Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today we’re going to be discussing VOLDEMORT- peeling back the layers of his character and
clearing up some misconceptions.
In the magical world of Harry Potter, love plays a pivotal role in shaping the lives
of its characters, often serving as a powerful force that triumphs over darkness.
At the center of this darkness stands Lord Voldemort, a figure synonymous with evil and
the antithesis of love- a man thought to be INCAPABLE of such an emotion.
But..
What if I told you that it’s actually a LOT more complicated than that?
What if I told you that Voldemort’s inability to feel love was actually a MASSIVE oversimplification
that shrouds the intricate details lying underneath?
And now for the best part..What if I told you that what I’m talking about is CONFIRMED
by canon?
If you, like me, wish to develop a deeper understanding of Harry Potter’s most infamous
villain- learning things about him that are widely overlooked- then sit back, relax and
enjoy as we dive into the TRUE motivations of Lord Voldemort.
It all started at the beginning.
Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt (later Merope Riddle) was a pure-blood witch that
hailed from the House of Gaunt.
With a long, dark history, known details of the Gaunt family can be traced back as far
as the 1600s.
The family was known for many things- the first being that they were descendants of
the famous wizards Salazar Slytherin and Cadmus Peverell.
The second being their absolute OBSESSION with blood purity.
In fact, in an effort to keep their bloodline ‘pure’, the Gaunts began marrying their
own family members- which of course resulted in centuries of inbreeding.
The family was at one time wealthy and prominent- a prosperous wizarding family that reaped
the benefits of being around during the formation of the Wizarding World as we know it.
But over time the Gaunts became POORER, MORE inbred and..well, a disaster in whichever
way you looked at them.
And by the time MEROPE came into existence, the Gaunt family were reduced to living in
a little run-down shack just outside the town of Little Hangleton- engulfed in poverty and
obscurity.
Born in 1907, Merope endured quite a difficult upbringing in the town of Little Hangleton,
sharing the family home with her father, Marvolo, and brother, Morfin.
From the moment she was born Merope faced a troubled existence- constantly berated and
abu*sed by her father and brother.
However, in adulthood, Merope finally found herself alone for the first time.
This was following an altercation between her brother, father and the Ministry of Magic.
Morfin was a mentally deranged wizard that liked to use magic on Muggles, something that
ultimately led to many conflicts between his family and the Ministry of Magic.
Following one of these attacks, Bob Ogden from the Ministry’s Magical Law Enforcement
Squad visited the Gaunts, prompting violent resistance from the Gaunt men.
During this altercation Morfin revealed Merope’s romantic interest in a Muggle from their town,
which prompted Marvolo to attack her.
Ogden intervened, attempting to protect Merope, but this only caused Morfin to jump in and
attack Ogden.
The fiasco ultimately led to both Gaunt men being arrested and sent to Azkaban- with Marvolo
being sent away for 6 months and Morfin for 3 years.
Finding herself alone for the FIRST time in her life, Merope was finally able to exercise
her magical abilities- abilities which had always been suppressed through the torment
of her brother and father.
With this newfound freedom, it didn’t take long for her magic to FLOURISH.
However, these newfound magical abilities eventually manifested in the form of a love
potion- also known as Amortentia.
"Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world.
It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in
spirals.
Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them.”
Amortentia is considered by some to be the most dangerous potion in the Harry Potter
universe, as it doesn’t even induce actual love, just a semblance of love that is derived
from strong obsession.
This potion can truly make people do some very uncharacteristically strange things.
And what did Merope do with this love potion?
Why- use it on the wealthy handsome muggle Tom Riddle Sr of course.
It’s unknown how exactly Merope gave Riddle the love potion, as their lives weren’t
particularly intertwined, but we do know that he fell under its spell- quickly becoming
infatuated with Merope.
Fast forward just a few months later, the two were married and Merope was pregnant with
Tom’s child- Tom Marvolo Riddle.
This child would later go on to become Lord Voldemort.
Fast forward a year, and suddenly the effects of the spell no longer seemed to be influencing
Tom.
It’s unclear WHY this may have happened, but there are a few prevailing theories.
The first is that Merope perpetuated her brainwashing of Tom via the Imperius Curse, and that she
eventually stopped because she was curious as to whether he may have genuinely fallen
in love with her.
The second is that the effects of the love potion simply wore off.
Regardless of what may have happened, when Tom was no longer bewitched, it didn’t take
long for him to abandon his wife and son- promptly heading back to the town of Little
Hangleton.
After he fled, Merope fell in to a deep depression, and stopped using magic entirely.
And on new years eve in 1926, she went to an orphanage and gave birth to her son, Tom
Marvolo Riddle.
Tom for the boy’s father, and Marvolo for Merope’s father.
Merope died shortly after Riddle was born, as at this point she had suffered immensely
from a broken heart.
Merope effectively chose to die as she had no will to live, and because she was not there
to give Tom love and care, he grew up without any concept or notion of love.
It was originally implied that one of the main reasons that Voldemort can’t feel love
is because of the way that he was conceived.
Because his mother and father didn’t genuinely love each other, and because his father was
under the influence of a love potion, he was born with an incapability of feeling it.
And I’d venture to say that this is how nearly all Harry Potter fans have perceived
Voldemort’s inability to feel love.
But, this is what most people get wrong, as there’s actually a caveat to all of this.
You see, most people deduced from the tragic tale of Voldemort’s birth that he is fundamentally
incapable of love.
It turns out, that’s not actually the case.
In an interview from many years ago, JK Rowling introduces the possibility for Voldemort to
feel love- suggesting that he IS capable, it’s just VERY difficult for him.
INT: How much does the fact that Voldemort was conceived under a love potion have to
do with his inability to understand love? is it more symbolic?
“J.K.
Rowling: It was a symbolic way of showing that he came from a loveless union - but of
course, everything would have changed if Merope had survived and raised him herself and loved
him.”
In this interview Rowling reveals that IF Merope had been there to raise him, then he
COULD have loved.
What this means it’s that he’s not as emotionally incapable as other canon may suggest.
And honestly, even though Merope WASN’T around to raise Voldemort, I have always kind
of thought that Voldemort loved Nagini- at least, a tiny bit.
But with this new information comes a whole barrage of OTHER questions and implications.
If Voldemort was in fact capable of understanding love, no matter how specific the context,
what is the true nature of his evil?
This information challenges the notion that his lack of love is what makes him so villainous,
and to me this sort of undermines his character.
Additionally, If Voldemort were capable of love, it would add a layer of complexity to
his character that may potentially evoke empathy or sympathy, which complicates perceptions
of him as an irredeemable villain.
Furthermore, the notion that Voldemort IS capable of feeling love disrupts the broader
theme of love in the wizarding world.
In Harry Potter, love is a powerful force- often portrayed as a strength that can triumph
over evil.
Lily Potter’s loving sacrifice is the single greatest example of how powerful love can
be.
If Voldemort were capable of experiencing love, it could challenge the idea that love
is an inherently positive and redeeming quality.
This forces a reevaluation of the series' themes and the role that love plays in the
battle against Voldemort.
In addition to what I’ve mentioned above, Voldemort being capable of love also opens
up the following considerations:
Humanization: The ability to love would humanize Voldemort, making him a more complex and multi-dimensional
character.
This could lead to a deeper exploration of his motivations, desires, and emotional struggles.
Furthermore, with the knowledge that Voldemort was in fact capable of love, readers and fans
may themselves re-evaluating his actions throughout the series- leading to a more nuanced understanding
of his decisions.
Alternative storylines: If Voldemort had the capacity to love, it opens up the possibility
of alternative storylines and character arcs.
Could his ability to love have led him to redemption?
How would this impact other characters in the story?
I’ve spent a fair bit of time responding to comments on this topic in the past, so
hopefully this clears up any sort of confusion.
And that’s it for today!
What do you think about this uncovered aspect of Voldemort’s character?
Does it enhance the story or work against it?
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Leave a comment down below
Until next time
Remember
To have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give
us some protection forever.