Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
In today’s video, we’re going to be discussing some of the spells of the wizarding world.
More specifically, however, we’re going to be discussing the 5 most EVIL spells.
That is, the spells considered too dark for ‘nobler’, more righteous wizards.
These are the spells reserved for the darkest of the dark- the supremely evil.
Before we get started I want to make a distinction- there are plenty of spells which dark wizards
use that aren’t necessarily inherently ‘evil’- it’s just that they’re used in an evil
way.
That’s not what I want to cover here- I want to cover the darkest of the dark- spells
that couldn’t ever possibly have any sort of positive or good connotation.
These are the spells of the dark arts:
"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal.
Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed,
sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before.
You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."
Some of the spells on this list are curses.
So, what exactly is a curse?
First- you need to understand what a charm is.
A charm is an expression that refers to spells which add certain properties to objects or
individuals.
Charms should not be confused with transfigurations, as transfiguration refers to a spell that
changes what the object is, rather than just changing properties of the object.
Basically, curses are the most severe form of dark charms- often cast with intent to
kill or seriously harm.
Now that you’ve got a better sense of what does what- let’s dive in to the top 5 most
EVIL spells in the Harry Potter universe.
5.
Sectumsempra
Part of the reason that Sectumsempra makes it on to this list, besides its obvious malevolent
nature, is the fact that it was created almost entirely out of spite.
Sectumsempra was invented by none other than Severus Snape, and we first hear of the spell
when Harry discovers it in the Half Blood prince.
Sectumsempra is a vicious dark curse that acts like an invisible sword, causing lacerations,
haemorrhaging and cuts upon it’s target.
Often after being struck, the target will lay there motionless as they lose blood.
It is somewhat of a speciality of snapes, and is featured in his half-blood prince copy
of advanced potion-making.
In fact- in snapes’ copy of the textbook the spell is accompanied with a note which
says ‘for enemies’.
This alludes to just how dangerous the spell is.
When Harry uses it on Malfoy in the Half-Blood prince, we see the spell in action for the
first time, and it’s not a pretty sight.
Why Harry thought it would be a good idea to use an unknown spell on Malfoy ‘for enemies’
is anyone’s guess, but all I know is that both boys were lucky that Snape showed up.
The only thing that detracts from this spell being possibly ‘more evil’ is that it
has a counter-charm, Vulnera Sanentur.
The fact that the spell is so easy to cast (even Harry can cast it without knowing what
it does), and the fact that Snape created it out of such a dark place (to use on the
marauders) speaks volumes to just how twisted this curse really is.
For that reason, it’s #5 on the list.
4.
Fiendfyre
Next up we have one of the most POWERFUL spells in the entire Harry Potter universe- 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."
For those unaware- Fiendfyre is absurdly overpowered- and its basic function is to destroy everything.
Voldemort is a known proponent of the spell, and 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.
Fiendfyre is extremely advanced dark magic, and is also one of only a few known ways to
destroy a horcrux.
Fiendfyre is pure evil because it’s only purpose is to destroy- it can’t really be
used righteously, which is why it shouldn’t surprise you that it’s a go-to for many
powerful dark wizards.
For that reason, it’s #4 on the list.
3.
Imperio
Surprise surprise- one of the unforgivable curses.
BUT, I’ll have you know that not all of them are on this list.
What are the 3 invisible curses you ask?
Let’s have fake moody explain:
‘Now ... those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius and Cruciatus – are known as the
Unforgivable Curses.
The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in
Azkaban.”
The Imperius curse or ‘Imperio ‘comes from the latin ‘impero’ which means ‘i
command’.
Imperio is most often used by dark witches and wizards, and, when it is cast on a victim,
they are forced to perform the unquestioned bidding of the caster.
Being under the control of this spell is said to be like experiencing a ‘wonderful release’
from any sense of responsibility, making the victim extremely susceptible to any sort of
influence from the caster.
Because of this adopted carefree attitude, the victim is inclined to carry out tasks
for the caster without any sort of moral compass or awareness of the caster’s intentions
or desires.
Fake moody explains the properties of imperio further in the lesson:
‘I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your
throats…’
This dark curse can basically make people basically do anything- kill their families,
destroy a school- and for that reason it’s certainly one of the most EVIL spells in existence.
2.
Crucio
Like Imperio above, Crucio is one of the unforgivable curses.
The Cruciatus Curse aka Crucio literally translates to ‘I torture’ in latin, so you can already
begin to get an idea of what this spell does, and why it’s here on the list.
Crucio is most often used by dark witches and wizards and a known proponent of Crucio
is Bellatrix Lestrange, who used it to torture Alice and Frank Longbottom.
When cast, crucio inflicts excruciating pain on the victim - pain so excruciating that
it is considered to be torturous.
Casting Crucio is said to require a wand and incantation, and its effects are said to vary
depending on the casters desires and emotions.
For best results, the caster MUST despise the victim and enjoy causing pain.
When Harry tried to use it on Bellatrix, it just didn’t work that well, and that’s
because he’s just not messed up enough to use it.
Crucio is the spell of torture, and it doesn’t get much more evil than torture.
1.
The Horcrux Creation Spell
Even Magicke Most Evile- a dark arts reference book that FOCUSES on dark magic- refused to
touch on the creation of a Horcrux:
"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction —"
That alone should be enough to put it at the top of this list- but let me expand on things
a bit further.
Generally speaking, we don’t exactly know what is involved with this spell, but what
we do know is that MURDER is necessary.
The horcrux creation spell is used to create a horcrux-
an object in which a dark witch or wizard imparts a piece of their soul in order to
achieve immortality.
It’s widely considered to be the most terrible form of dark magic, and for good reason.
This spell effects both the victim as well as the caster- as- in sheer defiance of life
itself, it rips out and redistributes the soul.
It opposes the fundamental laws of magic.
In fact, it’s so evil that even most dark witches and wizards avoid this spell- Slughorn
puts it best himself:
‘… few would want it, Tom, very few.
Death would be preferable.’
And that’s it for this video!
Avada Kedavra didn’t make it on to the list because, in a weird sort of way, it’s merciful.
It’s like death by lethal injection- it kills instantly, and while it’s still certainly
evil, I think that the spells on this list are far MORE sinister.
What’s YOUR list?
Let me know down in the comment section below.
Until next time
Remember
"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.”