======Horcrux====== =====Object Information===== * **Type:** [[Dark Object]] * **Owners:** Known owners include [[Herpo the Foul]] and [[Lord Voldemort]]. * **Maker:** The process was invented by the Ancient Greek [[Dark Wizard]], [[Herpo the Foul]]. Each individual [[Horcrux]] is created by the wizard seeking to use it. =====Description and Appearance===== A [[Horcrux]] is an object in which a [[wizard]] or [[witch]] has concealed a fragment of their soul in order to attain immortality. The process of creating a [[Horcrux]] is considered the foulest act of [[Dark Magic]], as it involves splitting one's soul through murder and then using a spell to encase the torn portion within a chosen object. Any object, or even a living being, can be turned into a [[Horcrux]]. [[Lord Voldemort]], the most prolific creator of Horcruxes, chose objects that held great historical or personal significance to him. The object itself does not necessarily change in appearance, but it becomes imbued with powerful [[Dark Magic]] and is exceptionally difficult to destroy. Horcruxes can also exert a powerful, corrupting influence on those who possess or come into close contact with them for extended periods. =====Magical Properties and Usage===== The primary purpose of a [[Horcrux]] is to anchor its creator's soul to the mortal plane. If the creator's body is destroyed, they will not die but will continue to exist in a non-corporeal, "less than spirit" form. From this state, they can eventually be returned to a physical body through powerful and complex [[Dark Magic]]. The creation process has several profound effects: * **Soul Mutilation:** The act of murder fractures the soul, and the subsequent enchantment tears off a fragment. This act is unnatural and deeply damaging. * **Immortality:** As long as a [[Horcrux]] remains intact, its creator cannot truly die. * **Dehumanization:** The repeated splitting of the soul has a destabilizing effect on the remaining soul within the body and can lead to a less human physical appearance, as seen with [[Lord Voldemort]]'s transformation. Destroying a [[Horcrux]] is extremely difficult. The container must be damaged to an extent that it is beyond any form of magical repair. The only two substances known to be capable of this are [[Basilisk]] venom and [[Fiendfyre]]. The [[Sword of Gryffindor]], by virtue of having been used to kill a [[Basilisk]], became imbued with its venom and could therefore also destroy Horcruxes. A living [[Horcrux]] can be destroyed if its host is killed in a way that is irreparable. In the unique case of [[Harry Potter]], the soul fragment within him was destroyed by the [[Killing Curse]] cast by its original owner, [[Lord Voldemort]], without killing Harry himself due to the protection of his mother's sacrifice. =====History===== The concept of the [[Horcrux]] was first pioneered by [[Herpo the Foul]], who successfully created one. The knowledge was recorded in books on the foulest of [[Dark Arts]], such as //Secrets of the Darkest Art//, which [[Albus Dumbledore]] later removed from the [[Hogwarts Library]]. The most infamous user of this magic was [[Lord Voldemort]]. As a student at [[Hogwarts]], [[Tom Riddle]] learned of Horcruxes from [[Professor Slughorn]]. Believing seven to be the most powerfully magical number, he planned to split his soul into seven pieces by creating six Horcruxes, with the final piece residing in his own body. He ultimately created seven Horcruxes, though the final one was unintentional. [[Lord Voldemort]]'s Horcruxes were: - **[[Tom Riddle's Diary]]:** Created following the murder of [[Myrtle Warren]] in 1943. It was destroyed by [[Harry Potter]] in the [[Chamber of Secrets]] in 1993 using a [[Basilisk fang]]. - **[[Marvolo Gaunt's Ring]]:** Created with the murder of [[Tom Riddle Sr.]] in 1943. It was destroyed by [[Albus Dumbledore]] in 1996 using the [[Sword of Gryffindor]]. - **[[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]]:** Created after the murder of a [[Muggle]] tramp circa 1946. It was destroyed by [[Ron Weasley]] in the [[Forest of Dean]] in 1997 using the [[Sword of Gryffindor]]. - **[[Helga Hufflepuff's Cup]]:** Created after the murder of its previous owner, [[Hepzibah Smith]], circa 1946. It was destroyed by [[Hermione Granger]] in the [[Chamber of Secrets]] in 1998 using a [[Basilisk fang]]. - **[[Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem]]:** Created following the murder of an Albanian peasant in the mid-1940s. It was unintentionally destroyed by [[Vincent Crabbe]]'s [[Fiendfyre]] curse in the [[Room of Requirement]] in 1998. - **[[Harry Potter]]:** Created unintentionally on October 31, 1981, when the [[Killing Curse]] Voldemort used to murder [[Lily Potter]] rebounded and shattered his already unstable soul, latching a fragment onto the only living thing in the room. This soul fragment was destroyed by [[Lord Voldemort]] himself in the [[Forbidden Forest]] in 1998. - **[[Nagini]]:** Created with the murder of [[Bertha Jorkins]] in 1994. The snake was killed by [[Neville Longbottom]] with the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]] in 1998. =====Role in the Story===== The existence of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s Horcruxes is the central secret of the latter half of the series and the driving force of the plot in //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//. After [[Albus Dumbledore]] confirmed their existence and number through his research and recovered memories, he tasked [[Harry Potter]] with finding and destroying them all. This "Horcrux hunt" became the primary mission for Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] following Dumbledore's death. The destruction of each [[Horcrux]] was a critical victory, slowly dismantling Voldemort's immortality and making him vulnerable. Only after all the Horcruxes were destroyed could [[Lord Voldemort]] finally be defeated. =====Etymology===== The name "Horcrux" is likely a portmanteau created by J.K. Rowling. * **"Hor-"** may derive from the English word //"horror"// or the Latin //horrere// ("to shudder, to stand on end"). * **"-crux"** is Latin for //"cross"//. In English, a "crux" refers to a vital or pivotal point of a matter, or a puzzle that is difficult to solve. Together, the name can be interpreted as "horror-cross" or "pivotal horror," aptly describing an object that is both horrific in nature and central to the plot to defeat [[Lord Voldemort]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling has stated in interviews that she will never reveal the exact incantation and process for creating a [[Horcrux]], as she found the details to be deeply disturbing (J.K. Rowling interview). * In the film adaptations, when a [[Horcrux]] is destroyed, a black, smoke-like essence representing the soul fragment is often shown escaping the object. This is a visual invention for the films and is not described in the novels (film).