"A tall, black–haired boy..." [1]
"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving school ... travelled far and wide ... sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognisable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here." [2]
"Whiter than skull, with wide livid scarlet eyes, and a nose that was as flat as a snake's, with slits for nostrils ... His hands like large, pale spiders ... the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cat’s..." [3]
Family and Background
Appearance
The Diary
Tom Riddle as a History Lesson
Why was Voldemort after the Potters?
Relationship with Harry Potter
Voldemort & Dumbledore
What Sort of Villain is Voldemort?
His Followers: the Death Eaters
Parallels between Hitler & Voldemort
Can he be Defeated?
For the Voldemort Character summary (prepared by Amy Z), see YahooGroups message 13723
Family and Background [4]
Full name: Tom Marvolo Riddle
Father: Tom Riddle (a muggle)
Mother: Unknown (a witch)
Born about 1925-1926, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort, is roughly age 67 at the time of the events of GoF. This is of course assuming that you can count his age normally (he was a bodiless spirit for over 10 years and had undergone many transformations before that time in an attempt to achieve immortality).
Lord Voldemort was named Tom after his father and Marvolo after his grandfather. His father abandoned his mother after he found out that she was a witch, and his mother died shortly after he was born, leaving Tom to be brought up in an orphanage. His mother gave birth to him alone. Why were none of her family members around? Had they already died? Or is there a different reason? Has his mother's family always had a link to the dark arts? Or was Tom the first to go down that path? He apparently had a difficult childhood in the orphanage and later at Hogwarts, which culminated in turning him into the most powerful Dark Wizard of his generation.
Is Voldemort the last remaining ancestor or descendant of Slytherin? This could be an important issue in the books and is discussed more fully in the Mysteries and Inconsistencies FAQ (link needs to be inserted)
Voldemort changed his name as he did not want to be associated with the muggle who had abandoned his mother while she was pregnant. In CoS we learn that "I am Lord Voldemort" is an anagram of his given name, Tom Marvolo Riddle.[5] In many of the foreign language versions of the books the anagram is preserved in some form. The following site details many of these: http://www.eulenfeder.de/int/gbint.html.
Most witches and wizards are afraid to speak his name. Most of his own supporters refer to him as ‘The Dark Lord.' Those fighting against him seem keen to refer to him as ‘You-Know-Who.’ There are, however, a few exceptions to this. Dumbledore speaks Voldemort’s name as do Sirius Black and Professor Lupin. Crouch, when disguised as Moody, used his name, and it is possible that this should have led some to realise Crouch was an imposter. Professor Trelawney also refers to him as the ‘Dark Lord.’ Does this mean she is on his side? This seems very unlikely and can perhaps be explained away by remembering that she was in a deep trance at the time. [6]
In the Lebruin books, the villain can hear his name being said. Dianna Wynne Jones uses the mention of her villain’s name to call him to a spot. There is seemingly a power in using the name of a villain in literary circles.
Appearance [7]
His quest for immortality has changed his appearance from that of a handsome boy (see quotes above) to the hideous form he now takes (more like a snake than a man).
The Diary
At various times throughout the series the author has used the books to make a comment about the condition of the world today. An interesting and thought provoking one is that the diary in CoS could be compared to an Internet chat room. By pouring her heart into the diary, Ginny unleashed a spirit form of Tom Riddle. Similarly an Internet chat room can be dangerous for people, especially the young, to use. A word of warning to us all?[8]
There was a surprise in the Chamber when we learn that Harry is the person Tom is after and not Mudbloods. Is this an indication of his ability to think on his feat and change plan? Or was Harry always the target of the diary plan? Tom had put some of himself into the diary to aid his supporters, indicating how brilliant his magical ability is.
The diary version of Tom could be killed, but it seems clear that this had no effect on the real Voldemort. But what could this version of the Dark Lord do? Was he in a position to kill someone? Or did he have to use something, such as the Basilisk, to do the dirty work for him? He picked up the wand to cast a spell on Harry after the Basilisk had been defeated, but it is unclear what his actions were likely to be. He may have not had enough power in him to Avada Kedavra Harry, possibly because this version of him was still a schoolboy. [9]
Tom Riddle as a History Lesson [10]
In CoS we learn about that Tom Riddle is Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore and Ollivander clearly know this, but Arthur Weasley does not. Is nothing taught about Voldemort in schools or publicised in the press? It seems to be the case that a large portion of the Wizarding population would benefit from knowing about Tom’s past.
Is it that there is no information to go on? All we seem to have is that a gifted student left Hogwarts. Many years later a Dark Wizard turns up. Why would anyone link the two? Was there no one around to worry about what had happened to Tom Riddle? Or is it that there was no proof? Maybe even that no one wanted to make the accusation about this evil person.
Then they believed that he was gone for good and saw no reason to educate the new students about this man. They all wanted to put it in the past and ignore what had happened. Very few will speak his name, let alone talk about him. So it is understandable that his past is unknown.
Why was Voldemort after the Potters?
This is an important issue in the books and is dealt with in the FAQ on the Relationship between Voldemort and the Potters (link needs to be inserted)
Relationship with Harry Potter [11]
They are magically linked. Harry’s scar, the by-product of the failed curse that Voldemort used on him when he was a baby, burns whenever Voldemort does anything particularly evil (this is Dumbledore's belief). As a result of the spell that resulted in his rebirth in GoF, Voldemort now has some of Harry’s blood in him. Harry is morally good, loyal and true as a person. Could this make Voldemort a better person?
Voldemort and Dumbledore [12]
Voldemort is reminded that Dumbledore is the more powerful wizard. He was afraid to take on Hogwarts during his first rise to power because Dumbledore was too powerful an obstacle to overcome. Voldemort will be out to redress the balance this time. The school and its headmaster must be high on his list of targets. He will not want to let it stand in his way this time, as it seems to have done the previous time. And if his aim is to get to Harry, possibly his perception of the biggest obstacle on his way to world domination, then the first step would seem to be to get rid of Dumbledore.
What Sort of Villain is Voldemort? [13]
In the view of many members, he is a genuinely scary villain. He is seriously evil. Reading the scenes in which Voldemort appears can be a frightening experience. He is related to Salazar Slytherin, reputedly the original parselmouth (hence his close link with snakes). To many, Voldemort is a psychologically believable bad guy. He has an evil but brilliant mind and magical powers far beyond the scope of many wizards. He also knows how to use people to his advantage, working through their weaknesses. He has done great things, though almost all of them evil. Will he be after Harry’s friends next?[14]
Some members, on the other hand, believe he is inept and should study the principles in "When I am a Powerful Evil Overlord" (insert link) before his next confrontation with Harry Potter.
Still others wonder if he is truly one-dimensional, all black on a continuum where black represents pure unadulterated evil. Are there any redeeming qualities in Voldemort (or in Tom Riddle more particularly)? What sort of human being was he before he took on the mantle of Lord Voldemort? Will there be any complexity or nuances to this character?
His Followers: the Death Eaters [15]
The Death Eaters are Voldemort's loyal followers, his inner circle. They have the dark mark branded onto their left forearms, providing a link between follower and master. The dark mark allows Voldemort to summon the Death Eaters to his side at any time.
What has he offered them? Have they also been promised immortality? Or power? It seems unlikely that anyone would follow him unless they could see a personal benefit in doing so. Does he tailor the offer to the person?
How does the Dark Mark work? If all Death Eaters have it, then it would be easy for them to be detected. Does this mean that there is some way of making it invisible if needed?
Would all the Death Eaters know who all the others were? Probably not. If you want security in your organisation so that one ‘bad apple’ cannot ruin the rest, then you let small groups know each other, to work together. This way if one is captured then there is little information, or names that they can give away.
On his rebirth, he was bitter at the lack of attempts by his supporters to find him and help him after his "defeat" by infant Harry Potter. He points out that Peter Pettigrew only did so out of fear and not friendship.
Parallels between Hitler and Voldemort [16]
Adolph Hitler was largely responsible for the catastrophic World War II that led to the deaths of millions of people worldwide. It appears that Lord Voldemort had similar goals in the magical world in his first bid for power, before he was defeated by infant Harry Potter. Do Hitler's actions give us any indication of what Voldemort was like and will be like again? Probably.
Can he be defeated? [17]
Can Voldemort be defeated? The easy answer to this is yes, but it is not the important question. Even if he is defeated, the more important question may be: "Can he be killed once and for all?" It may require a Dementor to remove his soul, but in all probability he can now be killed.
Footnotes
4. For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Clubs 5179, 5182
5. For more information look at the following messages: YahooGroups 6822, 6925, 6986, 7208
7. For more information look at the following message: Yahoo Clubs 4049
8. For more information look at the following messages: YahooGroups 8915, 8919
11. For more information look at the following messages: Yahoo Clubs 4510, 4574, 5943, 6642
16. For more information look at the following message: YahooGroups 49
17. For more information look at the following message: YahooGroups 1039