Vital question of the day: which Hogwarts Houses would Tolkien's characters sort into?
Okay, I know this is an eternal fannish question, but unfinishedch80 brought it up when we were talking and now I'm curious: if the Lord of the Rings characters went to Hogwarts, which Houses would they be sorted into?
See, initially it seems obvious that most of the Good Guys would be in Gryffindor (loyalty! courage! swords! battles!) and the Bad Guys would be in Slytherin. As kameni pointed out to me when we were discussing this vital topic, manipulativeness is a Slytherin trait, and you could argue that LotR is a huge whopping manifesto against manipulation, whether you're talking manipulation of nature or manipulation of other people.
That's a great point -- but I still think that we'd find more Houses among the LotR characters than we might initially suppose. You can't turn Slytherin House into a dumping ground for evil and Gryffindor into a frat for likeminded, pure-hearted Marines -- Rowling certainly doesn't do that. There was a Slytherin Headmaster for Hogwarts at one time. And arguably the worst character in the HP series is its ratty little Gryffindor traitor, Peter Pettigrew, whose mildly parasitic but wholly Gryffindor admiration for one strong, domineering character (James Potter) seems to have been transferred to Voldemort.
Maybe the temperamental affinities of each House can be either guiding lights or emotional cancers, depending on how they develop in each individual. That being the case, where do you think each LotR character would be sorted? I'm making each question a check box so you can give more than one answer if you think a character is a combination of two (or more!) Houses.
Take the poll!
Poll Which Houses would the LotR characters sort into?
OMG, this is long. To give you a break, I've put minor characters in a separate poll, here:
Poll What Houses would THESE LotR characters sort into?
My random theories
Frodo Ravenclaw! He's brave, certainly -- brave enough to turn his sword against a Black Rider at Weathertop. But Frodo also seems to me like someone who is immensely curious about things and people. He's not as much of a bookworm as he's sometimes made out to be, I think, but bookishness and Ravenclaw are not the same thing (look at Hermione: bookish, but not Ravenclaw). Frodo seems to me to have that spirit of openness and inquiry that a true lover of knowledge must have. For me, then, Ravenclaw with a side of Gryffindor.
Bilbo Another Ravenclaw, in my opinion, and for many of the same reasons as Frodo -- he's more immersed in lore than Frodo is, and when presented with danger he will try to live by his wits. I do think he has less Gryffindor in him than Frodo does, though -- if he has a side House, it's Slytherin. He's a bit trickier and more manipulative than Frodo (think of the elaborate joke of the Party, and his somewhat ham-handed attempt at social engineering with the Arkenstone).
Merry -- Pretty much Gryffindor all the way; brave, completely dedicated to supporting his friends. This is the hobbit who stabs the Witch-king, and does it to save a friend. ("She should not die alone . . . ")
Pippin This is tough. He's also very brave, like Merry, and he'd do a great deal for his friends. In fact he'd do so much for his friends that after some wavering I'd put him in Hufflepuff -- a supreme helper of other people. This is the hobbit who impulsively swears an oath of loyalty to the grim, terrifying father of the Man who saved his life. A Hufflepuff, with maybe a side of Ravenclaw for that curious person who peers into the Palantir.
Sam Hufflepuff, with a strong side of Gryffindor. He's devoted to others: to Frodo, to Rosie, to Elanor, to the Gaffer, to the Shire. I think a character like Sam shows us that Hufflepuff is not a House to be trifled with.
Gollum I'm going to say the dark side of Ravenclaw, twisted by the Ring. Originally Gollum was curious about the roots of things. He deals with Bilbo by proposing a riddle-game, and he deals with Frodo and Sam by tracking them -- going on a quest for knowledge.
Aragorn Perhaps I'm going to be a little perverse, but I would say Hufflepuff, and I'd say Aragorn would get in by the same route Harry got in to Gryffindor: he'd reject the Sorting Hat's first proposal. The Hat told Harry he'd do well in Slytherin, but Harry chose (in essence) Gryffindor; similarly I think the Hat would tell Aragorn that he'd do well in Gryffidor, but Aragorn would choose Hufflepuff. When he started on his long path to kingship he chose the lonely road of helping others, no matter what, without acknowledgment or glory of any kind. His first act as a leader of men was to lead a hopeless attack to serve as a distraction from Frodo's quest. All he wanted, in the end, was to settle down in his home and marry his girlfriend. The most noble of Hufflepuffs, with a very strong side of Gryffindor.
Gandalf Mmmmmm, I could make an argument for Hufflepuff here, too, but I'm going to say that Gandalf is Slytherin House's finest hour. He has the Gryffindor strength of courage, but courage is not how he gets things done; he has the lore of a Ravenclaw, but I don't think abstract theory interests him. He has the helping impulses of a Hufflepuff, but is more craggily independent than I think any Hufflepuff would be. No, I'd say Slytherin: and the first symptom is those fireworks. When Gandalf is playing, he likes to make people gasp. He has this fundamental impulse to interfere in the way that people think, and he himself thinks quite hard about how various people he meets might fit in a grand master plan. He's the best strategic thinker in the entire series, and is constantly, painfully aware of how easily this strength of his could turn him into a tyrant if he isn't very, very careful. Ravenclaw brain, Gryffindor guts, Hufflepuff generosity of spirit -- and a heart of Slytherin.
Saruman - I'm going to be perverse again and say Ravenclaw, seduced to evil. Unlike Gandalf Saruman is NOT a very good strategic thinker -- when he tries to build an empire he forgets the danger lying on his very doorstep. He tries his best to be a master manipulator once Sauron has got hold of him, but his heart isn't in it. He's an abstract seeker after knowledge who is seduced by an idea, and who makes the perpetual Ravenclaw mistake of underestimating people who are not as intelligent as he is.
Galadriel - Ravenclaw! Like many of the Noldor, she is entranced by knowledge, and seeks to preserve it above all things -- even when she shouldn't.
Boromir Pretty much Gryffindor all the way: brave, immensely loyal to his city and his people. The Ring uses this, but he recoups through the ultimate Gryffindor sacrifice of battle in impossible odds.
Faramir Pure, sterling Ravenclaw, unfortunate enough to live in Gryffindor times. "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom." Oh, my darling boy.
Denethor Slytherin! Definitely the heartless side of Slytherin, too: a manipulator of others who does not have Gandalf's insight into how dangerous manipulation can be. He impulsively treats his sons as tools rather than as people, and lives to regret it. Even in his grief over Faramir, he wants to control him. His suicide may seem self-abnegating, and I do think that some suicides for a cause can be noble and pure-hearted - but Denethor's suicide seemed to me to be again about control above all things. His city needed him, as did Faramir, but all Denethor could think about was his losses.
Eowyn Gryffindor's finest hour. You could argue that she is suicidal too, but I think she's light-years away from Denethor: she is willing to be destroyed, yes, but will work and plan for a time when she can do it to save both the person she loves most and the honor of her house. "You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him." Oh, yeah. Gryffindor, baby, all the way. ♥
Hmmm, I seem to have a lot of Ravenclaws here. Well, Tolkien was a scholar, after all. Knowledge was one of his things. :D
See, initially it seems obvious that most of the Good Guys would be in Gryffindor (loyalty! courage! swords! battles!) and the Bad Guys would be in Slytherin. As kameni pointed out to me when we were discussing this vital topic, manipulativeness is a Slytherin trait, and you could argue that LotR is a huge whopping manifesto against manipulation, whether you're talking manipulation of nature or manipulation of other people.
That's a great point -- but I still think that we'd find more Houses among the LotR characters than we might initially suppose. You can't turn Slytherin House into a dumping ground for evil and Gryffindor into a frat for likeminded, pure-hearted Marines -- Rowling certainly doesn't do that. There was a Slytherin Headmaster for Hogwarts at one time. And arguably the worst character in the HP series is its ratty little Gryffindor traitor, Peter Pettigrew, whose mildly parasitic but wholly Gryffindor admiration for one strong, domineering character (James Potter) seems to have been transferred to Voldemort.
Maybe the temperamental affinities of each House can be either guiding lights or emotional cancers, depending on how they develop in each individual. That being the case, where do you think each LotR character would be sorted? I'm making each question a check box so you can give more than one answer if you think a character is a combination of two (or more!) Houses.
Take the poll!
Poll Which Houses would the LotR characters sort into?
OMG, this is long. To give you a break, I've put minor characters in a separate poll, here:
Poll What Houses would THESE LotR characters sort into?
My random theories
Frodo Ravenclaw! He's brave, certainly -- brave enough to turn his sword against a Black Rider at Weathertop. But Frodo also seems to me like someone who is immensely curious about things and people. He's not as much of a bookworm as he's sometimes made out to be, I think, but bookishness and Ravenclaw are not the same thing (look at Hermione: bookish, but not Ravenclaw). Frodo seems to me to have that spirit of openness and inquiry that a true lover of knowledge must have. For me, then, Ravenclaw with a side of Gryffindor.
Bilbo Another Ravenclaw, in my opinion, and for many of the same reasons as Frodo -- he's more immersed in lore than Frodo is, and when presented with danger he will try to live by his wits. I do think he has less Gryffindor in him than Frodo does, though -- if he has a side House, it's Slytherin. He's a bit trickier and more manipulative than Frodo (think of the elaborate joke of the Party, and his somewhat ham-handed attempt at social engineering with the Arkenstone).
Merry -- Pretty much Gryffindor all the way; brave, completely dedicated to supporting his friends. This is the hobbit who stabs the Witch-king, and does it to save a friend. ("She should not die alone . . . ")
Pippin This is tough. He's also very brave, like Merry, and he'd do a great deal for his friends. In fact he'd do so much for his friends that after some wavering I'd put him in Hufflepuff -- a supreme helper of other people. This is the hobbit who impulsively swears an oath of loyalty to the grim, terrifying father of the Man who saved his life. A Hufflepuff, with maybe a side of Ravenclaw for that curious person who peers into the Palantir.
Sam Hufflepuff, with a strong side of Gryffindor. He's devoted to others: to Frodo, to Rosie, to Elanor, to the Gaffer, to the Shire. I think a character like Sam shows us that Hufflepuff is not a House to be trifled with.
Gollum I'm going to say the dark side of Ravenclaw, twisted by the Ring. Originally Gollum was curious about the roots of things. He deals with Bilbo by proposing a riddle-game, and he deals with Frodo and Sam by tracking them -- going on a quest for knowledge.
Aragorn Perhaps I'm going to be a little perverse, but I would say Hufflepuff, and I'd say Aragorn would get in by the same route Harry got in to Gryffindor: he'd reject the Sorting Hat's first proposal. The Hat told Harry he'd do well in Slytherin, but Harry chose (in essence) Gryffindor; similarly I think the Hat would tell Aragorn that he'd do well in Gryffidor, but Aragorn would choose Hufflepuff. When he started on his long path to kingship he chose the lonely road of helping others, no matter what, without acknowledgment or glory of any kind. His first act as a leader of men was to lead a hopeless attack to serve as a distraction from Frodo's quest. All he wanted, in the end, was to settle down in his home and marry his girlfriend. The most noble of Hufflepuffs, with a very strong side of Gryffindor.
Gandalf Mmmmmm, I could make an argument for Hufflepuff here, too, but I'm going to say that Gandalf is Slytherin House's finest hour. He has the Gryffindor strength of courage, but courage is not how he gets things done; he has the lore of a Ravenclaw, but I don't think abstract theory interests him. He has the helping impulses of a Hufflepuff, but is more craggily independent than I think any Hufflepuff would be. No, I'd say Slytherin: and the first symptom is those fireworks. When Gandalf is playing, he likes to make people gasp. He has this fundamental impulse to interfere in the way that people think, and he himself thinks quite hard about how various people he meets might fit in a grand master plan. He's the best strategic thinker in the entire series, and is constantly, painfully aware of how easily this strength of his could turn him into a tyrant if he isn't very, very careful. Ravenclaw brain, Gryffindor guts, Hufflepuff generosity of spirit -- and a heart of Slytherin.
Saruman - I'm going to be perverse again and say Ravenclaw, seduced to evil. Unlike Gandalf Saruman is NOT a very good strategic thinker -- when he tries to build an empire he forgets the danger lying on his very doorstep. He tries his best to be a master manipulator once Sauron has got hold of him, but his heart isn't in it. He's an abstract seeker after knowledge who is seduced by an idea, and who makes the perpetual Ravenclaw mistake of underestimating people who are not as intelligent as he is.
Galadriel - Ravenclaw! Like many of the Noldor, she is entranced by knowledge, and seeks to preserve it above all things -- even when she shouldn't.
Boromir Pretty much Gryffindor all the way: brave, immensely loyal to his city and his people. The Ring uses this, but he recoups through the ultimate Gryffindor sacrifice of battle in impossible odds.
Faramir Pure, sterling Ravenclaw, unfortunate enough to live in Gryffindor times. "I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Númenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom." Oh, my darling boy.
Denethor Slytherin! Definitely the heartless side of Slytherin, too: a manipulator of others who does not have Gandalf's insight into how dangerous manipulation can be. He impulsively treats his sons as tools rather than as people, and lives to regret it. Even in his grief over Faramir, he wants to control him. His suicide may seem self-abnegating, and I do think that some suicides for a cause can be noble and pure-hearted - but Denethor's suicide seemed to me to be again about control above all things. His city needed him, as did Faramir, but all Denethor could think about was his losses.
Eowyn Gryffindor's finest hour. You could argue that she is suicidal too, but I think she's light-years away from Denethor: she is willing to be destroyed, yes, but will work and plan for a time when she can do it to save both the person she loves most and the honor of her house. "You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you, if you touch him." Oh, yeah. Gryffindor, baby, all the way. ♥
Hmmm, I seem to have a lot of Ravenclaws here. Well, Tolkien was a scholar, after all. Knowledge was one of his things. :D