Loyalty and Kindness

Loyalty and Kindness

This essay is focussed mainly on Helga Hufflepuff, her origins and the values that she stands for as one of the great Hogwarts four. It is common knowledge that Helga was a kind, fair woman, gentle in nature and a person who would give second chances to those who deserved it. It is rumoured that she used to be a medi-witch or a healer in the village she lived in before she teamed up with three other witches and wizards to found Hogwarts School.

Her value was one of kindness, loyalty and forgiveness. Those who were accepted into her house, named aptly after her, Hufflepuff, had to have many of these traits so that they would be amongst those who thought and behaved the same way they did.

Loyalty is seen in many ways in religion, morality and everyday life.

I will take an example of Hinduism where Lord Ganesh showed immense loyalty and devotion to his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

One fine day, Shiva and Parvati were reclining languidly outside when their eldest son, Kartikeya challenged Lord Ganesh, his younger brother to a race. He said that the one to race all the way around the world and back to their parents would win once they bowed to their parents. Kartikeya thought that he would surely win because he was light and had a better steed of a magical peacock. Ganesh, on the other hand, was large, and fat mainly around his stomach area because of the sheer number of sweet things that he loved to eat. His steed was a mouse.

As the race started, Ganesh simply got up, rode all the way around his parents and bowed to them while his elder brother was traipsing all over the world. Just as he arrived back, he was panting heavily and extremely surprised to see that his young brother was already back. Ganesh explained that his parents meant the world to him and he wanted to repay their kindness and show that he was so loyal and loved them so much.

I think that these are the same values that Helga wanted everyone to have. Cedric Diggory is a great example of these values. He shared his knowledge of the egg with Harry to repay his kindness with the dragons. He didn’t hold a grudge with Harry when he was beaten or nearly beaten in both Quidditch and the Third Task.

Sources: My own head, textbook and HP Lexicon