to choices influenced by his family history.

Yet Riddle also conforms to many stereotypes of a serial killer that are around his unhappy, lonely upbringing as an unwanted orphan: the ability he had through magical and intellectual means to control and bully other children, he was a consummate liar, and he tortured animals. He also collected trophies – “These were taken from victims of his bullying behaviour, souvenirs, if you will, of particularly unpleasant bits of magic.” A habit that ties in later with his use of Horcruxes, and leans heavily into the trope of serial killers. He is shown throughout his childhood to be ruthless, cruel and sadistic. He has the same level of mercy for his followers as his enemies, and appears to feel no desire orown heritage. Such connections position Voldemort within the framework of real historical figures, such as Adolf Hitler. He devolves rapidly from a brilliant, but consciousless wizard seeking immortality into a power-obsessed megalomaniac. The answer of nature versus nurture is a difficult one to identify as much of Rowling’s descriptions tie back to his childhood, but also to his family heritage that he did not discover until his late teens, which implies it could be a mixture of both. However, the choices he makes in the face of acceptance and opportunity that he received at Hogwarts could suggest it was a case of nature.

Family Background

Riddle’s mother was Merope Gaunt, a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and his father was a muggle, Tom Riddle Sr. Merope magically tricked Tom Sr.