Is Salazar Slytherin a Pure-Blood?

[The Dark Prince]

Pure-Blood?

[Kimmetje]

:welcome: to CoS forum!

He looks and sorts people on blood sorts and so do his heirs. I think he must be a Pureblood as he seemed to think that that was pretty important.

[The Dark Prince]

That is a good point...

[Classical_Wizar]

I'm sure he is, might have some answers or more questions How many generations does it take for someone to be a Pure-Blood? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=20287)

[Veritaserum_]

Yes, I believe it's pretty safe to say that Slytherin was pure-blood.

[Danluver182]

He could be pure blood but then again he may not be. We don't really know. I mean Hitler was part Jewish and look what he did. Some people are just wacky.

[Shauna]

Considering that LV was half blood, I disagree with the statement that it is safe to say that Slytherin is pure blood. As Danluver182 said, Hitler was part Jewish and we see a lot of parallels between HP and WWII. We really don't know much about Salazar Slytherin...perhaps this is information that will soon be made known to us.

While Ron does say that wizards would have died out if they hadn't married Muggles, Slytherin lived a very long time ago (according to the HP Lexicon (http://www.hp-lexicon.org), around the year 1000 AD). This is so very long ago that perhaps most wizards hadn't found it necessary to marry Muggles yet, and consequently most people were pure bloods.

Edited to add: Prof. Binns says that during this time, witches and wizards suffered persecution. So this could have conceivably been the time when wizards did start marrying Muggles, and Slytherin got so furious at this that he made a big old deal about it.

Shauna

[FirefightingMuggle]

But as was pointed out to me in Layers, only the true heir of Slytherin could open the Chamber. I am taking this to mean that only the one who possessed all of the qualities that Slytherin did could be the one to open it. Look at Tom Riddle. He is a parselmouth, he is a half-blood, he was in Slytherin House. Could it be that he is the true heir because he possessed all of these qualities, and not just because he was a parselmouth. Because, if all it took to open the chamber was to be a parselmouth, then Harry could have done it even if Tom Riddle hadn't. (seeing as the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin House) I'm guessing that Slytherin was a half-blood and had some, shall I say, issues about his family, similar to those that Riddle had.
So I'm voting for Sal Slytherin to be a half-blood.

[winter snow]

Considering that LV was half blood, I disagree with the statement that it is safe to say that Slytherin is pure blood. As Danluver182 said, Hitler was part Jewish and we see a lot of parallels between HP and WWII. We really don't know much about Salazar Slytherin...perhaps this is information that will soon be made known to us.

While Ron does say that wizards would have died out if they hadn't married Muggles, Slytherin lived a very long time ago (according to the HP Lexicon (http://www.hp-lexicon.org), around the year 1000 AD). This is so very long ago that perhaps most wizards hadn't found it necessary to marry Muggles yet, and consequently most people were pure bloods.

Edited to add: Prof. Binns says that during this time, witches and wizards suffered persecution. So this could have conceivably been the time when wizards did start marrying Muggles, and Slytherin got so furious at this that he made a big old deal about it.

Shauna

I agree with your assessment Shauna. Especially the edited part. That could explain why he felt the way he did.

[RageTheBat]

I think both versions work...

Half Blood -- A lot of simularities lie between Harry Potter and World War II, as mentioned by Shauna. Lord Voldemort, the worst dark wizard in fifty years (or was it a hundred...?), is quite "coicedentaly" a lot like Hitler, in the sense that he is half muggle and Hilter had a Jewish background. Now, Slitherin started the anti-half-blood movement, much like Hitler. It then comes down to who is more similar, Voldywhatsit or Slitherin?

Full Blood -- If it weren't for WWII, this would be the easiest and most likely answer. Slytherin's time was so far back, that it is quite conveivable that wizards hadn't even thought of marrying muggles at that time. Not that they hated them (unlike Slythin, but much like Gryffindor), it's just that there was no need to intermarry. Also, remember: Slytherin was more intent on keeping out muggles (like Hermoine) than half-bloods, if memory serves. Maybe "half-blood" was an unknown concept back then, and the real "enemy" was just muggles?

[Spikey]

Well IF he was as half blood, why did he ONLY want pure bloods taught at Hogwarts?. Seems rather strange to me, that he would be so against what he was him self.

[Shauna]

I just thought of something else as well: if we assume that the "magic quill" detecting all wizard births was created at the time that Hogwarts was founded (which seems likely), then it is also safe to say that until the quill's invention, Muggle-born wizards were not a part of the wizarding world. They would have been put in institutions, ostracized, or killed by their fellow Muggles and since they had no knowledge that the source of their oddities was the fact that they were a wizard, they would have simply tried to hide their tendency to make odd things happen lived their lives as Muggles.

Wizards probably didn't even know that Muggles without any wizard blood could have wizards. With the invention of the quill, they could, which would only have infuriated Slytherin more.

Shauna

P.S.: Can we change the title of this thread to "Is Salazar Slytherin Pure Blood?" It will make things easier when searching.

[The Dark Prince]

Well IF he was as half blood, why did he ONLY want pure bloods taught at Hogwarts?. Seems rather strange to me, that he would be so against what he was him self.

That is EXACTLY what I said to someone on the internet. I showed him som evidence in OotP, on paged 205 when the sorting hat was singing his song....

[Barbara Kennedy]

Here are some threads that explore the question.
DA, Sorting Hats Song, Slytherin (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=12900)
Why was Tom Riddle in Slytherin? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=14347)
How the Hat chooses the Houses—shallower or deeper than we think? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=25785)
Muggleborn Slytherins (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=318)
Why have a Slytherin House? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22013)
The Slytherin stereotype (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=14921)
Prejudice and the Slytherins (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=10518)
Will knowing Voldemort is a half-blood affect how some of his Death Eaters view him? (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=12830)
Pure Blood Lines (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=15454)

[Shauna]

That's Lord Voldemort's situation and logic as well, but that hasn't stopped him.

Shauna

[the kryle]

it would only make sense...

[rotsiepots]

It would make sense for Slytherin to be a pure-blood, but it would also make sense for his heir to be a pure-blood, but he's not.

It's quite hard to say, really. I think it's likely that Slytherin was a pure-blood, but if JKR revealed that he wasn't I don't think I'd be completely shocked. He could have been massively insecure about his blood status and thus decided to create a legacy that would forward his ideals, which didn't necessarily reflect who he was.

[Nys]

I think in Slytherin's wanting to not teach muggle-born's you could probably sumise that he was a 'purist' in terms of blood. But; as already mentioned JK has a lot of similiarities in her story to WWII, so he mightn't have been.

You would think though, that Tom Riddle would have done some research in his ancestry, so he would know if Slytherin was a hypocrite or not. Therefore, I think its likely that he might be over compensating for the fact that he's not pure-blood like Slytherin, and that might be the core of why he wants to rid the world of those not pure of blood.

[Ms Weasley]

But as was pointed out to me in Layers, only the true heir of Slytherin could open the Chamber. I am taking this to mean that only the one who possessed all of the qualities that Slytherin did could be the one to open it. Look at Tom Riddle. He is a parselmouth, he is a half-blood, he was in Slytherin House. Could it be that he is the true heir because he possessed all of these qualities, and not just because he was a parselmouth. Because, if all it took to open the chamber was to be a parselmouth, then Harry could have done it even if Tom Riddle hadn't. (seeing as the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin House) I'm guessing that Slytherin was a half-blood and had some, shall I say, issues about his family, similar to those that Riddle had.
So I'm voting for Sal Slytherin to be a half-blood.

I agree with you on most points, but you have to take into account that Harry could open the Chamber, and wasn't the true heir of Slytherin. Now, we know this is because some of Voldemot's powers were transferred to him during the whole AK-ordeal, but it doesn't change the fact that someone other that the true heir opened the Chamber.
So in that way I think your argument is slightly flawed, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I do think it is possible for Salazar Slytherin to have been half-blood, because basically, we just don't know. There have been great arguments for both sides, and we'll just have to wait to see if it ever gets answered.

[red_fairy]

If Salazar isn't a pureblood, then he, or somebody has a lot of explaining to do.

[Kelfa21]

I would like to assume that he is a pure blood...but we actually don't know that for sure...it would be hatefully ironic if he had some muggle blood in him and he built a chamber that was used to kill off muggle borns...

But, just like LV is not a pureblood salazar may not be one either...

[The Dark Prince]

It still gets to me, if he was Half-blood, he started this WHOLE argument of only want Pur-bloods in Hogwartd/in his house...

[Shauna]

but it doesn't change the fact that someone other that the true heir opened the Chamber.

Right, but Slytherin didn't bargain on anyone other than his heir being a Parselmouth. It is such a very rare skill (and so clearly associated with dark wizards) that he probably thought he'd be safe using Parseltongue to seal the chamber, figuring that anyone that (a) wanted to find the Chamber (b) spoke Parseltongue and (c) could control the basilisk would be evil enough for him.

Edited because this sounded so very-off topic. The point I wanted to make was that it was interesting that Slytherin didn't have some sort of "blood test" for his heir.

Shauna

[dobby_rocks]

I think SS was a Pureblood. Like many have said he was in a time where there was likely not a lack of Purebloods. Now of Course we dont know since it hasnt been stated but i was always under the impression that all The Founders were Purebloods.

I think it makes it more instersting for SS to be Pureblood, one he would not apporved or wanted Tom Riddle to be his heir, likley had he been able to see into the future, he would have named someone else as his heir. It makes Voldmort seem even more crazy that he was Pureblood Dominace but himself is a half blood w/ only one Magical Parent too

[Ms Weasley]

Edited because this sounded so very-off topic. The point I wanted to make was that it was interesting that Slytherin didn't have some sort of "blood test" for his heir.

True. I just thought that he might've built in some extra 'safety measures' besides that the person needed to speak Parseltongue.

[Shauna]

True. I just thought that he might've built in some extra 'safety measures' besides that the person needed to speak Parseltongue.

He definitely should have. Guess he wasn't too smart then was he? :)

Shauna

[HarryPotter]

I think that we definitely will find out in the next book... maybe Slytherin is the Half Blood Prince... who knows...

Personally I always assumed that he was a Pure-Blood, but perhaps he was a Half-Blood who for any reason turned against anything Muggle, and decided to focus more in the Wizarding world... with all that witches hunting and stuff that happened centuries ago it is not difficult to be against Muggles...

[lewis8604]

As someine said earliear, on page 205 in OoTP, it says for slytherin took only purebloods, cunning just like him. In my opinion that clears it up for me. That also lets me believe that LV has been the only halfblood in slytherin ever since he was the heir then he got in no matter what. I also think that Harry had so much of LVs qualities from the curse that he could have gotten on too.

[hpfan_08]

Ya, with all his hate towards Muggles and Half-Bloods he must. Ya I know that LV hates them also, but he has two reasons to.
1) Because of his childhood.
2) He was in a way expected to, because he was the heir of Slytherian. He had to fulfill Salazars words, that the COS would be opened when his true Heir returned.

[Cedrick Diggory]

I assume Salazar is pureblood because he only accepted purebloods. Not to mention he started the whole anti muggle born wizard controversy. It would be silly to think he himself wasn't pureblood or even worse muggle born.

Note* Voldemort was born from a wizard mother.

[CoLime]

Of course he is, after all he did make the Chamber of Secrets, containing the basilisk that killed/petrofied only half-bloods. Also, he only let pure-bloods into his house back in the day. He also only wanted pure-bloods to attend Hogwarts. :eyebrows: