There are many things that explain the enormous popularity of the Harry Potter novels and films. While obviously the titular boy hero is the focus of significant fan affection, it must be acknowledged that his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, is one of the most compelling and complex of fantasy villains.
From the first book until the last, the reader and viewer slowly learns more and more about him, and while the books and films never go so far as to make him sympathetic, they do nevertheless allow for a richer understanding of what motivates him and what turns him into the monster that he is.
Why Does Lord Voldemort Have No Nose?
One of the most notable aspects of Voldemort is his physical appearance. When he is at last resurrected by his minion Peter Pettigrew, he is a truly hideous man, with no nose and a distinctly snake-like appearance.
It’s never made clear exactly why he appears this way, but it can be reasonably assumed that it stems from his successful attempts to split his soul, as well as his well-known affinity for serpents (including his very close reptilian associate, Nagini).
Why Does He Hate Muggles So Much?
Throughout the series, it’s made very clear that Voldemort has a loathing of Muggles and those born of Muggle parentage to rival that of any other wizard. In large measure, this seems to stem from his own hatred of his father’s family, who were Muggles.
It must have been a crushing blow to his sense of self-esteem and self-worth to find out that he was, in fact, descended from the very humans whom he held in such scathing contempt.
Who Was The Only Person Voldemort Ever Feared?
Given how enormously powerful he was as a wizard, there were naturally very few people that he feared. It’s not hard to see why. As he showed repeatedly, his command of almost all aspects of magic was almost unparalleled, and it would have taken a very formidable magical talent indeed to even begin to confront him on his own terms.
However, even Voldemort found himself deeply afraid of Dumbledore, both because the other wizard saw him for what he really was and because he was a formidable wizard in his own right.
Where Does His Name Come From?
There’s something deeply unsettling about Voldemort’s name. It just sounds like the name that one would associate with an evil creature, an entity determined to bring death and destruction to everything and everyone around it.
As it turns out, it’s part of an anagram of his name, Tom Marvolo Riddle (which he changed to “I am Lord Voldemort.”) It’s a clever bit of wordplay and another indication of the shrewd, cunning mind that allowed this wizard to become so powerful and to so effortlessly manipulate others into doing his will.
What Happens To His Soul After His Defeat?
After seven books and eight films, Voldemort finally engages Harry Potter in the battle that the two have long awaited. Of course, it really comes as no surprise that the evil wizard is defeated, but there’s the lingering question of what happens to his spirit. After all, this is the man who has more knowledge of the world of death than almost anyone else.
As it turns out, however, Voldemort must suffer in Limbo, denied either the final peace of death or even the ability to come back as a ghost.
What Did He Do To His Paternal Family?
In some ways, Voldemort’s backstory is one of the most tragic in the novels. His mother fell in love with a Muggle and drugged him with potions, only to have him abandon her and her unborn child. It’s understandable, then, that Voldemort would bear a great deal of anger and hatred toward his paternal family.
However, Voldemort is never one to let a grudge go peacefully, and so he ends up murdering several members of his paternal family, including his own father.
How Did He Learn About Horcruxes?
One of the mysteries in the first books of the series is how, exactly, Voldemort learned about Horcruxes. It’s ultimately revealed that none other than Horace Slughorn, Voldemort’s professor in school and the man who returns to Hogwarts to teach Defense of the Dark Arts, blurted out the truth of Horcruxes to Tom, seduced (not at all surprisingly) by the younger man’s irresistible charm.
Slughorn, deeply shamed at his complicity in Voldemort’s rise to power, obscured the memories until finally revealing them to Harry.
Who Was His First Murder Victim?
The question of who, exactly, was Voldemort’s first murder victim is a compelling one, in part because it depends on how one defines that term. In its broadest sense, one could argue that the girl who would go on to be known as Moaning Myrtle was his first real victim, since she perished at the hands of the basilisk, which Voldemort released from its place in the Chamber of Secrets.
In terms of literal murder, however, his poor paternal family has the sad distinction of being his first victims.
Just How Powerful Were His Magical Abilities?
Evil as he is, there’s no question that Voldemort is also one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived. He’s a master duelist, able to defeat almost anyone who comes against him (even when they attempt to gang up on him).
Perhaps most notably, he also has the power of necromancy, i.e. the ability to raise creatures from the dead (in the novels, these are known as inferi). This is an ability that seems to be unique to him, making him a very formidable enemy indeed.
Who Was He Descended From?
One of the best things about the last few volumes in this series is the sense of a gradually-unfolding mystery. It’s not just that Voldemort has to be defeated; the characters (and the viewer) must also learn more about him and about his roots.
In this case, it’s revealed that Voldemort has a very interesting maternal heritage, in that his mother is descended from none other than Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts.