Winter is coming (okay, so in Minnesota, we’re actually finally seeing signs of spring, but let’s face it: winter is always coming). Anyway, it’s probably high time we make ourselves cozy by the fire in the Gryffindor common room.
Wait a minute. Gryffindor? Isn’t “winter is coming” the house words of the Stark family from Game of Thrones? Yes, that’s right. But considering that there are four houses of Hogwarts and four most prominent houses in Westeros (yes, there are seven kingdoms and dozens of houses that live within those lands, but in the first book, which I’ve recently finished, there are three houses represented by the rotating narrating characters–Stark, Lannister and Targaryen–plus I feel I must also include House Baratheon, because Robert was king when the story began, after all), it seems only right that I try to sort these four houses of Westeros into the four houses of Hogwarts. Call it the “Houses of Hogwesteros”, if you will.
Granted, sorting an entire family is impractical. Certainly, some families, such as the Weasleys, find themselves entirely in Gryffindor, but then some families, such as the Patil twins, find themselves in separate houses. But, you know, humor me. Just as I did for the four major races of Middle-Earth, so will I do here, just for fun. It’s important to note, though, that the houses are not black-and-white, just as characters and families are not black-and-white. That’s why in Harry Potter there are “hat stalls” and the like, because many characters could be sorted either way. That’s what makes them great characters. I despise reading stories where the protagonist is totally and completely good and without fault, whereas the antagonist is completely and utterly evil. There are many characters from Game of Thrones that are so dynamic and three-dimensional, which makes them such interesting characters to read—and difficult characters to sort!
Stark: Gryffindor. Yes. Just as I alluded to earlier, I can easily see the direwolves taking over the Gryffindor common room. Sure, it would make sense for the house with the lion sigil (the Lannisters) to be sorted into Gryffindor, but when I think of foolhardy braveness, I think Stark, not Lannister. They also have a surplus of honor. They always try to do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. They don’t always totally think things through before they do them. They trust easily. They do not run from a fight. Furthermore, Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) also played Hermione’s mom, so there that is.
Lannister: Slytherin. Despite the fact that the Lannister sigil is a lion (the Gryffindor mascot), I really think their sigil looks very snake-like too (the Slytherin mascot). The lion’s tail is shown lashing out like a snake, and its tongue looks like it is sticking out in mid-hiss. Lannisters are cunning. Lannisters get whatever they want, through bribes, calculated words, underhanded deeds and general conniving. They are rich. After all, “A Lannister always pays his debts”, and I might be wrong, but it always seemed to me that the pure-/old-blooded Slytherins were also the wealthiest.
Targaryen: Ravenclaw. I can see a little bit of Luna in Daenerys… Honestly, though, after the pure-white hair, there aren’t a lot of personality similarities. Daenerys is stubborn, yes, but she is also very smart. I think that’s probably why I admire her so much as a character (and am totally rooting for her return to the Iron Throne), because she is so intelligent. She listens to the advice that others give to her. She thinks before she makes decisions. Dany is logical and fair and supports those lesser than she is. Yes, Viserys was foolish and rash, but his sister is much more Ravenclawsome than he ever was.
Baratheon: Hufflepuff. The three Baratheon brothers are so different from one another that it’s the most difficult Westerosi house to sort. But maybe that’s why I tend to think of them as the Hufflepuffs: because that’s where all the “leftovers” go? KIDDING. Let’s focus on the eldest Baratheon: I like to think that Robert is loyal to Ned, and loyalty is a primary trait of Hufflepuffs. I like to think that Robert was “unafraid of toil”, at least in the beginning when he defeated the Targaryens. Afterwards, as king, he seemed to care more about food and drink and merriment. Yep. Definitely Hufflepuff.
Do you agree? Would you sort the Hogwesterosi houses differently? Share in the comments!
