In the previous installments, we looked at an idealist House (Ravenclaw, the person that lives up to an external ideal above their feelings), and a loyalist House (Hufflepuff, who treats and sees everyone as equal of their love and protection). Now let’s look at the other loyalist House, Slytherin.
Unlike the Hufflepuff, the Slytherin has people they prioritize, over whom they feel ownership or devotion. For a Slytherin, family is everything—and they will sacrifice their ideologies to save their loved ones, chosen or born. We see this in Narcissa Malfoy, who betrays Voldemort when she tells him Harry is dead, to save her son and then hustles her family off the battlefield at the Battle of Hogwarts—faced with their life or death, she prioritizes saving them over The Cause. To betray their family feels immoral to a Slytherin, so they spend a lot of time protecting their loved ones, fighting battles for and alongside them, and holding onto them tightly. If and when they choose to make other people part of their Family, they extend the same fierce devotion, sense of ownership, and protectiveness toward them. Not everyone is welcome. The Slytherin is not interested in everyone, and feels no guilt about putting Their Most Important People first.
The Slytherin ‘family first’ mentality is rampant in film. Like Tony Stark as Iron Man. He doesn’t do it out of a sense of Unyielding Moral Right like Captain America (a Gryffindor), but because he sees it as HIS responsibility, because the world is his to protect. His emblem was on the weapons. His name created a dangerous world. Tony does not attach easily, but on occasion people become his… like Pepper and, toward the end, Peter Parker. His total devotion to Family is what makes him incapable of forgiving Bucky. That dude killed my parents; he has to pay. This is what leads to the conflict in Civil War—an epic showdown between a Slytherin’s love for his family and a Gryffindor’s absolute iron-clad “No, I won’t let you do this.”
Elena Gilbert, in The Vampire Diaries, has a Hufflepuff Model of equality and fairness to everyone—until someone threatens her brother, then it’s Family First (the series contrasts her to the highly moral, forgiving Elijah, a Hufflepuff with a Slytherin Model — after Elena kills his brother to save her own, he understands and forgives her. She would Never Forgive). Katniss Everdeen, in The Hunger Games, volunteers for Prim, to save Prim, goes into the arena for Prim, then adopts Peeta and Rue and would die for them. Unlike Gale, a Gryffindor driven by what feels moral to him, she would love to take her family and run away from the war, to hide out in the woods, because… her family comes first. She even asks Haymitch to volunteer to replace Peeta in the second book / movie if Peeta is Chosen to return to the arena (prioritizing Peeta, her person, over Haymitch; and Peeta, being another Slytherin, volunteers so that he can protect her, his person!).
The Slytherin loyalty is not the “you are a person, and just being a person makes you deserve my loyalty” mentality of a Hufflepuff; it’s a deliberate decision to choose someone as special and bring them into your fold. It’s Sam Gamgee, willing to leave Merry and Pippin behind (they are not “his”) but will follow “MY” Mr. Frodo into Mordor, even if it kills him. Sir Guy in the BBC Robin Hood, who would let the world burn to save Lady Marian. Buffy Summers, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who takes it upon herself to save everyone, all the time, because they are HERS to protect. She takes “ownership” of the world. It’s HER responsibility. It’s not a duty, it’s a drive born of possession, a sense of “this world is MINE.” (Like Tony Stark.)
All these characters are willing to die for their Chosen Others, making them devoted, fierce in the protection of loved ones, and focused in their love.
In Star Wars, Finn, Han Solo, and Anakin are Slytherins. Finn shows it in how he “chooses” Rey. She becomes his Person. He prioritizes her, cares about her, and through all three movies, is chasing after her, determined to “save” Rey. “Where is Rey?” is his predictable catchphrase. I am just here for Rey. Even though he adopts others later, finds ways to connect to them, and decides to live and die for a higher cause, for him it’s always because Rey cares, and he cares about Rey. He endangered his life and the lives of others to save her, almost died fighting Kylo Ren for her, even stopped running from the First Order (out of a desire to save his own neck) when he saw her kidnapped. Finn risked everything to board an enemy ship and find her… all for Rey. His person. His chosen one.
Han follows the same course – he wants nothing to do with Leia’s war, he sees no benefit in it for himself, he is in it “for me.” What makes him turn around and charge into action? Leia. Love for her. What makes him heroic? The desire to help Leia. To win Leia. For Leia. Why does he approach his son, knowing it might get him killed? For Leia, and because you don’t turn your back on Family. Ever. Han dies trying to redeem his child. He never gave up, even at the end. He returns as a Force Ghost, to forgive him, and urge him to return to Goodness. He plays as much of a role in Ben’s redemption as Rey does, because she shows Ben the light, and the forgiveness of his Slytherin father enables him to take it.
Anakin has the same fierce devotion to Padme. Whatever he does, even if it’s destructive, is out of love for his Person. He loves her so deeply, and is so afraid of losing her, that the Emperor tricks him into betraying everything —for her. He can kill all the Jedi, because they are not “his.” Padme is his. But his cursed Slytherin possessive love is also his redemption—because at the end, confronted with his son’s possible death, Anakin cannot betray his Family. The “burned” Slytherin who has forgotten love—for himself, for the Jedi, for Obi-Wan, for his dead wife, and his children—un-burns. He dies in defense of his son, because… he is mine. My son. Luke. Mine to save.
Slytherins get an unfair rap, but there’s nothing wrong with prioritizing your family. Your loved ones. With being selective in whom you give your time to. With loving hard and deep. Being chosen by a Slytherin as one of “my people” is awesome, because they don’t give that love to just anyone. And they are willing to die for whatever they decide is “my cause.” In the Bible, when I think of a Slytherin, Ruth comes to mind. After she marries into Naomi’s family, she becomes Family. She refuses to leave Naomi, even when her sister-in-law turns back “for home.” Once you have chosen your family, you don’t abandon them. Upon reaching a foreign land, despite being a stranger and not of their kind, she’s fine, because she’s with Naomi. She keeps to herself, and looks after Naomi by gathering food for them. Ruth does all in service ‘of’ Naomi. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Out of all the Houses, I admire Slytherin the most. Are you one?
I love your stuff!!!! After watching anything these days I always check to see if you’ve done anything on any of the characters. Can you please go back to adding the Houses on too if it wouldn’t be much trouble? I miss them
Thank you. I appreciate that.
I won’t add Hogwarts Houses back on the character typings (since I don’t need yet another thing to keep track of / analyze while trying to watch and enjoy a movie), but I’m not opposed to one day having a separate blog for Sorting.
Awww, the joys of being a Slytherin. I’m on Steve’s side, usually, but on subsequent viewings of Civil War, I fully understood Tony’s point of view. Something he cherished mightily and wishes that he could have had a second chance to make right, was snatched out from under him, and by the best friend of Captain America. It’s cruel and he sees red and his first and only instinct is to do the only thing he can to make his parents’ death palatable to him. I get it. If something happened to my sister, I would do the same thing. It’s a terrifying thought because at that moment, it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about avenging the hurt done to someone deeply loved and cherished. I would be the person asking to throw the switch for the electric chair if someone killed a loved one. And I would do it coldly and with deliberate satisfaction after whispering, “burn in hell.” Like I said, a terrifying thought.
But on the upside, I love the loyalty I experience as a Slytherin. Most of the time. It means that I always have someone to take care of, and it gives me a reason to pray that I’ll never marry a man who’ll betray me. Because I’m pretty sure the bond of trust would be irreparably destroyed.
Great post! I love that you’re doing Hogwarts Houses! ❤
Its interesting that you say that about never marrying a man who’ll betray you. SAME. That is how I think of cheaters, betrayers. I just don’t understand people who even want their exes much less who go back to them. It would be nuclear bombed-bridge over for me.
I hope you never face that choice.
Over the years, I’ve had to help my family through three different situations where people have hurt / maligned / attacked us, and I felt at the time a mix of “I should do something about this, defend them” and “my reaction will only worsen the situation, stay out of it” pragmatism. I admire people who have the courage to stand up for loved ones, but I lack the internal drive to do it.
It’s been a fun series to write. 🙂
Ok, so the first post on this house system, I was very aggravated by my test results, and didn’t really keep questioning and researching. But you post on Hufflepuff sent me back and I looked over both posts. I started getting it more, and I retook the test and really paid more attention. I came up with Slytherin primary possibly Gryfindor, Ravenclaw secondary and possibly some Gryffindor and Ravenclaw modeling. Then I went to the articles and read about it more. Basically confirmed this, Slytherin primary with Gryffindor and maybe Ravenclaw primary modeling. Ravenclaw secondary, no modeling. I think this is where I was hung up on Ravenclaw before, I’m absolutely the “how” as they said in Ravenclaw, that is where my Ravenclaw comes in. Like I was taking notes the whole time and have a sheet of notes. Oh, and I’m burned, but that I knew before anything else.
I sort of defined this as Slytherin is my gut, clannish response, my soul/psyche. Gryffindor is my conscience. Ravenclaw is my upbringing. I’m talking primary.
One thing I would differ on is the choice, it’s not choice, I’m not loyal. It just IS, it’s gut. It’s a possessiveness or a beingness.
It’s funny, Katniss was so selfish, and so many many keep calling her caring and what not, and I’m like, um NO she’s not, she only cares about her family to the detriment of everyone else. Maybe this is why I can see it, I can be like that. However, I’m never sure I’d carry it that far. But I wonder. I’m also from the feuding areas of first England (the Scottish border if my genealogy is correct plus the history in Albion’s Seed), and then of this nation. So, genetics some?
I don’t know, I feel like I’m starting to see why I am certain ways. Somebody mentioned something about patriotism in post recently, I know some people see it as nationalist or cult-like or idolatry, and for some it is or can be. For some it is loyalty, tradition, a way they are raised, I think I was raised that way, but that isn’t just it. For me, its just me, its a broader extension of clannishness. It’s just there, I could move, I could change technical nationalities, but it would still be mine as if it was genetic, not because I was trying to feel that way, but because to me its a reality I cannot change. It is this way for other things too.
Seriously, this house system is WAY more helpful to understand myself than any other personality test. Crazy, but fascinating. I think because it’s not an entire personality but understanding motivations, plus allowing for multiple different layers for different people rather than here are 9 or 16 or whatever boxes, squish yourself in one. This is also what I liked about the 4 Tendencies (responses to inner and out responsibilities), it measures PART of you.
Slytherins are possibly the most identifiable house in other people and in characters, since their “me and mine first” mentality shines so bright. Like you, I like the Sorting Hat System because… I can very easily see where my friends and family fit into the different houses, and where we hit violent clashes. My Ravenclaw “but you can’t just trust how you feel” comes up against my father’s Gryffindor “oh, yes you can, I trust my instincts and they are right” all the time. There’s no use arguing moral principles with Hufflepuffs, who will prioritize living, breathing people every single time over a cold “rule.” Ravenclaws will listen to you, but stubbornly hold onto their system. And Slytherins sometimes make the mistake of neglecting the people not right in front of them. But it’s… just who we are. We can get along or not, we can learn to accept our differences, or we can wage wars against each other.
Yes, from what you said and what little I have read of your comments and blog posts here and there, you struck me as a strong Ravenclaw secondary – which is why you identified with Ravenclaw from Rowling’s original sorting system. I will also, if I may, say that… you are looking at MBTI wrong, if you think it’s about cramming you into a narrow box. Perhaps that is how some people teach it, and that’s how the narrow representations of it on 16 Personalities are, but I hope I do not teach it that way and in ten years of studying it, it has helped me more than anything learn to live with other people. It’s not a box, it’s simply to describe how your brain processes information. Like Sorting Hats, it is the “how” and your Enneagram is the “why.”
I get that Slytherin isn’t a choice, it’s just a sudden, possessive sense of “This person is MINE now” but I’m not sure how to phrase that in an article. And I am trying not to sound negative, in case that drives some people away from Slytherin – so many of the adjectives and terms used to describe these things are negative, like… possessive. Katniss being selfish never bothered me much (though I could easily see it, in her “me and mine” vs. Gale’s “do the right thing for everyone” Gryff mentality) but… I found her 6ish waffling annoying. I get enough of that in my head, I don’t need to put up with it in her. Ha, ha.
Patriotism for me is just… who I am. Of course I am loyal to my country. But not because it’s “mine,” just… because I live here, it’s part of my blood, and I believe in America. So it’s not the Slytherin approach to patriotism. I can also diffuse it. Someone burning my flag makes me furious, but then I can shrug and go about my day.
“Like Sorting Hats, it is the “how” and your Enneagram is the “why.” I do realize Enneagram is why, I think that is how I could “get” it a bit better, I like how you put it, do you have more about meyers-briggs?
“My Ravenclaw “but you can’t just trust how you feel” comes up against my father’s Gryffindor “oh, yes you can, I trust my instincts and they are right” all the time.” I can model/think both of those things depending on my leaning, the person, etc.
Do you think no Pevensies are Slytherin? I like that you included them, they seem to get left out of most personality typing.
Enneagram is an easier system if you are at least semi-self-aware. It took me forever to figure out my MBTI type, because as a 6, I kept questioning, analyzing, and testing things, and being an ENFP, my brain conjured up endless alternative possibilities, so it was a self-destructive questioning loop. And yet, when I read about Enneagram 6s, I went with total conviction, “That is me. I am all about security and logic. I am afraid.” I could then find my personality type, because I knew to factor in 6 and block out all the stereotypes (ENFP profiles are usually 7w6 sp-blinds… and I never take risks, but I am all about sharing ideas!).
I was thinking about Susan and… she seems to be a constructed house, so I would say either Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Her attitude about not wanting Peter to risk his life being a hero seems more Slytherin (it lacks high ideals) but her emphasis on logic, her struggle returning to the real world from Narnia and feeling betrayed by it, and her eventual returning to logic / forsaking Narnia altogether, could be a burned Ravenclaw returning to her ‘system’ — which is to be utterly rational. (It doesn’t help her that she’s a social 6 ISTJ and ruthlessly logical.)
I run the Funky MBTI tumblr blog (where I answer tons of questions) and on wordpress: https://funkymbti.wordpress.com. I’ve amassed a lot of information there, if you want to crawl through it, and I’m happy to answer any questions. 🙂
I’m going to have to peruse this more this weekend, I was quite happy to see the under-appreciated Eomer on there!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay. I didn’t realize Tony Stark was a Slytherin. I think I understand him a little better, now.
Given that, I can finally understand him … WANTING … to kill Bucky (even though my Hufflepuff is all “Bucky is a person!!! He doesn’t deserve to be treated like a monster, and blamed for his brainwashing!!!”) If he’s Slytherin, then yeah, that reaction is natural.
What I can’t understand is people being angry at Cap for stopping him. Like, guys, you really expect Cap to just step back and let Tony murder his best friend for a crime he had no control over? You REALLY want that?
Wonder if some of them might be Slytherins, too … 😉
As usual, I can see both sides of the issue — but I admit that watching Civil War, I was angrier at Cap than Iron Man, because I understood Iron Man’s desire to avenge his parents even if I didn’t agree with it. I did not want Bucky killed, but felt that, given his inability / refusal to back down, Iron Man should have had SOMETHING. Let him smack Bucky a couple of times and call it a day, but Cap wouldn’t let them anywhere near each other, and his refusal to compromise… irked me. Like, find something you can both live with. 😛
No, I do see your point, buuuuuut …. I don’t think Tony would have been satisfied with just slapping Bucky in the head a few times, or having a light boxing match, or whatever. I don’t think that would have served in his mind as revenge: and that’s what he WANTED: revenge. Straight up blood lust.
So if I’d been Cap, I wouldn’t have let Tony anywhere near Bucky, either. I wouldn’t trust him to restrain himself, angry unbalanced ESFP 8 that he is. 😉
As it was, dude literally ripped Bucky’s arm off.
#you need some therapy, child
I think Slytherins more than anyone would be likely to find it hard to forgive anyone who hurt, betrayed, or killed their loved ones. Since those people are their entire WORLD.
Right. Tony’s Slytherin ruthlessness and implacable-ness were on full display, there. That’s why he went “full-on violent force.” And that’s why nothing but equally violent force would be able to stop him.
It was the clash of the titans — of two Houses unwilling to compromise: Gryffindor and Slytherin, lol.
Fun times, fun times …
This Slytherin is NOT team Stark AT ALL. I don’t understand his going after Bucky. But this might be because Captain America and Bucky are MY people and Stark is not. However, I don’t agree with Stark’s morals in this case either, which is the reason I was at least previously telling myself.
I am usually not pro-Stark, because I find him petty, controlling, and selfish… but for some reason I understood his motivations completely and felt far more empathy for him in “Civil War” than in any previous film. I have an uncanny ability to understand Slytherins “just looking after their people” even though I am not one. (I wind up writing a LOT of them, I guess that’s why? Or maybe I’m just drawn to them? I dunno.)