Harry Potter Villain Voldemort Enjoys Increasing Popularity

When the first Harry Potter book hit the bookstores, Voldemort created barely a stir. He seemed little more than an idea. When readers discovered the Harry Potter villain in hiding under a professor's turban, looking very much like a very ugly baby, many readers found him pathetic. One day, they knew, their young wizard champion would fight this vile monstrosity. They had no way of knowing just how powerful Voldemort would become.

Eventually, the ingredients necessary for the Dark Lord's full resurrection had been gathered - the blood of Harry Potter and the flesh of actor Ralph Fiennes. Then one night, Voldemort stepped forth in all his pale, hairless glory.

Now, websites have been erected in his honor. There is fanfiction. Porn. Online shrines dedicated to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He could very well wind up as a deity in his very own religion.

That's an exaggeration of course. Sort of. The word "fan" is short for "fanatic," after all.

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named shows up in fanfic - granted, not quite as often as Harry Potter and Severus Snape, but he does put in the odd appearance. There are appreciation sites, the most chilling of those proclaiming their support for Voldemort's racist actions in the Harry Potter stories.

Why is Lord Voldemort getting so much love on the 'net? He's compelling.

Nothing drives a story quite as well as a frightening villain. When Voldemort was fully resurrected in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, something shifted in the world J.K. Rowling had created. Voldemort was no longer only a bogeyman, but a full-grown man, complete with magical powers and no qualms about hurting little boys. With his serpentine appearance and pale skin, he doesn't look entirely human. And he enjoys causing pain. It is difficult to come up with the name of a more frightening villain.

Aside from his somewhat alien appearance, however, Voldemort is very human once you get to know him. He was a forgotten child, left to rot in an orphanage with the knowledge that he was the product of sexual deceit. While at the orphanage, he learned that he could hurt the other children through the use of magic. Of course, one has to wonder why he would want to, what he must have suffered before he discovered his powers. At this point, the future Dark Lord is simply a sad little boy trying to protect himself.

His upbringing, of course, raises questions of attachment disorder. He even has symptoms of autism. This is a multi-faceted character who is just as difficult as a flesh-and-blood person to figure out.

But, perhaps most importantly, he has a powerful personality, and is able to thrill readers with fear. There is a fascination for the powerful and the frightening and that, plus his multi-faceted nature, is what makes readers shiver with reluctant delight whenever he is near.