i was wonderin does anyone know who created the 3 unforgivable curses?

I would have to say a really dark wizard. I don't know but maybe a very old magical relative of LV.

why just the unforgivable curses? every spell curse hex etc must have been invented by someone. the unforgivable may have just been extreme versions of relatively harmless curses. either that or people just evolved and the curses also evolved, getting stronger.
which would mean that in the scheme of things the 3 unforgivable would be quite new curses.

hmm as someone already said i think it was an evil wizard, that was alive a long long time ago, maybe even related to tom riddle.

Spells have probably developed over time just like technology, language and other things that have developed through history in the regular world, with different experimentations and lessons learned ( I've always wondered how they discovered if things are poisionous: "Oh, let's try these berries here." *Thunk* Well there goes, Bob; I guess that one's not good to eat. ) Likewise, this is probably how spells gradually evolved over time. And just like some experiments and technology that were found could be used for bad, likewise spells that were attempted and developed could be used for bad. That's how I assume the Unforgivable Curses came about.

Hi there! Firstly, I am moving this topic to the General Books forum, because it is better suited there. Secondly, could I please ask everyone to have a look at the rules again? One liners aren't allowed since they do not promote much discussion. Thanks!

On the topic of this thread - I agree with Silver Unspeakable. They were probably developed over time, and not necessarily consciously. It's like asking who decided which words we use for certain things. I'm quite interested in the fact that languages like Latin and Greek have stricter grammatical rules than today's languages. It's almost as if today's languages are a disintegrated version of those two, which is strange, because it seems as though language must have started off fully formed!

How does that come into play with Unforgivables? No idea, but it seemed to fit. Maybe spells are like a language. Would it have made a difference if the name for a table was really apple? We all know what it means, so what if Avada Kedavra is the same? It could have originally had more to do with the intention of the spell than the words itself, but somehow the words developed a life of heir own within a sort of spell language.

Oh. I see it's past midnight here. Sorry, that would explain the severe lack of reason in this post...

i definatly agree with a dark wizard making them... maybe grindelvald?
or you do you think thats too early?

I'd say Salazar Slytherin but I'm probably wrong.

Like most people on this thread i'd say a dark wizard, started it off.
But then the spells and curses devolped. Over the ages and yeah, spiraldance.
Sazalar Slytherin could have had some evnvolment in it.
He after all was angry with the other hogwarts foundeers. Maybe he invented Crucio.
I bet he'd like to cause pain on the founders, for dissagreeing with him.
Proberly in ancient times if the curses had been invented then. Where legal for use in war.

They were probably created far before Voldemort or any other characters from the books time. So we realy have no way of knowing.

See, I don't think that spells are created, per say. I mean, magic runs deep, and I think that different wizards discover different spells. They can use the roots of words and try to experiment until they get the desired result; then, it is recorded. I mean, you cannot really invent spells, can you? That's what I think; spells aren't created, they're discovered.

Well I don't know who made the three unforgivable curses but I would have to agree with most of you in here that it must have been a dark wizard who invented them. Well we have no proof of who could have made them since JKR has never said.

My guess is Grindelwald, or a Slytherin.(Either the first or a desendant.)

Any dark or evil wizard could have developed the Unforgivable Curses, like Slytherin, but I also had an idea that perhaps, a good wizard could have created the curses for security or other reasons. Perhaps the all of the Founders helped contribute to the Curses, or maybe just three of the Founders, although I'm not exactly sure who. I know it's a strange theory, and probably not even likely, considering that only an evil wizard seems to be the most likely candidate to create the Unforgivable Curses. Like I said, a good wizard could have made them, for security or protective reasons, maybe something more, and perhaps they weren't always "bad" in the first place. Perhaps dark wizards used them to their advantage and changed their meaning. It's just a thought and I know it's stretching, but it's possible.

Mostly likely a dark wizard at some point, for their reasons, developed the Curses for their own purposes, etc.

Well my first guess was Grindelwald, because he seemed to have the power as descibed in DH, but funnily enough I'd never even thought of Slytherin. If it was between these two,I would probably say Slytherin, because of the age - they would be pretty modern spells if Grindelwald had invented them!

Even though I'm in Slytherin and I'm certainly not bad [I guess] I think that Zalazar might have made them.. that'd suck.

I seem to remember Cormic's Uncle or something inventing the Wolfsbane potion, and Luna's mother working in something called Experimental Charms. Maybe that's what they do- fiddle around with wands and words and see what happens. If this is the case, I hope they have something other than a human or animal to work on, otherwise the results for some curses would be pretty interesting! This is yet another question for J.K...

Hmm... I've changed my mind now... I think agree with Ignatius now. Because i am beginning to think some wizard or witch might have stumbled across them while trying to experiment with charms like Luna's mother did. Though i have a feeling they must have some evil intentions to say the least. I mean the person in question may have invented one by accident while going through a rough time or angered by something. Or to the most tragic extent the might have invented one an performed it on accident. I guess the curses are like a story and they where changed and adapted abit untill finally the evilest of people. Like Grindeald and people with Death Eater traits started using them like it was normal.

I think it would be an intresting question to put to J.K.

Obviously, it was a really dark wizard with no morals, and who had no qualms about killing and torturing people. He/she wanted a less messy way for killing people. No blood, no evidence, very clean.

Acutally my guess is that Dumbledore and Grindenwald bothcreated them but Dumbledore never thought that they would be used this badly. And honeslty noone ever says how modern or not these curses, so I don't know but I guess we never will at this point.

Okay this might seem completely mad, but remember how in the earlier centuries (in the real world) everyone just seemed to battle and fight, and fight and battle? Well if that was the same in the wizarding world, someone could have been put on a witch/wizarding card for inventing them because of giving services to battle.

For example, if there was a wizarding war between England and France or something, some bloke from the English Ministry could have invented them to help win said war, and been put on a chocolate frog card that Jo hasn't told us about ... You never know!

I'm rather sure it was mentioned, who created these curses. If I'm not mistaken, it was someone like "Emerald the Evil" back in the 12th century. They are for sure very old curses. Unfortunately I was not able to find the part, where it was mentioned. My guess is somewhere in the fourth book, when Hermione explains how "morally wrong" it is to show them to students.

I'm sure they were created on purpose, given the fact, that the incantations mean what they do. Two are Latin incantations
crucio = I torture
imperio = I command, I control, etc
The Avada Kedavra is a bit more difficult. It is neither Latin nor Ancient Greek.
It could be Arameic. An unconfirmed source translates it like this:
avra = Vanish
ke = like
davar = this Spell
Meaning with the end of the incantation the target ceases to exist.

Maybe they were created on purpose way back when for the purpose of a war/battle/etc. With at least the Imperius Curse, I don't see that one as necessarily being invented by a Dark wizard. You could put that one to good uses, too. And they definitely weren't necessarily invented by the same person, you know. I don't know if anyone's said that? (Although I did at least skim most of the responses.)

It's true, though, that they do have definite meanings, like Sandalphon said. And that is definitely a creepy interpretation of "Avada Kedavra" that with the end of the words, you cease to exist.

In my opinion, Unforgivable curses are created for Dark wizards. Spells are created with purpose, and also without meaning it, but those have a clear purpose and that's to make people suffer. Like Basiliscs: they were created by Herpo on purpose, and the same happens with unforgivable curses.
Good research, Sandalphon I had come to the same conclusions after reading, and you know what? When you're joking about magic, you say Hocus Pocus ... well, we've always said Abracadabra (I speak Spanish, by the way). Doesn't that reminds you to Avada Kedavra? The same thought I when reading it for the first time. It's grand the research you did about that word specifically. That had got me thinking that JK's words always have a meaning and a reason, and a source. So, if we've used Abracadabra for ages as a joke before the rest of the world found it out by HP, there must be some meaning beyond everything.