The Heir Of Slytherin
If it will be helpful to anyone, here is Tom Riddle/Voldemort’s timeline from the HP Lexicon.
Okay, my math is generally terrible, but if Hogwarts was established approximately 1000 years prior to Harry Potter becoming a student there, that would place the founding of the school around 990-991, correct? My calculations indicate 947-948 years went by before Tom Riddle became a student at Hogwarts in what I believe would be 1938. Tom Riddle’s date of birth is listed as December 31, 1926.
Why Was Tom Riddle the “true” Heir of Slytherin? Why did it take over 900+ years after the founding of Hogwarts for the “true” Heir of Slytherin to be born?
Seeing as there were centuries of procreation between the time Salazar Slytherin was alive until Tom Riddle’s birth, why did it take until 1926 for Slytherin’s true heir to be born?
Is the implication that the true Heir of Slytherin had to imbue certain qualities that Tom Riddle possessed? If so, how does this reflect on Salazar Slytherin? Does this imply that Slytherin himself was — as Fred and George would put it — a Seriously Evil Wizard who wanted his true heir to be just as corrupt?
Or does being the Heir of Slytherin merely mean the heir is the last witch or wizard to carry Salazar Slytherin’s bloodline?
- personally i agree with you. but have you tried tracing his family tree? mabey that could tell you the true heir of slytherin. user6012
Myth : Hagrid Opened The Chamber 50 Years Ago
If people really believe that only Slytherins heir can open the Chamber of Secrets, its hard to credit that Tom Riddles framing of Hagrid was ever taken seriously. But it was, as Riddle reveals to Harry through the medium of his diary.
When Moaning Myrtle was killed by the creature lurking in the Chamber of Secrets, Hagrids love of frightening beasts left him open to suspicion. Riddle used this, revealing Hagrids care of one such creature, Aragog, and implying that Aragog was the beast wreaking havoc on Hogwarts. Given that Aragog answered only to Hagrid he was an easy scapegoat, but Hagrids expulsion from Hogwarts was as unjust as Riddles reward.
Disillusionment Construction Of The Chamber Of Secrets And Departure From Hogwarts
Despite his harmonious coexistence and friendly relations with the other founders, Salazar Slytherin became disillusioned as time passed, wanting to be more selective of the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that the school should only accept pure blood witches and wizards, as he distrusted Muggle-borns, possibly of the great conflict between Wizardkind and Muggles. He tried to sway the other founders to agree with him but they refused, especially Godric Gryffindor. This caused Salazar Slytherin’s friendship with Godric Gryffindor to break and resulted in him leaving the school. Before leaving, Slytherin built a secret hidden hall deep underneath the castle where he placed a Basilisk egg without the knowledge of the other founders.
Slytherin planned to have his “heir” eventually find that hidden room and unleash the Basilisk in order to kill all Muggle-born students in Hogwarts. This secret room came to be known as “The Chamber of Secrets” after the other founders heard rumours of its existence but were unable to find it.
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All The Myths That Were Debunked In Chamber Of Secrets
Its not really surprising that Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets is the subject of speculation. A secret underground chamber that can only be accessed by the heirs of Salazar Slytherin a wizard with a preference for pure-bloods and a rumoured fondness for the Dark Arts is not exactly something youd put on the school prospectus.
But it is a great exercise in sorting wizarding world fact from fiction
A New Harry Potter Theory About How Tom Riddle Is In Fact Salazar Slytherin Reborn Is Going Around And It Is Actually Really Convincing
So over the weekend a new Harry Potter fan theory came to my attention. Tom Riddle is in fact not the evil dark wizard Lord Voldemort, but in actual fact the founder of Slytherin, Salazar, reborn.
My initial gut when seeing this theory was to dismiss it completely and laugh at the sheer idea that this fan theory had even managed to gain traction. However, once I actually read the entire theory, I have to admit that the original poster is really onto something here.
Posted on Reddit by user Ennovative, you can read the full post right here, but the highlights to the theory are as follows.
One of the last things Salazar Slytherin did was construct the Chamber of Secrets and conceal the Basilisk within. Salazar was a wizard who sought out immortality and Ennovative argues that maybe Salazar concealed a part of his soul inside the Basilisk.
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Fast forward to when Tom Riddle opened the chamber and the implications of him doing this was the part of Salazar that was left within the Basilik has now transferred to Tom. There are plenty of accounts to refer to within Harry Potter that back this idea up as Tom was never the same person after he opened the Chamber of Secrets, but one that really stands out is a quote from Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
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Was Salazar Slytherin A Dark Wizard
Was Salazar Slytherin a Dark Wizard?
E.g. we know he refused to teach Muggle-born magic. But was that because “it’s a bad idea” or for “Muggles are subhuman and need to serve the wizards” reason?
We know he left a Basilisk in Hogwarts. Not a very nice thing to do. But is there any direct evidence that he was actually a Dark/Evil wizard aside from that ?
- 9I would say being a Dark Wizard has nothing to do with political beliefs, but more to do with what magic you do.Oct 12 ’11 at 4:16
- 2From what I remember, there’s really no evidence that Slytherin did dark magic, tho . He had the basilisk, but that was just an animal, not dark magic. It just seems that the political views of Salazar became extremist.
No, there is no evidence for him ever using Dark Arts, or for him using any Unforgivable Curses .
Salazar was a Parseltounge, a bigot, and quick to anger. This might make him a bad person , but not evil.
Information on Salazar Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets can be found at Pottermore I’ve taken screenshots for those without a Pottermore account, which are here and here.
Salazar Slytherin was indeed a Dark Wizard. This is my interpretation of Slytherin, based on the following information provided by J.K. Rowling, as cited above.
Slytherin built the Chamber of Secrets without the knowledge of the other three founders .
Tom Believed He Was The True Heir Because He Was Arrogant
Tom Riddle did believe himself to be the only Parselmouth to attend Hogwarts after Salazar Slytherin.
Because there are strange likenesses between us, Harry Potter. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17
However, this is less likely to be based in fact rather than Toms own grand thoughts about his importance, and relative lack of knowledge about his ancestors.
He was the True Heir because he was able to open the chamber of secrets. I don’t think it was a forgone conclusion that he was the Heir, and it could have been anyone. Had another Heir of Slytherin had turned up before then it would have worked jut as easily.
But Salazar knew his heir would know Parsel tongue and dark magic . Though it probably took someone with a dark twisted upbringing to put as much effort as he could into being dark and twisted. But there’s no reason I can think of that this could have been anyone else. It’s not as though anyone in the HP universe is going to to a genetic test on potential heirs.
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Relationships With Other Characters
As his life ended possibly a thousand years before the story opens, we can have no real idea how he related to other characters. It is a safe assumption that he was initially cordial enough with the other Founders to join with them in the initial setting up of Hogwarts it is similarly a safe assumption that those relationships soured or were broken off completely after a few years when Slytherin failed to convince the other three that admission to a Wizarding school should be restricted on the basis of ancestry. It is possible that he would share broad personality outlines with Lucius Malfoy, using personal power, persuasiveness, and wealth to achieve his own ends. Finally and completely thwarted by Gryffindor, Slytherin childishly “took his marbles and went home”, leaving a trap behind for future generations.
Was There A Parselmouth Before Salazar Slytherin
Was Salazar Slytherin the first Parselmouth, or did somebody else use it before him?
Ive read the books, but I cant find any examples.
Yes, Herpo the Foul is a Parselmouth who pre-dates Slytherin.
From Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them :
The first recorded Basilisk was bred by Herpo the Foul, a Greek Dark wizard and Parselmouth, who discovered after much experimentation that a chicken egg hatched beneath a toad would produce a gigantic serpent of extraordinarily dangerous powers.
Chamber of Secrets
You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago – the precise date is uncertain – by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age.
Edit: As Anthony Grist points out in the comments, this only says Greek, not Ancient Greek. I read Ancient Greek in the HP Wikia entry, and conflated the two. This is confirmed in his chocolate frog card on Pottermore:
Herpo the Foul was an Ancient Greek wizard and the first known creator of the Basilisk.
Note that most known Parselmouths in the HP universe are connected to Slytherin. Indeed, JKR confirmed in a 2007 interview that the ability has come down via Slytherin :
According to the Famous Wizard Cards seen in the video game “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, Paracelsus is…
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Did Neville Become Head Of Gryffindor
In Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, when the Sorting Hat is singing, close-ups are done to Neville Longbottom, Pomona Sprout, Filius Flitwick and Horace Slughorn, and they are also the only four professors seen sitting behind the staff table, possibly indicating Neville was the Head of Gryffindor House as of 2008.
Where Are The Slytherin Dorms
The Ravenclaw dorms are high in a tower of Hogwarts, with windows that look out over the grounds. The Gryffindor dorms are in a cosy tower in the heart of the castle, and the Hufflepuff dorms are cosy and plant filled, next to the Hogwarts kitchens. But where do Slytherins go at the end of a long hard day of classes in the castle, to study their magic, relax with their friends, and plot world domination… I mean, talk about Quidditch?
Slytherin is known, sadly, for being a house obsessed with the bloodlines of wizards. Salazar Slytherin certainly believed that the wizarding community should be kept as ‘pure’ as possible, and many of the students of this house share that belief. Voldemort and his Death Eaters and supporters, most from Slytherin, were obsessed with eradicating ‘mudbloods’ from not just the school, but the wizarding community as a whole! But is it true that there are only purebloods sorted into Slytherin, or are there muggle-born and mixed-blood Slytherins too?
Before Severus Snape took over as potions professor and the head of Slytherin house, another teacher who appears in the Harry Potter series had that position at Hogwarts. This professor embodies some of the better qualities of Slytherin – a great ambition, to be sure, but not a bad one. He collected students and made connections to help them succeed, loving the feeling of being known by so many people in high places. He returned to Hogwarts briefly in Harry’s later years.
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Sirius Black’s Enchanted Motorbike
Sirius Black owned a flying motorbike, which he lent to Hagrid the night Harry’s parents died. It is first seen when Hagrid delivers the baby Harry to Number 4, Privet Drive in the first book, and then again when Hagrid uses it to transport Harry to a safe house in the seventh volume. In Deathly Hallows, various modifications have been made to the bike by Mr. Weasley, allowing it to create a brick wall or a net that erupts from the exhaust pipe and to shoot dragon fire from the exhaust, impelling the bike’s sudden acceleration. The dragon-fire feature is used to great effect by Hagrid and Harry when being chased by Voldemort however, Mr. Weasley did warn that he was unsure of its safety and that they should use it only in an emergency. He was right to say this, as the sidecar of the motorbike, unaffected by Hagrid’s magic dislodged after the abrupt acceleration.
The bike is severely damaged when, with Hagrid and Harry aboard, it crashes into Ted and Andromeda Tonks‘ garden pond. Mr. Weasley covertly tells Harry that he plans to put the bike back together when “he has time”, meaning when Mrs. Weasley is distracted or has forgotten about it. He hides it in the chicken coop and manages to repair it, giving it to Harry between the end of Deathly Hallows and the epilogue. The bike is now still in Harry’s possession, but he doesn’t use it.
Magical Objects In Harry Potter
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The following is a list of magical objects used in the fictional universe of Harry Potter in the original book series, as well as in the adapted film series.
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Other Canon Notes And References
Slytherin was something of an egomaniac, which is why he built the Chamber of Secrets as a sort of monument to himself, as explained on Pottermore. This also may explain his appeal to another wizard who was impressed with himself – Tom Riddle. He is described by the Sorting Hat as “power-hungry” .
“Perhaps, when he first constructed the Chamber, Slytherin wanted no more than a place in which to instruct his students in spells of which the other three founders may have disapproved . However, it is dear by the very decoration of the Chamber that by the time Slytherin finished it he had developed grandiose ideas of his own importance to the school. No other founder left behind them a gigantic statue of themselves or draped the school in emblems of their own personal powers ” .
Salazar Slytherin’s wand, which had a core of Basilisk horn, could be shut down and rendered useless through Parseltongue – a carefully kept secret through his family. His wand is now buried in the grounds of Ilvermorny and a snakewood tree has grown out of the spot where it was buried, which has leaves with powerful medicinal magic.
Dumbledore notes that Harry has many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students: ability to speak Parseltongue, resourcefulness, determination, and a certain disregard for rules .
The Bloody Baron: An Unknown Dark Deed
As with most of the school ghosts, we only really see the Bloody Baron for an extended period of time in the first two Harry Potter films.
However, as the Slytherin ghost, we know he must have done something pretty bad at some point. He is bound to chains and covered in blood even in ghost form, apparently as punishment for an un-named bad thing.
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Tom Was A Parselmouth
The reason that Tom Riddle was able to open the Chamber of Secrets was simply because he could speak Parseltongue. Harry was also able to open it, and so was Ginny . Even Ron, who had absolutely no connection with the Dark Lord and didnt have the natural ability to speak Parseltongue, was able to open the Chamber by imitating what Harry said to open it.
But how did you get in there? he asked, staring from the fangs to Ron. You need to speak Parseltongue!
He did! whispered Hermione. Show him, Ron!
Ron made a horrible, strangled hissing noise. Its what you did to open the locket, he told Harry apologetically. I had to have a few goes to get it right, but, he shrugged modestly, we got there in the end. – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31
The J.K. Rowling Pottermore writing further indicates that the key to being able to open the Chamber of Secrets was indeed the ability to speak Parseltongue.
What is certain is that by the time Slytherin was forced out of the school by the other three founders, he had decided that henceforth, the Chamber he had built would be the lair of a monster that he alone or his descendants would be able to control: a Basilisk. Moreover, only a Parselmouth would be able to enter the Chamber. This, he knew, would keep out all three founders and every other member of staff.
In addition, it statess that the Chamber of Secrets had in fact been opened by others since Salazar Slytherins death and before Tom Riddle opened it.