all the rest who don't quite fit anywhere else.

Other Gryff traits are boldness and recklessness. If you look at Romilda and McLaggan, they're brave and reckless but not in a 'good' way. Romilda is sneaky, McLaggan is foolhardy. Pettigrew was a traitor, Remus didn't always stick up for what he believed in but let James and Sirius get away with behaving like bullying idiots. James and Sirius bullying Snape isn't really a true 'Gryff' quality of chivalry, is it?

On a personal note, whilst I do think I'm a Puff through and through, I doubt the Sorting Quiz on MNFF is a true evaluator of our abilities. Does anyone really answer it truthfully?

~Carole~

[lucca4]

So Gryffindors like dares... they like to be challenged? If you tell someone to jump, they'll ask you how high and dare you to do one better? Perhaps bordering on being daredevils?

I think that would be Gryff-like recklessness to a 't'. But, you know, not all Gryffindors are necessarily like that. I wouldn't count Hermione as a daredevil, yet she was Sorted as a Gryffindor...I'm thinking more for her bravery. If you want daredevil-ness to be your character's Gryffindor trait, then s/he will probably act like that (I've forgotten by now if this is even your thread...). I don't think the Hat Sorts students based on if they have the most Gryff/Puff/Claw/Slyth qualities, but by what's most important to them.

I think the Sorting is less about a 'who is the bravest' contest, and more about what you prize the most. You could find a brave person in every single house, and be hard pushed to say that someone was braver than the other (Go ERNIE!!!!)

I agree with Carole in that it's probably the quality you value above all that is the most important. You can be the bravest person at Hogwarts, but if you think bravery isn't a redeeming quality you may not be Sorted as a Gryffindor. The trait that you prize above all others--the one that you aspire to achieve, the one that drives all your goals--I think those qualities are what the Sorting Hat looks for most. Maybe not always what you are, necessarily, but what is most important to you.

On a personal note, whilst I do think I'm a Puff through and through, I doubt the Sorting Quiz on MNFF is a true evaluator of our abilities. Does anyone really answer it truthfully?

Both times I've taken the MNFF quiz (I sampled the new quiz they are making), I was Sorted as a Gryffindor. I try to answer it truthfully, but some of the questions really depend on what you feel in that spur of the moment. Obviously, the quiz can't see inside your head as the Hat can, so it's definitely not going to be as accurate. The questions I think look into the outside layer of your personality, and Sort you by that--whilst the Hat probably looks at your mind in its entirety, and figures out your priorities.

xx Ariana xx