Hermione: "You -- you really think this wand exists, then, Mr. Ollivander?"
Ollivander: "Oh yes, yes, it is perfectly possible to trace the wand's course through history. There are gaps, of course, and long ones, where it vanishes from view, temporarily lost or hidden; but it always resurfaces. It has certain identifying characteristics that those who are learned in wandlore recognize...Whether it needs to pass by murder, I do not know. Its history is bloody, but that may be simply due to the fact that it is such a desirable object, and arouses such passions in wizards. Immensely powerful, dangerous in the wrong hands, and an object of incredible fascination to all of us who study the power of wands."
The Elder Wand, variably known as the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, the Eldruhn Wand, and the Ellhorn Wand, is one of the fabled Deathly Hallows. In the "Tale of the Three Brothers" it was the first Hallow created, bestowed on Antioch Peverell, supposedly by Death himself after the wizard requested, as his bounty, the strongest wand in the history of wizardkind. According to legend, whoever reunited it with the other two Hallows, the Resurrection Stone and the Cloak of Invisibility, would become the Master of Death.
It is said to be the most powerful wand that has ever existed, able to perform feats of magic that would normally be considered impossible, such as mending another wand damaged beyond normal magical repair. It is known that the Elder Wand's core is the tail hair of a thestral, a potent yet tricky substance to master that can only be handled by a witch or wizard who is capable of accepting death.[4]
The Elder Wand is ancient and made of elder wood[3]. It is fifteen inches long and has a thestraltail-hair[3] core, which is "a tricky substance that only wizards that mastered death can control."[5]. The Elder Wand, as well being more powerful than other wands, is noticeably unique from other wands in its appearance, particularly because it bears carvings that resemble clusters of elderberries running down its length.
History
"The bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history."
"So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death!"
According to the "Tale of the Three Brothers" in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, the three brothers—suspected to be Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus Peverell—were out travelling the world one day when they came to a treacherous river that had been known to claim many of the lives of those attempting to cross it.[3] The three brothers pulled out their wands and conjured a bridge out of thin air. As they began to cross it, however, they found a hooded figure blocking their path midway across the bridge. It was Death himself, and he did not like missing out on new victims.[3]
While pretending to congratulate them for their triumph, Death schemed against them. He offered each brother a gift for outsmarting Death. The eldest went first, and being a belligerent man, he asked for a wand that would defeat all others. Death went to the nearest tree and created a wand of elder wood, which he handed to the eldest brother. The second brother, who wanted to humiliate Death even further, asked for an object that would recall the dead and was given the Resurrection Stone. The youngest was wiser than his brothers and was skeptical of Death's intentions. He asked for an object that would allow him to live his life without the fear of Death following him. Defeated, Death handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility .[3]
As Albus Dumbledore thinks it was unlikely that the Elder Wand was made by Death, it may have been created by the eldest of the three Peverell brothers, Antioch. After killing a rival wizard in a duel shortly after creating the wand, Antioch drunkenly boasted of the wand's powers. He was murdered in his sleep that night and another wizard took possession of the wand.[3]
Over time, the powerful wand passed through various owners, usually by violent means, and acquired names such as the Deathstick and the Wand of Destiny.[1] Several of the wand's owners are known, as its "bloody trail" was "splattered across the pages of Wizarding history."[6][2] Many owners were killed by their successors in a lust for power. In time, the legend included an assumption that murder is necessary in order to attain mastery of the Elder Wand.
Emeric the Evil was a short-lived but exceptionally aggressive wizard. He was the first historically known master of the Elder Wand after Antioch Peverell's killer, though it is possible that others possessed the wand before him. Emeric terrorised the south of England in the early Middle Ages. He was "slaughtered" in a ferocious duel against Egbert the Egregious.
Egbert the Egregious
Egbert the Egregious was once Master of the Elder Wand after killing Emeric the Evil in a duel (Emeric was "slaughtered"). What became of Egbert after mastering the Elder Wand is unknown, but as the life expectancy of medieval duelers was generally short, it is likely that he was murdered shortly after. A century later, Godelot is recorded to have obtained mastership of the wand.
Godelot
The Elder Wand
"My moste wicked and subtle friend, with bodie of Ellhorn, who knowes ways of magick moste evile."
— An entry on Godelot's notebook regarding the Elder Wand.[src]
Godelot was recorded to have obtained mastership of the wand around a century after Egbert the Egregious. Godelot, having considered the Elder Wand an instructor, had used his knowledge of the Wand's powers to write Magick Moste Evile, a book that contained information on dark magic. Godelot perished in his own cellar, after he was locked in by his son, Hereward, who did this to gain ownership of the Wand.
Hereward was a wizard who mastered the Elder Wand after killing his father, Godelot. He succeeded at this by locking him in his own cellar, after stealing the wand.
Barnabas Deverill was a wizard who mastered the Elder Wand in the early eighteenth century, and used it to carve himself out a reputation as a fearsome warlock, until his reign of terror was ended by Loxias who murdered Barnabas and mastered the wand.
Loxias was a wizard who became Master of the Elder Wand after Barnabas Deverill. Loxias rechristened it "the Deathstick", and used it to lay waste to anyone who displeased him. It is unknown who killed him, as—according to Dumbledore—many claimed to have finished him off, including his own mother, but from Xenophilius Lovegood's understanding of history, either Arcus or Livius seemed to have done it, as one of them was the next master of the Elder Wand.
Arcus or Livius
Arcus and Livius were wizards. It is debated which of them became the Master of the Elder Wand after Loxias's death.
At some point many years ago, the wand eventually ended up in the possession of the wandmaker Gregorovitch. Upon realising that it was the most powerful wand in existence, Gregorovitch began experimenting to try and duplicate its powers. Gregorovitch, somewhat foolish by nature and hoping it would improve business, started a rumour about him possessing a wand and his efforts to replicate its properties. The result occurred one night when Gregorovitch heard someone break into his workshop. He promptly ran inside and saw a blond haired young man had taken the wand, who then promptly shot a Stunning Spell at Gregorovitch to acquire mastery of the wand[1], before leaping out the window. Gregorovitch never found out who stole the wand.
Grindelwald delved into his research of the Deathly Hallows, and uncovered the location of the Elder Wand. Rumours had been circulating that the renowned wandsmith Gregorovitch had the wand and was trying to duplicate its properties. Grindelwald broke into the wandmaker's workshop, and succeeded in claiming ownership of the fabled wand by waiting until Gregorovitch came then casting a stunning spell on him to be the rightful owner instead.
Over the years, Grindelwald raised an army and began a reign of terror that spread through several European countries and murdered many wizards and Muggles, though he never attempted to take power in Britain for his fear of his former friend, Dumbledore, who was "a shade more skilful" than he was. During his reign, he built the Nurmengard prison to hold any objectors, and murdered countless European wizards, all the while continuing to claim everything he did was "for the greater good." which was the phrase he put on the entrance of Nurmengard.
In 1945, at the height of his power, his former friend Dumbledore confronted him due to the cries of the public and defeated him in what became known as a legendary duel. Grindelwald was subsequently imprisoned in his own prison Nurmengard for decades. He was slain there by Lord Voldemort in 1998, when Voldemort was in search of the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald refused to give him any information about.
"I was fit only to possess the meanest of them, the least extraordinary. I was fit to own the Elder Wand, and not to boast of it, and not to kill with it. I was permitted to tame and to use it, because I took it, not for gain, but to save others from it."
When Albus Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945 in their famous duel, mastery of the Elder Wand passed to him.[7] Thus, the wand was used by Dumbledore for many years, including when Harry fell off his broomstick during a Quidditch match because of the Dementors and Dumbledore used his wand to cause Harry to levitate safely to the ground. Dumbledore also used his wand periodically to siphon his thoughts into his Pensieve, thus containing his thoughts in the device when he found his mind a bit too cluttered.
During Harry's sixth year, Dumbledore and Harry set out to the cave where Dumbledore believed a Horcrux resided. When Harry dipped a goblet into the lake to provide water for Dumbledore (who was incredibly thirsty after drinking the Drink of Despair to reach the Horcurx) all the Inferi that resided in the lake grabbed at Harry and attempted to drag him down and drown him in the lake.
Albus Dumbledore using the Elder Wand to conjure a firestorm to defeat the Inferi
Dumbledore suddenly recovered and conjured a firestorm around them. When they returned to Hogwarts, Madam Rosmerta informed them that the Dark Mark had been conjured over the Astronomy Tower. In the tower, Dumbledore enjoined Harry not to interfere in the events that were about to take place there, and placed him in a Body-Bind Curse under his invisibility cloak. Hidden, Harry was unable to intervene as Dumbledore (now extremely weak) was Disarmed by Draco Malfoy.
The wand laying in Dumbledore's office after his death
Dumbledore was conversing with Draco about the plot to kill him, when several other Death Eaters entered the tower and tried to persuade Draco to kill Dumbledore. When Draco hesitated, Snape appeared and performed the Killing Curse on Dumbledore himself. Harry learned that, in order to save himself from a more agonising death and to prevent Draco from tarnishing his soul, Dumbledore asked Severus Snape to kill him and Snape agreed.
Unbeknownst to Snape, Dumbledore had also done this to ensure that when Snape killed him, Dumbledore would not be "defeated" (as they had agreed to it beforehand) and thus the powers of the Elder Wand would be nullified. However, all did not go according ot Dumbledore's plan, because Dumbledore was Disarmed and thus was defeated by Malfoy[8]. Unknowingly, Malfoy became the master of the Elder Wand.
Lord Voldemort's search
Voldemort testing the Elder Wand's power after removing it from Dumbledore's tomb
During the summer of 1997, Voldemort had a meeting at Malfoy Manor with his Death Eaters, in which he revealed that in order to defeat Harry, he would need to borrow another's wand because of the connection that his own wand shared with Harry's. He ended up borrowing Lucius Malfoy's wand, but Lucius's wand was destroyed by Harry's during the Battle of the Seven Potters.
After this, Voldemort devoted the the later half of 1997 and into the spring of 1998, to seeking the Elder Wand, which he believed would finally conquer Harry Potter and, therefore, render himself invulnerable[1]. He traced the wand's recent history, killing both Gregorovitch and Grindelwald in his search, and despite Grindelwald's efforts, Voldemort led the wand's ownership to Dumbledore.[1] Voldemort broke into Dumbledore's grave and robbed it of the wand which had been buried with its previous master, thus taking possession of the Elder Wand.[1]
Despite this, Voldemort believed that the wand was not acting up to the standard that legend told it to, and so he ordered his snake Nagini to murder Snape in order to ensure that the mastery of the Elder Wand would pass to him, since he believed Snape to be the wand's master for killing Dumbledore. However, as Harry Potter, who had been briefly seeking the wand as well, later deduced, its true master was Draco Malfoy.[1] Furthermore – and unrealised by Voldemort as Harry had subsequently disarmed Draco and taken his wand during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor (although that was not the Elder Wand) – the Elder Wand's allegiance had since shifted to Harry.
Nearly a year after Draco had unknowingly become the wand's master, Harry had taken Draco's wand by force during the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, making him the master of the Elder Wand.[1] {C
Late in the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter, who had learned that he had been accidentally made into Voldemort's Horcrux when he was a year old, walked into the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice himself to Lord Voldemort.[1]
Voldemort cast a Killing Curse on Harry using the Elder Wand. The wand seemingly worked because Harry intended to die at Voldemort's hand, much as Dumbledore had planned his death with Snape. Harry had entered a limbo state, portrayed as King's Cross Station, from which he could choose to return.[1] When he did return, Voldemort cast the Cruciatus Curse on Harry's "dead" body but caused no pain. At this point, Harry realised that he was, in fact, the master of the Elder Wand.[1]
Only in his final encounter with Harry at the Battle of Hogwarts was Voldemort told that he did not win the true allegiance of the wand, as he did not gain ownership by defeating its previous owner. Despite this, Voldemort used the Elder Wand to cast his final Killing Curse against Harry's Expelliarmus charm. But because the wand's allegiance was to Harry, Voldemort's spell backfired and killed him once and for all.[1]
Harry's Decision
Harry: "I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it."
Ron: "Are you sure?"
Hermione: "I think Harry's right."
— Harry on his decision to give up the Elder Wand[src]
With Voldemort defeated and Harry now the true master and possessor of the wand, he used it to repair his damaged first wand of holly and phoenix feather, which he said he was "happier with".[1] After the repair, Harry told Dumbledore's portrait that he would place the Elder Wand back in Dumbledore's tomb, and when Harry died a natural death, the wand's power would be broken as Dumbledore had intended. The portrait of Professor Dumbledore approved.
The Elder Wand was the most powerful wand in existence. Its owner could have used it to cast spells more powerful than believed to be magically possible.[1] For example, Harry Potter was able to repair his regular, Phoenix feather wand using the Elder Wand in 1998, even though broken wands were supposed to be damaged beyond magical repair.[1]
Although the wand was rumoured to be unbeatable, in Dumbledore's commentary on The Tale of The Three Brothers, in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, he commented that the Elder Wand, while being immensely powerful, had never been unbeatable, as it had been beaten hundreds of times.[2] For it to pass to a new master, the wand must have been beaten, and as there have been many masters of the wand, it was obvious that it was possible to defeat the wielder of the Elder Wand.
While it is stated that a wand will not give up its master so easily if it is attempted to be won, The Elder Wand seems to do this time and time again. However this might not be referring to its willingness to give up its master but rather to the amount of effort it took to defeat the wielder of the Wand.
It appears that the Elder Wand is still somewhat more powerful than other wands even when the user has not mastered it, as seen in the hands of Lord Voldemort. However, Voldemort is a very powerful wizard even without special artifacts to aid him. It is unknown to what extent his power was boosted by the wand, but it's certain that he never unlocked its full power because he was never the Wand's true master.
Symbolism
In the Deathly Hallows symbol, the Elder Wand is shown as the vertical line that goes right through the middle of the circle and the triangle; it represents the aspects of power and invincibility of the Hallows as a whole.
Other elder wands
While "The Elder Wand" (capitalised) refers to one of the Deathly Hallows, other wands have been made from elder wood.[2] In general wizards seem to eschew elder wands, due at least in part to the sordid history of the Elder Wand itself, favouring wands made from various other woods, such as holly, willow, vine, and oak.[2]Ron repeats an old wizarding saying, "Wand of elder, never prosper" after Hermione reads The Tale of the Three Brothers, to illustrate how wizarding lore may be passed from generation to generation.[1]
Behind the scenes
Dumbledore's commentary on the Tale of the Three Brothers notes that all known Masters of the Elder Wand had been men.[2]
The wand has been available to purchase on the Noble Collection website, contained in an Ollivanders Wand Shop box. This implies, incorrectly, that the wand was made and sold at the shop by Ollivander. (Though this could be due to the fact that the Noble wand was released before Dumbledore's wand was revealed to be the Elder Wand)
Those to whom the Elder Wand is not loyal can perform feats of magic equivalent to owning a regular wand. In the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort remarked about this to Severus Snape, and reasoned that, since he believed Snape to be the master of the Elder Wand, Voldemort would have to kill him to claim true mastery of it. The only thing that it has been shown that the Elder Wand cannot do (or, rather, will not do) is harm its own master if it finds itself in the physical possession of another. Unfortunately for Voldemort, Draco Malfoy was the master of the wand, as he was the one who disarmed Dumbledore.[1]
In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Albus Dumbledore claimed he would make it easy for Draco Malfoy and allowed Malfoy to disarm him, though he could have defended himself. Therefore it seems as though he wanted Malfoy to have the Wand; however it should be noted that the Elder Wand was said to only switch allegiance if it was removed from its master against his will. However it is possible that Dumbledore truly had not expected Draco to attack him, even if only to disarm him, and was therefore genuinely caught off guard. Also, because he was old and exhausted from his adventure with Harry in the Horcrux cave (and possibly sickened from drinking the potion as well), he may have simply been too slow to defend himself.
Albus Dumbledore (with the exception of Egbert the Egregious) is the only known wizard to have defeated a Master of the Elder Wand (Gellert Grindelwald) in a wizarding duel.[7] Other Masters of the Elder Wand obtained mastery through deceit, stealth (as when Grindelwald stole it from Gregorovitch),[1] foul play (the murder of Antioch Peverell in his sleep),[3] happenstance (as when Draco Malfoy disarmed Albus Dumbledore, who was concurrently casting a Full Body-Bind Curse on Harry Potter)[8] or beating the current master while he does not physically possess the wand (as in Harry Potter's disarming of Draco Malfoy).[1] This is another testament to Dumbledore's innate magical skills, which he references to Harry when the latter is in limbo by admitting that although both he and Grindelwald were evenly matched in magic, he was a shade more skillful.
In the film adaptation for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2, it seems that the Elder Wand has a much darker colour; this may be a change the film makers did to make the wand fit better to Voldemort's "Dark and evil" personality.
The curse that killed Lord Voldemort came from the Elder Wand. As Voldemort thought that Snape was the Master, Voldemort killed him. Draco, however, was the true Master as he disarmed Dumbledore, and then Harry disarmed Draco. So, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the Wand would not harm its master, and so turned the spell back on Voldemort.
The Elder wand craking
In Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsPart 2, when Voldermort tries to unleash the Elder Wand's capabilities upon the shield surrounding Hogwarts, he seems to feel a slight pain in his arm carrying the wand, similar to the effects of the Horcrux being destroyed. The wand as well cracks under the strain.
In Part 2 of the film adaptation, Harry simply breaks the Elder Wand and throws it away as opposed to the seventh book where he repairs his holly wand. This is not justified as Fenrir Grayback finds and throws away the wand Ron gives to Harry after reuniting with him rather than Harry's broken wand when he, Ron, and Hermione are captured by the Snatchers in the forest in Part 1.
When asked which of the Deathly Hallows they preferred, Ron Weasley chose the Elder Wand.[9]
It is mentioned in Dumbledore's (not entirely honest) commentary that rumours of an unbeatable wand are preposterous. For example, Grindelwald had mastered the "unbeatable" Deathstick, and yet was still defeated by Dumbledore in 1945[7]. However, it is more probable that only one who has mastered the wand by becoming a Master of Death (which is required to truly unlock the Wand's full power) will be unbeatable with it. This is supported by the fact that, although (fifty-one years later) Dumbledore did not defeat Lord Voldemort in their duel at the Ministry of Magic due to the latter's use of Horcruxes, but ended up fighting him to a stalemate, this is only because he fled. Indeed, it appears that Dumbledore would've won had the fight continued (hence Voldemort fleeing).[10]
Author's comments
J. K. Rowling has discussed how the Elder Wand behaves slightly different from other wands in its loyalty:
"The Elder Wand is simply the most ruthless of wands in that it will only take into consideration strength. One would expect a certain amount of loyalty from one's wand. So even if you were disarmed while carrying it, even if you lost a fight while carrying it, it has developed an affinity with you that it will not give up easily. If, however, a wand is won, properly won in an adult duel, then a wand may switch allegiance . . . However, the Elder Wand knows no loyalty except to strength. It's completely unsentimental. It will only go where the power is. So if you win, then you've won the wand. You don't need to kill with it. But . . . almost inevitably, it attracts wizards who are prepared to kill and who will kill. And also it attracts wizards like Voldemort who confuse being prepared to murder with strength."[11]
