A Complete History Of Slytherin House
written by Sabrina
The guide to the past, present, and future of Slytherin House, its founder, and its notable alumni.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
2
Reads
7,330
Chapter 1: Salazar Slytherin
Chapter 2
EARLY LIFE
Very little is known of Salazar Slytherin's past and family life. His date of birth dates before 976 A.D., likely quite a few years before as he was known to be one of the most accomplished wizards in history by the time he founded Hogwarts.
The Sorting Hat mentioned in one of its introductory songs that Slytherin was "from fen," narrowing down the location of his birth but not providing an exact point. Because of his first name Salazar, we can guess fairly accurately as to his family's origin. The name Salazar is originally Spanish, though it was also borne in Portugal. Salazar is a surname meaning "old hall," from Castilian "sala"(hall) and Basque "zahar" (old). The name originates from the town of the same name: Salazar, in northern Burgos, Castile. Although nowadays Burgos is not a Basque-speaking region, it was during the early Middle Ages when the surname appeared in Muggle records, suggesting that some of Slytherin's family members may have married into Muggle nobility. Its origins are also related to a certain Muggle noble family, the Salazars, that held a fief in the area. During the 10th century, the surname appears in Navarre, where there exists a Salazar Valley. The surname spread to the rest of the Basque Country, being especially common in Biscay during the 15th century. The popping-up of the name Salazar in Muggle families and history appears to show that Salazar Slytherin's descendants had lives in the Muggle world.
Slytherin's mother is believed to be a sorceress named Itsaso Otxoa, who married a wizard named Ur Slytherin. Ur, born in 925 A.D., is old enough to be Salazar's father and the only wizard known who bore the Slytherin surname prior to the founding of Hogwarts. Ur's tomb in Wicken Fen(giving us a probable birthplace for Salazar) contains tapestries showing off his wealth and power. The tomb also contains an image of his wife Itsaso and three children. The one painting that shows his family is worn away, making it difficult to get a positive identification. The name of the one boy in the painting has since been lost, but magical historians believe that it is Salazar Slytherin. His two sisters are also depicted. Though their names are partially visible, they are not clear enough to ascertain the exact names. It is widely accepted that the name of the first sister is either Izar or Izaro and the second is Maitea or Maiteder. The fates of Salazar's sisters are unknown.
Salazar married a witch named Nerezza of Aosta. They had two children: Maximiliana Slytherin Argent and Cenric Slytherin.
AS A HOGWARTS FOUNDER
Salazar Slytherin founded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor in approximately 993 A.D.
Recently, Salazar's pureblood supremacy has been called into question. At the time when Hogwarts was founded, the Muggle Christians were finally taking over Scandinavia, meaning that practically all of Muggle Europe was now Christian. The Dark Ages, a.k.a. the Early Medieval Period were infamous for their intolerance of non-Christiandom, which included the religious teachings of Ancient Rome, Greece, and any Eastern countries such as Japan, India, or China. Muggles were publicly killed for as much as considering these old ideas and mythologies. Those teachings didn’t come back to light until the Italian Renaissance in the 14th century.
When people did things that the Muggle Christians couldn’t explain, they blamed it on witches and wizards: People they believed to be possessed by their mythological figure Satan, sent to earth to get rid of every God-fearing man, woman, and child. They imprisoned, tortured, or killed those people, most of them innocent Muggles but some of them real witches or wizards who were unable for whatever reason to perform the Flame-Freezing Charm.
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all agreed to take pureblood children and teach them. But then they had to address the issue of Muggleborns.
Godric Gryffindor was brave and brash and imagined the glory of having an entire society of witches and wizards with command of their powers.
Helga Hufflepuff was kind and loving and wanted to provide a sanctuary for all those who are under threat of death from Muggle authorities.
Rowena Ravenclaw saw the merit in bringing all these different people together - the amount of information regarding magic that can be shared was her greatest dream.
Salazar Slytherin was cautious and in favor of self-preservation. He realized that there was a great possibility for individuals to spy for the Muggle community, in hopes to gain favor with Muggle authorities by betraying them all, while hiding their own powers from Muggles. He saw Muggleborns as a potential threat, and instead of risking the safety of not only the lives of his students, but the countless priceless volumes and tomes of ancient knowledge tucked away in their castle (see The Burning of the Great Library at Alexandria), Slytherin would have said, “I don’t think we should allow people with connections to Muggles in here. We could lose everything."
Gryffindor would call Slytherin a coward, saying they would fight back and beat down any traitor who dared to oppose them. Slytherin would suggest they do all they can to avoid confrontation. Hufflepuff wouldn't be able to bring herself to deny anybody the sanctuary that they have built. Ravenclaw would have seen endless potential in bridging the gap between worlds with learning and wisdom. That would be what drove them apart. In the far distant future, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters twisted Slytherin’s words beliefs, having heard only the story that has been passed down for a thousand years. They used words of caution to justify their want for genocide and prejudice.
POST-MORTEM AND DAMNIATO MEMORIAE
Salazar Slytherin built the Chamber of Secrets during his time at Hogwarts. It was later used by Tom Marvolo Riddle to attempt to eliminate all Muggleborns from the school. There is speculation that Slytherin's Chamber may not have been for the purpose modern people suppose it to be.
Before the 1992-1993 opening of the Chamber, the great majority of witches and wizards believed that the Chamber of Secrets was nothing more than a myth. The castle had been searched many times, to no avail. Not only was the legend dismissed, but it was slandered along with its creator, suggesting that the reality was distorted over the centuries. Because of the falling-out between Slytherin and the other Founders, witches and wizards taught by and descended from the other three would have done everything in their power to ruin Salazar Slytherin's name, even going so far as to remove records of his existence in Wicken Fen and Hogwarts(a process known as damniato memoriae, Latin for "condemnation of memory"), this done by Godric Gryffindor's grandson and Headmaster Alaric Gryffindor. They could not completely destroy Slytherin's legacy, but they could portray him as a villain in official documents and stories.
What probably happened in reality was this: Slytherin was horrified that any day there might be an attack on the school. So he built a secret chamber that only he(or another Parselmouth, an incredibly rare magical ability and one possessed by his family) can open. He didn’t want any double agents or spies to know about it, so he told no one. He hoped that he would never have to use it, but in the event of an attack, he could get the school to safety while he sets the Basilisk on the attackers.
As for the Basilisk, there are two distinct possibilities:
1) Slytherin put a Basilisk that was under his control in the Chamber, a creature that he could set loose on anyone attacking the castle. The Basilisk would annihilate any army of thousands just by looking at them and it could get almost anywhere in the castle simply through the pipes. That kind of power is exactly what one needs to defend the school. Again, only he or an heir could control it. At this point, he was thinking about himself and his potential progeny, not Tom Riddle some thousand years later.
2) Slytherin didn’t put the Basilisk there, and it was instead placed there later by Tom Riddle while he was at school. There is no evidence for or against this.
Perhaps toward the end, the other Founders did find out about the Chamber. Maybe Slytherin said something to them, maybe he let it slip, maybe as they were cleaning out his room after he left, they found some journal entries about it. It could have been anything. But perhaps, in their wisdom, seeing no way to access the Chamber, felt it best that no one knew about the existence of a (now) useless panic room, nor did they want anyone to worry about the Basilisk. When Headmaster Alaric came along, he knew about the Chamber from his grandfather and decided to besmirch Slytherin's reputation even more.
Fast forward ten centuries and now everyone assumed Slytherin was always evil (despite being a good friend and founder of Hogwarts with three other lovely and talented people) and created a secret evil lair to murder Muggleborns, which he could have easily done without a lair if that was ever his intention.
Very little is known of Salazar Slytherin's past and family life. His date of birth dates before 976 A.D., likely quite a few years before as he was known to be one of the most accomplished wizards in history by the time he founded Hogwarts.
The Sorting Hat mentioned in one of its introductory songs that Slytherin was "from fen," narrowing down the location of his birth but not providing an exact point. Because of his first name Salazar, we can guess fairly accurately as to his family's origin. The name Salazar is originally Spanish, though it was also borne in Portugal. Salazar is a surname meaning "old hall," from Castilian "sala"(hall) and Basque "zahar" (old). The name originates from the town of the same name: Salazar, in northern Burgos, Castile. Although nowadays Burgos is not a Basque-speaking region, it was during the early Middle Ages when the surname appeared in Muggle records, suggesting that some of Slytherin's family members may have married into Muggle nobility. Its origins are also related to a certain Muggle noble family, the Salazars, that held a fief in the area. During the 10th century, the surname appears in Navarre, where there exists a Salazar Valley. The surname spread to the rest of the Basque Country, being especially common in Biscay during the 15th century. The popping-up of the name Salazar in Muggle families and history appears to show that Salazar Slytherin's descendants had lives in the Muggle world.
Slytherin's mother is believed to be a sorceress named Itsaso Otxoa, who married a wizard named Ur Slytherin. Ur, born in 925 A.D., is old enough to be Salazar's father and the only wizard known who bore the Slytherin surname prior to the founding of Hogwarts. Ur's tomb in Wicken Fen(giving us a probable birthplace for Salazar) contains tapestries showing off his wealth and power. The tomb also contains an image of his wife Itsaso and three children. The one painting that shows his family is worn away, making it difficult to get a positive identification. The name of the one boy in the painting has since been lost, but magical historians believe that it is Salazar Slytherin. His two sisters are also depicted. Though their names are partially visible, they are not clear enough to ascertain the exact names. It is widely accepted that the name of the first sister is either Izar or Izaro and the second is Maitea or Maiteder. The fates of Salazar's sisters are unknown.
Salazar married a witch named Nerezza of Aosta. They had two children: Maximiliana Slytherin Argent and Cenric Slytherin.
AS A HOGWARTS FOUNDER
Salazar Slytherin founded Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor in approximately 993 A.D.
Recently, Salazar's pureblood supremacy has been called into question. At the time when Hogwarts was founded, the Muggle Christians were finally taking over Scandinavia, meaning that practically all of Muggle Europe was now Christian. The Dark Ages, a.k.a. the Early Medieval Period were infamous for their intolerance of non-Christiandom, which included the religious teachings of Ancient Rome, Greece, and any Eastern countries such as Japan, India, or China. Muggles were publicly killed for as much as considering these old ideas and mythologies. Those teachings didn’t come back to light until the Italian Renaissance in the 14th century.
When people did things that the Muggle Christians couldn’t explain, they blamed it on witches and wizards: People they believed to be possessed by their mythological figure Satan, sent to earth to get rid of every God-fearing man, woman, and child. They imprisoned, tortured, or killed those people, most of them innocent Muggles but some of them real witches or wizards who were unable for whatever reason to perform the Flame-Freezing Charm.
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all agreed to take pureblood children and teach them. But then they had to address the issue of Muggleborns.
Godric Gryffindor was brave and brash and imagined the glory of having an entire society of witches and wizards with command of their powers.
Helga Hufflepuff was kind and loving and wanted to provide a sanctuary for all those who are under threat of death from Muggle authorities.
Rowena Ravenclaw saw the merit in bringing all these different people together - the amount of information regarding magic that can be shared was her greatest dream.
Salazar Slytherin was cautious and in favor of self-preservation. He realized that there was a great possibility for individuals to spy for the Muggle community, in hopes to gain favor with Muggle authorities by betraying them all, while hiding their own powers from Muggles. He saw Muggleborns as a potential threat, and instead of risking the safety of not only the lives of his students, but the countless priceless volumes and tomes of ancient knowledge tucked away in their castle (see The Burning of the Great Library at Alexandria), Slytherin would have said, “I don’t think we should allow people with connections to Muggles in here. We could lose everything."
Gryffindor would call Slytherin a coward, saying they would fight back and beat down any traitor who dared to oppose them. Slytherin would suggest they do all they can to avoid confrontation. Hufflepuff wouldn't be able to bring herself to deny anybody the sanctuary that they have built. Ravenclaw would have seen endless potential in bridging the gap between worlds with learning and wisdom. That would be what drove them apart. In the far distant future, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters twisted Slytherin’s words beliefs, having heard only the story that has been passed down for a thousand years. They used words of caution to justify their want for genocide and prejudice.
POST-MORTEM AND DAMNIATO MEMORIAE
Salazar Slytherin built the Chamber of Secrets during his time at Hogwarts. It was later used by Tom Marvolo Riddle to attempt to eliminate all Muggleborns from the school. There is speculation that Slytherin's Chamber may not have been for the purpose modern people suppose it to be.
Before the 1992-1993 opening of the Chamber, the great majority of witches and wizards believed that the Chamber of Secrets was nothing more than a myth. The castle had been searched many times, to no avail. Not only was the legend dismissed, but it was slandered along with its creator, suggesting that the reality was distorted over the centuries. Because of the falling-out between Slytherin and the other Founders, witches and wizards taught by and descended from the other three would have done everything in their power to ruin Salazar Slytherin's name, even going so far as to remove records of his existence in Wicken Fen and Hogwarts(a process known as damniato memoriae, Latin for "condemnation of memory"), this done by Godric Gryffindor's grandson and Headmaster Alaric Gryffindor. They could not completely destroy Slytherin's legacy, but they could portray him as a villain in official documents and stories.
What probably happened in reality was this: Slytherin was horrified that any day there might be an attack on the school. So he built a secret chamber that only he(or another Parselmouth, an incredibly rare magical ability and one possessed by his family) can open. He didn’t want any double agents or spies to know about it, so he told no one. He hoped that he would never have to use it, but in the event of an attack, he could get the school to safety while he sets the Basilisk on the attackers.
As for the Basilisk, there are two distinct possibilities:
1) Slytherin put a Basilisk that was under his control in the Chamber, a creature that he could set loose on anyone attacking the castle. The Basilisk would annihilate any army of thousands just by looking at them and it could get almost anywhere in the castle simply through the pipes. That kind of power is exactly what one needs to defend the school. Again, only he or an heir could control it. At this point, he was thinking about himself and his potential progeny, not Tom Riddle some thousand years later.
2) Slytherin didn’t put the Basilisk there, and it was instead placed there later by Tom Riddle while he was at school. There is no evidence for or against this.
Perhaps toward the end, the other Founders did find out about the Chamber. Maybe Slytherin said something to them, maybe he let it slip, maybe as they were cleaning out his room after he left, they found some journal entries about it. It could have been anything. But perhaps, in their wisdom, seeing no way to access the Chamber, felt it best that no one knew about the existence of a (now) useless panic room, nor did they want anyone to worry about the Basilisk. When Headmaster Alaric came along, he knew about the Chamber from his grandfather and decided to besmirch Slytherin's reputation even more.
Fast forward ten centuries and now everyone assumed Slytherin was always evil (despite being a good friend and founder of Hogwarts with three other lovely and talented people) and created a secret evil lair to murder Muggleborns, which he could have easily done without a lair if that was ever his intention.
