20 Issues You Didn’t Know About Tom Riddle (Earlier than He Was Voldemort)

Some of the spectacular issues in regards to the Harry Potter villain Voldemort is how effortlessly he grew to become one of many Huge Bads of popular culture, however many followers nonetheless surprise why Tom Riddle turned evil within the first place. In a panorama dominated by imposing characters resembling Darth Vader, Voldemort managed to carry his personal amongst followers. It helped that he regarded simply as scary as he acted, with a reptilian face that marketed that his blood ran very chilly. Over the course of the collection, his villainous plan takes form as he returns from close to loss of life to wreak absolute havoc on the Wizarding World as soon as extra.

Nonetheless, as a lot as the evil of Lord Voldemort is seen and felt all through the story, his youth when he glided by the title Tom Riddle is fascinating. The final title is acceptable, too, as his childhood and teenage years confirmed him to be a mysterious riddle that nobody may totally unravel earlier than it was too late. All through the eight Harry Potter motion pictures, younger Tom Riddle was proven solely a handful of instances, that means there have been many particulars and info that the flicks omitted when exploring why Tom Riddle turned evil.

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20 He Was Born In 1926

Voldemort Was In His 70s By The Finish Of Harry Potter

The Implausible Beasts And The place To Discover Them motion pictures confirmed the Wizarding World within the Twenties. Nonetheless, Newt Scamander’s adventures — even people who included Dumbledore — weren’t essentially the most vital occasions within the Harry Potter franchise throughout this decade. Voldemort, the chief antagonist and biggest Darkish Wizard who ever lived, was born in 1926. The Harry Potter books and flicks are imprecise in relation to particular years, however Harry’s story begins within the early Nineties (one thing made extra complicated by the presence of London landmarks just like the Millennium Bridge showing within the motion pictures, regardless of the actual fact they did not exist but).

The Battle of Hogwarts takes place in 1998, with Voldemort dying aged 71. The actual fact he was born within the late Twenties additionally creates some fascinating thematic parallels. It is clear that Voldemort and his ideology have been impressed on a artistic stage by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Social gathering when J.Ok. Rowling was writing the Harry Potter books. Whereas Voldemort had little interest in the Muggle world past wiping it out, he grew up in a Muggle orphanage throughout Hitler’s rise to energy, and it is solely potential this had some affect on him when it got here to his personal ambitions.

19 He Made His First Horcrux Aged 16

Tom Riddle Had Already Cut up His Soul Earlier than Leaving Hogwarts

A key approach that Voldemort grew to become so highly effective was the creation of Horcruxes. He made 7 in complete, although inadvertently created an eighth later in life when he tried to kill Harry Potter, since Harry grew to become a Horcrux. Tom Riddle discovered of Horcruxes in 1943 when he was in his sixth yr at Hogwarts, discovering their potential each by way of his personal analysis and by interrogating Professor Slughorn. Horcruxe’s are an extremely darkish and highly effective magic, which makes the actual fact Voldemort managed to create his first at age 16 significantly spectacular.

Creating his first Horcrux at such a younger age can be a chilling revelation, since each made break up off a small a part of his soul — which is a cause Voldermort’s look is so inhuman by the point he reaches maturity. Tom Riddle’s first Horcrux was the diary seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and techniques, and his second — a hoop — was additionally created whereas he was nonetheless a scholar. Given the implied results making a Horcrux has on the physique and thoughts of a witch or wizard, it is wonderful no person at Hogwarts observed any adjustments in him.

18 He Opened The Chamber Of Secrets and techniques In His Fifth 12 months

Voldemort’s First Infamous Act Got here Earlier than His OWL’s Have been Full

The fifth yr at Hogwarts appears to be a major one for most of the vital characters in Harry Potter. It is the yr that Harry first joined the Order of the Phoenix and established Dumbledore’s Military. It is also the yr that his father, James Potter, and his associates Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew lastly managed to develop into Animagi, so they may higher perceive their werewolf pal Remus Lupin. The fifth yr was additionally an vital one for Tom Riddle, as that is the yr he opened the Chamber of Secrets and techniques.

Although few past Harry, Dumbledore, and people who they advised know Tom Riddle/Voldemort was behind it, the Chamber of Secrets and techniques being opened within the Nineteen Forties was one of many darkest and most important occasions within the historical past of Hogwarts. Whereas the scholars in his yr ought to have been learning for his or her Abnormal Wizarding Stage exams, they have been as a substitute afraid of the Basilisk roaming free at Hogwarts. Fortunately, Voldemort’s first really darkish act solely managed to say one sufferer — Myrtle Warren, who went on to develop into the Hogwarts ghost referred to as Moaning Myrtle.

17 He Found He Was A Parselmouth At A Younger Age

Tom Riddle’s Story Mirrors Harry Potter’s In A Key Method

Their fifth yr at Hogwarts being unintentionally important is not the one parallel between Harry Potter and Tom Riddle’s lives. There are additionally some idiosyncrasies of their pre-Hogwarts lives too. They each grew up as orphans, for instance, and each had a less-than-positive expertise dwelling within the Muggle world because of mistreatment by the hands of their caregivers. It is broadly recognized that Harry Potter is a Parselmouth — that means he can discuss to snakes — due to his encounter with Voldemort. Nonetheless, one other similarity is that each Harry and Tom Riddle found this talent earlier than they discovered they have been wizards.

The scene the place Harry learns he can communicate to snakes is likely one of the funniest in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, although it isn’t till his second yr that he learns that is really fairly a giant deal within the Wizarding World, and never everybody can communicate to snakes. When Dumbledore first encounters younger Tom Riddle to tell him that he is a Wizard, Riddle asks if that is the explanation he can communicate to snakes. This each exhibits that, like Harry, talking Parseltongue was one of many first magical talents of Voldemort’s to manifest.

16 He Thought His Father Was A Wizard

Voldemort At all times Misunderstood His Upbringing

Tom Riddle was all the time prejudiced and bigoted when it got here to Muggles and their inferiority in comparison with witches and wizards. Nonetheless, a less-known Voldemort truth is that he was additionally considerably sexist in his teenage years too. When he first arrived at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle spent a few years researching his heritage to study who his mother and father have been. A key truth is that he was totally satisfied his magical talents got here from his father.

It was solely when he started digging into his previous and realized that there was no Marvolo Riddle to ever attend Hogwarts that he realized his magical talents have been inherited from his mom. Voldemort was, in fact, disgusted when he discovered that his mom had fallen in love with a Muggle (by no means thoughts the truth that this additionally meant he wasn’t a pure-blooded wizard). Whereas the presumption that his magical abilities have been paternally inherited was removed from the worst of Voldemort’s crimes, it does say quite a bit about who he was as an individual and the way skewed his views on the world have been.

15 A number of Actors Performed Tom Riddle

Ralph Fiennes Wasn’t Solely One To Play The Darkish Lord

Over time, the Harry Potter motion pictures offered a number of glimpses of what younger Tom Riddle regarded like. Whereas the overall particulars of his look remained the identical, Voldemort has been performed by at least three younger actors and two actors portraying his older type. A type of actors had a really particular connection to the older Voldemort. The primary onscreen glimpse of Tom Riddle was in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and techniques. In that film, he was performed by Christian Coulson, who was 23 on the time. The following actual glimpse of the long run evil wizard got here in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

That film featured two actors inhabiting the function earlier than Tom Riddle turned evil: the older Tom (the one who conned the secrets and techniques of the Horcruxes out of Professor Slughorn) was performed by Frank Dillane, who was 16 on the time. The youthful Tom seen in that film was performed by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. This younger man is the nephew of Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes. The film’s director, David Yates, insisted the casting was not based mostly on household connection however based mostly on the younger actor wanting like a miniature Ralph Fiennes.

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14 Tom Riddle Is Harry Potter’s Cousin

The Boy Who Lived Shares Blood With He Who Should Not Be Named

Over the course of the Harry Potter collection, Harry and Voldemort become mortal enemies after Tom Riddle turns evil. To Voldemort, Harry emerges because the clearest menace to his makes an attempt at worldwide domination. Nonetheless, the nice irony of that is that Tom Riddle and Harry Potter are literally associated to one another. To be truthful, it is a fairly distant relation, nevertheless it’s all associated to the story of the Deathly Hallows.

That story advised the story of the Peverell household line, and the three brothers: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus. Harry’s father, James, was associated to the third brother, Ignotus (the one who will get the invisibility cloak), and Tom Riddle is said to the second brother, Cadmus (the one who will get the resurrection stone). Subsequently, whereas Harry and Voldemort find yourself on a deadly crash course in direction of one another, the 2 are literally distant cousins.

13 He is A Half-Blood

Voldemort’s Pure-Blood Philosophy Was Born From Self-Loathing

When he assumed energy as Voldemort and Tom Riddle turned evil, one in all his largest obsessions was the so-called “purity” of wizards. He hated “mudbloods” (wizards who didn’t come from magical mother and father) and “half-bloods” (those that had one magical mum or dad and one non-magical mum or dad). That is ironic, in fact, as a result of younger Tom Riddle was a half-blood himself. On the subject of younger Tom Riddle’s mother and father, his mom (Merope Gaunt) was a wizard who died very shortly after giving delivery to Tom, whereas his father was a Muggle who had been beneath the spell of Merope’s love potion.

Tom Riddle was indignant when he discovered about his blended heritage, and Voldemort mainly denied it altogether. Later in life, he would current himself as a pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin and publicly railed in opposition to these with out pure wizarding blood of their veins. All of that is darkly humorous contemplating how many individuals would finally flock to the “pure blood” banner being held excessive by Tom Riddle, a real half-blood.

12 Younger Tom Riddle Was Identified For Being Good-looking

Voldemort Was The Polar Reverse Of His Hideous Visage In His Youth

On the subject of visualizing Tom Riddle, most followers find yourself desirous about how he seems as Lord Voldemort. There are a selection of putting particulars of Voldemort’s physique, together with his snake-like look, pale pores and skin, and noseless face. This makes it that rather more shocking, then, that younger Tom Riddle was not the monstrous entity his older self would develop into.

Regardless of the questionable genetics of his household line, Tom Riddle ended up being tall and good-looking, with darkish hair and fascinating darkish eyes. These beauty are one of many ways in which he each recruited folks into what would develop into the Dying Eaters and in addition pulled the wool over most of his lecturers’ eyes. It is also one of many ways in which he was capable of manipulate folks, together with younger Ginny Weasley within the Chamber of Secrets and techniques.

11 His Mom Died Of A Damaged Coronary heart

Merope Gaunt Was A Tragic Determine

In a bizarre approach, Voldemort has one thing in frequent with Luke Skywalker: each of them had a mom who died of a damaged coronary heart. Within the case of younger Tom Riddle’s mom, Merope Gaunt, she died after an extended bout with despair that sapped each her will to reside and her will to make use of magic. As talked about beforehand, her whole relationship with Tom Riddle’s father was a sham.

She received his affection with a love potion and continued doping him with it throughout most of their marriage. When she stopped doping him, he left her and mainly took all their cash with him. Thus, she ended up poor and depressing and wasn’t even keen to make use of magic to save lots of her life. Shortly after Tom Riddle was born, she dropped him off at an orphanage, gave the boy his title, and died an hour later.

10 Tom Riddle Labored As A Salesman

Voldemort’s First Job Was Promoting Darkish Artifacts

Voldemort would finally go on to threaten the whole Wizarding World on a number of events. At any given level, it will have been truthful to say that he was one of the crucial highly effective folks on the planet, if not absolutely the strongest. Nonetheless, everybody has to begin someplace, and earlier than Tom Riddle turned evil, he was simply one other employee within the Wizarding World. When he was a teen, Tom Riddle labored on the magical store of Borgin and Burke’s.

He was mainly a gross sales assistant: one half salesman, one half clerk. He was really fairly good at his job, serving to his employers rating some actually uncommon magical artifacts. After all, as a result of he is Tom Riddle, he had ulterior motives. This allowed him to find sure highly effective relics resembling Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup and the Locket of Slytherin, which he would later rework into Horcruxes. It was a nasty job, nevertheless it helped him arrange his plan to begin making an attempt to take over the Wizarding World with these artifacts.

9 He May Manipulate All Lecturers, Besides Dumbledore

The Animosity Between The Highly effective Wizards Began When Voldemort Was A Scholar

The extra audiences study Tom Riddle’s childhood, the extra uncommon it appears that evidently nobody in Hogwarts ever found his evil deeds. In spite of everything, he spent his childhood torturing orphans, murdering relations, and organizing future murderers. So, how was a younger Tom Riddle capable of idiot a few of Hogwarts’ finest lecturers and employees? The easy reply is that, regardless of their implausible magical powers, the Hogwarts employees have been solely human. To them, Tom Riddle was a poor little one who excelled in all of his research and made a constructive impression on all of his lecturers, although it was all an act.

Riddle was secretly utilizing this time to study secrets and techniques and consolidate his energy. Not surprisingly, the one one that all the time appeared to see by way of the act was Dumbledore. Dumbledore had seen the true Tom Riddle once they first met: the boy who tortured, stole, and utterly abused his powers. Consequently, Dumbledore by no means totally trusted him, and Tom by no means even tried to win Dumbledore’s belief. Dumbledore’s information of Tom Riddle’s true nature, and humble origins, was one in all many causes that Riddle was so frightened of Dumbledore later in life.

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8 He Was A Prefect At Hogwarts

Tom Riddle Had A Profitable Educational Profession

One more a part of Tom Riddle’s shocking time at Hogwarts was that he ended up as a Prefect. On the planet of Hogwarts, it is a essential scholar place: every home solely has about six Prefects lively at any given time. And these Prefects have extra privileges and tasks, mainly serving as an extension of the professors’ authority. Followers do not know quite a bit about Tom Riddle’s time as a prefect, though he appears to attach his service together with his normal look to all of the lecturers on the college, describing himself as a “mannequin scholar” who was additionally “so courageous.”

As with every part else, although, this was only a ruse that helped him manipulate his lecturers and in addition earn the loyalty and respect of his friends. It additionally gave him elevated entry to Hogwarts, which younger Tom thought-about his true dwelling, and his need to proceed studying the secrets and techniques hidden in its partitions was one of many main motivations in his repeated makes an attempt to develop into a professor there.

7 He Was A Instructor’s Pet

Voldemort Wasn’t Above Turning On The Attraction To Get What He Needed

Later in life, it is truthful to say that Voldemort had issues with authority. In spite of everything, he waged conflict in opposition to authorities such because the Ministry of Magic and authority figures resembling Dumbledore, and he wasn’t happy till he had himself and his cronies put in in related positions of energy. All of this makes it that rather more shocking that younger Tom Riddle was a instructor’s pet throughout his time at Hogwarts.

Maybe the most effective proof of that is that he ended up as a detailed pal of Professor Slughorn, and he was invited to affix the so-called “Slug Membership” together with different spectacular pupils that Slughorn thought would go on to make a significant distinction on the planet. Nonetheless, Tom Riddle did every part for a cause, and his main cause for being so pleasant with Slughorn was in order that he may get forbidden secrets and techniques from the person. This included information of how Horcruxes labored, which ended up being a key a part of Riddle’s future plans as Lord Voldemort.

6 He Was A Kleptomaniac

Homicide Wasn’t The Solely Crime Younger Voldemort Had A Penchant For

On the subject of Tom Riddle’s delinquent tendencies, Harry Potter followers are inclined to concentrate on the larger ones like manipulation, torture, and homicide. Nonetheless, he had a bizarre behavior that developed early in life and one which Dumbledore referred to as him out on: he was a thief and a kleptomaniac. Tom Riddle was raised in an orphanage, and sadly, this was the place he needed to spend his summers when he was away from Hogwarts. One of many issues he preferred to do in his earlier orphanage years was to steal issues from different orphans after which conceal them in his cabinet.

When Dumbledore first comes to go to Tom, he makes him return every part to the orphans and warns Tom that stealing will not be tolerated at Hogwarts. Tom discovered to be extra sneaky, however he by no means actually stopped his thieving methods. He stole the Gaunt household insignia, and he would later kill Hepzibah Smith to steal each the Slytherin Locket and Hufflepuff Cup that he coveted, objects that Voldemort would select to be his Horcruxes.

5 He Turned A Teenage Serial Killer

Voldemort Took To Homicide At An Early Age

When Tom Riddle lastly discovered about his half-blood heritage, he was livid. It occurred when he was investigating his mom’s household and met his uncle, Morfin Gaunt. Morfin talked about how a lot Tom regarded “like that Muggle,” a reference to Tom’s father. When Tom Riddle realized it was true, he shocked Morfin, stole his wand, and proceeded to kill not solely his personal father however his grandfather and grandmother as properly. Whereas the act itself was grisly sufficient, Tom Riddle exhibited one other serial killer trait: the necessity to show trophies.

He ended up framing Morfin for the killings by rearranging his reminiscence (inflicting Morfin to be despatched to Azkaban for the remainder of his life) and stealing a household signet ring from Morfin. This ring grew to become Riddle’s second Horcrux, and he brazenly wore it round Hogwarts as a non-public reminder of his horrible crimes. In a approach, these murders have been additionally a part of his ongoing cover-up of his humble heritage, making it simpler later to indicate that he was really pure-blooded.

4 He Comes From A Household That Practiced Inbreeding

Voldemort’s Household Tree Consists of Much less Branches Than It Ought to

One more reason that Tom Riddle was so obsessive about the genetics of wizards is that he comes from a household filled with inbreeding. He was the final surviving member of the Home of Gaunt, and the household’s historical past supplied a grim preview of Tom Riddle’s later life: a lot of them have been unhinged, violent, or each. This was a results of inbreeding, and there’s an fascinating particular person accountable for this warped familial sense of magical purity: Salazar Slytherin.

Slytherin, in fact, was a real believer within the purity of wizard blood. Due to this, Slytherin’s descendants (such because the Gaunts) tried to guard the purity of their household’s blood by marrying cousins fairly than mixing with “lower-class wizards.” Because it seems, all of the magical energy on the planet is not sufficient to maintain the results of generations of inbreeding from ravaging the household line. All of this being stated, Tom Riddle was really terribly fortunate that he ended up so handsome, though the household historical past of inbreeding could have contributed to his personal important psychological instabilities.

3 He Spent Summers Torturing Orphans

Tom Riddle Had Some Extremely Darkish Hobbies

Whereas he would develop to make use of the complete energy of the magical world to torment and kill his enemies, younger Tom Riddle began out fairly humble. In reality, his first actual victims have been his fellow kids within the orphanage the place he grew up. He spent years tormenting and torturing them, and when he returned to the orphanage each summer season, he got here with a legacy of worry due to what he had accomplished.

A few of his extra notable behaviors included hanging a boy’s pet rabbit from some rafters and traumatizing a few orphans by taking them to a cave and doing unspeakable issues. Different instances, he merely moved objects and spoke to snakes to prank and terrify these round him. Whereas all of that is nothing in comparison with what Lord Voldemort would do to the world, it highlights how Tom Riddle began taking pleasure from the ache of others at a really early age.

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2 His Mom Seduced His Father With A Love Potion

Voldemort Was Conceived Non-Consensually

Tom Riddle’s mom seduced Tom’s rich Muggle father with a love potion. Whereas some followers dismiss this as only one extra little bit of magic on the planet of Harry Potter, the ugly reality is that Tom Riddle’s mom dedicated a critical crime. She magically compelled a person to be together with her in opposition to his will, and that is how Tom was conceived. If that wasn’t grim sufficient, J.Ok. Rowling herself claimed that this will likely have doomed younger Tom Riddle to show evil.

This contributed to Tom’s lack of ability to grasp love, and it is why he usually sparred with Dumbledore on the concept of affection being essentially the most highly effective magic of all. If his mom had not used that love potion, the older Voldemort wouldn’t have underestimated the love that Harry’s mother and father had for his or her son; a love that finally saved Harry’s life. Then once more, if he wasn’t born from a loveless union, Tom Riddle could have by no means develop into evil within the first place.

1 He Assembled The First Dying Eaters At A Younger Age

Tom Riddle Wasted No Time Gathering His Military

In some ways, the formation of the Dying Eaters was one of many darkest issues within the Harry Potter collection. Whereas Voldemort himself was highly effective and horrifying, his legion of followers was proof of how enticing his toxic concepts have been. Moreover, the Dying Eater masks hid their identities (earlier than they freely walked the streets), forcing wizards to all the time reside in worry that somebody near them could possibly be reporting to Voldemort. These have been outstanding folks within the Wizarding World (resembling Lucius Malfoy), however that they had humble beginnings as Tom Riddle’s “associates.”

Whereas he was at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle assembled a bunch of Slytherin bullies as his associates and allies. Whereas Tom wasn’t really anybody’s pal, changing into the chief of those thugs elevated his energy and affect. It additionally allowed younger Tom to govern sure occasions with out being related to them himself, as this could damage his “mannequin scholar” picture. Years later, when Tom Riddle turned evil and shaped the primary Dying Eaters, many have been from this similar group, hungry to make use of their elevated energy and prominence to overthrow the Ministry of Magic and assume complete management of the Harry Potter wizarding world.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts College of Wizardry, the place he learns the reality about himself, his household, and the horrible evil that haunts the magical world. Tailored from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode movie saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his associates, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tough world of rising up, college life, and magic. Ranging from yr one and transferring to their seventh yr, the movies chronicle the scholars’ time at Hogwarts whereas unfurling a sinister plot that facilities across the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the darkish wizard, Voldemort, the scholars and professors at Hogwarts will struggle to hold on because the world round them could change without end. Harry Potter has expanded past the world of its movies and novels with a number of video video games, a spin-off movie collection titled Implausible Beasts, and even points of interest at Common Studios.

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Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint , Tom Felton , Alan Rickman , Matthew Lewis , Bonnie Wright , Evanna Lynch , Maggie Smith , Michael Gambon , Richard Harris , Ralph Fiennes , Helena Bonham Carter , Alfred Enoch , Harry Melling , Gary Oldman , Robert Pattinson , Warwick Davis , Oliver Phelps , James Phelps , David Bradley , David Thewlis , Katie Leung , Jason Isaacs , Imelda Staunton , David Tennant , Jamie Campbell Bower , Timothy Spall , Robbie Coltrane , Eddie Redmayne , Jude Legislation , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Johnny Depp , Mads Mikkelsen

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Hermione Granger , Ron Weasley , Dumbledore , Minerva McGonagall , Rubeus Hagrid , Dobby the Home Elf , Draco Malfoy , Sirius Black , Ginny Weasley , Voldemort

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