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JKR picked the House mascots based on the four elements (Gryffindor fire, Ravenclaw air, Slytherin water, Hufflepuff earth) and based on the qualities of each House. She did a good job (though what badgers have to do with loyalty I've no idea...) and I was just wondering that if the House mascots were anything different what would they be? They'd have to show the qualities and element of your House.

Here were some ideas I had:
Gryffindor: Phoenix
The fire is obvious, and Fawkes was certainly courageous.
Ravenclaw: Hawk or maybe *gasp* an actual Raven
Really, to be air and wit it has to be a bird.
Hufflepuff: Golden Retriever
Dogs are always associated with fidelity, and it's nearly the Hufflepuff house colour! For earth, try convincing me puppies aren't always digging holes in the ground! razz
Slytherin: Dolphin
Wolves, foxes, and dragons are considered cunning, but they aren't water-orientated. True, dolphins are stereotyped as more "intelligent" than "cunning," but it was the best I could come up with.

I know Salazar was a Parselmouth, but if JKR had decided Slytherin would be represented by another animal she would have given him (and consequently Voldemort and Harry) the power to communicate with whatever other animal she'd chosen. Also, as I'm sure you've noticed, snakes are deemed "evil" and lions are "good."

Excellent topic Minerva!
I researched fidelity: and it's true, loyalty, constancy, etc. ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French fidelite or Latin fidelitas, from fidelis ‘faithful,’ from fides ‘faith.’ Compare with fealty. Dog would certainly fit, and Golden Retriever would certainly fit the image.

Fidelity has a tertiary meaning:
accuracy, exactness, precision, preciseness, authenticity.

Helga Hufflepuff prized "hard -workers, unafraid of toil". Badgers are renowed for fierce focus. Jamie Samms, in her medicine cards, describes Badger as "keeper of the medicine roots and that roots can ground negative energy into the Earth by allowing illness to pass through a body into the ground as neutral energy. Jamie's description of badger had several qualities that were not Hufflepuff like, but this was: Those with badger medicine will make it to the top of their chosen fields because they do not give up. Like the mother who sits for days nursing a child with a high fever, Badger is willing to persist.

2 Mythical critters in a parallel universe, Tamora Pierce's marvelous Tortall series have that quality: interestingly enough, a Gryphon, who will track down anyone who has ever handled an infant gryphon, and a coldfang that guards treasure and tracks treasure thieves.

I would agree with you on the hard working dog, but I would make Hufflepuff a dachshund (badger hound) built to go to earth. I remember an old and lovely book by Marguerite Henry (author of Misty of Chincoteague and King of the Wind) called Album of Dogs and well worth sleuthing out. I'm guessing it was written in the 40s or 50s (at the moment I'm under a time crunch, so I'm not stopping to research more. I started this reply last night, and had to stop so I'm doing a little polishing now, then I'll post it).

Ms. Henry wrote a chapter per dog and profiled an individual as well as the breed, with Wesley Dennis' amazing sketches and full color pages, accompanying her text. Anyway, she was freighted a Dachshund pup by Col. Podjhasky of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. I recall that she said something like she was disappointed when she saw the little fellow, because the dog she wanted would be much bigger. Her dachshund never stopped working, kept up with the big fellows and covered her feet with himself at the end of the day and won her heart.

If the Houses each had a dog as their animal,

Gryffindor's would be a Greyhound, like Jo's Sapphire. Greyhounds are sight hounds, with fire in their eyes when they race, full of heart, and when they spot something that lures them, they don't consider rules and go full out towards their goal.

Slytherin? A Hungarian Kuvasz. Pure white they are bred to disregard their people in a situation if necessary and think for themselves ( A paranoid Hungarian king didn't trust his court, and so bred that quality in).
I took Tadyatha, our Kuvasz, just once to an AKC point show her in obedience. It's rare to find a Kuvasz with an obedience title, but Toddy was very vain and loved praise and did well in a practice match show, so I thought I'd try for a CD or CDX with her. This time, she watched the poodles and shepherds and shelties go through their patterns in the "heel free" exercise and when it came time for us, she entered with me, then left me when the leash was removed to go to the ending place of the exercise, where she sat to wait for me to go back and forth and around the judges, seeing no need to exert herself when the end result was that she'd end up sitting in the far corner of the ring anyway.

Ravenclaw--that's a bit hard. A Kuvasz can be brilliant, is one of the smartest of dogs, but on the whole, I think I'd say an Airedale. The Airedales I've known are studious, look over a situation and make a judgement. Like a Kuvasz they will make their own decisions, but unlike a Kuvasz, who will accept someone as Master who proves alpha, the Airedale will continue to think, and will give a different reaction to different situations. Most will give their opinion/suggestion. They do a lot of work behind the scenes, not necessarily being sneaky, just figuring things out. They also look a bit more studious, and their bronzish coat color is a bit Ravenclaw looking. I've also seen 'the look of eagles' in an Airedale eye.

Wow, I'm getting such intelligent responses! I see Kita's point about switching Ravenclaw and Slytherin, but because the Slytherin common room is under the Hogwarts lake, and serpents can go through water and eagles go through air I stand by what I said. I like your ideas, though. smile

And thanks, LadyHealingHands, badgers make more sense now. 3nodding

My mix on the subject...prepare to be confused...wait where am I? (sorry it's early here no school woop!)

Gryffindor: Though the lion seems to fit somewhat by definition. The Lion has been an icon for humanity for thousands of years, appearing in cultures across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Despite incidents of attacks on humans, lions have enjoyed a positive depiction in culture as strong but noble. A common depiction is their representation as "king of the jungle" or "king of the beasts"; hence, the lion has been a popular symbol of royalty and stateliness,[147] as well as a symbol of bravery; it is featured in several fables of the sixth century BC Greek storyteller Aesop.[148]

My Gryffindor match up: Would stay the lion, I believe it fits the characteristics! But I also considered the Wild Boar;According to the poem Hyndluljóð, Freyja concealed the identity of her protégé Óttar by turning him into a boar. In Norse mythology, the boar was generally associated with fertility as well as a protective talisman in war, due to the animal's sometimes fierce nature.[citation needed] In Persia (Iran) during Sassanid Empire, boars were respected as fierce and brave creatures and the adjective "Boraz (Goraz)" meaning Boar was sometimes added to a person's name to show his bravery and courage. The famous Sassanid spahbod, Shahrbaraz, who conquered Egypt and the Levant, had his name derived Shahr(city) + Baraz(boar like/brave) meaning "Boar of the City"

Ravenclaw: The elephant hands down! Elephants are symbols of wisdom in Asian cultures, and are famed for their memory and high intelligence, and are thought to be on par with cetaceans[5] and hominids[6]. Aristotle once said the elephant was "the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind."

Hufflepuff: The Labrador Retriever; They are exceptionally affable, gentle, intelligent, energetic and good natured,[1][2][3] making them both excellent companions and working dogs. Although somewhat boisterous if untrained, Labrador Retrievers respond well to praise and positive attention, and are considerably "food and fun" oriented. With training, the Lab is one of the most dependable,[4] obedient[1] and multi-talented[2] breeds in the world.

Slytherin: I stick with the snake! In Greek mythology snakes are often associated with deadly and dangerous antagonists, but this is not to say that snakes are symbolic of evil; in fact, snakes are a cthonic symbol, roughly translated as 'earthbound'. The nine-headed Lernaean Hydra that Hercules defeated and the three Gorgon sisters are children of Gaia, the earth.[51] Medusa was one of the three Gorgon sisters who Perseus defeated.[51] Medusa is described as a hideous mortal, with snakes instead of hair and the power to turn men to stone with her gaze.[51] After killing her, Perseus gave her head to Athena who fixed it to her shield called the Aegis.[51] The Titans are also depicted in art with snakes instead of legs and feet for the same reason—they are children of Gaia and Ouranos (Uranus), so they are bound to the earth.

Wow thank God for Wikipedia, as for the elements here is JKR's opinion!

Gryffindor: Fire

Hufflepuff: Earth

Ravenclaw: Air

Slytherin: Water

House Info

That's a lot of research.
o.o

Who would ever think associate Ravenclaw with elephants...[?]
Eh, must be the name though, RAVENclaw.

But, yea. I think that at least, the lion and the snake should be mascots.
Actually, cross that out. MONGOOSE and snake.

Mongeese (plural?) are supposedly on par with snakes in terms of speed, power, etc. And at least in the story by Rudyard Kippling called "Rikki-tikki-tavi" (spelling?), a mongoose saves a family from a deadly snake.
Furthermore, although mongeese don't usually fight against snakes for food, etc. it is a common thought that mongeese and snakes are "rivals" which could mirror the [fierce] rivalry between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.
Well, there's my five cents...!

For those of you that wouldn't change them, I wasn't saying the animls JKR picked weren't suitable, I was only posing a "what if" question because I think speculation is fun.

Elephants are highly intelligent creatures. Did you know they even hold funeral services for their dead? Amazing animals really. 3nodding But they have nothing to do with air, so I don't think they'd make a good Ravenclaw mascot.

*laughs* Lets see if there is any chance I can defend the elephant...lets see they are tall, so they get lots of air? I give up, JKR as always wins!