Salazar Slytherin

Lore & Background

Salazar Slytherin is one of Hogwarts' four founders. The Chamber was opened in the past, and a Muggle-born girl died when it was last opened 50 years ago. Slytherin's ability to speak to snakes is noted as a trait shared with Harry Potter, leading to suspicion that Harry is the heir. The Chamber's entrance is located in a bathroom haunted by the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, who was the Muggle-born girl killed by the basilisk. The monster is identified as a basilisk, a giant serpent that kills people who make direct eye contact; petrified victims only saw it indirectly.

In Their Own Story

The source does not provide a narrative story about Salazar Slytherin's life or actions. It only describes his legacy through the Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk, and the events of the film.

Reader's Guide

Salazar Slytherin is a founder of Hogwarts who built a secret chamber containing a basilisk, intended to purge Muggle-borns. The Chamber was opened 50 years before the events of the film, killing a Muggle-born girl. It is reopened again during Harry's second year, petrifying students. The heir of Slytherin is revealed to be Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort's younger self, who used an enchanted diary to manipulate Ginny Weasley into reopening the Chamber. Harry kills the basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor and destroys the diary, ending the threat.

Did You Know?

• Salazar Slytherin supposedly constructed a secret Chamber containing a monster that only his heir can control.
• The monster in the Chamber is a basilisk, a giant serpent that kills people who make direct eye contact.
• A Muggle-born girl died when the Chamber was last opened 50 years before the events of the film.
• The ability to speak to snakes is shared by Salazar Slytherin and Harry Potter.
• The Chamber's entrance is located in a bathroom haunted by the ghost of Moaning Myrtle, who was the Muggle-born girl killed by the basilisk.