The Four Elements (or five?) and Harry Potter

Suggested by Kingwidget

JKR has said that the four houses represent the four elements.

What mythic/historic/literary significance does this have for the houses? How do the elements factor into house identities and destinies? What elemental forces have we already seen? (For example, as an inhabitant of the castle plumbing, can Moaning Myrtle be assumed to be a Slytherin? Has everyone we've seen in the Floo flames been a Gryffindor?)

And is Harry's power of love "the fifth element" as portayed in other works of modern culture?


The 5th Element

Every five millennia, when three planets are in eclipse, evil is embodied and attempts to turn light to dark, life to death. The weapon against this evil is in a temple in Egypt. To succeed in its goal, the evil has to consume the location of the weapon. The weapon is activated by bringing together the five elements of the universe: the first four are water, fire, earth and air, which are embodied in the form of small triangular-prism stones, and the fifth element is a "Supreme Being", resembling a human except genetically superior, encased in a sarcophagus in the shape of a person with head back and mouth widely open. Another interpretation is that the fifth element is love, which is used by the Supreme Being (or Protector of Life) to activate the weapon. These five elements together produce the Divine Light, which vanquishes the Ultimate Evil for another five thousand years.

Captain Planet
Captain Planet is formed by combining the powers of the rings of the five Planeteers, which represented the four Classical elements: Earth (wielded by Kwame), Fire (Wheeler), Wind (Linka), Water (Gi) - and the additional power of Heart (Ma-ti).



Raiders of the Lost Ark

I'd also been entertaining the idea of Raiders of the Lost Ark---with a quantum leap from The 5th Element's 'divine light'---the power within the Ark of the Covenants was the Shekinah glory. In the movie, the glowing spirits first emerging from the Ark really remind me of Priori Incantatem. Then there is the comparitive destruction of people from exposure to the Shekinah glory aka the 'flash of Elohim' {biblically, just gazing upon the ark itself could kill you, so it was covered from sight by: a veil, badgers skins, a blue cloth} and Harry's power to 'burn' Quirrellmort and his resulting death {assuming it was from the contact} has always intrigued me, especially in the movie when he'd turned to ash.


It's really interesting to note how many times Harry's scar 'burns & pains' him throughout the books, how many times Harry feels like there's a fire inside of him. And then to realize that Luna Lovegood told us about Heliopaths {Spirits of Fire, great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of them}, and using HP as a Christian allegory, just really made me think.

I've actually thought a lot about this as well. And it always gets me thinking about the houses uniting. I don't know if they ever will, but the houses uniting is sort of like captain planet - but then you're missing the love element. So i'm thinking Harry repersents the fifth element.

And I just don't see what the connection is. But I've always liked the idea that Harry would become Headmaster of Hogwarts after his battle with Voldemort of course. (If he even survives.

I think you should put a link to the other thread here. That way if anyone is interested they can get some background information.

I've actually thought a lot about this as well. And it always gets me thinking about the houses uniting. I don't know if they ever will, but the houses uniting is sort of like captain planet - but then you're missing the love element. So i'm thinking Harry repersents the fifth element.


If you see the four houses/elements as four separate entities that are strongest when united, could the fifth element/love be the binding agent--the thing that brings them together? That would make sense to me, bc love and understanding are generally necessary to strong cooperation.

I don't really think that this elemental theme is related to superficial things like Flooing or Myrtle in the plumbing....I think it's rather deeper than that, and may not always show in such an explicit manner.

Something I kind of wonder is if these connections are something that developed in the history of Hogwarts, or if the Founders themselves had an affinity for their respective elements. Something that kind of made me think of this was wands, and how they seem to have different 'temperaments', and that certain wizards are more suited to certain wands. Could this have anything to do with a sort of elemental affinity? For instance, in SS/PS Hermione seems to have a special affinity for that blue fire spell, etc.

If you see the four houses/elements as four separate entities that are strongest when united, could the fifth element/love be the binding agent--the thing that brings them together? That would make sense to me, bc love and understanding are generally necessary to strong cooperation. In OotP, Dumbledore's Army was a strong force with Harry as the binding-agent, but no Slytherins where a part of it. If one slytherin had joined would there have been A) the acceptance of that slytherin by Harry or the others, esp. Harry and B) some physical sign of that reunion of the four houses? Would the crest instead of being four separate symbols for each house be one symbol representing the school? Was the crest orginally united but when the founders broke apart did the crest as well?

The houses correspond to the four elements, but also to character traits and values that seem to fit with each element.

Gryffindor is the bravery, the fire, the lion,
Ravenclaw is the intelligence, the air, the eagle,
Hufflepuff is the hard work, the earth, the badger, and
Slytherin is the cunning, the water, the serpent.

Gryffindor and Ravenclaw have lofty tower dormitories, Hufflepuff and Slytherin have underground dwellings.

But if none of the incoming students know what house they'll be in until they put on the Sorting Hat, doesn't that mean that all wizards are cunning, hard working, intelligent, and brave? I doubt the same could be said for Muggles. And if Harry can love after all he's been through, the rest of them really don't have any excuse at all. Maybe the combination of those five things is the essence of magic.

Maybe the combination of those five things is the essence of magic.

Wow!!! I never thought about it like that. That makes perfect sense to me.

Sarapsys - I guess I was thinking too literally. That is also a very good idea. But wonder what exactly would make everyone come together. Sure, you know it'll happen because everybody would open there minds and do what is right. But what event? - I guess I'm saying is that there must be some sort of event that'll lead to the house's coming together.

Also - In the little I know of alchemy, theres something about the elements coming together to make the Philosopher's stone. I like this because that gives you the elixr of life. So if the houses come together - will Hogworts live forever?

Wow!!! I never thought about it like that. That makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks, but I have to edit that theory and say it's probably only the four things that make up the essense of magic, or Voldemort would be a Muggle. But maybe the Dark Arts are any magic without the love component? At least that would explain why they are eternal and ever changing.

Love seems like such a silly word to use though. It reminds me of those lurid pink flowers Lockhart decorated the Great Hall with for Valentine's Day. I mean it more like compassion, an understanding that everyone else thinks and feels exactly the same way you do, and a struggle not to intentionally do anything to them you wouldn't want them to do to you. Basic human decency, I suppose. Something Harry's got in spades and Voldemort doesn't have at all.

Thanks, but I have to edit that theory and say it's probably only the four things that make up the essense of magic, or Voldemort would be a Muggle. But maybe the Dark Arts are any magic without the love component? At least that would explain why they are eternal and ever changing.

Love seems like such a silly word to use though. It reminds me of those lurid pink flowers Lockhart decorated the Great Hall with for Valentine's Day. I mean it more like compassion, an understanding that everyone else thinks and feels exactly the same way you do, and a struggle not to intentionally do anything to them you wouldn't want them to do to you. Basic human decency, I suppose. Something Harry's got in spades and Voldemort doesn't have at all.


I guess I wasn't thinking about Voldemort - hmm...Idk, but I do like your idea about the four elements for dark magic.

I see what your point is about love - its too silly. When I first realized that love was the power the dark lord knows not, it was kind of a let down. But it's just a realative term for the good in people, their compassion and ability to sympathize with people around them. Its just that the word love is an all encompasing word for good.

I think the elements do correspond to the different houses:

Gryffindor = fire = they do have a firery nature and do rash things without thinking, like fire

Slytherin = water = they are very sly and crafty. Plus, they have a cold, detathed feel about them

Ravenclaw = air = they're intellegent, and they bring a gust of brashfulness

Hufflepuff = earth = generosity and giving

I'm not convinced that we are supposed to be looking for some fifth element. I've seen it called quintessence, aether, love, etc, etc. But depending on where you look, the fifth element is considered separate from the four or is simply the four united.

I mean, I don't think we're going to find some secret Hogwarts house or really any strong sequence of symbolism like there is for the four elements/houses/Tarot suit Horcruxes/etc.

There is the supposed "Love Room" at the DoM, but at the same time, love is really Harry's (who strongly represents Gryffindor) thing. It fuels his bravery and self-sacrifice. And one room is not a lot of symbolism. The other elements have houses, Horcruxes, and main characters that correspond to them.

This is a little OT, but RE the love thing--
Let me suggest an alternate meaning for the word 'love', which was a more common concept in ancient Greece--the idea of love as self-sacrificial devotion as opposed to personal affection. It seems to me that 'the power of love' has more to do with being willing to set aside your personal interests for the greater good, and take the blow so that others won't have to.

I have read that in witchcraft - the wiccan tradition in particular - the utilization of the four elements -earth, water, wind, and fire is inherent in a lot the rituals. For instance the four elements make up the four quarters of a magic circle. Earth the element of form used in binding and manifestation is symbolised by the colour yellow, and its magical agent (its ritual tool) is the pentagram. Air represents mental activity it's colour is blue and the ritual tool is the wand as it was once a branch moving in the wind...Fire is the living element, it is the ancient symbol of divinity and duality - it's colour is red and its magical agent is the blade (being forged in fire). Water is green and undines symbolise the active magical principle of its nature. It's ritual tool is a chalice. The fifth element known as Akasha, ether, or spirit is the force from which all four elements rise and return to. It is present in all magical rituals.

JKR has said that the four houses represent the four elements

:o I had no idea of that

Gryffindor - fire ///no doubts
Ravenclaw - water ///don't know
Hufflepuff - earth /// think so
SLytherin - air /// don't know
???

I think it's really cool that the four Houses correspond to the four elements, because even before Jo clarified that, I was already thinking of them that way (except I had Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff reversed; I thought Ravenclaw would be earth, and Hufflepuff, air. It makes more sense the other way, though)

As for the fifth element, according to my English teacher, in medieval/Renaissance times, the Fifth Element was thought to be the "pure and innocent human soul." Doesn't that sounds like it could be Harry? After all, Dumbledore does talk about Harry's ability to love, but that comes from his purity of heart, so to speak.

I always had it this way:
Gryffindor-fire
Hufflepuff-air
Ravenclaw-water
Slytherin-earth

I liked this connection because it implies that the four houses truly do need each other, as different as they may seem. I.E. water puts out fire which is fueled by air and can be either smothered or fueled by earth. I think you could do this with all of them.

I also heard that the fifth element was "pure human soul," but I always thought of this as Dumbledore. Ability to love could apply to, of course, Harry, but it could also apply to many other characters. Thoughts?

:hmm: I always had it this way:
Gryffindor-fire
Hufflepuff-air
Ravenclaw-water
Slytherin-earth

I liked this connection because it implies that the four houses truly do need each other, as different as they may seem. I.E. water puts out fire which is fueled by air and can be either smothered or fueled by earth. I think you could do this with all of them.

I also heard that the fifth element was "pure human soul," but I always thought of this as Dumbledore. Ability to love could apply to, of course, Harry, but it could also apply to many other characters. Thoughts?


Perhaps if this symbol represents the four elements (which it does)
http://www.symbols.com/pics/big/24/2411.gif


then this symbol represents the fifth element:
"the pure soul" ie: Harry.
Or rather how to make Harry a "pure soul" by removing the Horcrux (Voldemort's soul) in his head).
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r66/Bluebell_2007/aymbol.jpg

The pure soul coul also be a description of unity between the four, the Sorting Hat.

I always had it this way:
Gryffindor-fire
Hufflepuff-air
Ravenclaw-water
Slytherin-earth

I liked this connection because it implies that the four houses truly do need each other, as different as they may seem. I.E. water puts out fire which is fueled by air and can be either smothered or fueled by earth. I think you could do this with all of them.

I also heard that the fifth element was "pure human soul," but I always thought of this as Dumbledore. Ability to love could apply to, of course, Harry, but it could also apply to many other characters. Thoughts?Rowling gave the associations as:
Gryffindor - fire
Ravenclaw - air (hence the bird aspect)
Huffelpuff - earth (hence the badger - a burrowing animal)
Slytherin - water (she adds this is why their common room is under the lake)

The 5th element as a pure human soul could very well be Harry. Rowling sets him up as an amalgam of the 3 Grail heroes - Bors, Percival and Galahad. Galahad was noted as having lived without sin and the purity of his soul is what enabled him to complete his quest and ultimately find the grail. Interestingly, the Arthurian Hallows which include the grail synch up with the wiccan tools listed in some of the above posts (with a little tweaking).

Harry as the fifth element - the pure human soul - is dependant then on the unification of the 4 elements - the 4 houses working together, and possibly the 4 species of magical bretheren (wizards, centaurs, house elves and goblins) as well. We may find that they have elemental correspondence as well:
Wizard - fire
House Elf - Earth (due to the similarities with Hufflepuff)
Centaur - wind (as archers we can make the arrow - spear - wand tool connection)
Goblin - water (Slytherin association - plus the shared coin/pentacle association as a potential water sign in this series at least)

Here too, Harry is the 5th element - the poure soul that brings the 4 elements together against the dark forces and vanquishes the Dark Lord.

Interesting thread :tu: I haven't seen it before. I did a quick skim so forgive me if I repeat something...
If you see the four houses/elements as four separate entities that are strongest when united, could the fifth element/love be the binding agent--the thing that brings them together?
I was definately hoping that this is what would happen in the fifth book. I agree that Harry's love or particularly love in general could be a fifth and uniting element. However, I was disappointed with the end battle when none of the Slytherins stayed (:grumble:). Not one Slytherin student help fight evil. Yet, since Snape's actions were done out of love for Lily it seems brought the Slytherin's into the mix and created a sort of balance of the elements. So, I would say that the fifth element in the series would be a more general love and not specifically Harry's.

Yet, since Snape's actions were done out of love for Lily it seems brought the Slytherin's into the mix and created a sort of balance of the elements. So, I would say that the fifth element in the series would be a more general love and not specifically Harry's.

Actually, the idea of love as the fifth element, and Slytherins sharing it, and beign motivated by it to help fight Voldemort, is a repeated theme in DH. Regulus Black, another Slytherin, acted, apparently, out of love for his family's House Elf Kreacher. The Malfoys' love for one another, as a family, in my opinion, is why Rowling chose to let them all live (and Draco to marry and have a normal life). Certainly, it is why none of them participated in the final battle on Voldemort's side. Love for her son motivated Narcissa to lie to Voldemort at a crucial moment.

I always thought of the four elements to be from Nature - like so many posts here

Fire, Water, Air and Earth and the fifth is the soul that is placed according to its primary characteristic to a particular House by the Sorting Hat.

And I always thought they were placed for both positive and negative characteristics rather than simply one feature that is dominant of a particular House.

Actually, the idea of love as the fifth element, and Slytherins sharing it, and beign motivated by it to help fight Voldemort, is a repeated theme in DH. Regulus Black, another Slytherin, acted, apparently, out of love for his family's House Elf Kreacher. The Malfoys' love for one another, as a family, in my opinion, is why Rowling chose to let them all live (and Draco to marry and have a normal life). Certainly, it is why none of them participated in the final battle on Voldemort's side. Love for her son motivated Narcissa to lie to Voldemort at a crucial moment.
Ooo thanks for more of those examples. I still would have liked to see some actual Slytherin students stay to help fight, but I do appreciate the Slytherin characters that we do see motivated out of love and helping to bring the four house and elements together. So now post DH, I would definitely say that there is a fifth element of love present in the books, but it is a more general form and not just seen one person. So Harry Potter himself is not the fifth element so to speak, but the fifth element is seen in all the characters (minus Voldy).

Huh, I had never read that! But after the description of the Ravenclaw common room in DH, then when she described the Hufflepuff in that interview, I began to get my own picture:

Gryffindor Common Room: JKR gave Gryffindor fire as their element. Besides the obvious fact that they have scarlet in their banner, look at the other small clues:
-Jo always makes a point to mention the fireplace when talking about their room. If I look at the movies' portrayal of this, all the chairs are red. Hmm....
-Red ruby in the sword of Godric Gryffindor.
-Fawkes, the phoenix of Dumbledore, who was in Gryffindor, "bursts into FLAME when it is time for him to die, and is reborn from the ashes." Not to mention he is red.

Ravenclaw Common Room: Specifically described as being "wide and AIRY." It is easily the most wide open of all four rooms, also giving a spectacular view to outside, where it is very AIRY. Not a coincidence their mascot's an eagle, huh?

Hufflepuff Common Room: This is the common room we know very little about, as we never see it in a book. It was described by Jo (I don't have the exact quote) as being a small, cozy room, with little tunnels leading into the dormitories. Tunnels in the ground, coincidently. Mascot: Badger. They like to dig holes.

Slytherin Common Room: Under the lake. If we just know that one piece of information about the Slytherin Common Room, we can immediately deduce their element, with the help of the snake mascot. Now, look at their house colors: green and silver. CoS said that there was a green light outside the window, the lake. Where does the silver fit in? With the mascot, of course. I looked very closely at a Hogwarts' crest the other day, and noticed some telling features of Salazar's snakey: It's very thin, bright green, looks as if it could move without making a sound. Perhaps in the water? I looked up a little bit about common water snakes of Britain, and found out a nice little tidbit: They generally are streaked with SILVER on their smooth, green bodies. Coicidence? No. Is Jo a genius? Absolutely.

Where does this fit in with the people of the house, though? What does it mean? Well, I believe the four houses really are the elements.

Gryffindor, Fire- Fire generally stands for courage, danger, and all those things. Take your average Gryffindor. How about.... Harry Potter? Take those characteristics, apply them to him, and you've got a Gryffindor, exactly as the Sorting Hat said. In fact, apply them to anyone in Gryffindor (okay, maybe not Wormtail), and you'll find a match. Jo reallly planned this all out.

Ravenclaw, Air- This is the one I thought applied the most. Air, in my belief, gives you a broad mind, the ability to think outside the box, and find the answer. This is exactly why Jo gave Ravenclaw a riddle game, not just a password. Luna, the biggest Ravenclaw, certainly thinks outside the box. Perhaps a bit too much. Air = intelligence.

Hufflepuff, Earth- Unfortunately, we know very little about Hufflepuff, as none of them were really major characters. Judging from Ernie, who was probably not naturally smart, but studied a lot to become that way, and Cedirc, who was smart enought to be in the Triwizard Tourney, we can probably assume Hufflepuffs are not complete duffers, and they just have a good sense of mind, those who, like Ernie, worked incredibly hard at everything they did. Kind of like a badger digging a hole in the ground or something.

Slytherin, Water- This one has a lot of evidence to back it up, if we just take our average Slytherin student: Mr. Draco Malfoy. The snake is a swift, deadly, creature that can cause a great deal of harm but still escpe unnoticed, with no evidence against them. Sounds a bit like Malfoy in the RoR, huh? Harry knows he's up to something, he knows he has to catch him, but it seems like no one believes him. Of course, behind the scenes, Dumbledore already has his own plan. But in the end, the others' not beleiving in him caused that terrible night, the snake on the highest tower. I think in DH, there was a line that read something like this: "Then Snape, the sleeping snake had struck on the highest tower," when Harry was describing Albus's death. Jo clearly plants these little clues to give us evidence for our theories, however discreetly.

The Fifth Element

I'm not sure what exactly this fifth element is in the real world, or what represents it, but it seems like it's some sort of spirit binding the others together. With my theme of Hogwarts here, I would have to say that the fifth element is, well, Hogwarts. This fifth element sounds almost like something used that is the essence of everything else, the glue supporting the other four. Hogwarts is the foundation of its houses, the thing that makes them stick, and without it, there wouldn't be any others. I saw that some of the other posters here thought that it could be Harry, and I see where you're coming from with that, but Harry doesn't really hold all of the four houses within him. I think the fifth element is more of a thing on a larger scale.

saw that some of the other posters here thought that it could be Harry, and I see where you're coming from with that, but Harry doesn't really hold all of the four houses within him. I think the fifth element is more of a thing on a larger scale.

I disagree. At one point or another Harry has shown elements of all four houses. For examples, he was intelligent enough to figure out by HIMSELF that he was the true master of the elder wand, Harry worked very hard like the Hufflepuff's at trying to figure out what Dumbledore meant by all his clues and worked hard at trying to destroy Voldemort, he was sneaky like the Slytherins in the sense that he never told anyone of what he was planning to do when he went to the forest to confront Voldemort, in fact he never even told anyone he was going to give himself up. And well his bravery etc shows he is a Gryffindor. He may not possess as much of the other elements as his fiery natur of being Gryffindor, but he DOES, I think so anyways, have the other elements in him also.

I disagree. At one point or another Harry has shown elements of all four houses. For examples, he was intelligent enough to figure out by HIMSELF that he was the true master of the elder wand, Harry worked very hard like the Hufflepuff's at trying to figure out what Dumbledore meant by all his clues and worked hard at trying to destroy Voldemort, he was sneaky like the Slytherins in the sense that he never told anyone of what he was planning to do when he went to the forest to confront Voldemort, in fact he never even told anyone he was going to give himself up. And well his bravery etc shows he is a Gryffindor. He may not possess as much of the other elements as his fiery natur of being Gryffindor, but he DOES, I think so anyways, have the other elements in him also.I think that Harry slightly embodies qualities from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, while he fully embodies everything from Gryffindor. As for Slytherin, I don't think Harry himself has any Slytherin qualities. Let me explain.

I think by now everyone agress on the fact that the Sorting Hat only considered putting Harry in Slytherin because it recognized the piece of soul in his body which belongs to Voldemort, and confused it as his own. Because throughout the series, IMO, Harry has no traits which embody Slytherin at all. The example you provided, sneaking out to the forest without telling anyone, was not sneaky IMO, just sensible. If he does go out there but tells everyone what he's doing then of course they'll all try to stop him because they don't understand why he has to sacrifice himself. Going out without telling anybody (except Neville, I'll get to him in a second) was just the smart thing to do because it allowed him to get out without notice. He didn't really do it sneakily; it's hard not to be sneaky when you have an Invisibility Cloak. The Cloak and thus his sneakiness is not part of his personailty, so it's not really him that's being sneaky. All IMO, of course.

Showing himself to Neville was necesary, because Neville was someone he knew he would be able to trust without question. Harry easily lies to him, convincing him that Harry's not really sacrificing himself. And he needs to tell Neville, because somebody has to get to Nagini if Ron and Hermione fail, and Neville is there to do the job. If Harry starts simply telling everyone else that he's off to do "something else," people will get way too curious. They may even wonder if he's running away to save himself, like Voldemort said he had. I think it was much simpler not showing himself to lots of people, but I don't think he was necessarily being "sneaky," and this doesn't embody the only Slytherin trait which you provided. :)

All IMO.

I thought it was interesting when I first read the interview where JKR says that the four houses were loosely based off the four elements. I never understood one thing, though - how is Slytherin like the water element? Water is characterized by intuition and emotion. They're the most emotional and nurturing compared to the other elements. I'm not saying that all Slytherins are emotionless or aren't nurturing, but I don't see how that fits with the Slytherin qualities.

I thought it was interesting when I first read the interview where JKR says that the four houses were loosely based off the four elements. I never understood one thing, though - how is Slytherin like the water element? Water is characterized by intuition and emotion. They're the most emotional and nurturing compared to the other elements. I'm not saying that all Slytherins are emotionless or aren't nurturing, but I don't see how that fits with the Slytherin qualities.

Neither do I. Perhaps it was just convenience, all of the other Houses/Elements fit and Jo thought that was good enough?

In Astrology the Water Signs (Scorpio, Cancer and Pisces) are meant to be emotional, kind, nurturing, sympathetic, empathetic and intuitive.
In Wicca water represents emotions, wisdom, the soul, and femininity.

It doesn't exactly bring Slytherin to mind.

All that I can think of is water...movement...slippery...snake....That and the fact thet their Common Room is under the lake.

I agree the elements that go with the Houses are appropriate representations of the characteristics displayed by members of that House. Gryffindors are fiery, bold and daring, which certainly goes with the element of fire. I'd say Gryffindors have somewhat volatile emotions often times. And as was pointed out, the House colors of scarlet and gold are the colors of fire. Likewise, Ravenclaws operate on a higher plane of learning. Luna especially illustrates the idea of having one's head in the clouds. The eagle certainly represents the element of Air, as does the House color blue. Just the opposite of the Ravenclaws are the Hufflepuffs, who are very down to earth and willing to work hard for fairness and justice. The badger is a very good representation of the Earth element as a creature who tunnels through the ground. Slytherins are connected with the Water element through their mascot, the snake. DeathlyH's reference to common water snakes of Britain illustrates the connection further. Like water snakes, Slytherins are slippery and cunning, being able to move silently and strike without being noticed until the last minute.

Overall I think each of the four elements represent an overarching theme for each House:

Fire is passion
Air is wisdom
Earth is hard work/practicality
Water is cunning/strategy
And the Fifth Element - I'd say that's love and/or spirit, and would be represented by a union of the other four elements.

This whole talk about the 4 (or 5) elements sound a lot like Avatar stuff..(for those of you who have watched the show you know what I'm talking about for those who don't I guess I will give a synopsis of the story
There is this 12 year old boy named Aang who is the Avatar who has to master all of the 4 elements (water, earth, fire, and air)...in order to defeat the Fire Lord (the bad guy) who wants to take over the world. As always each of the elements represent a specific culture and the characteristics of each of the elements are reflected in the person...one of the characters tell of the characteristics of each of the people and their corresponding elements.....
Iroh: Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. this sounds a lot like the Griffindors...they have the desire to do what they want in life and the drive to achieve it no matter the personal cost.
Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Hufflepuffs are a combination of all of the blood types and personalities, unlike Slytherins..They are hard working..they have to be strong to do hard work.
Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor! The Ravenclaws are really sort of detached from the goings on at Hogwarts, they are really probably more concerned with studying....you really don't hear that much about them..but when you do they are always nice. and as for the sense of humor....Luna always makes me laugh!!!! (the last line of the quote was a joke that the character made!! I just kept it in there because it reminded me of Luna!!)
Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything. The Slytherins are capable of changing....sides!! lol but really throughout the series you see them...and their parents...adapt to the new challenges that they face..like not getting caught as DEs while still doing their duty to Voldemort. They do have a deep sense of community..though it only pertains to the pure blood community and they love being DEs and thats a sort of community...they don't really love anyone but themselves but I guess it counts!!! And also like zgirnius said about the Slytherins having love...great examples by the way!!

I know that these are two different series but I thought that it was interesting that two different interpretations of the characteristics of the 4 elements are roughly the same.

As for the 5th element....I agree with both that its Hogwarts and love combined. As DeathlyH said they all came together in Hogwarts and without it they all wouldn't be there. I agree with the love part because most of the characters Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville found the people they end up marrying at Hogwarts..so love has something to do with Hogwarts and the power that it has.

DeathlyH..Harry does have Slytherin qualaties..Dumbledore himself says so when he and Harry are talkin about people thinking that Harry was Slytherin's Heir and whether or not the Sorting Hat placed him in the right House..I found the quote
"You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherine prized in his hand-picked students. his own very rare gift Parseltongue----resourcefulness----determinatin--a certain disreguard for the rules" Dumbledore. Chamber of Secrets US edition pg 333

If the houses do correspond to elements then I'd say it'd have to be this way:

Gryffindor- Fire
Ravenclaw- Air
Slytherin- Water
Hufflepuff- Earth

Common Room/House Dormitories/Significant House Attributes:

Slytherin- under water, you can see the WATER in the black lake

Hufflepuff- they are giving and 'plentiful', just like the EARTH

Ravenclaw- tower is in the AIR (well, not suspended but you catch my drift). and strike me as being lofty people

Gryffindor- there is always a roaring FIRE in the common room. FIRE is very powerful and to wield it one must be very brave.



And frankly, I'm not so sure there is a fifth element. Does there have to be one [no].

I remember reading somewhere, although I can’t recall where, that the titles of the books themselves represent the four elements.

Book 1:The Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone. This represents earth, as a stone is of the earth.
Book 2:The Chamber of Secret’s. This represents air, as a chamber contains air.
Book 3:The Prisoner of Azkaban. This represents water, as Azkaban is on an island surrounded by water.
Book 4:The Goblet of Fire. This represents fire, as fire is in the title.
Book 5:The Order of the Phoenix. This represents the fifth element, or quintessence. The phoenix being the symbol for the quintessence
(In HBP, Harry is found reading a charms text book called, “Quintessence: A Quest”.)

If I remember correctly the final two books represent the soul and the spirit.




What elemental forces have we already seen? (For example, as an inhabitant of the castle plumbing, can Moaning Myrtle be assumed to be a Slytherin? Has everyone we've seen in the Floo flames been a Gryffindor?)


Something sprang to mind reading this. In DH when the MoM is under Voldemort's control, the method of getting into the MoM, is by water.

DH, Chapter12, Magic is Might.

'We have to flush ourselves in? he whispered.
'Looks like it,' Harry whispered back; his voice came out deep and gravelly.
They both stood up. Feeling exceptionally folish. Harry clambered into the toilet.
He knew at once that he had done the right thing; though he appeared to be standing in water, his shoes, feet and robes ermained quite dry. He reached up, pulled the chain, and next moment had zoomed down a short chute, emerging out of a fireplace into the Ministry of magic.

I've actually thought a lot about this as well. And it always gets me thinking about the houses uniting. I don't know if they ever will, but the houses uniting is sort of like captain planet - but then you're missing the love element. So i'm thinking Harry repersents the fifth element.

And I just don't see what the connection is. But I've always liked the idea that Harry would become Headmaster of Hogwarts after his battle with Voldemort of course. (If he even survives.

I sort of got the feeling that Dumbledore was kind of like the love element, but then he died. The reason I thought this was because he was always teaching everyone that love was the strongest type of magic. This sort of gets me thinking.

Although Dumbledore died... in the 7th book the love element sort of lived on, but not just through one person... I sort of think it emenated from everyone. They all mourned and celebrated and loved together. I even felt like the Malfoys were becoming a little more kindhearted in the end.

This makes me think that message in the book is that no matter what, we'll always have love or something of that sort. Sorry I went on for so long... I sort of went off topic too... sorry.

I agree that the houses represent the 4 elements. I think the fifth element is Hogwarts united in one purpose. This does happen in the last battle at Hogwarts where some Slytherins, led by Slughorn, come back to the school with reinforcements and join in the battle against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.