The monumental Harry Potter franchise continues to expand its popularity and longevity as the Wizarding World flourishes with new spin-offs and countless reinventions. From the very beginning, Harry Potter gained popularity due to its inclusion of the four Hogwarts Houses. You’d certainly be fibbing if you said you’ve never taken a quiz to find out which House you belong in. Nevertheless, while Slytherin has been widely regarded as the worst House, Gryffindor has been tirelessly proclaimed the best, although that’s entirely up to opinion.
While Gryffindors tend to be highlighted for their generally positive traits, the House is attached to some negative traits as well. Even if it isn’t canon, Gryffindors have a string of obvious flaws like students in any other House. With that being said, here are the best and worst traits that Gryffindors share.
The best traits
We’ll start with the best traits that most of our favorite Gryffindors possess before moving on to the more negative ones.
Bravery
First and foremost, Gryffindors are marvelously brave creatures and have been from the very beginning. The House, which is represented by its lion mascot, is known for standing up for what is right. Gryffindors will look fear in the face and overcome the obstacles needed to prove how brave they can be. Additionally, this particular trait shines when it comes to defending family and friends.
Daring
Gryffindors are certainly not afraid of challenges no matter how difficult they happen to be, which highlights just how daring they are. They’ll indulge in any challenge or hardship they come across and will enjoy every minute of it because of how much they love to push the limit. They rarely back down from any sort of fight, even if they’re unsure of their ability to actually win. Their daring nature undoubtedly makes them role models, though sometimes it can come back to haunt them.
Adventurous
Gryffindors naturally seek out the thrill of fun and excitement, which makes them fiercely adventurous. As such, their desire for adventure often leads them on wild, chaotic journeys that fulfill their needs. Gryffindors love to experience new things and expand their horizons, and the entire House prides itself on its adventurous spirit, even if it tends to get them into trouble. Oftentimes, it lands them in moments of unexpected danger, though they can’t seem to help themselves.
Loyalty
Loyalty is one of the most admirable traits amongst Gryffindors, and they are often thought of as the most loyal of all the Houses. For the most part, Gryffindors believe in doing the right thing and are insanely loyal to those they care the most about. Gryffindors are excellent friends and companions and would sooner die than be disloyal to those around them. Of course, Peter Pettigrew is the one bad apple in the bunch.
The worst traits
For as many positive traits as they possess, Gryffindors are far from perfect. Here are some of their more negative attributes.
Stubbornness
To kick off the negative traits of Gryffindor House, their stubbornness is certainly at the top of the list. As a result of their firm refusal to budge from the positions they take on important matters, Gryffindors are seen as extremely narrow-minded. Gryffindors can also be extremely hot-headed and short-tempered when their stubbornness is called out, which only fuels their internal fires. Interestingly, Harry Potter, who is seen as one of the most popular Gryffindors, displays this trait almost as much as Hermione does. (Don’t think you’re getting off easy, Ronald ⏤ you’re just as bad as the rest of them!)
Pride
Gryffindor House is made up of extremely loud people who are insanely proud of the House they belong to. Believe it or not, this can be seen as a generally negative trait. While it’s certainly not harmful to be proud of who you are, Gryffindors take it to the next level by feeling, at times, like they’re superior to other Houses (and it doesn’t help that most of our favorite characters are all Gryffindors). Because of this, their pridefulness is more of a negative trait than a positive ⏤ just ask a poor Hufflepuff.
Recklessness
Gryffindors have a strong reputation for acting first on their emotions rather than stopping and thinking certain actions through. As a result, recklessness is one of their most obvious negative traits. Additionally, Gryffindors can be cocky due to their bravery, which results in them making hasty decisions that can either hurt them or the ones closest to them. They’re also quick to endanger themselves and others in order to accomplish their goals, which furthermore puts their House points in jeopardy (though they don’t seem to mind very much).
Rule-breaking
Much like Slytherins, Gryffindors are notorious for rule-breaking. It’s often their bravery that results in their disregard for the rules, and most of the time the rules are broken so they can contribute to an act of good. Nevertheless, the rules are there to follow, and Gryffindors often push them aside to further their own personal agendas.
While it’s true that many of us would cross our fingers and pray for Gryffindor during a Sorting ceremony, it’s important to remember that the characters who enter this House are human, albeit more magical than most. Despite their bravery and fearlessness, it’s ultimately their humanity that grounds them as characters we can ⏤ and will always ⏤ relate to.
