Slytherin is one of the four Hogwarts houses in the Harry Potter series. Its founder is Salazar Slytherin. The house is known for producing many powerful witches and wizards, but also has a reputation for churning out Dark wizards. Slytherins highly value ambition, cunning, leadership and resourcefulness. They often have a subtle disregard for rules and like to achieve their goals by any means necessary. This has led to Slytherins having a bad reputation over the years. However, not all Slytherins are evil or become Dark wizards.
Traits and Reputation
Slytherins tend to be ambitious, shrewd, cunning, strong leaders, and achievement-oriented. They also have highly developed senses of self-preservation. This means Slytherins tend to hesitate before acting, weighing their options and potential outcomes before deciding. Their cunning and ambition means they are often skilled at achieving their goals and finding loopholes around rules.
However, these qualities have also given Slytherins a bad reputation over the years. Their ambition can become unhealthy obsession, and their resourcefulness can become unscrupulousness. Many Dark wizards were in Slytherin, including Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort). This has led to the perception that Slytherins are evil and power-hungry.
Pure-Blood Supremacy
Many Slytherins, particularly in the books set earlier in the 20th century, believed strongly in pure-blood supremacy. They thought wizards of pure-blood were superior to those of mixed or Muggle heritage. They despised Muggle-borns and thought they should not be allowed at Hogwarts.
Some examples of Slytherin students who displayed pure-blood supremacy beliefs:
| Student | Belief |
|---|---|
| Draco Malfoy | Frequently uses the derogatory term “Mudblood” and believes pure-bloods are superior. |
| Theodore Nott | According to Harry, Nott believes Muggle-borns are “beasts.” |
| Pansy Parkinson | Tries to turn Harry in to Voldemort during Battle of Hogwarts to get on his good side. |
This prejudice was likely spread and reinforced by the pro-pure-blood views of Salazar Slytherin himself when he was one of Hogwarts’ founders. However, not all modern Slytherins share these outdated discriminatory beliefs.
Ambition
Ambition is one of the core traits of Slytherin house. Slytherins have a strong drive to achieve their goals and are very determined and focused when working towards them. Their resourcefulness and cunning means they are skilled at realizing their ambitions.
Some examples of ambitious Slytherin characters include:
– Tom Riddle – His ambition was to become the greatest and most powerful wizard of all time. He adopted the name Voldemort to try to achieve this.
– Horace Slughorn – He ambitiously collected famous and talented students like “trophies” to benefit from their future success.
– Severus Snape – His ambition was to gain power and respect, which led him to become a gifted Potions Master and eventually Headmaster of Hogwarts.
However, Slytherin ambition can sometimes go too far. Ambition becomes unhealthy obsession in characters like Voldemort, who pursued power at any cost. But ambition in moderation can be a beneficial trait leading to success.
Cunning
Cunning and resourcefulness are common Slytherin traits. Slytherins are clever and persuasive, able to achieve their ends by any means necessary. They are good at adapting to situations and finding creative solutions to problems.
Examples of Slytherin characters displaying cunning include:
– Dolores Umbridge – She was highly cunning and ambitious, using her position in the Ministry to subtly gain power at Hogwarts. She devised clever disciplinary tools like the Blood Quill.
– Draco Malfoy – He stealthily found a way to sneak Death Eaters into Hogwarts using the Vanishing Cabinet to help Voldemort’s plans.
– Severus Snape – His cunning made him an excellent double agent, tricking Voldemort into trusting him while he secretly protected Harry.
– Horace Slughorn – His cunning personality allowed him to leverage his connections to famous students for perks like free Quidditch tickets.
Slytherins sometimes use their cunning for ill purposes, but their resourcefulness can also be an asset when applied properly. Overall, it is a house trait that manifests in diverse ways.
Self-Preservation
Self-preservation is very important to Slytherins. They are cautious about putting themselves in danger before finding a clever way out of it. Slytherins have a strong sense of self-preservation due to their cunning and ambition – losing their life would mean not achieving their goals.
For example:
– When Harry is chosen as a Triwizard Champion, Draco Malfoy does not try to openly attack or bully him about it like he normally would. He knows Harry did not enter himself and there is powerful magic at work he does not fully understand, so he keeps his head down.
– The Slytherin students are the first to evacuate when the Battle of Hogwarts begins before the other houses. They left not because they were cowards, but to avoid dying and preserve their self-interest.
– Severus Snape goes to great lengths to play a dangerous double agent role well, cunningly convincing Voldemort of his loyalty right until the end to stay alive.
This self-preservation isn’t cowardice; it’s Slytherins cunningly minimizing risks to themselves whenever possible. However, some Slytherins like Slughorn demonstrated self-preservation to the point of being self-serving. Overall, an acute sense of self-preservation is rampant in the house.
Leadership
Slytherins often possess leadership qualities and abilities. This comes from their strong sense of self-importance along with ambition. Examples of Slytherins displaying leadership include:
– Voldemort – He gathered followers and built an entire army of Death Eaters in his quest for power. He took on a leadership role in the Wizarding War.
– Draco Malfoy – Though flawed, Draco emerged into a leadership role among the Slytherins during Half-Blood Prince when given the important mission by Voldemort.
– Horace Slughorn – He was Potions Master and Head of Slytherin for many years before retiring. Upon his return to Hogwarts, he resumed his position and leadership of his house.
– Merlin – The most famous Slytherin, he was a strong mentor and leader who guided King Arthur.
Slytherin’s selective and exclusive nature means only students with strong self-confidence and leadership potential get sorted there. These traits help many Slytherins easily take charge of situations and command respect. However, leadership without empathy can become domineering, which some Slytherins fall victim to.
Favoritism & Prejudice by Others
Unfortunately, Slytherins are often the victims of disdain, mistrust, and prejudice from people in the other Hogwarts houses. There is an engrained bias that all Slytherins are evil and inclined to the Dark Arts. But Slytherin displays both good and bad traits, just like the other houses.
Some examples of prejudice against Slytherins:
– Harry immediately disliking Slytherins after meeting Draco Malfoy, before getting to know them. He even hoped he wouldn’t be sorted into Slytherin house!
– Ron frequently making disparaging jokes about Slytherins and calling them “evil gits.”
– Dumbledore sometimes seeming to unjustly favor Gryffindor over Slytherin in awarding House Cup points.
– Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs often turning on Slytherins instead of giving them the benefit of the doubt.
This widespread antagonism towards Slytherins likely only worsens the house’s isolation from the others over time. Not all Slytherins conform to the negative stereotypes about them. They are quite diverse in character, ambitions, and morals.
Loyalty & Fraternity
While outsiders view Slytherins as selfish, they demonstrate deep loyalty and fraternity to members within their own house. Slytherins stick together and present a united front. Examples include:
– Slytherins applauding Draco when he is made a prefect in Order of the Phoenix and cheering him at Quidditch games.
– Slytherins warning each other about Harry being the Heir of Slytherin in Chamber of Secrets instead of jumping to conclusions.
– The Slytherin students debating whether or not to turn Harry in to Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts. Many didn’t out of loyalty to their school and fellow students.
– Horace Slughorn initially helping young Tom Riddle with his questions about Horcruxes because he was his favorite student, despite the questionable subject matter.
Slytherins may have a reputation for selfishness, but within their own house they demonstrate unquestionable respect, support, and protectiveness of each other.
Notable Slytherins
Slytherin has produced many distinguished, ambitious, and cunning wizards over the centuries, of both good and evil alignments. Some notable Slytherins include:
| Slytherin | Description |
|---|---|
| Merlin | The most famous wizard of all time. He was mentor and advisor to King Arthur as a member of the original Order of Merlin. |
| Horace Slughorn | Renowned Potions master and long-time Head of Slytherin. Well-connected and self-serving but not a dark wizard. |
| Tom Riddle | Brilliant student who became the powerful but evil Dark wizard Voldemort, seeking immortality and leading the Death Eaters. |
| Dolores Umbridge | Ruthlessly ambitious Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. |
This list highlights how Slytherins can use their traits like cunning and ambition to become very successful figures, in both admirable and immoral ways. Slytherin has produced both heroes and villains.
Common Room & Dormitories
The Slytherin common room and dormitories are located in the dungeons of Hogwarts Castle. The common room windows look out into the depths of the Hogwarts Lake. It has a cold, dark, and imposing ambiance.
The common room features:
– Low ceilings and greenish lamps
– Elaborate carved mantelpieces
– Plush sofas and chairs
– Skull decoration and medieval tapestries
The dormitories have beds with deep emerald green silk coverings and curtains. The gloomy atmosphere matches the mysterious and refined vibe of the house. However, the fireplaces make the rooms cozy. Slytherins also get to sleep near the lake, which has a soothing, aquatic ambiance.
Conclusion
In summary, Slytherins possess traits like cunning, ambition, leadership, and self-preservation. However, they are often underestimated and suffer from a poor reputation, prejudice, and assumptions about their motivations. While many Dark wizards came from Slytherin, it is also the house of heroes like Merlin. Slytherins demonstrate loyalty within their own house despite external perceptions. Overall, Slytherins are complex, diverse, and multilayered in their traits and motivations like the other Hogwarts houses. They cannot be stereotyped and generalized as entirely “good” or “evil.”