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"The first recorded Basilisk was bred by Herpo the Foul, a Greek Dark wizard and Parselmouth, who discovered after much experimentation that a chicken egg hatched beneath a toad would produce a gigantic serpent possessed of extraordinarily dangerous powers."
Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them[src]

Herpo was an Ancient Greek Dark wizard, infamous for being a pioneer in the field of the Dark Arts. He was the first known wizard to create the Basilisk[4] and the first known to create a Horcrux.[5]

He was one of the earliest known Dark wizards and his work left a lasting impression in dark magic during the 20th century. Herpo sufficiently achieved notoriety, earning the epithet of "the Foul" by his fellow wizards. For this, he was featured on a Chocolate Frog Card.[1]

Biography[]

Herpo the Foul

Herpo the Foul in his old age

Born a Parselmouth, Herpo had the ability to communicate with snakes. He spent his life studying the Dark Arts, inventing many vile curses.[1] At some point in his life, after much experimentation, he created the first known Basilisk,[4] and being a Parselmouth, he was able to communicate with and control it.

In addition, he acquired a great understanding of the nature of the soul, and how murder affected it. Armed with his knowledge and ruthlessness, he deliberately committed murder with the intention of splitting his soul, and subsequently sealed it inside an object with Dark Magic, becoming the first known wizard to successfully create a Horcrux.[5]

At some point, he was immortalised on a Chocolate Frog Card.

Magical abilities and skills[]

  • Dark Arts: Herpo was known as one of the most powerful and influential practitioners of dark magic in history, having immersed himself into dark magic of the most advanced and dangerous kind.[1] Herpo pioneered two of the darkest magical techniques known to wizardkind, being the first known wizard to successfully breed the Basilisk,[4] and the first known wizard to have ever successfully created a Horcrux, probably inventing the process by which to do this. His Horcrux would have left his soul unstable, rendering him less than human.[5] He was highly adept with curses, having even invented many himself.[1]
  • Immortality: Being the first known wizard to have created a Horcrux, Herpo achieved immortality, with his soul being earthbound even if his body would have been destroyed.[5]
  • Spell creation: He invented many vile curses, which earned him his well-deserved malevolent reputation.[1]
  • Parseltongue: One of the earliest known Parselmouths, an uncommon gift to speak with snakes, which has been often connected to the Dark Arts.[4]
  • Basilisk breeding: First wizard to have discovered that hatching a chicken egg under a toad will create the King of Serpents. He managed to control it with Parseltongue, thus initiating one of the few cases of a wizard "domesticating" a XXXXX-classified creature (known wizard-killer that cannot be tamed).[4]

Possessions[]

Herpo the Foul's Basilisk

Herpo the Foul with his pet Basilisk

  • Basilisk: Herpo the Foul was notably the first wizard to breed a Basilisk, an immensely powerful dark creature, which he owned as a pet. He was able to control the monster using Parseltongue, and was believed to have lived for at least 900 years.[4]
  • Horcrux: Herpo was the first Dark wizard in wizarding history to successfully create a Horcrux, although it is unknown what kind of object he used to contain a piece of his fractured soul inside of.[5]
  • Snakes: Aside from the Basilisk, he also owned at least four snakes. One of them was used as his walking stick.[3]

Etymology[]

  • In Ancient Greek, ἑρπετόν (pronounced "herpeton") means "creeping animal". In modern times, herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles. Basilisks are snakes, and thus reptiles, and Parseltongue is the language of snakes.
  • In Ancient Greek, Herpo's name would be "Ἕρπων ὁ δεινός" (pronounced "Herpōn ho deinos"). This comes from the active participle of the verb ἕρπω, which is cognate with Latin serpo, the active participle of which is serpens - the root of English "serpent".

Behind the scenes[]

  • It is unknown if Herpo the Foul ever died, or if his Horcrux was ever destroyed. It is possible that he is still alive in the series, or if it was destroyed, he may exist as a wandering soul (in a state that Horace Slughorn described as being worse than death).
  • Ironically, he bred a creature whose venom could destroy his Horcrux.
  • It is possible that his yellow eye colour manifested as a result of his Horcrux creation, as snake-like traits could also be found in Voldemort.

Appearances[]

Wiki
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Notes and references[]

Albus Dumbledore-101-chocFrogCard
Chocolate Frog Cards
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Gold cards

Armando Dippet · Albus Dumbledore · Barberus Bragge · Bertie Bott · Carlotta Pinkstone · Dzou Yen · Falco Aesalon · Godric Gryffindor · Harry Potter · Herpo the Foul · Helga Hufflepuff · Montague Knightley · Phillipus von Hohenheim · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin

Silver cards

Alberic Grunnion · Alberta Toothill · Andros the Invincible · Artemisia Lufkin · Blenheim Stalk · Bowman Wright · Chauncey Oldridge · Circe · Cliodna · Crispin Cronk · Cyprian Youdle · Daisy Dodderidge · Derwent Shimpling · Donaghan Tremlett · Dunbar Oglethorpe · Dymphna Furmage · Elfrida Clagg · Felix Summerbee · Fulbert the Fearful · Gaspard Shingleton · Gideon Crumb · Glenda Chittock · Gondoline Oliphant · Gregory the Smarmy · Gwenog Jones · Honoria Nutcombe · Ignatia Wildsmith · Joscelind Wadcock · Kirley Duke · Laverne de Montmorency · Leopoldina Smethwyck · Maeve · Mirabella Plunkett · Mopsus · Morgan le Fay · Oswald Beamish · Roderick Plumpton · Sacharissa Tugwood · Thaddeus Thurkell · Wendelin the Weird · Xavier Rastrick

Bronze cards

Adalbert Waffling · Almeric Sawbridge · Archibald Alderton · Balfour Blane · Beatrix Bloxam · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Bridget Wenlock · Burdock Muldoon · Cassandra Vablatsky · Celestina Warbeck · Cornelius Agrippa · Devlin Whitehorn · Dorcas Wellbeloved · Edgar Stroulger · Elladora Ketteridge · Ethelred the Ever-Ready · Flavius Belby · Gifford Ollerton · Glanmore Peakes · Glover Hipworth · Greta Catchlove · Grogan Stump · Gulliver Pokeby · Gunhilda de Gorsemoor · Havelock Sweeting · Hengist of Woodcroft · Heathcote Barbary · Herman Wintringham · Hesper Starkey · Jocunda Sykes · Justus Pilliwickle · Merlin · Merton Graves · Merwyn the Malicious · Miranda Goshawk · Mungo Bonham · Musidora Barkwith · Myron Wagtail · Newton Scamander · Norvel Twonk · Orsino Thruston · Perpetua Fancourt · Quong Po · Roland Kegg · Stoddard Withers · Tilly Toke · Uric the Oddball · Yardley Platt

Famous Vampires cards

Blodwyn Bludd · Vlad Drakul · Amarillo Lestoat · Carmilla Sanguina · Herbert Varney

Famous Hags cards

Babayaga · Malodora Grymm · Old Mother Hubbard · Cordelia Misericordia · Leticia Somnolens

Famous Giants cards

Bran the Bloodthirsty · Cyclops · Goliath · Morholt · Hengist of Upper Barnton

Famous Goblins cards

Alguff the Awful · Eargit the Ugly · Gringott · Ug the Unreliable · Urg the Unclean

Dragon cards

Common Welsh Green · Hebridean Black · Hungarian Horntail · Norwegian Ridgeback · Romanian Longhorn

Beast cards

Billywig · Bowtruckle · Doxy · Double-ended Newt · Giant Purple Toad · Giant Squid · Gnome · Gytrash · Imp · Kelpie · Manticore · Mountain Troll · Streeler · Phoenix · Unicorn

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