Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Lord Voldemort====== =====Introduction===== Lord Voldemort, born **Tom Marvolo Riddle**, is the primary antagonist of the *Harry Potter* series and the archenemy of [[Harry Potter]]. A half-blood wizard obsessed with blood purity, he is widely considered the most powerful and dangerous Dark wizard of all time. As the leader of the [[Death Eater]]s, he sought to conquer the wizarding world, achieve immortality through the creation of [[Horcrux]]es, and eradicate [[Muggle]]-born witches and wizards. His story is inextricably linked with Harry's due to a [[Prophecy]] that foretold his downfall, leading to his first defeat and eventual final demise at the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. =====Biography===== ====Early Life==== Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on 31 December 1926 to the pure-blood witch [[Merope Gaunt]] and the [[Muggle]] [[Tom Riddle, Sr.]]. Merope, a descendant of [[Salazar Slytherin]], tricked the wealthy Tom Riddle Sr. into a relationship, likely using a [[Love Potion]]. When she ceased using the potion in the hopes he had genuinely fallen for her, he abandoned his pregnant wife. Heartbroken, Merope sold [[Slytherin's Locket]], a family heirloom, and gave birth at [[Wool's Orphanage]] in London, dying shortly after naming her son. Riddle grew up in the orphanage, a strange and cruel boy who was aware of his unique abilities. He used his nascent magic to torment other children, demonstrating an early affinity for control and sadism. In 1938, [[Albus Dumbledore]] visited the orphanage to invite him to [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], where Dumbledore became the first person Tom could not intimidate. ====Hogwarts Years==== At [[Hogwarts]], Tom Riddle was sorted into [[Slytherin House]]. He was a charismatic, brilliant, and seemingly model student, eventually becoming a [[Prefect]] and [[Head Boy]]. Secretly, he explored his lineage, discovering his descent from [[Salazar Slytherin]] and his ability to speak [[Parseltongue]]. In his fifth year, he opened the [[Chamber of Secrets]], unleashing the [[Basilisk]] within, which resulted in the death of a student, [[Myrtle Warren]] ([[Moaning Myrtle]]). He framed [[Rubeus Hagrid]] and his [[Acromantula]], [[Aragog]], for the crime. During this time, he used Myrtle's death to create his first [[Horcrux]], preserving a piece of his soul within his old school [[Riddle's Diary|diary]]. He gathered a group of followers from [[Slytherin]], who were the precursors to the [[Death Eater]]s. He also learned about [[Horcrux]]es in-depth from Professor [[Horace Slughorn]], revealing his ambition to split his soul seven times. ====First Wizarding War==== After graduating from [[Hogwarts]], Riddle briefly worked at [[Borgin and Burkes]] in [[Knockturn Alley]]. He used his position to track down two more of [[Slytherin]]'s and [[Hufflepuff]]'s heirlooms. He murdered [[Hepzibah Smith]] to steal [[Slytherin's Locket]] and [[Hufflepuff's Cup]], turning them into [[Horcrux]]es. He then vanished for a decade, travelling extensively, delving deeper into the [[Dark Arts]], and undergoing significant magical transformations that made him less human in appearance. He reemerged as **Lord Voldemort**, a name he created from an anagram of his full name, "Tom Marvolo Riddle" (I am Lord Voldemort). He gathered his [[Death Eater]]s and began the [[First Wizarding War]]. His reign of terror lasted for eleven years, marked by widespread fear, disappearances, and death. Voldemort was so feared that most of the wizarding community referred to him only as "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named". In 1980, he learned of a [[Prophecy]] made by [[Sybill Trelawney]] that predicted the birth of a child with the power to vanquish him. He interpreted this to mean the son of either the [[Longbottom]] or [[Potter]] families. He chose to target the Potters, and on 31 October 1981, he attacked their home in [[Godric's Hollow]]. He murdered [[James Potter]] and then [[Lily Potter]]. However, Lily's loving sacrifice created a powerful magical protection over her infant son, [[Harry Potter]]. When Voldemort cast the [[Killing Curse]] on Harry, it rebounded, ripping Voldemort's soul from his body and destroying him physically. A fragment of his soul latched onto Harry, the only living thing in the room, making Harry an unintentional [[Horcrux]]. ====Return to Power==== Reduced to a wraith-like form, Voldemort fled to a forest in Albania, where he spent years in hiding, possessing animals to survive. In 1991, he possessed Professor [[Quirinus Quirrell]] and attempted to steal the [[Philosopher's Stone]] to regain a body, but was thwarted by [[Harry Potter]]. In the summer of 1994, he was found by [[Peter Pettigrew]], who helped him create a rudimentary body using a potion involving [[Unicorn Blood]] and [[Nagini]]'s venom. With the help of [[Barty Crouch Jr.]], he orchestrated Harry's capture during the [[Triwizard Tournament]]. On 24 June 1995, in the graveyard of [[Little Hangleton]], Voldemort used a dark ritual involving the bone of his father ([[Tom Riddle, Sr.]]), flesh of his servant ([[Peter Pettigrew]]), and blood of his enemy ([[Harry Potter]]) to create a new, full body. ====Second Wizarding War==== Upon his return, Voldemort summoned his [[Death Eater]]s and began the [[Second Wizarding War]]. For the first year, the [[Ministry of Magic]] refused to accept his return, allowing him to operate in secret. After a dramatic duel with [[Albus Dumbledore]] at the [[Battle of the Department of Mysteries]], his return became public knowledge. Voldemort's primary goals were to kill [[Harry Potter]] and achieve true immortality. He took control of the [[Ministry of Magic]] in 1997, installing a puppet minister, [[Pius Thicknesse]]. He also sought the [[Elder Wand]], one of the [[Deathly Hallows]], believing it would make him unbeatable. He tracked it down and stole it from Dumbledore's tomb. His downfall came during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] on 2 May 1998. As the battle raged, Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] successfully destroyed his remaining [[Horcrux]]es: [[Hufflepuff's Cup]], [[Ravenclaw's Diadem]], and [[Nagini]]. Voldemort unwittingly killed the part of his own soul residing in Harry, believing he had killed his nemesis. However, Harry survived. In their final confrontation, Voldemort's [[Killing Curse]], cast with the [[Elder Wand]], rebounded upon himself once more, as the wand's true allegiance was to Harry. With all his [[Horcrux]]es gone, Tom Riddle died permanently. =====Physical Appearance and Personality===== As a young Tom Riddle, he was described as tall and handsome, with dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. After his transformations, his appearance became monstrous and serpentine. His skin was chalk-white, his face was waxy and skull-like, with red, glowing eyes that had vertical, cat-like slits for pupils. His nose was as flat as a snake's, with slits for nostrils, and he had long, thin, spider-like fingers. Voldemort's defining personality trait was his profound fear of death, which drove his quest for immortality. He was a megalomaniac, obsessed with power, and a psychopath incapable of love, friendship, or remorse. He was exceptionally cruel and sadistic, enjoying the pain and fear of others. Despite his obsession with pure-blood supremacy, he was a half-blood himself, a fact he deeply loathed and concealed. He was also incredibly arrogant, which often proved to be his greatest weakness, as he consistently underestimated the power of love, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. =====Magical Abilities and Skills===== * **[[Dark Arts]]**: Voldemort was an unparalleled master of the [[Dark Arts]], with a knowledge and power in this field likely exceeding any other wizard in history. * **Duelling**: He was an exceptionally skilled duellist, whose only known equal was [[Albus Dumbledore]]. He was capable of fighting multiple opponents at once. * **[[Horcrux]]es**: He is the only known wizard to have successfully created multiple [[Horcrux]]es, splitting his soul into seven pieces. * **[[Parseltongue]]**: As the heir of [[Salazar Slytherin]], he was a [[Parselmouth]], allowing him to speak to and control snakes, including the [[Basilisk]]. * **[[Legilimency]] and [[Occlumency]]**: He was a master [[Legilimens]], able to penetrate minds with ease, and a powerful [[Occlumens]]. His shared soul-fragment with Harry, however, created a unique two-way link he could not fully control. * **Unsupported Flight**: Voldemort was one of the few wizards shown to be capable of flying without a [[broomstick]] or other support. * **[[Wand]]**: His original wand was thirteen-and-a-half inches, made of [[Yew]], with a [[Phoenix Feather]] core. The feather was from [[Fawkes]], Dumbledore's phoenix, making it a "brother" to [[Harry Potter's Wand]]. He later sought and wielded the [[Elder Wand]]. =====Possessions===== * **[[Riddle's Diary]]**: His first [[Horcrux]]. * **[[Marvolo Gaunt's Ring]]**: A [[Horcrux]] which contained the [[Resurrection Stone]]. * **[[Slytherin's Locket]]**: A [[Horcrux]] stolen from [[Hepzibah Smith]]. * **[[Hufflepuff's Cup]]**: A [[Horcrux]] stolen from [[Hepzibah Smith]]. * **[[Ravenclaw's Diadem]]**: A [[Horcrux]] he found in Albania and hid in the [[Room of Requirement]]. * **[[Nagini]]**: His giant snake companion and his final [[Horcrux]]. * **The [[Elder Wand]]**: He stole this from Dumbledore's grave but was never its true master. =====Relationships===== * **[[Harry Potter]]**: His fated nemesis. Their lives were bound by the [[Prophecy]] and the fragment of Voldemort's soul embedded in Harry, which created a unique magical and mental connection between them. * **[[Albus Dumbledore]]**: The only wizard Voldemort ever feared. Dumbledore led the opposition against him in both wars and understood his psychology better than anyone. * **[[Death Eater]]s**: His followers, whom he ruled through fear and manipulation. He felt no affection for any of them, seeing them only as tools. His most fanatically loyal follower was [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. * **[[Severus Snape]]**: A [[Death Eater]] who served as a double agent for [[Albus Dumbledore]]. Voldemort trusted him for years, never realizing Snape's ultimate loyalty lay with his love for [[Lily Potter]]. Voldemort murdered Snape, mistakenly believing it would grant him mastery of the [[Elder Wand]]. * **The [[Gaunt]] Family**: He took pride in his maternal ancestry as descendants of [[Salazar Slytherin]] but despised their poverty and weakness. He murdered his [[Muggle]] father and grandparents, the [[Riddle]]s, whom he hated for abandoning his mother. =====Etymology===== * **Tom Marvolo Riddle**: "Tom" is a common, almost [[Muggle]]-like name, which he despised. "Marvolo" was his maternal grandfather's name. "Riddle" reflects his mysterious and enigmatic nature. The name is also an anagram for "I am Lord Voldemort". * **Voldemort**: According to J.K. Rowling, the name is derived from French, //vol de mort//, which can be translated as "flight of death" or "theft of death". This perfectly encapsulates his core motivations: his fear of death and his obsessive quest to cheat it. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling has stated that the 't' at the end of "Voldemort" is silent, in keeping with its French origin (J.K. Rowling interview). However, the film adaptations pronounce the final 't', which has become the more common pronunciation among fans. * In the film adaptations, Lord Voldemort was portrayed by several actors: Richard Bremmer (as a face on Quirrell's head), Christian Coulson (as the teenage Tom Riddle in //Chamber of Secrets//), Hero Fiennes Tiffin (as child Tom Riddle), Frank Dillane (as teenage Tom Riddle in //Half-Blood Prince//), and most notably by Ralph Fiennes as the resurrected adult antagonist. * The supplementary film *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald* revealed that [[Nagini]] was originally a human woman who was a [[Maledictus]]—a carrier of a blood curse that would eventually transform her permanently into a beast (film). This information is not present in the original seven novels.
