Grandpa Voldemort

[ronale7]

No: HPFGUIDX 40454

Arcum wrote:

>>With Voldemort, I could definately see his intention of killing 
Harry
and James as being about bloodlines and a prophesy, but I don't see
him as neccessarily related.<<


I believe Voldemort is Harry's paternal grandfather.  While I can 
offer no proof of this, neither can anyone disprove it.  Only Rowling 
can do these things.  But I can point to the clues and suggestions 
she gives that support this theory.

1. A familiar tale 

In SS, chapter 1, we learn a powerful magician has tried to kill a 
baby.  This story appears over the centuries in many different 
cultures.  They each tell of a powerful lord who hears a prophecy: a 
particular child, once grown, will cause his downfall.  To prevent 
that from happening the lord tries to kill or exile the child, who is 
usually his son, grandson, or nephew.  He fails and what is foretold 
comes to be.

A reader familiar with mythology will now stay alert for further 
evidence that Harry is Voldemort's nephew or grandson.  (He can't be 
his son, for we're told Harry's father was killed.)

2. Harry's birthday

In SS, chapter 8, we learn Harry was born on July 31.  This is the 
date on which the Celts celebrated the festival of their chief god, 
Lugh.  Lugh killed his grandfather, a war god.

Rowling often uses old myths in her tale.  It's unlikely she 
accidentally picked this birthday for Harry.  Instead it further 
suggests Harry is Voldemort's grandson.  Like Lugh, he may be 
destined to destroy an evil person.

3. The Centaurs
 
In SS, chapter 15, we learn the centaurs read the planets and 
foretell the future.  They mention others do so too.  And twice they 
refer to Mars being very bright.  Mars was a war god.  

We now have a further suggestion about prophecy and an allusion to a 
war god.  Both strengthen our theory.  Additionally, chapter 17 has 
Voldemort saying Lily died needlessly.  This suggests that the 
prophecy was about Harry or a son of James, while Lily presented no 
threat.  

4. Riddle's observations

In CS, chapter 17, Riddle mentions that both he and Harry look 
somewhat alike and are parselmouths.  A genetic inheritance would 
explain this.  Additionally, since we've been told that Harry looks 
very much like his father, the genetic traits would most likely have 
been passed along through James.

We can now assume that Voldemort is Harry's paternal grandfather.
To assume he can be related on his mother's side requires too many 
other explanations.  Instead we should use Occam's razor and work 
with the simplest solution.

5. Riddle's treatment of Lily

In PA, chapter 9, we learn that Voldemort, intent on killing Harry, 
told Lily to step aside.  This suggests that Voldemort doesn't care 
whether Lily lived or died.  He is specifically after Harry and/or 
any son of James.  

This strengthens our supposition that the prophecy Voldemort learned 
either mentioned Harry or referred to James's son.  It may have been 
necessary to kill James to prevent his having other sons.  It would 
not have been necessary to kill Lily.

6. The parricides

In GF, we learn that Riddle killed his father and grandfather and 
that Crouch Jr. killed his own father. 

That's three parricides in one book.  Given Rowling's penchant for 
foreshadowing, we can assume that another parricide will occur.  In 
all likelihood it will be Harry putting an end to Voldemort, possibly 
after a great moral struggle.


Various posts have disagreed with this theory.  Below I list their 
arguments and such rebuttals as I can muster.

1.  It's Such a Big Thing, it can't be true.

Being important doesn't make a thing false.  Yes, parricide is a big 
thing--that's why it appears in so many myths.  Certainly Rowling 
isn't afraid of the topic, not with three parricides in GF.

2.  The Mirror of Erised doesn't show Riddle as a family member

The mirror shows what the viewer wants to see.  As Dumbledore himself 
says, (SS, chapter 12) "the mirror will give us neither knowledge or 
truth."

3.  Riddle isn't the right age to be Harry's grandfather or James's 
father.

Riddle is exactly the right age.  The Lexicon says Riddle was born in 
1927, James about 1960, and Harry in 1980.  That makes Riddle about 
thirty-three years older than James and fifty-three years older than 
Harry.  These are  reasonable age differences for parents and 
grandparents.  

4.  Dumbledore says Voldemort is the last remaining descendant of 
Slytherin

Dumbledore doesn't know Riddle had a child.  Thus his statement is 
true, so far as he knows, but mistaken.  For that matter, neither 
Voldemort, nor James, nor anyone else may know Riddle became a 
father.  Or, if they do know, they may not know who the child was.  

5.  Dumbledore says Harry is a parselmouth because Voldemort's curse 
gave him that talent.

Maybe, but why couldn't the talent have come from two sources, 
genetics and the curse?  It's also possible that Dumbledore, not 
knowing Voldemort had a descendant, gave the best explanation he 
could.

6. Rowling denied the kinship in an interview

No, Rowling didn't deny it.  She laughed and likened such a kinship 
to Star Wars.  That's not denial--that's sidestepping the question.  
But yes, it would be reminiscent of Luke Skywalker--and of Oedipus, 
Perseus, Krishna, Lugh, etc.  Such feuding kinships have been told of 
for millennia, world over.  

--Ronale7