How Horcruxes CHANGED Voldemort's Appearance - Harry Potter Explained

Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today we're discussing Tom Riddle, Horcruxes, Lord Voldemort and the properties of Dark Magic. More specifically- we’re going to be discussing the ravaging effects that Horcruxes had on Tom Riddle- both on his appearance and on his soul. What truly prompted him to become ‘Voldemort’? And, what happened to his nose? How did he go from possessing human-features to snake-like features and, eventually, no recognizable features at all?

In the Half-Blood Prince, Harry gasps at what becomes of the once handsome ‘Tom Riddle’- entirely unsure of what he has become:

“Harry let out a hastily stifled gasp. Voldemort had entered the room. His features were not those Harry had seen emerge from the great stone cauldron almost two years ago: They were not as snake-like, the eyes were not yet scarlet, the face not yet masklike, and yet he was no longer handsome Tom Riddle. It was as though his features had been burned and blurred; they were waxy and oddly distorted, and the whites of the eyes now had a permanently bloody look, though the pupils were not yet the slits that Harry knew they would become. He was wearing a long black cloak, and his face was as pale as the snow glistening on his shoulders.”

Let’s dive in to the destruction of Voldemort.

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[HarryPotterTheory]

Thanks for watching folks! If you enjoy the content please LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel.

[Bricksgaming]

again, people need to understand. when slughorn gave Harry his memory he said do not think ill of me. You had no idea the powers that he possessed even as a child, meaning he could probably read minds anyway and could force people to tell him things that they didn't want to tell him. So to make it easier on himself slughorn told him reluctantly he didn't do it just because he wanted to do it and the movie really shows this. The look in his face is like why am I telling Tom Riddle about the horcruxes. they give him such a bad rap but you got to remember who slug horn was dealing with

[KevinBenecke]

I think it would be interesting if they could make a movies about Voldemort and his history up to his first encounter with Harry Potter.

[barbiquearea]

I always wondered how much the Horcruxes had an effect on Voldemort's mental health? In his youth at Hogwarts, he was remarked as being very smart, charming, charismatic and possessing enough cunning and impulse control to plan things ahead remarkably well. However when he was resurrected, he didn't show any of the same intelligence and charm of his 16 year old diary self (though he was just as self absorbed as he always was). His seventy year old self was instead rather impatient, erratic and didn't seem rational enough to be able to think things through in order to kill a 14 year old boy. I suppose its possible that he simply grew more arrogant with age the more powerful he became. And in his new persona as Lord Voldemort, he no longer needed to keep up the facade of being charming, sociable or charismatic anymore and would rather just boss his lackeys around and rule them through fear. Even so I wonder how much the Horcruxes were responsible for warping his mind and personality as they have with his body?

[LapisAndroidParkRanger]

I wish we had a scene in the movies with this half transformed Voldy. Played by Ralph Fiennes but more normal looking then his full Voldy.

[barbiquearea]

Voldemort's distant relative Gormlaith Gaunt was also noted for being rather pale and ghoulish looking, due to her immersion in dark magic taking a toll on her looks. Its not known if Gormlaith had also created her own Horcruxes, but its very clear that dark magic alone is what can alter one's appearances for the worse.

[paulgraf]

I think Horcruxes are playing a main part in the body transformation. Bellatrix for example was still pretty beautiful despite all the horrible things she has done.

[jorgecarbajal]

It could be said that Voldemort’s excessive creation of Horcruxes and constant use of dark magic caused his body to reflect the evil monster that he was within.

[qBeYcarpet]

I sometimes think about how there's kind of karma with good and evil actions being somehow tracked like soul literally ripping apart from murder etc. Real life much more sad though, psychopaths like voldy without the ability to empathy physically can't feel remorse because of it.
Voldemort's line "There's no good or evil, there is only power, and those who weak to seek it." Sounds like a slogan nestle lives by.

[eranshachar]

We know how he has changed. With every Horcrux you tear a piece of your self. After only one Horcrux there is not a huge difference. However with each one created you lose your humanity more and more until there is nothing left. My theory is that you extract 10 % of your soul to put in each Horcrux, and Voldemort had 8 of them so you can imagine how much damage it is to be left with 20 % soul if that is the case. His body was in limbo- Dead physically but his soul couldn't continue to the next world properly. Dean Jewel (Harry Potter Folklore) has another interesting theory: 1st Horcrux (50 % soul remain) 2nd Horcrux (25 % soul remain) 3rd Horcrux (12.5 %) 4th Horcrux (6.25 %) 5th Horcrux (3.125 %) 6th Horcrux (1.56 %) 7th Horcrux (0.78 %) 8th (0.39 % nearly nothing horrific) oh and I almost forgot himself the 9th piece of which he was tearing from. Which brings us to shocking 0.195 % soul left if Dean's theory is the correct one. And if you ask me how 8? Well: Diary, ring, cup, locket, diadem, Harry by accident, Quirinus Quirrell on purpose and temporarily approved by Rowling and Nagini.

[pulvinarpulvinar]

I dont think Harry met Voldemorts last piece of soul at Kings Cross, Harry only saw the piece of Voldemorts soul that had been attached to him. Voldemorts last piece of soul still remained inside of Voldemort himself at that point

[sailorbychoice]

I've often thought Tom Riddle misconstrued his inability to get the Elder Wand to respond to his spells was not a failing in the wand, but a loss of His magical power as pieces of his soul were being destroyed. How long would The Deatheaters have put up with him once he showed depleted abilities? They didn't strike me as the types who'd put up with crap from a magicless figurehead.

[furiousgamerxz]

I always though the reason Voldemort looked the way he did was because he made a homunculus body that was forcibly aged up to an adult and not because of his Horcruxes (though his soul pieces definitely looked the way they did because of the Horcrux)

[rickfire]

I always thought of Voldemort's look as the result of his body being resurrected (twisted by the process). As if he hasn't been destroyed that very night, he would have kept his normal appearance.

[grec.]

I think that although Voldemort was eager to reached unmatched levels of magic, to achieve immortality, power and greatness; it is very possible that he didn't know the consequences ripping his soul 7 times would do to him. Maybe he saw his own deteriorating as a "small" price to pay for his means. Maybe he underestimated the power of dark magic done at that level yet was so determined that it didn't stop him nor slowed him down.
He was born dihumanized and by doing the horcruxes made himiterally soulless.
When you think about it, this is quite disturbing.

[williehughes]

The deformation of Tom's human features as he continues to split his soul more and more kind of reminds me of what happens in Full metal alchemist when u use the Philosopher's stone to jump from body to body to many times eventually your soul has left to many peices behind and doesn't have the strength to maintain a body anymore.

[thirdcoastfirebird]

All of this makes sense. I keep bring it up, but in Dungeons and Dragons when you create a Phylactery (a Horcrux) it distorts your body. Granted you can't create more than one of these because a Phylactery contains you whole soul, but it does turn you into an undead corpse. You look like a zombie, but you keep your mind, and magical power. There is a long and drawn out process in create a Phylactery. Not many people do it in game, and those that try not many succeed in making one. It is dark stuff, and only the most evil will attempt it.

[ane]

for some reason I dont hate voldemort, i actually pity tom riddle

[thebluestig]

It was NOT the horcruxes that changed his looks. The books stated very plainly that he did that to himself to distance himself from his half-muggle lineage and elevate himself above his half blood status in the eyes of anyone who say him.

[Sasukea]

The Dark Arts are a pathway to many different possibilities some are considered to be unnatural.