Horcruxes are powerful magical objects in the Harry Potter universe that allow a witch or wizard to conceal a fragment of their soul within an object. This prevents the maker from truly dying even if their body is destroyed, as the split soul fragment remains earthbound in the Horcrux. This makes the creator immortal unless the Horcrux is also destroyed. But who first created these dark and sinister magical objects?
The Origins of Horcruxes
The exact origins of Horcruxes are unknown, but they are believed to have been invented sometime during the Middle Ages by a powerful dark wizard seeking immortality. Some legends say the first Horcruxes were created by Herpo the Foul, an ancient Greek dark wizard. Herpo was best known for hatching the first Basilisk and pioneered many dangerous kinds of magic. Other stories suggest the earliest Horcruxes were the work of Ekrizdis, a tyrannical wizard who lured Muggles to his island fortress of Azkaban in the 15th century before the prison was built there. The darkest legends whisper that Horcruxes are older still, invented by Morgan le Fay or other ancient dark sorcerers from the time of the Hogwarts founders.
Regardless of who exactly invented them first, it is clear that Horcruxes have been around for centuries and have been used by some of the most evil witches and wizards throughout history. Their appeal is obvious – they provide the ultimate insurance against death. For dark wizards obsessed with immortality and power, Horcruxes have proven to be an addictively tempting form of Dark magic.
How Horcruxes Work
Horcruxes work by housing a detached portion of the creator’s soul inside an object. This is usually done by casting a spell after committing murder, which rips the soul apart. The Horcrux spell then contains the severed soul piece within an object chosen by the caster. The object can be anything, but dark witches and wizards often choose significant items of meaning. Part of the appeal of Horcruxes is anchoring the soul to the mortal world through objects of importance.
Creating just one Horcrux allows the maker to anchor themselves to life if their body is destroyed. However, most dark wizards don’t stop at one. They can fracture their soul again and again, hiding the shards in multiple Horcruxes to make themselves even more durable. However, this comes at a heavy cost. Splitting the soul too many times makes it unstable and damages it beyond repair. It also destroys the humanity of the creator in the process.
The Damage Caused by Horcruxes
Creating a Horcrux inflicts enormous damage on the soul. Splitting it so unnaturally leaves lasting wounds that cannot heal. Each new Horcrux creates more instability and corruption within the soul. This manifests in the witch or wizard who creates them, causing drastic changes to their physical appearance and personality. They may become unstable, paranoid, sadistic, and unable to feel normal human emotions like love or compassion.
The more Horcruxes made, the less human the creator becomes. They gain power but lose their humanity. This is why no witch or wizard is known to have created more than seven Horcruxes – any more would make their soul too unstable to remain intact even within the Horcruxes.
The First Known Horcrux Maker
The earliest known creator of Horcruxes was Herpo the Foul in ancient Greece. As mentioned, legends say he pioneered the darkest kinds of magic and was the first to successfully hatch a Basilisk. Herpo lived to an advanced age, which indicates he may have used Horcruxes to extend his life. However, concrete evidence of his specific Horcruxes is lost to history.
Some other ancient or medieval dark wizards who may have dabbled with Horcrux magic include:
- Morgan le Fay – the legendary half-sister of King Arthur was said to have great dark powers
- Loxias – an ancient Greek prophet and alleged dark wizard
- Harbard – a mysterious Viking wizard from Norse legends
- Hereward the Wake – a resistance fighter against William the Conqueror said to know magic
But in truth, their use of Horcruxes is unproven and more mythical associations than fact. The first known definitive use of Horcruxes did not come until centuries later.
The Hogwarts Founders Era
The first confirmed dark wizard to create multiple Horcruxes was Lord Voldemort. However, he was predated by others who secretly made at least one Horcrux in previous centuries.
During the era of the Hogwarts founders in the 10th century, a few resourceful wizards are believed to have created Horcruxes. The famous founders themselves did not, preferring to use other methods to extend their unusually long lifespans such as alchemy or the Philosopher’s Stone. But some of their contemporaries did follow the path of Horcruxes.
The Bloody Baron
The Bloody Baron, Slytherin House ghost at Hogwarts, is believed to have been the first wizard from that era to make a Horcrux. His real name was Baron Sable, a sneaky wizard and alleged vampire who was in life covered in blood stains. As a Horcrux creator, he would have had a sinister interest in blood magic and soul fragmentation.
Godelot
Hereward Godelot was a dangerous Dark Wizard author who wrote the book Magick Moste Evile, which instructs readers on creating Horcruxes. He was obsessed with enchantments to conquer death. Though not definitively proven, most historians believe Godelot created at least one Horcrux, both to enhance his own power and to test the processes in his book.
Horcruxes in the 20th Century
After many centuries of being rare and forgotten, the use of Horcruxes saw a resurgence in the 20th century through the machinations of history’s most prolific Horcrux creator, Lord Voldemort. Obsessed with conquering death, he pushed the magic farther than anyone before him.
Tom Riddle’s Horcruxes
Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort, was born in 1926 and came of age during World War II. After learning about Horcruxes at Hogwarts, he became fixated on using them to achieve immortality. He created his first Horcrux circa 1943 while still a student by turning his diary into one.
Over the next decades, he expanded his Horcrux collection while rising to power as a Dark Lord. In total, he created seven Horcruxes by splitting his soul again and again through murder and dark magic. They included:
- Tom Riddle’s Diary
- Marvolo Gaunt’s Ring
- Salazar Slytherin’s Locket
- Helga Hufflepuff’s Cup
- Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem
- Harry Potter
- Nagini the Snake
This made Voldemort’s soul incredibly unstable and inhuman. He no longer had a normal physical form, instead appearing snake-like with glowing red eyes. His insanity and evil were unmatched thanks to such extreme soul damage. But it also made him almost immortal – he survived attacks that would kill normal wizards.
Other Modern Horcrux Makers
Voldemort popularized Horcruxes again in the modern era, and some of his followers were tempted to follow in his footsteps. While none went as far as he did, a few are rumored to have created one:
- Evan Rosier – a loyal Death Eater killed in 1982. Some claim he had a secret Horcrux to cheat death, but this is unproven.
- Igor Karkaroff – Voldemort’s servant and Durmstrang headmaster. Allegedly had a Horcrux as self-insurance.
- Bellatrix Lestrange – Voldemort’s most fanatical follower was said to be researching Horcruxes before her death.
The Current Status of Horcruxes
Today in the 21st century, the secrets of Horcrux magic have largely faded away again following Voldemort’s defeat in 1998. Harry Potter and his allies systematically found and destroyed all of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, rendering him mortal once more. Since then, no other dark wizards have been known to successfully create Horcruxes.
With Voldemort gone, much of the lore about Horcruxes has been forgotten by modern wizards. The Ministry of Magic strongly discourages their use, classifying it as highly dangerous soul-violating Dark magic. However, it is possible that future dark wizards may attempt to unearth the secrets of Horcruxes again one day.
Conclusion
In summary, Horcruxes are an ancient and terrible form of dark magic designed to make the user immortal. Their origins are mysterious but date back many centuries. The earliest known maker was Herpo the Foul in ancient Greece, though their use likely predates recorded history. Horcruxes saw limited use in medieval times before a resurgence by Lord Voldemort in the 20th century. He remains the most prolific creator, having split his soul into seven fragments. Since his defeat, Horcrux use has again faded, though the magic remains dangerous and alluring to those who seek to conquer death.