They were the symbol of Slytherin house
First, let’s start with the obvious connection, one of the four Hogwarts houses were represented by a serpent – Slytherin. Founded by Salazar Slytherin, this house prided itself on its ambition and cunning. Interestingly, if we circle back to the Lunar New Year and the Chinese zodiac, those who are born in the Year of the Snake are supposedly shrewd, wily and curious – which fits quite nicely with the Slytherin identity.

Plus, Ilvermorny had strong ties to serpents too
Yes! Snakes weren’t only a staple of Hogwarts, they also played an important role in the wizarding school across the pond, Ilvermorny. Hidden in Massachusetts in the USA, this school had more the one tie to our slithering friends. Firstly, one of their houses is named after the wizarding creature, the Horned Serpent, and is supposed to represent the mind. It was chosen because it was founder Isolt Sayre’s favourite magical creature. Apparently, Isolt could communicate with the Horned Serpent, and it offered her shavings from its horn which became the core of the first ever American-made wand.
Did we mention that Isolt was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin? That goes a long way to explain why she had such an affinity for serpents and her curious ability to communicate with them.

Some witches and wizards talk to snakes
Speaking of communicating with snakes, there is a whole language that enables certain witches and wizards to talk to them, Parseltongue. If you can’t speak it, the sound of it is quite unpleasant, as it just sounds like a series of snake-like hisses.
It is rare to find a Parselmouth (someone with this ability) and most are direct descendants of Salazar himself. Harry Potter was one glaring exception rule – his ability was tied to his connection to Voldemort. This was also not a language embraced by the wizarding community because many believed it to have strong associations to the Dark Arts. They regarded those who could speak it with great serious suspicion.
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They had ties to Dark magic
Out of all the animals that have become totems or symbols in the wizarding world, the snake is arguably the one most often associated with Dark magic. Most notably, it was often tied to Voldemort. The Dark Mark (his symbol) prominently featured a snake emerging from the mouth of a skull. Plus, there was his pet snake, Nagini, who devoured more than her fair share of Voldemort’s victims. Beyond that, there was the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, Salazar Slytherin whose house was known for turning out Dark witches and wizards and not forgetting the suspicion around those who could talk to them. If any animal was in need of some good PR in the wizarding world, it was snakes.

One snake was a Horcrux
There was one serpent that never left Voldemort’s side, Nagini. Having once been human, she was a Maledictus – condemned by a blood curse to eventually turn into an animal forever. In her case, that was a giant snake. Once a witch who lived in America in the 1920s, she eventually became Voldemort’s snake and quite possibly his closest companion. In fact, Voldemort even showed affection towards her (unprecedented really) and regarded her so highly that he concealed part of his soul in her making her a Horcrux. From that moment on, she rarely left his side.

Hogwarts was terrorised by a giant snake
Otherwise known as the Basilisk or the ‘King of Serpents’, this giant snake had the ability to kill you with just one look. Curiously, to hatch a Basilisk, a chicken egg had to be hatched beneath a toad. Hatching such creatures was forbidden, but Salazar Slytherin had one tucked away in the Chamber of Secrets deep in the bowels of Hogwarts. This particular serpent could only be controlled by the heir of Slytherin and used the castle plumbing to cause all sorts of terror throughout the school. It was simply Petrifying.

One of our first glimpses of Harry’s magic involved a snake
Harry might not have been a Dark wizard or a Slytherin, but serpents seemed to slither into his life quite frequently. The very first time we saw him do magic, it involved a zoo, Dudley’s disastrous birthday trip, some vanishing glass and a grateful Boa Constrictor from Brazil. Harry may not have meant to free the snake from its enclosure, but it was rather grateful. With a quick ‘Thanksss, amigo’ it slithered off into the sunset with the dream of heading home to Brazil. We like to imagine it made it and is now living a chilled life where it can spend its days basking in the sunshine totally free.
