The Heir of Slytherin -- Why Was the Heir Tom Riddle?

Question

If it will be helpful to anyone, here is Tom Riddle/Voldemort's timeline from the HP Lexicon.

Okay, my math is generally terrible, but if Hogwarts was established approximately 1000 years prior to Harry Potter becoming a student there, that would place the founding of the school around 990-991, correct? My calculations indicate 947-948 years went by before Tom Riddle became a student at Hogwarts in what I believe would be 1938. Tom Riddle's date of birth is listed as December 31, 1926.

Why Was Tom Riddle the "true" Heir of Slytherin? Why did it take over 900+ years after the founding of Hogwarts for the "true" Heir of Slytherin to be born?

Seeing as there were centuries of procreation between the time Salazar Slytherin was alive until Tom Riddle's birth, why did it take until 1926 for Slytherin's true heir to be born?

Is the implication that the true Heir of Slytherin had to imbue certain qualities that Tom Riddle possessed? If so, how does this reflect on Salazar Slytherin? Does this imply that Slytherin himself was -- as Fred and George would put it -- a Seriously Evil Wizard™ who wanted his true heir to be just as corrupt?

Or does being the Heir of Slytherin merely mean the heir is the last witch or wizard to carry Salazar Slytherin's bloodline?

Related question by DVK: Was Salazar Slytherin a Dark Wizard?

Answer 1

So in other words, you are asking whether true heir means the youngest (or maybe oldest) current living descendant (Or in Harry's case, horcrux of a descendant)? Or whether it has some other qualification?

Might that qualification have been that he actually went to Hogwarts? How many of Slytherin's descendants have gone to Hogwarts? I can't remember off of the top of my head, but I don't recall that the Gaunt family ever went to Hogwarts. If they didn't, who was the last person of Slytherin's descendants to attend the school besides Slytherin himself? Merope was a squib, so certainly she did not attend Hogwarts. Did Marvolo? Morfin?

That is a very large portion of the timeline we don't have to access to. It might even be possible that an heir used the Chamber of secrets within that portion of the timeline, but it never became publicly known (No deaths). If so, that would imply that there can be more than one true heir.

Side note: Do you have the book and chapter for the reference to calling Tom the true heir. I'm assuming it's Chamber of Secrets?

Edit: I might take a look at the word heir instead of true. In this case, I would think this is the best fit definition: a person or group considered as inheriting the tradition, talent, etc., of a predecessor.

Tom inherits the Chamber of Secrets, the basilisk, and the power of parseltongue. But parseltongue is the key to them all. Without this intangible power, none of the other material things could be used.

Since there is no governing body to determine who gets the inheritance, I would say that anyone eligible (all descendants) could be considered an heir while the one who actually gets it (where the governing body is fate, magical genetics, or whatever) is the true heir. The lack of governing body to determine the inheritance of such an intangible power would allow for such a distinction.

Of course, we know more than one person inherits parseltongue, so I would go back to the true heir meaning the one who actually used the other two things he inherited.

Answer 2

I agree with Pureferret. It wasn't that Tom Riddle was pre-destined to be The One True Heir, despite what he himself thought.

He was "A heir". Anyone able to speak Parseltongue, figure out the entrance to a Chamber, and embodying Slytherin's dislike for Muggle-borns would fit the bill - even Ginny Weasley under the influence of a diary did a pretty darn good job.

Answer 3

Tom was a Parselmouth - he wasn’t the true heir, he was a heir.

The reason that Tom Riddle was able to open the Chamber of Secrets was simply because he could speak Parseltongue. Harry was also able to open it, and so was Ginny (though they both had a connection with him at the time, Harry through the piece of soul in him, Ginny because she was being possessed by Tom Riddle). Even Ron, who had absolutely no connection with the Dark Lord and didn’t have the natural ability to speak Parseltongue, was able to open the Chamber by imitating what Harry said to open it.

“But how did you get in there?’ he asked, staring from the fangs to Ron. ‘You need to speak Parseltongue!’

‘He did!’ whispered Hermione. ‘Show him, Ron!’

Ron made a horrible, strangled hissing noise. ‘It’s what you did to open the locket,’ he told Harry apologetically. ‘I had to have a few goes to get it right, but,’ he shrugged modestly, ‘we got there in the end.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31 (The Battle of Hogwarts)}}

The J.K. Rowling Pottermore writing further indicates that the key to being able to open the Chamber of Secrets was indeed the ability to speak Parseltongue.

What is certain is that by the time Slytherin was forced out of the school by the other three founders, he had decided that henceforth, the Chamber he had built would be the lair of a monster that he alone – or his descendants – would be able to control: a Basilisk. Moreover, only a Parselmouth would be able to enter the Chamber. This, he knew, would keep out all three founders and every other member of staff.

In addition, it statess that the Chamber of Secrets had in fact been opened by others since Salazar Slytherin’s death and before Tom Riddle opened it.

There is clear evidence that the Chamber was opened more than once between the death of Slytherin and the entrance of Tom Riddle in the twentieth century. When first created, the Chamber was accessed through a concealed trapdoor and a series of magical tunnels.

This is further proof that Tom Riddle wasn’t the only true heir - descendants of Salazar Slytherin before him had indeed opened the Chamber of Secrets.

Tom believed he was the “true Heir” because he was arrogant.

Tom Riddle did believe himself (and Harry, once he found out about him) to be the only Parselmouth to attend Hogwarts after Salazar Slytherin.

“Because there are strange likenesses between us, Harry Potter. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike …”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)}}

However, this is less likely to be based in fact rather than Tom’s own grand thoughts about his importance, and relative lack of knowledge about his ancestors.

Answer 4

He was the True Heir because he was able to open the chamber of secrets. I don't think it was a forgone conclusion that he was the Heir, and it could have been anyone. Had another Heir of Slytherin had turned up before then it would have worked jut as easily.

But Salazar knew his heir would know Parsel tongue (magical genetics) and dark magic (most likely). Though it probably took someone with a dark twisted upbringing to put as much effort as he could into being dark and twisted. But there's no reason I can think of that this could have been anyone else. It's not as though anyone in the HP universe is going to to a genetic test on potential heirs.

Answer 5

See but there's one thing that was only touched on. Tom had to LOOK for the CoS. He didn't just find it. He SEARCHED for it for five whole years. Its not just a question of eligibility or blood lines, but DEDICATION to finding a perfect means to kill mud bloods. To perfecting parlsotounge to the point where they can not only command a basilisk, but convince it that they are worthy of following.