Highlights
- Slytherin is often misunderstood as being solely composed of evil wizards. In reality, many Slytherins have made positive contributions throughout history and possess traits that go beyond their reputation.
- Slytherins are known for their ambition, resilience, self-confidence, and resourcefulness. They are skilled at influencing others, thinking quickly under pressure, and displaying selective loyalty.
- While Slytherins have their strengths, they also have weaknesses. These include sometimes prioritizing ambition over morality, exhibiting arrogance and pride, succumbing to peer pressure, lacking empathy, and occasionally being lazy.
One of the most iconic moments in the Harry Potter saga is when Harry first enters the Hogwarts castle, and he and all the other first-year wizards get sorted into their respective houses. Each of the four houses carries a unique set of traits, values, history, and a reputation that precedes it. Slytherin is, without a doubt, the one most impacted by said reputation. One of the most common misconceptions in the saga is that wizards who get sorted into Slytherin are inherently evil. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not all Slytherins are evil, in fact, many have made invaluable contributions throughout history, and not every evil wizard gets into Slytherin. Reducing this misunderstood house to the dark wizards it has produced negates the depth and complexity it can have, its traits and values that go far beyond the stereotype, and the positive impact many Slytherins have left on the wizarding world.
At the heart of Slytherin lies the legacy of its controversial founder, Salazar Slytherin, one of the most famous wizards of his time. Unlike the other Hogwarts founders, Salazar believed that only pure-blood wizards should be allowed in the school, as he deemed muggle-born students unworthy. Slytherin’s radical ideology greatly contrasted with that of his fellow funders, but he went on to create the Chamber of Secrets, in order for his future heir to release the beast inside and fulfill his goal. While not all Slytherins share these extreme beliefs, the Slytherin House has always been associated with them, and it remains a controversial topic of discussion amongst Harry Potter fans. In reality, most wizards who get sorted into Slytherin are more than just their house’s reputation and have as many positive and negative traits, strengths, weaknesses, and diverse personalities as those in other houses.
What Are the Strengths of Slytherins?
Ambition is one of the traits most commonly associated with the Slytherin House, and it often serves as a strength, as Slytherins are determined to achieve their goals no matter what. They are incredibly resilient, and their willpower often helps them overcome any fear they may have. Salazar Slytherin himself presented and admired these qualities. Slytherins are self-confident, self-assured, and trust their own abilities. While they can be manipulative, they are also natural leaders and know how to influence people.
While intelligence is one of Ravenclaw’s defining traits, Slytherins also possess great intelligence that goes beyond books, and instead presents itself as a mix of cunning and resourcefulness. They are quick thinkers who thrive under pressure and are able to adapt to their surroundings, using every opportunity to their advantage, and finding solutions where others won’t. Loyalty, commonly associated with Hufflepuff, is also a common trait within Slytherin wizards. Although their loyalty is more selective, as seen in people like Narcissa Malfoy and Severus Snape, Slytherins are incredibly loyal to those they love or admire.
What Are the Weaknesses of Slytherins?
Slytherin’s ambition can sometimes overshadow their morality. While ambition can be a strength, many wizards take it to an extreme and put their goals over their principles, willingly breaking the rules and even the law. This ambition has led several Slytherins to make more-than-questionable decisions. Pride is another common trait associated with Slytherins. They are self-confident, but it can often turn into arrogance and pride. Voldemort’s pride, for example, led him to underestimate Harry and overestimate his own abilities, which eventually resulted in his downfall. While not all Slytherins are evil, there are some that definitely exhibit cruel and malicious tendencies and present a desire to cause harm.
One common weakness amongst Slytherins is that they are susceptible to peer pressure, and due to a fear of rejection, many times they don’t stand up for what they believe in. This is a trait frequently displayed by Draco Malfoy, who often questions the morality of his actions but ends up reluctantly joining the Death Eaters because of his father. Another weakness many Slytherins share is a lack of empathy. Just like their loyalty, their empathy can be pretty selective. Although many times they can and do the right thing, it is often because of selfish reasons and their own benefit. A Slytherin trait that can be a double-edged sword is resourcefulness, which can oftentimes tip into laziness. Slytherins can be quite lazy and take the easy way out if there’s one, as seen in wizards like Crabbe and Goyle.
Who Are the Most Famous Slytherins?
Yes, not all Slytherins are evil or even lean towards the dark arts, but that doesn't negate the fact that a majority of those who are, have been sorted into this house. Slytherin’s hall of fame is tainted by several dark and evil wizards and witches. Besides Salazar Slytherin, perhaps the most famous Slytherin is Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, arguably the darkest wizard of all time and the one who negatively impacted the house’s reputation to the greatest extent. His ambition and desire for power and immortality served as a catalyst for the entire series.
Voldemort’s most loyal Death Eater, and one of the most infamous dark witches, Bellatrix Lestrange, was also a Slytherin. Her borderline fanatical loyalty and commitment to Voldemort’s cause are some of her most evident Slytherin traits, this time emphasizing the darker aspect commonly associated with the house. Another infamous Slytherin witch, perhaps even more feared and hated than Bellatrix, is none other than Dolores Umbridge. She is best remembered for her oppressive and cruel regime as the High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, often displaying a cunning and manipulative personality, two common Slytherin traits.
To many, it may be impossible to think about Slytherin without picturing at least one member of the Malfoy family. The Malfoys are one of the most famous pure-blood and Slytherin families, known for their wealth, influence, and association to the dark arts and Voldemort. Draco Malfoy starts as a rather antagonistic figure to Harry, and often exhibits prejudice and arrogance. Despite reluctantly becoming a Death Eater, he struggles with morality throughout the series, and is incapable of inflicting any real harm on others, proving himself to be more of a conflicted individual from a problematic family than an inherently evil dark wizard. Draco’s son Scorpius also gets sorted into Slytherin, and he gives the Malfoy name a more positive legacy.
Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father, on the other hand, is a Slytherin with pure-blood supremacy beliefs, and a well-known Death Eater. He is arrogant, ambitious, and resourceful, and uses his wealth and connections to further his own interests. Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother, is a more morally complex Slytherin. While she certainly isn't good and shares many of her husband’s beliefs, she never becomes a Death Eater and has some redeeming moments. She puts her love for Draco above everything else. During the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry lets her know that Draco is safe, she lies to Voldemort about Harry’s death, which is a crucial moment in Voldemort’s downfall and the end of the war, making Narcissa a hero in her own right.
Severus Snape stands as arguably the most complex and morally ambiguous character in the series, and one of the most famous Slytherin heroes. As a former Death Eater who turned into a double agent for Dumbledore, Snape, like Narcissa and many other Slytherins, put love above everything else. His love for Lily Potter and his loyalty to Dumbledore, as well as his intelligence, resourcefulness, and ultimate sacrifice to protect Harry, makes Snape one of the greatest Slytherins and defies the house’s negative reputation. Harry even names his son Albus Severus, who eventually gets sorted into Slytherin, after him. Albus Potter also becomes one of the great and famous wizards to come out of Slytherin. Some other famous Slytherins who made great contributions to the wizarding world include Merlin, Horace Slughorn, Leta Lestrange, Regulus Black, and Andromeda Tonks.
When fans got sorted into Slytherin on Pottermore, an official Harry Potter website where J.K. Rowling shared additional content, Slytherin Prefect Gemma Farley stated the following in her welcome letter: “But we’re not bad people. We’re like our emblem, the snake: sleek, powerful, and frequently misunderstood.” This perfectly represents the Slytherin misconceptions while reminding fans that those wizards who get sorted into this house are diverse, complex, multidimensional, and can’t be narrowed down to a single stereotype.