Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. Before we start the video, I just
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In this video, we are going to be discussing the 5 most powerful spells of he who shall
not be named, otherwise known as lord Voldemort.
Voldemort is undoubtedly one of the most powerful if not THE most powerful dark wizard in the
entire HP universe. Born Tom Marvolo Riddle in 1926, Voldemort began attending Hogwarts
in 1938 and was sorted in to none other than slytherin house. Dumbledore and Voldemort
are thought to possess FAIRLY equal power (Dumbledore edges him out just a little),
with the exception that one practices magic for good and the other practices it for evil.
Because magic exists on both sides, light and dark, it means that the magic Voldemort
and Dumbledore wield on a regular basis varies quite a bit. Each side boasts its own benefits.
Even at a young age, Voldemort proved himself to be a magical prodigy, as he was able to
utilise and control magic without the use of a wand. He had the power to move objects
with his mind, to communicate with and control animals, and even inflict harm on those who
opposed or annoyed him, which left even Dumbledore astonished. He performed feats of magic thought
impossible and his magical accomplishments eclipsed and dwarfed those of any dark wizard
before him- with the exception of only Gellert Grindelwald.
He puts it best himself:
“I have experimented, I have pushed the boundaries of magic further, perhaps, than
they have ever been pushed.”
So, we know that he’s powerful, and that he was an extremely talented wizard- but what
exactly are his most powerful abilities? Let’s take a look.
#5 Unsupported flight
"And then Harry saw him. Voldemort was flying like smoke on the wind, without broomstick
or thestral to hold him, his snake-like face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers
raising his wand again —"
JK Rowling is reported to have stated that ALL wizards have the power of flight innately,
but that the vast vast majority need a broom to achieve it. In Voldemort’s case, he was
so focused and powerful that he was able to channel the power to fly unsupported- harnessing
the energy through himself rather than the broom. This achievement is a sign of a truly
powerful witch or wizard and meant that you were in seriously hot water if Voldemort was
chasing after you.
#4 Legilimency
"The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not
etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and
many-layered thing, Potter. Or at least most minds are... It is true, however, that those
who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds
of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly."
Legilimency is essentially the art of magically navigating through someone’s mind -it’s
rather invasive, and allows you to see into people’s minds and read their thoughts.
While this ability is used by other witches and wizards and is not unique to Voldemort
by any means, Voldemort has certainly proven himself to be a master at it. Voldemort mastered
legilimency during his time at school, entirely determined to become more skilled at it than
any other witch or wizard to have ever lived. Using his skill in legilimency, Voldemort
could almost always tell who was lying to him, and often knew what you were thinking
before you uttered a word. Only incredibly good liars like Severus Snape and Narcissa
Malfoy were able to lie to Voldemort successfully. The counter to Legilimency is occlumency,
which is the practice of magically closing one’s mind AGAINST legilimency. With the
exception of Severus Snape and Dumbledore, Voldemort was basically able to access anyone’s
mind if he so desired. Snape and Dumbledore on the other hand, were safe due to their
mastery in occlumency. Snape acts as a double agent in the books and films but is still
able to deceive lord voldemort despite frequent interaction, and I don’t think that this
is a shot at Voldemort’s abilities as a legilimens, as he was the best at it, but
more of a testament to Snape’s impressive ability to perform occlumency. A basic level
occlumens is simply able to clear their mind in the event of a mind infiltration, while
a master occlumens is able to change their thought patterns in order to further confuse
the legilimens.
3. Avada kedavra
"There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible
something was soaring through the air — instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked,
but unmistakably dead"
Avada Kedavra aka the killing curse is a favourite of many dark witches and wizards and is one
of the three unforgivable curses (perhaps the worst). Avada kedavra’s purpose is simple,
it causes the victim to instantly die. If you want to kill your victim, then this is
the spell to use. Lord voldemort is a known proponent of the spell, which creates a blindingly
intense green bolt of light right before the victim simply drops dead. There are two theories
for how they die, the first claiming that the victims internal organs cease to function
after being struck, and the second claiming that the soul of the victim is magically ripped
from their body. The only known counter-spell to avada kedavra is sacrificial protection,
which was most notably used by Lily Potter and uses the power of love. The name “Avada
Kedavra’ comes from the word ‘abracadabra’ which means ‘let the thing be destroyed’.
Avada Kedavra is used very often in the books/films - most notably by Voldemort on Harry Potter’s
parents and by Snape on Dumbledore. Though there is no way to block avada kedavra effectively,
you CAN move objects in the way of the green jet of light that it produces. Avada Kedavra
IS powerful, but it’s really not that special, and I think that if you want to cause damage
on a larger scale, there are some better options, that’s why it isn’t higher on the list.
2. Fiendfyre
"It was not normal fire; Crabbe had used a curse of which Harry had no knowledge: As
they turned a corner the flames chased them as though they were alive, sentient, intent
upon killing them. Now the fire was mutating, forming a gigantic pack of fiery beasts: Flaming
serpents, chimaeras, and dragons rose and fell and rose again, and the detritus of centuries
on which they were feeding was thrown up in the air into their fanged mouths, tossed high
on clawed feet, before being consumed by the inferno."
Fiendfyre is one of THE most powerful spells in Harry Potter, period. Voldemort is a known
proponent of the spell, and he can be seen using it against Dumbledore in their epic
duel in the ministry atrium. Fiendfyre produces enchanted flames of an enormous scale that
essentially destroy anything in its path, often taking the form of gigantic fiery beasts.
True to Voldemorts affinity for snakes, Voldemort’s own fiendfyre takes the shape of a gigantic
fiery serpent. Fiendfyre is extremely advanced dark magic, and is also one of only a few
known ways to destroy a horcrux.
#1 Creating Horcruxes
"Tamper with the deepest mysteries — the source of life, the essence of self — only
if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind."
A horcrux is an object in which a dark witch or wizard imparts a piece of their soul in
order to achieve immortality. A horcrux can only be created after committing an act of
murder and is considered to be the most terrible form of dark magic. Only two known wizards
are known to have created them, the first being Herpo the Foul who created a single
horcrux, and the second being Lord Voldemort who successfully created 7. The truly sinister
component of creating a horcrux, and ONE of the reasons that it’s an untouched area
of magic, is that in order to produce one, you must MURDER someone. Charms and jinxes
are often put in place to further protect horcruxes after they are created, and the
appeal of them is that if your main physical form is destroyed your soul/existence lives
on in these objects. Given that Voldemort is the most infamous wizard to use horcruxes,
and that it is such powerful magic, I think that it deserves the top spot on this list.
And with the list completed, we’ve still only really scratched the surface of what
Voldemort is capable of. Honourable mentions include transfiguration, possession, spell
creation, the cruciatus curse, potion making and creating the inferi.
What do you guys think? Do you agree with this list? Let me know down in the comment
section below.
Until next time
YER A WIZARD ARRY