Parseltongue

Harry Potter speaking Parseltongue

Parseltongue is the language of serpents and serpentine creatures. It is a very rare language and very few wizards are known to have the ability to speak it.

About

The ability to speak Parseltongue is usually inherited and nearly every wizard who speaks it is a descendent of Salazar Slytherin. They are called a "Parselmouth". With the language, they can control Basilisks. In the wizarding world, it is considered a sign of that the wizard is interested in the Dark Arts. The language is first heard in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and identified in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

History

Herpo the Foul, a Greek Dark wizard, spoke Parseltongue. He is the first person in record to have produced a Basilisk.

The ability that Parselmouths have to communicate with Runespoors has led to a greater understanding of the creatures' ways through their writings.

In the tenth century, a well-known speaker of Parseltongue was Salazar Slytherin. When he built the Chamber of Secrets which housed the creature, Slytherin made it so it could only be entered by someone who could speak Parseltongue. His descendent, Tom Riddle realised that he could speak Parseltongue when he was a child. When he started Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovered his lineage. Upon learning that he was the Heir of Slytherin, he opened the Chamber of Secrets. He opened it and controlled the Serpent of Slytherin with Parseltongue.

In October 1981, a piece of Voldemort's soul broke off when his Killing Curse thatbwas intended for Harry Potter rebounded. His broken piece ov soul latched onto Harry and transferred powers to him, including the ability to speak Parseltongue.

In June 1991, Harry first spoke Parseltongue at the age of ten. He thought he was talking English when he spoke to a snake at the zoo. He was surprised when the snake could understand him.

In December 1992, he spoke it for the second time at the Duelling Club. The snake was slithering towards Justin Finch-Fletchley when Harry told it not to attack him in front of everyone. Everyone at Hogwarts was shocked, including Severus Snape, and other students thought that Harry was actually telling the snake to hurt Justin. Harry was then suspected to be the Heir of Slytherin.

Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger told Harry that he had spoken Parseltongue. Harry was shocked that he was able to speak a language he had never learned, and that he didn't even know he was speaking it in the first place. They told Harry that Salazar Slytherin could speak to snakes, and Hermione pointed out he could be a descendent of Slytherin. Due to the ability to speak and understand Parseltongue, he was the only one at Hogwarts who could hear the voice of the Serpent of Slytherin.

In May 1993, he opened the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets by telling a snake carving on a tap to "open up" in Parseltongue. A young Tom Riddle let the Serpent of Slytherin out through Parseltongue, and controlled it by speaking the language and telling it to attack Harry.

Trivia

• At first, Harry thought he had to be facing a snake in order to speak Parseltongue. However, he later developed the ability to speak the language of his own accord.
• Herpo the Foul was an ancient Greek Dark Wizard, is the only known Wizard with the ability to speak Parseltongue with no known genetic connection to Salazar Slytherin. This, alongside Albus Dumbledore's statements that there have been Parselmouths among the great and good, show that it is not merely Slytherin's line who speak it, although they are the most famous for it.