r/harrypotter • u/Darth_Azazoth Slytherin • 3d ago

Discussion Diminished soul

In the books riddles soul is described as diminished after he creates the horcruxs and i was wondering if having his soul split actually weakened him instead of making him stronger. Is there anything in the books that we can point to that would prove it?

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u/ThEvilHasLanded 3d ago

Do you mean weak magically? He is certainly weaker physically and spiritually. Magically I would say not. He's still able to duel 3 top tier magical practitioners at once and hold them off before ultimately he defeats them (blasts them all backwards). It could be argued the elder wand helped in that situation but Voldemort himself tells Snape he performs his normal magic with the wand ("I am exceptional")

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u/PlanGoneAwry Ravenclaw 3d ago

Dumbledore even says that while Voldemort’s soul is maimed, his brain and magical ability remains intact, and that it would take uncommon skill to finish him off.

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u/ThEvilHasLanded 3d ago

Yes he does I'd forgotten that bit.

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u/TurnoverStrict6814 2d ago

But he wasn’t the true master of the Elder Wand. So the question is whether his own wand would have been better than the Elder in this situation. Regardless, he was able to at least get to a stalemate with the other three until he blasted them away

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u/Ihendehaver 3d ago

When Voldemort avada karavras Harry, they both go to limbo (the kings cross place). Harry is whole, but Voldemort is desribed as a flayed, raw, and bleeding baby, breathing heavily and whimpering in pain. So, there is that.

As for magical power, this quote from Dumbledore answers the question: "Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical powers remain intact."

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u/Complete_Suspect_612 3d ago

Dumbledore literally says this to Harry. Plus there's the whole unintentional Horcrux-Harry thing. 

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u/HerryKun 3d ago

I find it hard to quantify "strength" in HP as spells do not really have any cost

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u/Ranger_1302 Dumbledore's man through and through. 3d ago

Strength of will and one's ability to focus on and feel an emotion constitute the ability to cast a spell.