| “ | I fear we shall never come to an accord. I cannot persuade even one of them to listen to reason. I had dared hope that Godric's thoughts were aligned with my own; that he understood why the calibre of students needed to be exceptional. But he has fallen prey to the ridiculous notion that Muggle-borns are somehow as capable as pure-bloods. He was furious when I expressed my displeasure at his thoughts on the matter – thoughts he had not yet put voice to. I tire of the discord and can no longer bear witness to the corridors full of inept children masquerading as witches and wizards. It is with heavy heart that I now know I must go from here. I shall place the creature into a deep sleep in its chamber until it can be awakened by one who shares my views: a descendant willing to reverse the damage that the others have so carelessly wrought; one who shall rid the school of those unworthy of Hogwarts that would serve only to stain my legacy. | „ |
| ~ Salazar Slytherin's diary entry from Hogwarts Legacy. |
Salazar Slytherin is the overarching antagonist of the Harry Potter franchise. He is one of the four founders of Hogwarts, alongside Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff.
The Slytherin house was created based on how he handpicked his students, taking into account factors like their ambition, cunning, and also their blood purity. He disagreed with allowing Muggle-borns into Hogwarts and this eventually caused him to leave Hogwarts on bad terms with the other founders.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- An entry from his diary in Hogwarts Legacy reveals that his disdain for inviting Muggle-borns into Hogwarts comes solely from his xenophobic views on them altogether. He believed they were simply less capable than pure-blooded witches and wizards and considered them inept.
- During his time as a teacher, he saw no issue with teaching his students much darker forms of magic than the other founders, including Unforgivable Curses like the Imperius Curse. On one occassion, he tasked a student with retrieving a dark relic in the nearby Feldcroft Catacomb that allowed its user to summon Inferi, reanimated corpses Voldemort would later use to guard one of his Horcruxes.
- He attempted to convince the other Hogwarts founders to stop allowing Muggle-borns into Hogwarts, something that caused constant arguments and potentially a duel until Salazar ultimately decided to leave Hogwarts because of his xenophobic beliefs.
- Before leaving Hogwarts, he created an underground chamber that only one of his heirs could open through speaking Parseltongue. Inside was a giant snake called a Basilisk which he intended his heir to use to eradicate all Muggle-borns from Hogwarts, essentially attempting a child genocide.
- The chamber would later be accessed by his descendant Tom Riddle (a.k.a. Voldemort), to murder a Muggle-born child called Myrtle Warren. Decades later, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes would open the chamber again through possessing Ginny Weasley and use it to petrify four Muggle-born students and a ghost, alongside ordering it to kill Harry Potter.
- His hateful rhetoric against Muggle-borns would ultimately contribute to the motivations of the countless dark witches and wizards (the majority of them were students at Slytherin House) for the centuries to come. This includes characters such as Voldemort, Severus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange and Dolores Umbridge.
- The same rhetoric also had a part in shaping the rivalry between House of Slytherin and House of Gryffindor and making the former have the title of house of dark wizards in the public eye.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- He had a genuine friendship with the other three founders, particularly Godric, and was saddened when they disagreed with his views of blood purity.
External Links[]
- Salazar Slytherin on the Villains Wiki
- Salazar Slytherin on the Harry Potter Wiki
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 Near Pure Evils
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Both Continuities See Also | ||