Morfin Gaunt

Morfin Gaunt was a pure-blood wizard, the son of Marvolo Gaunt, brother of Merope Gaunt, and the maternal uncle of Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would later become Lord Voldemort. A direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin and the Peverell family, Morfin was an arrogant and violent man who took immense pride in his heritage. He was a Parselmouth and spoke primarily in Parseltongue. His life was marked by squalor, prejudice, and two imprisonments in Azkaban, the second of which was for a crime he did not commit. He was framed by his nephew for the murder of the Riddle family, and the ring he inherited was stolen by Tom Riddle to be turned into a Horcrux.

Morfin lived with his father, Marvolo, and sister, Merope, in a dilapidated shack near the village of Little Hangleton. The Gaunt family lived in extreme poverty and filth, but Morfin and his father maintained a fanatical belief in their own superiority due to their pure-blood status and descent from Salazar Slytherin. Morfin was particularly cruel to his sister Merope, mocking her for her quiet nature and her infatuation with a local Muggle, Tom Riddle Sr.. In the summer of 1925, Ministry of Magic official Bob Ogden visited the Gaunt Shack to serve a summons for Morfin, who had performed a jinx on Tom Riddle Sr.. During the visit, Morfin spoke in Parseltongue, proudly admitted to the attack, and physically assaulted Ogden. His father, Marvolo, also attacked Ministry officials who arrived as backup. For these crimes, Morfin was sentenced to three years in Azkaban, while his father received a six-month sentence.

Upon his release from Azkaban, Morfin returned to the Gaunt shack to find it empty. His father had died, and his sister had run off with Tom Riddle Sr.. Approximately a year later, a teenage Tom Marvolo Riddle visited the shack seeking information about his heritage. Finding his uncle Morfin, Tom learned about his Muggle father and pure-blood mother. Enraged by the story of his abandonment, Tom stunned Morfin, stole Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, and proceeded to the Riddle House, where he used his uncle's wand to murder his father and grandparents. Before leaving Little Hangleton, Tom returned to the Gaunt shack and used a complex Memory Charm to alter Morfin's memory. He implanted a false confession, making Morfin believe he had committed the murders himself. Morfin, who harbored a deep hatred for the Riddles, proudly confessed to the crime when the Ministry of Magic arrived. He was sentenced to life in Azkaban for the murders.

Years later, Albus Dumbledore, who was researching Lord Voldemort's past, located and visited Morfin in Azkaban. Dumbledore skillfully managed to extract Morfin's true, unaltered memory of Tom Riddle's visit. This memory proved Morfin's innocence and revealed that Tom Riddle had created his first Horcrux using Marvolo Gaunt's Ring. Dumbledore attempted to use this evidence to secure Morfin's release, but Morfin died in Azkaban before the Ministry of Magic could process the case.

Morfin Gaunt was described as having hair matted with filth and thick, dark eyes that stared in opposite directions. He was missing several teeth and lived in a state of extreme squalor. His personality was aggressive, unstable, and violent. He held deep-seated prejudices against Muggles and anyone he deemed inferior, including his own sister. He was immensely proud of his lineage and his ability to speak Parseltongue, viewing these as proof of his superiority. Morfin lacked intelligence and was easily manipulated, making him a perfect scapegoat for his cunning nephew, Tom Marvolo Riddle. His hatred and pride were his defining traits, ultimately leading to his downfall.

• Parseltongue: As a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, Morfin was a fluent Parselmouth. He often conversed with a snake he kept nailed to the door and preferred speaking Parseltongue over English.
• Jinxes: Morfin was capable of performing basic jinxes. He used a spell on Tom Riddle Sr. that covered him in painful hives. His use of magic appeared to be rudimentary and driven by anger rather than skill.

• Marvolo Gaunt's Ring: Morfin inherited this heavy, black-stoned gold ring from his father. The stone was engraved with the Peverell coat of arms, which Morfin mistakenly believed to be the mark of Slytherin. The ring was, in fact, the Resurrection Stone, one of the three Deathly Hallows. It was stolen by Tom Marvolo Riddle and turned into a Horcrux.
• Wand: Morfin possessed a wand, which Tom Marvolo Riddle stole and used to commit the Riddle murders before planting it back on Morfin as evidence. No details about its core or wood are known.
• Slytherin's Locket: While Morfin never owned the locket himself, he was aware of its existence as a family heirloom that his sister, Merope Gaunt, stole when she fled the family home.

• Marvolo Gaunt: Morfin and his father shared a close bond built on their mutual pride in their ancestry and hatred for Muggles. Marvolo clearly favored Morfin over Merope Gaunt, encouraging his son's cruelty.
• Merope Gaunt: Morfin was exceptionally cruel to his sister. He mocked her, called her a “filthy little Squib” despite her being a witch, and physically threatened her for her interest in Tom Riddle Sr..
• Tom Marvolo Riddle (Lord Voldemort): His nephew. Morfin only met him once and did not know their true relationship. Tom exploited Morfin's instability to frame him for murder, an act that demonstrated Tom's utter lack of family loyalty and his ruthless ambition.
• Tom Riddle Sr.: The object of Morfin's intense hatred. Morfin's assault on Tom Riddle Sr. led to his first incarceration and set the stage for the later tragedy involving the Riddle family.
• Albus Dumbledore: Dumbledore was the only person to uncover the truth of Morfin's innocence. He retrieved the true memory from Morfin, providing crucial insight into Lord Voldemort's creation of the Horcruxes.

• Morfin: The name 'Morfin' does not have a clear origin. It may be a variant of 'Morphin' or 'Morphine', an opiate, which could allude to the stupor-like state he was left in by his nephew's Memory Charm. It could also be a simple, harsh-sounding name chosen to reflect his brutish character.
• Gaunt: The surname 'Gaunt' is an English word meaning “lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age.” This perfectly describes the physical appearance and impoverished state of the last members of the Slytherin line.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Morfin Gaunt is portrayed by actor Graham Wolfe. In the Pensieve memory of Dumbledore's visit, Morfin speaks exclusively in Parseltongue, whereas in the novel, he speaks a mix of broken English and Parseltongue. (film)