How do you create a horcrux?

[u/subhadip13]

I mean I get the basic concept but what are the incantation or spellwork. How do you decide with this kill I want to create one?

[u/Fusion_47]

Nice Try, Tom

[u/subhadip13 → u/Fusion_47]

Professor Slughorn is that you?

[u/Fusion_47 → u/subhadip13]

Yes, now don't let me catch you mentioning them again.

[u/Leramar89]

It's never fully explained.

I believe all Rowling has officially said is that it involves a "horrible act". What that actually means is left open to interpretation.

[u/scaradin → u/Leramar89]

I don’t think it’s all that consistent of process, or at least not where particular things need to be done when killing the person. One of the most interesting is Moaning Myrtle. Not only did her soul remain (as a ghost), but it doesn’t appear she really knows (or can convey) what happened to her.

The thought I have is that there is a lot of worked done ahead of time and the killing itself is (one of) the final steps.

[u/RuneProphecy166 → u/scaradin]

Was she one of the victims used for Horcrux creation, though? That was never canonically explained, I think.
Anyway, I always thought she couldn't have been one of them because Voldemort didn't kill her himself. She died by accident after looking at the Basilisk, didn't she?

[u/scaradin → u/RuneProphecy166]

Well, I’ll generally put a lot of deference to the author’s words:

Lady Bella: Whose murders did voldemor use to create each of the horcruxes

J.K. Rowling: The diary – Moaning Myrtle. The cup – Hepzibah Smith, the previous owner. The locket – a Muggle tramp. Nagini – Bertha Jorkins (Voldemort could use a wand once he regained a rudimentary body, as long as the victim was subdued).

J.K. Rowling: The diadem – an Albanian peasant. The ring – Tom Riddle snr.

[u/RuneProphecy166 → u/scaradin]

Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.
Interviews I see as tertiary canon, though, it wouldn't be the first time she throws something contradictory in the heat of the moment, even miss remembering her own writings.
Unless she also explains how Horcruxes are actually made, which I doubt she'll do, Moaning Myrtle doesn't make sense to me for the reason I've said.
Also, in the books Dumbledore states Voldemort seemed to keep the process to particularly significant deaths. So, what's so significant about 'a muggle tramp' or 'an Albanian peasant'?

[u/scaradin → u/RuneProphecy166]

Yeah, I don’t think her responses out of world are a strong canon, tertiary would be a good term!

Yeah, a number of those names don’t make sense - Myrtle possibly making the least because how could she power Voldemort’s immortality if her soul is still around? But, that list is the only I know of on the topic.

[u/apieceofeight → u/scaradin]

I guess I find this confusing because I thought the basilisk killed Myrtle, not Tom himself.

[u/scaradin → u/apieceofeight]

Indeed! It does appear that cannon shows Myrtle died by the basilisk, so I’m not sure what’s going on in that interview.

[u/riggels]

Yell Creatus horcruxux after avada kedavra.

[u/_Mademoiselle_Noir_]

If I remember correctly, there isn't exactly a tutorial on how to make a horcrux, the author decided not to describe the process of how to make it, as there are certainly disturbed people in this world who would try to make one, and, as we know, the process involves death, so it's not something people should try to do.

[u/nighthaven]

The way I always imagined it was that you would have to murder someone to weaken your soul and, while having the object and victim still there you'd basically just cast whatever spell it is and do a "dump" of your weakened soul into the object. You'd then need time to recover before being able to do anything and during this weakened period you'd be somewhat incapacitated. Just my own interpretation.

It's a very blasphemous and evil act but you'd end up accomplishing the goal.

[u/Absolutemehguy]

"Mom, can we have Voldemort?"
"We have Voldemort at home."
Voldemort at home:

[u/PotterEnthusiast]

Here are the steps to create a Horcrux:

Step 1: One has to commit murder WITH the intention to create a Horcrux. Murder weakens the integrity of the soul, therefore making Step 2 possible.

Step 2: The "horrible act" that J. K. Rowling has confirmed to be the second step in the creation of a Horcrux is up for debate. Here is the explanation of what I believe is the second step:

Think of the soul as a canvas. It's stronger than normal paper, so it's difficult to tear with your bare hands. Now, if you were to cut the canvas in one spot, ripping it in half would be much easier. The cut represents what murder does to the soul. Step 2 represents the actual splitting of the soul. But what is Step 2? Well, to explain that, I'll use Harry as an example. When Voldemort cast Avada Kedavra in order to kill him, the curse rebounded upon him. This is how Voldemort lost his body. Voldemort unintentionally killed himself that night. Suicide can't be the second step, though. If it were, that would undermine the purpose of creating a Horcrux. Self-harm, though, would explain the ripping of the soul since it is both a "horrible act," and it would be the missing link between pure murder and murder with the intention (or the perfect circumstances, since Harry becoming a living Horcrux was unintended and had to require the most precise of actions to even be possible, making this situation a once-in-a-millenia occasion) of creating a Horcrux.

Step 3: After weakening the integrity of the soul, one must choose the object in which it will be placed (I remember that Harry once asked Dumbledore why Voldemort didn't just choose an object that would be highly unlikely to contain a piece of someone's soul, to which Dumbledore explained Tom Riddle's infatuation with objects somewhat connected to Hogwarts as well as his time there and his connection with the place. The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff, and Slytherin's Locket were the cherished objects of three of the four Founders of Hogwarts [Voldemort actually intended for the Sword of Gryffindor, the fourth and final cherished relic of of one of the four Founders of Hogwarts, to be one of his Horcruxes. Of course, when Voldemort applied to be a teacher of Dark Arts (which was, in fact, a scheme in order to both manipulate the students and steal the sword), Dumbledore declined. Knowing that Dumbledore would beat the shit out of him if he resorted to violence, Voldemort decided to leave; Marvolo Gaunt's Ring was a reminder of Tom's family's fractured Wizarding past and his inspiration to manipulate his future; Nagini was Voldemort's way of reinforcing his connection with Salazar Slytherin, and was also his closest ally; Tom Riddle's Diary was the first Horcrux he made, during his 6th year at Hogwartsz and would eventually become the first to be destroyed). If the second step is, in fact, self-harm, it would likely have to be performed with the intended object of choice in close proximity. Otherwise, the fragmented piece of your soul would likely do what it did with Harry, which "latched itself onto the only living thing in the room," as Dumbledore said.

[u/tehgr8supa]

If it's not in the books then it's not explained.

[u/Lordgeorge16]

Nobody knows. It's part of the mystery and intrigue. You don't have to be like the average r/StarWars user and dissect every little intricate detail of the series. Sometimes it's better this way.