Harry Potter - Wand Basics 101

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Wand Basics 101

by David Haber

As long as there have been Witches and Wizards, there have been magical wands. No part of Harry Potter's magical heritage goes back further. The ancient Celtic Druids who lived in what is now called Scotland employed wands all the way back to 500 BC. As a matter of fact, "Druid" actually means "man with the wisdom of the wood".

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Reader Comments:

Hey article is really cool! I love your new website! It is very updated! I always wanted to know what kind of wand I would have! An I am a Birch wand! Thanks BeyondHogwarts!

Posted by Mary from Atlanta, GA on September 9, 2006 06:43 AM

I was wondering what happened to a wizard's wand when they ? You never find out what happened to Dumbledore or Sirius' (supposedly !) wands when they . Do they disappear or go back to the shop they came from- like a used wand shop. It would be interesting to see what happens to them.

Posted by Lauren on September 10, 2006 6:32 PM

In the case of Sirius I beleive he was still holding his wand when he passed through the veil so it was lost with him. I am not sure about Dumbledore's, but the impression I get from the books is that when you leave the wizading circle whether by discrase or you wand is snapped in two and in the case of usually berried with you.

Posted by Sharon from Cambridgeshire, UK on September 13, 2006 05:02 AM

are you sure about those trees? because running a search on "druid astrological tree signs" produced a much more in-depth result, which included different trees for differnt dates.

Posted by Stephanie from Charlottesville, VA on September 20, 2006 11:21 PM

Oh, sorry. The article wasn't clear in that respect. It's really the Celtic Druid Calendar that I was referring to. The article has been updated to reflect this. Thanks.

Posted by Dave Haber from Los Angeles, CA on September 20, 2006 11:22 PM

This is wrong Voldermorts wand is Yew he was born on new years eve (31st december)

Posted by Andrew on September 24, 2006 12:42 PM

That may be true. However, nowhere in the article does it say that a wizard's birth wood is definitely the wood that would make up his or her wand. It's just one of the possible contributing factors for picking a wand (or a wand picking you).

Posted by David Haber from Los Angeles, CA on September 24, 2006 1:04 PM

Wow! This information is great! Now even I know what wand I'm destined to get!

Posted by Poojitha from Dubai, U.A.E on October 15, 2006 08:17 AM

I know this a bit off the subject, but it bugs me; Ollivander is missing in Half-Blood Prince, and he made LV and Harry's wand and they conflicted in Goblet of Fire. Either he has dissapeared of his own accord, or LV is working on a way to circumvent the difficulty of brother wands conflicting... curious, hhmmm?

Posted by A. Slaughter from Houston, Texas on November 9, 2006 5:18 PM

It is all really interesting. The article suggested that perhaps the wizard does in some way choose the wand. Which means Harry chose a wand very much like Voldemort, signifying their bond. Bit off topic, but Lily Potter had green eyes. JK is very much into color clues, and we know Voldey has scarlet eyes. Green:SLytherin, Scarlet:Gryffindor. The book never tells us what house Lily Potter is in. JK did say there would be a revelation on Lily Potter.....

Posted by Koby from New Jersey on November 12, 2006 09:12 AM

Ollivander tells Harry that a phoenix "gave" one other feather (besides the one in Harry's wand) & that feather resides in LV's wand. I find it very curious the selection of the word "gave." This certainly implies an even greater significance of the role that Fawkes play - certainly gives him a more human quality - or at least an ability for much higher thinking. It also connects Fawkes & Ollivander - as they would have worked together to make the wands. So, where is that Ollivander!

Posted by AJ from PA on November 28, 2006 1:16 PM

Well, back to the point of what happens with a wand when a wizard s:
Some wizards have it passed down. Neville, for instance, said it was his dad's wand. Even thought his dad was still alive, he did get it. The same goes for some of the Weasleys with their second-hand wands.

Back to the subject at hand.
I think there are indeed multiple factors that play a role when you 'choose' your wand (and otherwise, your wand 'chooses' you.) Then again, I don't think that the theory of the sort of wood is correct, since this has been proven false at some wizards; while others have it right, that can also be coincedence.

Maybe wands have the ability to know everything (including future!) about a wizard once he touches them, and 'chooses' them on that base?
It could be possible, but then I wonder how wand makers would give them this impressive ability.

Posted by Stijn from Delft, The Netherlands on December 11, 2006 1:04 PM

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