Lord Voldemort

Lord Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as the Dark Lord or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This dark wizard has many names indeed. He is the main antagonist in Harry Potter. Would you be interested in having, for example, Voldemort’s powerful wand? Are you curious about Lord Voldemort’s characteristics, his motives, his nose, and whether he was really that evil inside? Read on to learn everything about this powerful dark wizard!

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Lord Voldemort’s Characteristics and Life

The real name of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort is Tom Marvolo Riddle. Tom was born on December 31, 1926, under unusual circumstances. Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort, was not born to pure-blood wizards, whom he so fervently advocated for and who were the reason he started two wizarding wars, but was born to a witch mother and a Muggle father. It should be noted that he did not receive much parental love, as his mother, Merope, died immediately after childbirth, and his father had left them even before Tom's birth. Tom thus grew up in an orphanage, where his magical abilities first began to manifest, unfortunately not in a good way. From a young age, Tom, due to his magical powers, caused more pain to others than joy.

Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts

Tom first encountered magic after his 11th birthday. He was visited by none other than Albus Dumbledore, who was then merely the head of Gryffindor House, and not yet the headmaster of the school. Dumbledore explained to him that he was a wizard and introduced him to the magical world. Tom then entered Hogwarts, where he quickly became one of the top students. First in his year and then throughout the whole school. It was no surprise that the Sorting Hat placed him in Slytherin. Tom gradually became a Prefect and then a Head Boy at Hogwarts.

As Tom grew older and his abilities developed, so did his interest in Dark Magic. During his studies, Tom learned that he was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin and managed to open the Chamber of Secrets, awaken the beast that resided there, and give it orders. This was something only a true heir of Salazar Slytherin could do. Tom set the Basilisk on a Muggle-born student, killing her. The student later became the Hogwarts ghost, the Grey Lady. Tom shifted the blame for the incident onto Rubeus Hagrid, which led to Hagrid’s expulsion from Hogwarts.

While still a student, at the age of 15, Tom set out to investigate his ancestry. Specifically, he was interested in his father, Tom Riddle. When he found him, he cold-bloodedly killed him along with his parents, making them his grandparents. Tom framed his uncle Morfin Gaunt for the murders, who believed he had committed them and was proud of it. For these murders, Morfin was sentenced to Azkaban, where he later died.

Tom’s Life After Hogwarts and the Birth of Lord Voldemort

After finishing his 7th year at Hogwarts, Tom sought a position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the school. His application was rejected by then-headmaster Armando Dipett, as he was deemed too young for the position. Tom then found a job at Borgin and Burkes, a shop dealing in Dark Magic artifacts. During his studies, Tom learned more about Dark Magic called Horcruxes from Potions Master Horace Slughorn and decided to create his own Horcruxes, splitting his soul into seven pieces. He began this process while working at Borgin and Burkes, starting with the murder of a family member, stealing Slytherin’s locket and Hufflepuff’s Cup. He later sought Ravenclaw’s Diadem, which he went to find in Albania. Upon his return, he began calling himself Lord Voldemort. He tried again to obtain the Defense Against the Dark Arts position but was rejected by headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was already aware that Tom had turned to Dark Magic.

Lord Voldemort gradually began to seek followers, whom he called Death Eaters. During his time at school, he had a few, but their numbers grew. Among the Death Eaters were Lucius Malfoy, Barty Crouch Jr., Igor Karkaroff, Dolohov, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Severus Snape. At this time, fear spread across the wizarding world, and the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, was in power. Only a few wizards led by Albus Dumbledore, known as the Order of the Phoenix, fought against him.

Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter

A turning point for Lord Voldemort was the prophecy that reached him in 1980. The prophecy revealed that a wizard would be born in the summer who would be capable of defeating him and removing him from his perceived throne. Voldemort believed that it might be the newborn child of James and Lily Potter, members of the Order of the Phoenix. He went to Godric's Hollow, where the Potters lived, and decided to kill them and their child. He killed James Potter with the Avada Kedavra curse and then Lily Potter. However, when he turned his wand on little Harry Potter, the curse rebounded and nearly killed him. Voldemort then vanished for 14 years, and there was a brief period of peace and calm in the wizarding world.

Lord Voldemort’s Return

Voldemort lingered as a mere ghost for a long time. Ten years after his disappearance, he managed to deceive young professor Quirrell at Hogwarts and ally with him. Through Quirrell, Voldemort infiltrated Hogwarts and began to regain his former power. He planned to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone, which would grant him immortality. However, his efforts were thwarted by 11-year-old Harry Potter. After this defeat, Voldemort withdrew and hid once again in Albania, where he spent a long time regaining strength. Voldemort nearly regained his full life through one of his Horcruxes, specifically his diary. It was discovered by Ginny Weasley, which nearly cost her life. The Horcrux drained almost all of her life force and allowed Voldemort to regain his form. Once again, Harry Potter thwarted him by destroying the diary with a Basilisk fang.

Voldemort rose again two years later, in 1994. With the help of his loyal servant Wormtail (a former friend of Harry’s parents James and Lily, whom he betrayed), he lured Harry to a cemetery, where he used ancient magic to return to full strength. Harry managed to escape from the cemetery, but it was clear that Voldemort had returned in full force. The power of the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, grew rapidly. He decided to eliminate his greatest enemy and the only wizard he feared, Albus Dumbledore. He tasked young Draco Malfoy with killing Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore was aware of Draco’s plan and arranged his death differently. With the help of agent Severus Snape, he allowed himself to be killed, which solidified Voldemort’s trust in Snape.

After Dumbledore’s death and the takeover of Hogwarts by the Death Eaters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger decided to leave the school and search for Horcruxes to destroy Voldemort. They gradually succeeded, leading to the final battle between good and evil, the famous Battle of Hogwarts, which also became an international Harry Potter Day. Harry ultimately defeated Voldemort, bringing peace and calm to the wizarding world.

Lord Voldemort Actor in the Film

For the unforgettable role of Lord Voldemort, director Mike Newell cast actor Ralph Fiennes, who portrayed Voldemort from the fourth film onwards. Interestingly, Voldemort appeared in the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, but was portrayed by actor Richard Bremmer. Several actors played Voldemort throughout the films. In scenes featuring a younger Voldemort, he was portrayed by Fiennes’s nephew Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, we also encounter young Tom Riddle, played by actor Christian Coulson.

Lord Voldemort’s Wand

A lot of questions and interest revolve around Lord Voldemort’s wand. More specifically, Voldemort’s wands. His original wand is made of yew and contains a phoenix feather. Just like Harry Potter’s wand, Voldemort’s wand and Harry’s wand are therefore siblings. Not only because of this connection did Voldemort desire to exchange his wand for the most powerful wand of all, the Elder Wand. He eventually obtained the Elder Wand, but its power did not affect Voldemort because he did not obtain it by directly defeating its previous owner. Voldemort mistakenly believed that Severus Snape was the true master of the Elder Wand. In reality, it was Draco Malfoy, who was later disarmed by Harry Potter, making Harry the last master of the Elder Wand. According to the book, Harry used the wand’s power to repair his broken wand and then broke and discarded the Elder Wand, thus ending its power. By the way, if you’d like to have a wand that is also a useful pen, check out the wand pen of Lord Voldemort.

Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes

As mentioned in Lord Voldemort’s biography, during his time at Hogwarts, young Tom learned about Dark Magic called Horcruxes. With the help of Professor Slughorn, he learned more about them and decided to use the magic to split his soul into seven pieces. The objects in which he hid his soul, the Horcruxes, are:

• Tom Riddle’s Diary
• Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring
• Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup
• Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem
• Voldemort’s Snake Nagini
• Salazar Slytherin’s Locket
• Harry Potter (unintentionally)

Lord Voldemort’s Nose

A frequently asked question: Does Lord Voldemort have a nose? Did Voldemort have a nose in the book, or not? Surprisingly, this question isn’t so easy to answer, and the mystery of Voldemort’s loss of his nose is not fully explained anywhere. Most theories suggest that Voldemort lost his nose during his transformation to Dark Magic. The more he became a powerful dark wizard, the more his original human form vanished. There are also theories that Voldemort’s "no-nose" is a certain connection between him and his snake Nagini. A funnier theory is that Voldemort had to get rid of his nose to fit into Professor Quirrell’s turban and not create a noticeable bulge. So if someone at a Harry Potter Party asks you why Voldemort doesn’t have a nose, just tell them it’s to fit into Quirrell’s turban.