Salazar Slytherin

Salazar Slytherin was one of the four legendary founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 10th century. A powerful wizard and a famous Parselmouth, he was the founder of Slytherin house, which values ambition, cunning, leadership, and resourcefulness. His staunch belief that magical education should be reserved for pure-blood wizards and witches led to an irreparable conflict with the other founders, particularly Godric Gryffindor. Slytherin's most significant legacy is the clandestine Chamber of Secrets he built within Hogwarts, and his lineage, which ultimately produced his final heir, Lord Voldemort.

Alongside Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin co-founded Hogwarts with the shared goal of creating the world's finest magical school. For a time, the four worked in harmony, each selecting students for their respective houses based on desired qualities. Slytherin favored students who were ambitious, shrewd, and from pure-blood lineages. His insistence on a pure-blood-only admission policy became a major point of contention. Slytherin argued that Muggle-born students were untrustworthy and unworthy of learning magic. This ideology clashed fiercely with the more egalitarian views of the other founders, especially his once-close friend, Godric Gryffindor. The disagreement escalated into a serious argument, culminating in Slytherin's decision to leave the school he had helped build. Before departing, Slytherin secretly constructed the Chamber of Secrets deep within the castle. According to legend, as told by Professor Binns, Slytherin sealed the Chamber, ensuring that only his true heir could open it. The heir would then be able to unleash the monster within—a Basilisk—to purge the school of all students Slytherin considered unworthy to study magic. This dark legacy haunted Hogwarts for centuries, becoming a reality when his descendant, Tom Marvolo Riddle, opened the Chamber twice.

Salazar Slytherin's physical appearance is known primarily from the colossal statue of him in the Chamber of Secrets. The statue depicted him as an ancient and “monkeyish” man with a long, thin white beard that flowed down to the bottom of his sweeping stone robes. As described by the Sorting Hat, Slytherin was “power-hungry” and “shrewd.” His defining personality traits were immense ambition and a strong sense of pride, particularly concerning blood purity. He was cunning, determined, and resourceful, qualities he valued in his students. However, his prejudice against Muggle-borns reveals a deep-seated intolerance and elitism. His willingness to build the Chamber of Secrets and leave behind a murderous beast demonstrates a profound capacity for ruthlessness and a desire to see his dark ideals perpetuated long after his death.

• Parseltongue: Slytherin was a renowned Parselmouth, possessing the rare ability to speak to snakes. This skill is the reason for the serpent being the symbol of Slytherin house. He used this ability to control the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and the trait was passed down through his bloodline to his descendants, the Gaunt family and Lord Voldemort.
• Legilimency: Like the other founders, Slytherin was an accomplished Legilimens, enabling him to read minds and assess the qualities of potential students for his house. (Pottermore)
• Master Wizard: As a founder of Hogwarts, Slytherin was undeniably one of the most powerful and knowledgeable wizards of his era. His skill in Charms and Dark Arts is evident in the creation of the Chamber of Secrets, which remained hidden and inaccessible to all but his heir for a millennium.

• Salazar Slytherin's Locket: A heavy gold locket engraved with a serpentine 'S' in green stones. It was passed down through his descendants and became a treasured heirloom of the Gaunt family. After being sold by Merope Gaunt to Caractacus Burke, it was purchased by Hepzibah Smith. Tom Riddle later stole the locket and transformed it into one of his Horcruxes.
• Wand: Slytherin owned a wand made of snakewood with a core of Basilisk horn. The wand had the ability to “sleep” when commanded and was passed down through his family to Isolt Sayre, who eventually buried it on the grounds of the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in North America, where it grew into a unique snakewood tree. (Pottermore)

• The Hogwarts Founders: Slytherin was once the “best friend” of Godric Gryffindor, but their fundamental disagreement over blood purity shattered their relationship and led to Slytherin's permanent departure from Hogwarts. While his exact relationships with Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff are less detailed, it is clear he became estranged from all of them due to his extremist views.
• Descendants: Slytherin's bloodline continued through the centuries, eventually dwindling to the impoverished and unstable Gaunt family. His most famous descendant was Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort), who took great pride in his heritage, adopting the title “Heir of Slytherin” and dedicating himself to fulfilling Slytherin's ambition of purging the wizarding world of Muggle-borns.

• Salazar: The name is likely inspired by António de Oliveira Salazar, the dictator who ruled Portugal for much of the 20th century. J.K. Rowling lived in Portugal for a time and has confirmed this influence. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• Slytherin: The name is audibly similar to “slithering,” a direct reference to snakes, the symbol of his house and his signature ability to speak Parseltongue.

• The history of Salazar Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets is first explained in detail by Professor Binns in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
• In the film adaptations, a portrait of Salazar Slytherin can be seen in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. (film)
• Extensive details about Slytherin's wand and his descendants in North America were revealed by J.K. Rowling in her writings on the Pottermore website. (Pottermore)