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[[Image:The Elder Wand.jpg|thumb|right|[[Voldemort]] and the [[Elder Wand]].]] |
[[Image:The Elder Wand.jpg|thumb|right|[[Voldemort]] and the [[Elder Wand]].]] |
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==Behind the scenes== |
==Behind the scenes== |
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| − | *Wands used in the ''Harry Potter'' [[Harry Potter films|films]] are shown to have clear handles for wizards to hold onto them such as the bone handle of Voldemort's yew wand. The books however do not describe such handles. In fact all the pictures by [[Mary GrandPré]] in the American editions depict all wands as thin rods. Also, in the films, the wands are shown a couple more inches longer than they are shown in the books. |
+ | *Wands used in the ''Harry Potter'' [[Harry Potter films|films]] are shown to have clear handles for wizards to hold onto them such as the bone handle of Voldemort's yew wand. The books however do not describe such handles. In fact all the pictures by [[Mary GrandPré]] in the American editions depict all wands as thin rods. Also, in the films, the wands are shown a couple more inches longer than they are shown in the books. The films seem to include morre gestures when using a wand, not just waving it and pointing it. The different styles were shown properly in the film version of [[The Battle of The Department of Mysteries]] |
*[[J.K. Rowling]] used a Celtic calendar to assign certain types of woods to [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Harry Potter]] based on their birthdates.<ref>[http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=18 Extra Stuff] at [[J.K. Rowling's Official Site]]</ref> |
*[[J.K. Rowling]] used a Celtic calendar to assign certain types of woods to [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Harry Potter]] based on their birthdates.<ref>[http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/extrastuff_view.cfm?id=18 Extra Stuff] at [[J.K. Rowling's Official Site]]</ref> |
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Revision as of 12:29, 30 December 2008
A wand is a tool used by witches and wizards to channel magical powers. Most spells are done with the aid of wands. It is possible to do magic without a wand, but is very difficult and requires much concentration and power. Only advanced wizards can perform magic without the use of wands.[1]
Wandlore
Wandlore is a specific class of magic that refers to the history and magical properties of wands. Mr. Ollivander claims that it is a "complex and mysterious branch of magic."[2] As mentioned below, the idea that a wand chooses its wizard is part of wandlore, as is the idea that wands can switch owners.
Materials
Hermione Granger's wand (vine wood, 10 3/4 inches, dragon heartstring).
Generally, wands are long, thin rods of wood with a magical substance embedded into their core. Some of the woods used are Cherry, Hawthorn, Holly, Hornbeam, Redwood, Mahogany, Vine, Maple, Oak, Rosewood, Willow, Hazel, Yew, Elder, Cedar, and Ash. The cores that have been documented are Phoenix feather, Dragon heartstring, Veela hair, Unicorn hair, and Thestral hair. Another important characteristic of a wand is its length. Yet another characteristic of a wand is its rigidity, ranging from "unyielding" to "springy."
The exact process of making a wand is not known. Likely, it is as difficult and complex as wandlore itself.
General wand properties
Various wands.
In almost all documented cases, the wand chooses its wizard. This is due to the unique character of each wand, which must match that of the wizard, as the wizard may not be able to perform magic if his and his wand's characters conflict, or the magic may be sub-par to magic performed with the wizard's own wand.[2] When trying out different wands, an aspiring wizard may cause some damage when he encounters wands that don't get along with him.[3]
A popular but unconfirmed theory suggests that the wand's length is directly proportional to the wizard's height: the longer the wand, the taller the wizard, and the shorter the wand, the shorter the wizard. Examples of this have been found, as in Dolores Umbridge's short wand, and Ron Weasley's long one.
Examples of damage caused by "mismatched" wands were seen in 1991, where wand boxes flew off of shelves and banged into walls and when a glass jar on a shelf was shattered as a result of Harry Potter waving the wrong sort of wands. He tried out many wands before he found the one that chose him. Apparently, a warm feeling is felt when the wizard or witch chooses the right wand, and the wand sometimes emits a few sparks or does some similar small sign of magic.[3]
Ron Weasley with a broken wand.
Wands are capable of changing masters. When a wand's master is disarmed, stunned, killed or has their wand snatched from their hand, the wand will accept the old master's attacker as its new master. This will occur even if the wand in question is not in the possesion of either of the two people involved.[2] However, most wands share an affinity with their masters and will not easily discontinue its allegiance with the previous master; furthermore, wands forcibly taken in circumstances of purely competitive or friendly nature, or are stolen without attacking the previous master will not change allegiance.[4]
Wands can be broken by spells or by physical damage. Wands in this condition will have greatly reduced magic abilities. Even when repaired, the wand's magic won't improve and the wand may break again when performing magic. The Elder Wand is able to completely repair broken wands, although this ability may be lost if the current master (Harry Potter) dies undefeated, as most of the wand's power would disappear with him.[2]
Wands are quasi-sentient, meaning that while they cannot think or communicate like a human, they can perform certain actions through their own will. This could be how they choose their wizard, and also explains how Harry's wand was able to act on its own against Voldemort[2].
Known Wands
| Owner | Wood | Length | Core | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | holly | 11" | phoenix feather | Nice and supple; "Brother" to Voldemort's wand - the core tail feathers are both from Fawkes; broken in December 1997 while fleeing from Godric's Hollow; repaired with the Elder Wand in May 1998. |
| Hermione Granger | vine | 10¾" | dragon heartstring | This wand was confiscated when the trio was captured by Snatchers in 1998. |
| Ron Weasley wand #1 | ash | 12" | unicorn hair | Ron's brother Charlie's old wand; severely damaged in September 1992 after a run-in with the Whomping Willow. |
| Ron Weasley wand #2 | willow | 14" | unicorn hair | Purchased with his father's winnings from a Daily Prophet draw. |
| Tom Marvolo Riddle a.k.a. Voldemort | yew | 13½" | phoenix feather | "Brother" to Harry's wand - the core tail feathers are both from Fawkes. |
| Albus Dumbledore wand #1 | elder | unknown | Phoenix Feather | As Dumbledore won the Elder Wand after a duel, it can be assumed that he started with a different wand. |
| Albus Dumbledore wand #2 | elder | 15" | Thestral hair | Known as the Elder Wand. |
| Rubeus Hagrid | oak | 16" | unknown | "Rather bendy"; snapped in half when Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts during his third year - the pieces are almost certainly hidden in Hagrid's pink umbrella. |
| James Potter | mahogany | 11" | unknown | "Pliable", "excellent for tranfiguration". |
| Lily (Evans) Potter | willow | 10¼" | unknown | "Swishy", "nice wand for charm work". |
| Neville Longbottom wand #1 | unknown | unknown | unknown | Belonged to Neville's father Frank; broken by Antonin Dolohov in June 1996 during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. |
| Neville Longbottom wand #2 | cherry | 13" | unicorn hair | May have been one of the last wands Mr. Ollivander sold before he disappeared in 1996. |
| Fleur Delacour | rosewood | 9½" | Veela hair | "Inflexible"; the core is a hair from Fleur's grandmother, who was a Veela. |
| Viktor Krum | hornbeam | 10¼" | dragon heartstring | Thicker than usual, "quite rigid", made by Gregorovitch. |
| Cedric Diggory | ash | 12¼" | unicorn hair | "Pleasantly springy"; hair from particularly fine male unicorn (seventeen hands high), which nearly gored Mr. Ollivander with its horn after he plucked its tail hair. |
| Dolores Umbridge | unknown | unknown | unknown | Length is described as "unusually short"; broken by a Centaur's hoof in June 1996 in the Forbidden Forest. |
| Draco Malfoy | hawthorn | 10" | unicorn hair | "Reasonably springy"; passed into the possession of Harry Potter after the Battle of Malfoy Manor in 1998 until Harry came into possession of the Elder Wand and mended his first wand. |
| Lucius Malfoy | elm | unknown | dragon heartstring | Kept in a snake-headed walking stick that Lucius carried; "borrowed" by Lord Voldemort and destroyed by Harry Potter's wand during Battle over Little Whinging in 1997. |
| Bellatrix Lestrange | walnut | 12¾" | dragon heartstring | "Unyielding"; passed into the possession of Hermione Granger after the Battle of Malfoy Manor in 1998. |
| Peter Pettigrew | chestnut | 9¼" | dragon heartstring | "Brittle"; owned by Pettigrew only since Ollivander had been kidnapped in the summer before Harry's sixth year, passed into the possession of Ron Weasley after the events of Malfoy Manor in 1998. |
Makers
There are many makers of wands, but the best known, and most experienced in Britain is Ollivander's. The wandmaking establishment has been making wands since 382 BC and is located in Diagon Alley, London. Regretfully, Mr. Ollivander was missing from the summer of 1996[1], until he was discovered by the trio and rescued by the house-elf Dobby in 1998. His disappearance was a kidnapping by Death Eaters. Ollivander provided Harry with information about the Elder Wand and about the passing of wand ownership.
Another notable wand maker is Gregorovitch, who made the wand of Viktor Krum, and once wielded the Elder Wand. He was later tracked down and murdered by Voldemort in his quest to find the Elder Wand.[2]
Voldemort and the Elder Wand.
Behind the scenes
- Wands used in the Harry Potter films are shown to have clear handles for wizards to hold onto them such as the bone handle of Voldemort's yew wand. The books however do not describe such handles. In fact all the pictures by Mary GrandPré in the American editions depict all wands as thin rods. Also, in the films, the wands are shown a couple more inches longer than they are shown in the books. The films seem to include morre gestures when using a wand, not just waving it and pointing it. The different styles were shown properly in the film version of The Battle of The Department of Mysteries
- J.K. Rowling used a Celtic calendar to assign certain types of woods to Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter based on their birthdates.[5]