"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, If you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind."
— Sorting Hat
Ravenclaw is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder is the medieval witch Rowena Ravenclaw. Members of this house are characterized by their wit, learning, and wisdom. The emblematic animal symbol is a raven, and blue and bronze are its colors. The House ghost is the Grey Lady, whose real name is Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena.
corresponds roughly to the element of air, and it is for this reason that the House colors are chosen: blue represents the sky, and bronze symbolizes the eagle feathers, both closely related to air. The Ravenclaw points hourglass contains blue sapphires.
Rowena Ravenclaw (early 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.
