Blood Purity in Slytherin

[marm]

Are muggleborns ever sorted into Slytherin? I've read several assertions that, canonically, muggleborns are not accepted into Slytherin (which seems to make sense, given the OotP Sorting Hat song about how each of the founders selected their students). All of the canon muggleborns I can think of are in other houses. Clearly, the Hat doesn't insist

Comments

[scarah2]

Not that we know of, however in addition to Tom Riddle there are several half-bloods according to most people's interpretation of the roster here (the bottom left 3 pictures). The roster is just notes, several things on here were changed between the showing of this documentary and the final of OotP. It also seems anomolous that Neville Longbottom is apparently a girl. (And a surprise half-blood?)

[soharavsalienta]

This is all conjecture, and admittedly there have been no Muggle-born Slytherins mentioned in canon. But Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw pretty much cast Slytherin out of their midst when he wanted to put into effect his idea of a school of pure-bloods, so you'd think that they would have done away with the ideas of his that they disapproved of. I mean, what's the point of getting rid of a Founder that wanted to install blatant racism if you let the blatant racism remain? Also, Slytherin would never have allowed Tom Riddle into his House, seeing that his blood wasn't completely pure, and it makes no sense to allow half-bloods in and to exclude Muggle-borns. I think we just haven't heard of any Muggle-born Slytherins yet; we really haven't heard of that many Slytherins at all, considering that there are about two hundred and fifty of them. However, this is not canon; this is a deduction drawn from canon that may not necessarily be correct. Feel free to disregard. ;)

[_lavinia_]

*pokes* See my comment to this post!

[soharavsalienta]

However, Tom Riddle's father was a Muggle, and proud, pure-blood families like the Blacks, who thought Slytherin had the right idea when it came to those with Muggle blood in them, refused to acknowledge people like Tonks as family just because her mother married a Muggle-born. Proud pure-bloods don't overlook "slurs" on their bloodlines so easily, and neither did Slytherin, I imagine, since his bias was handed down so brutally throughout the centurally...and I think that Slytherin will admit Muggle-borns, but that they have to deal with a lot of crap from the rest of their House. I mean, no one seemed to care at all that Andromeda was a Black; she was blasted off the family tree just the same for marrying a Muggle-born. It makes no sense that the child would be appreciated just because it's half Black if the mother isn't even acknowledged as family. ::shrugs::

[soharavsalienta]

::nods:: V. good point about the Hat in the second paragraph.

[marm]

I wonder, though, how big the difference is between half-blood (a term encompassing people of a variety of blood lines) and muggleborns. There seems to be some difference, culturally, because Malfoy goes to the trouble to slur Hermoine as a muggleborn, but doesn't slur those around him of mixed blood (that we know of). Being muggleborn seems to be it's own particular stigma, as opposed to simply being not pureblood. I can see where the hat (following whatever charm Slytherin had a role in placing on him) might exclude muggleborns but not exclude half-bloods. But, otoh, if Slytherin believed in educating only purebloods (as the OotP song goes), is the hat now free to make it's own decisions, and base it's choices on personality rather than bloodline (which is the trait I believe is sung about in the pre-OotP songs)?

However, I think from the responses given here, it seems like there's no canonical evidence, one way or another, as to whether muggleborns are excluded from Slytherin.

[_lavinia_]

...I was planning my response to this post, then I realized it was violating the very purpose of canon_evidence, but HEY, this is my community and IwilldoasIlike, thankyouverymuch, and ohGodI'mtakingaftertviokh.

Ahem.

In reading an excellent, excellent story, There Is No Such Place by Liz Barr (abandoned WIP: yep), I picked up a great many theories that I adopted at once as canon. Because...I do things like that.

Well, one of them was that Salazar cursed the Sorting Hat so that it couldn't put Muggle-borns into Slytherin. Half-bloods, yes. Not Muggle-borns. Various headmasters/mistresses have tried to break the curse, all to no avail.

I like the idea.

[soharavsalienta]

Oooh....interesting...

On other hand, Lavinia, dear, why am I not recieving update emails of comments on canon_evidence? Or is this just because community is not moderated anymore?

[lavinialavender]

*tilts head* But you got an email - no, not emaili, as first typed - for the comment in which I poked you to look at my theory, didn't you? You don't get emails for just any post or comment - only the ones which you make.

[soharavsalienta]

::shrugs:: I used to get emails every time someone commented. But whatever. As long as this is how it's supposed to be, doesn't matter.

[anaibb]

I really wouldn't like to be a muggle-born in Slytherin, personally. I suppose that the half-bloods who get into Slytherin are eventually convinced by peer pressure that their wizard side is better. I haven't seen evidence that muggle-borns have ever been accepted at Slytherin. I reckon half-blood are more generally accepted because like Ron says in CoS "if we hadn't married muggles we would've died out".

[soharavsalienta]

Very true. And then there's always that annoying little voice that says: "Just because we have no evidence that Muggle-borns aren't accepted doesn't mean that they aren't!" Still, I agree with you. A Muggle-born in Slytherin, if there is such a thing, wouldn't have a very easy time of it.