Slytherin house in the Harry Potter series is represented by the colors green and silver. The color green holds major significance for Slytherin house and is an integral part of their identity. But why was green specifically chosen as their signature color? In this article, we will explore the history behind the Slytherin colors and the meaning and symbolism behind the color green to understand why it fits this Hogwarts house so well.
The History of Slytherin House
To understand why green was chosen for Slytherin, we first need to look at the history of Slytherin house itself. Slytherin is one of the four houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Salazar Slytherin. Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of Hogwarts, along with Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. According to Hogwarts legend, each founder picked students for their house based on the qualities they prized most.
Slytherin house became home to students who exhibited the traits that Salazar Slytherin valued. These included cunning, ambition, leadership, and resourcefulness. Salazar Slytherin prized students who had sharp minds, great determination, and strong senses of self-preservation. According to Pottermore, Slytherin looked for students with “a certain disregard for the rules” and “a certain shrewdness.” Above all, Salazar Slytherin valued pureblood wizarding ancestry in his students.
So the types of students sorted into Slytherin tended to be ambitious, cunning, determined, and resourceful, with a disregard for rules and a belief in wizarding blood purity. These personality traits and values became associated with Slytherin house over the centuries.
Slytherin’s Association with Snakes
In addition to the house’s traits, Slytherin also became strongly associated with serpents and snakes. This connection to serpents stems from Salazar Slytherin himself. According to Hogwarts legend, Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth, meaning he could speak to snakes. This ability got passed down through his Slytherin descendants over the years, including Tom Riddle a.k.a. Lord Voldemort.
The symbol for Slytherin house became a serpent due to this special power associated with Salazar Slytherin and those in his bloodline. Harry Potter even gets the ability to speak Parseltongue when Voldemort’s powers get transferred to him when he was a baby. Snakes and serpents became the iconic Slytherin animal.
So green became linked to Slytherin partially due to the close association between the house and snakes. Certain species of snakes are green, and snakes can also represent qualities like cunningness and cleverness. The snake epitomized the Slytherin spirit in many ways.
The Meaning Behind the Color Green
Now that we’ve covered some Slytherin history and its snake symbolism, let’s discuss why green specifically was chosen to represent this house.
Green has a number of symbolic meanings that made it the perfect color choice for Slytherin:
Ambition – One definition of the color green is that it represents ambition, greed, and money. Given Slytherin’s ambitious traits, green connects back to those core house values.
Cunning – Green can also represent cunningness and slyness. The color seems well-suited for a house whose founder valued cunning and shrewdness.
Self-Preservation – Green symbolizes self-preservation and looking out for oneself above all else. This again links back to Slytherin’s emphasis on determination, resourcefulness, and purity.
Snakes & Serpents – As mentioned earlier, green is the color of many snake species. The green reinforces Slytherin’s serpent symbolism.
Rarity & Exclusivity – Green is also a rare, exclusive color in nature. Slytherin valued pureblood wizards above others, so green’s rare qualities connect with those prejudiced values.
Neutrality – Green is neutral on the color wheel, between warm and cool colors. This can reflect the impartial cunning of Slytherin house members.
Slytherin’s Connection to Hogwarts Dungeons
In addition to green’s symbolism, another reason Slytherin is associated with green is because their house dormitory is located in the dungeons of Hogwarts. The Slytherin common room and bedrooms are in the dungeons, where there is little natural sunlight.
Because green is aesthetically linked to nature, using green light in the dark dungeons helps offset the coldness of stone and lack of sunlight for Slytherins. Green adds natural elements and life to an otherwise dark, cave-like space. The green colors liven up the dungeon aesthetics.
So the Dungeon location of the Slytherin dorms partially influenced the choice of green, to balance out the darkness and dreariness.
Slytherin Common Room Description
The Slytherin common room and dorms are described as being in the dungeons behind a blank stone wall, requiring a password for entry. According to Pottermore, the common room windows provide greenish light projected from under the Black Lake.
The common room itself is a long room with low ceilings and green lamps hanging from chains. The walls and ceilings are rough stone with greenish light reflecting around the space. Plush sofas and chairs are scattered around carved wood tables and skulls adorn the fireplace.
So green light, green hues, and green lamps help add ambient lighting and color. The green offsets the dark, subterranean atmosphere. Even the windows to the Black Lake have green lighting filtering in from underwater. Overall, heavy use of green helps liven up the dungeon common room.
Examples of Slytherin Green in the Books
Throughout the Harry Potter books, green is continually associated with Slytherin house, from the uniforms and insignia to descriptions of the common room:
– Slytherin students wear green-lined robes, green and silver ties, and green prefect badges. Harry notes their “greenish hue” from the common room windows.
– The Slytherin Quidditch team players wear green robes as their uniforms during matches.
– In the Chamber of Secrets, the decor has “emerald green shades” from the serpent-themed lamps lining the space.
– The locket Horcrux has a green “S” on it, standing for Slytherin house.
– Harry sees Tom Riddle wearing a “green silk handkerchief” in the Pensieve memory about the opening of the Chamber.
So green is woven through the Slytherin house descriptions as their signature color.
Silver Accents
While green is the predominant Slytherin color, silver accents represent the other half of their house colors. Rowena Ravenclaw originally wore silver and blue. But silver was switched to Slytherin to contrast against Gryffindor’s gold accents.
Silver reflects qualities like refinement and exclusivity, a secondary color echoing the ambitious Slytherin traits. The silver offsets the green nicely from an aesthetic standpoint.
Slytherin Green vs. Other Hogwarts House Colors
To see why green suits Slytherin, it helps to compare it against the other house color schemes:
| Hogwarts House | Colors | Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Gryffindor | Scarlet and gold | Bravery, daring, nerve, chivalry |
| Hufflepuff | Yellow and black | Dedication, hard work, fair play, patience |
| Ravenclaw | Blue and bronze | Intelligence, creativity, learning |
| Slytherin | Green and silver | Ambition, cunning, leadership, self-preservation |
The other house colors seem fitting for their respective house traits:
– Scarlet conveys courage and passion for Gryffindor.
– Yellow represents cheerful optimism for Huddlepuff.
– Blue connotes wisdom and depth for Ravenclaw.
But green stands out as the perfect Slytherin shade because of its rarity in nature, tie to ambition and self-preservation, and snake symbolism. No other color would fit Slytherin quite as well as green does.
Conclusion
In summary, Slytherin house is represented by the color green because of its numerous symbolic meanings. Green represents ambition, cunning, resourcefulness, and self-preservation – all qualities associated with Salazar Slytherin when he founded the Hogwarts house. The color also has connections to snakes and serpents, a signature Slytherin symbol.
Green adds natural elements to the dark Slytherin dorms in the Hogwarts dungeons. And green contrasts nicely aesthetically against the other house color schemes. For all these reasons, the color green was an excellent choice to represent the Slytherin house and its members throughout the Harry Potter series. The symbolic green nicely encapsulates the essence of Slytherin.
