Lord Voldemort's 7 Horcruxes

In the world of Harry Potter, a Horcrux is one of the darkest magical objects, used by a wizard to hide a piece of their soul. Its main purpose is to achieve immortality – if the wizard is killed, the soul hidden within the Horcrux ensures they don't die completely. If you're not afraid of a little extreme makeover and want to go as far as possible in practicing Dark Arts, you'll surely appreciate the following chapter on DIY Horcruxes.

Death Eaters love to collect and hide these magical objects, while members of the Order of the Phoenix love to destroy them. Horcruxes allow wizards to avoid death, but at the cost of gradually losing their human form and the purity of their soul ~ depending on the number of Horcruxes in which the wizard stores parts of their soul. Maximum recommended amount of Horcruxes per person: 6.

Now, let's try (though not entirely successfully) to uncover the secrets of Horcrux creation, and then we'll dive into the most successful Horcrux creator – Lord Voldemort.

DIY Horcrux – how to do it?

And that's the problem. No book or movie explains exactly how to make one.

Sure, first you choose an object or a living being to hide a piece of your soul in, then you commit the murder of an innocent person (could be a Muggle or a wizard) to tear your soul apart. Then you just need to cast some really nasty spell and… But that is definitely not a complete guide; we don't know the incantation, and there's likely something missing to complete the Horcrux, something that even the author J. K. Rowling herself didn't mention in the Harry Potter books.

We know that…

⚡ One theory about the unspoken part of the Horcrux creation process has been circulating among potterheads for a long time: it might involve cannibalism. The wizard would simply have to eat a piece of their victim. This would also explain why a person gradually loses their humanity. See this older Reddit post on FanTheories.

⚡ Professor Horace Slughorn discusses the process of creating a Horcrux with young Tom Riddle, but he also discourages him from doing it and later regrets saying anything at all.

⚡ Regulus Black was the only Death Eater who discovered Voldemort's secret regarding the creation of Horcruxes.

How many Horcruxes did Voldemort want to create, and what went wrong?

Tom Riddle, known as Lord Voldemort, was obsessed with immortality. Since he believed in the magical power of the number 7, he originally wanted to create 6 Horcruxes so that his soul would be divided into 7 parts (a piece of soul in his body + 6 Horcruxes). However, he unintentionally created a seventh (and final) Horcrux – Harry Potter.

In 1981, the Horcruxes saved Voldemort's life when the killing curse Avada Kedavra, which he cast at Harry, rebounded on him. Because of this, he lost his physical body and turned into a formless wraith. It took many years for him to regain a physical form thanks to a ritual performed by his servant Peter Pettigrew.

Because Harry Potter was connected to Voldemort's mind, he could feel when Voldemort killed someone, and he also perceived pain when Horcruxes were destroyed.

List of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes

Tom Riddle's Diary

Origin: The diary belonged to young Tom Riddle and served as his personal journal. It was then hidden by the Malfoy family – until Lucius Malfoy slipped it to Ginny Weasley.

Victim: Moaning Myrtle

Destruction: The diary was destroyed by Harry Potter using a basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets. (May 29, 1993)

Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The diary is the first Horcrux to appear in the Harry Potter series.

Tom Riddle's Diary replica before destruction. You can just display it, but you can also write in it. Watch out for basilisk venom!

Marvolo Gaunt's Ring

Origin: The ring was a Gaunt family heirloom and belonged to Voldemort's grandfather, Marvolo Gaunt. The ring was hidden in the ruins of the Gaunt family home. The Resurrection Stone, which is one of the Deathly Hallows, is set into the ring.

Victim: Tom Marvolo Riddle's father. Voldemort was not pleased to discover his Muggle heritage.

Destruction: This Horcrux was discovered by Albus Dumbledore and destroyed with Godric Gryffindor's sword, chronologically before the start of the Harry Potter story in the books.

Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. During this book, Albus Dumbledore reveals the details of the discovery and destruction of this Horcrux to Harry for the first time.

Who wanted to test the ring's effects? You too can resurrect your memories of the Harry Potter world and get a detailed replica of Gaunt's Ring for your home.

Salazar Slytherin's Locket

Origin: The locket belonged to Salazar Slytherin and was a Gaunt family heirloom. The locket was hidden in a cave and protected by various traps and spells.

Victim: An unknown Muggle

Destruction: The locket was destroyed by Ron Weasley using Godric Gryffindor's sword.

Book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

For fans of Salazar Slytherin, we have a beautiful movie replica of the locket, which can be opened even without mastering advanced Parseltongue lessons.

Helga Hufflepuff's Cup

Origin: The cup belonged to the founder of Hufflepuff house, Helga Hufflepuff. The Horcrux was then hidden by Bellatrix Lestrange in her vault at Gringotts Bank.

Victim: The witch Hepzibah Smith

Destruction: The cup was destroyed by Hermione Granger using a basilisk fang.

Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Searching for the cup in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault can be a tough nut to crack – finding the movie cup replica in our shop is much easier.

Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem

Origin: The diadem belonged to the founder of Ravenclaw house, Rowena Ravenclaw. It was hidden in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts.

Victim: An Albanian peasant

Destruction: The diadem was destroyed by Fiendfyre, which was unintentionally unleashed by Vincent Crabbe.

Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A replica of the diadem can also be found here, in a luxury box with the Ravenclaw crest.

Nagini the Snake

Origin: Nagini was Voldemort's snake companion and the last intended Horcrux.

Victim: Ministry of Magic employee Bertha Jorkins

Destruction: Nagini was killed by Neville Longbottom using Godric Gryffindor's sword. It was the last Horcrux that could have ensured Voldemort's immortality.

Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Anyone who doesn't have the courage to keep a live pet can add an elegant Nagini snake figurine to their Horcrux collection.

Harry Potter

Origin: Harry Potter became an accidental Horcrux when Voldemort unintentionally transferred a piece of his soul into Harry while attempting to kill him. Harry carried a piece of Voldemort's soul until the final battle.
Victim: Harry Potter's mother, Lily Potter
Destruction: The Horcrux inside Harry was destroyed by Voldemort himself when he struck Harry with the killing curse in the Forbidden Forest.
Book: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Horcruxes are a fundamental element of the Harry Potter story. From Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets to the destruction of the final Horcrux in the Deathly Hallows, each Horcrux represents a piece of Voldemort's soul and his journey toward immortality. Standing against this evil are the story's main heroes, who are not afraid to face the darkness to bring hope and light back to the wizarding world.

author: Pavla Žižková