Herpo the Foul was an Ancient Greek Dark Wizard. He is one of the earliest known Dark Wizards and his work is still a lasting aspect of dark magic to date. He is best known as the first wizard to hatch a Basilisk. He is reputed to have invented many vile curses and was also the first wizard known to successfully create a Horcrux, perhaps having designed the ritual himself. Due to this, he obviously committed murder to split his soul. On top of this, he is one of the earliest known Parselmouths.
Magical abilities and skills
- Dark Arts: Herpo was known as one of the most powerful and influential Dark Arts practitioner in history.
- Spell inventor: Herpo has invented many vile curses, which earned him his well deserved reputation.
- Parselmouth: Herpo was one of the earliest known Parselmouths, an uncommon gift to speak with snakes, which has been often connected to the Dark Arts.
- Horcrux creator: Herpo is the first wizard to have ever successfully created a Horcrux. He is possibly the first wizard to have invented the methods of such a process. The creation would have left his soul unstable, and rendered him less than human.
- Basilisk breeder: Herpo was the 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-class creature (known wizard-killer that cannot be tamed).
Behind the scenes
- In Greek, ἑρπετόν (pronounced "herpeton") means "creeping animal". Currently, the herpetology studies amphibians and reptiles. Notice that Basilisks are snakes, and thus reptiles, and Parseltongue is the language of snakes.
- It has yet to be revealed what led to his eventual downfall, including the destruction of his Horcrux. Conceivably, it could have even been destroyed by venom from his own Basilisk. It is interesting to note that he created both one of the vilest magical objects in existence as well as one of the few known means of destroying it.
See also
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them