Four founders established Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter books.
The founders are Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Each founder created a Hogwarts house bearing their name. Their different values and teaching preferences shaped the school’s traditions and later influenced its conflicts.
The founders lived centuries before Harry attends Hogwarts. Salazar Slytherin eventually left the school after disagreeing with the other founders about admitting Muggle-born students. According to the books, he created the Chamber of Secrets and left a basilisk there. The four house names are therefore linked both to Hogwarts history and to the sorting system still used during Harry’s time.