Harry Potter: Why Voldemort Gave Up The Name Tom Riddle
Throughout the course of Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort adopts an eclectic array of names–The Dark Lord, He-who-must-not-be-named, the Heir of Slytherin– but none reveal more about the wizard's character than his decision to leave the name Tom Riddle behind and assume the alias, Lord Voldemort. The introduction of Tom Riddle as Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. There, Riddle explained to Harry the reason for cutting ties with his name and why he assumed this new, dark identity.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was born to Merope Gaunt, a witch and a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and Tom Riddle, Sr., a muggle placed under Gaunt's love potion. After Riddle, Sr. was freed from Gaunt's spell, the muggle left the witch while she was pregnant with their son, Tom Riddle, Jr. Gaunt then died soon after giving birth to Tom. From there, Riddle attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy and soon became one of its top students. Nevertheless, a deep darkness hid behind the boy's polished and charming demeanor, foreshadowing the evil wizard he would become.
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After learning of his half-blood roots, along with the fate of those who came before him, Riddle became sickened with his muggle heritage and decided to cut ties with his bloodline. In doing so, Voldemort's choice to leave the name Tom Riddle behind served as a powerful step in his conquest for supreme domination over his heritage and also the Wizarding World. In an effort to gain agency over those who had dictated the terms of his existence, the Dark Lord left the name Tom Riddle behind, and Lord Voldemort was born.
Voldemort's resentment toward his name grew directly from issues he had with
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