Wands: a fundamental tool in the Harry Potter saga

Wands

"The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter." This phrase said by the wandmaker Ollivander to Harry Potter is one of the first things we learn about the Wizarding world and initially we do not understand how important this information will be within the saga. Wands, in addition to having specific characteristics, have their own will, character and real reticence.

Wands in the Harry Potter saga

The Art of Wands The wands in the Harry Potter saga: the most famous nuclei Wizarding World: the wand test The wands of the protagonists

The Art of wands

It is no coincidence that there are so many woods to make wands: combined with the different nuclei they take on very different characteristics. The length and their flexibility should also be taken into consideration. Precisely for this reason it is possible that sticks made of the same wood and having the same core have different properties. There are also so-called twin wands that share a core from the same magical creature.

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In addition, there is only one wand in the world with a Thestral hair as a core: the Elder Wand. Death made this one wand, and it is difficult for others to be made, because Thestral's hair is intended for wizards and witches who are not afraid of death in any way.

The ones made overseas are very different, in fact in America we have wands that can contain the tail feathers of Winged Thunder, the hairs of Wampus, the splinter of Serpecorn's horn and the heart cord of Alastridente, among others. This is obvious, because magical creatures native to the Americas are very different from those of Northern Europe.




“Only a minority of trees can produce wand quality wood (just as a minority of humans can produce magic). It takes years of experience to tell which ones have the gift, even if the job is made easier if you find the small crayfish that nest among the leaves, since they never inhabit trivial trees. "

From the notes of Garrick Ollivander

The wands in the Harry Potter saga: the most famous nuclei

Let's start with the Unicorn hair. This core makes sticks that are reliable and rarely prone to jamming. Those made with Unicorn hair are not easy wands to convert to the Dark Arts and, if not used correctly, can become melancholy and deteriorate. A common combination with Unicorn hair is with sycamore, laurel and alder wood, while it is very rare that it combines with poplar wood. Due to the difficulty they create with the Dark Arts they are not considered powerful nuclei, but remember that this is only the heart of the wand: with the right wood the Unicorn hair can be very satisfying and handsome. Owners of Unicorn hair wands include Neville Longbottom and Cedric Diggory.




Rarer core of the three, the Phoenix Feather is capable of a wide range of magic, sometimes acting as a their own initiative and are difficult to tame and personalize. The fidelity of a phoenix feather wand is difficult to obtain and they are very demanding. We remember the two main holders of wand with Phoenix feather: Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort.

Wizarding World: the wand test

Wands in the Harry Potter saga are really fundamental. The Wizarding World site, the formerly beloved Pottermore, still presents the possibility of taking the test to get your own wand - in addition to that of sorting houses and that to discover your Patronus. The possible results are so many that it is clear how much the author J.K. Rowling studied it thoroughly. For each combination of wood, core, length, wood color and flexibility there is a corresponding image which helps visualize your possible rod.



The test questions start with a physical description of who should hold it: height (which should affect the length of the wand) and eye color. We then move on to questions about our own qualities and fears, up to making choices in imaginary scenarios. At the end of the test a real card will come out with the image of the rod and all the interesting information it hides, from the qualities of the wood to those of the core, passing through its flexibility.

The rods of the protagonists

The Wand of Harry Potter



The wand that Harry bought in Diagon Alley is made of holly wood, a rare wood and protective towards its owner, it is 11 long ”And has the soul of a Phoenix feather. It is a flexible wand; "Twin" of that of Voldemort. Broken in December 1997, due to a Confringo thrown by Hermione against Nagini, this wand was repaired by the Elder Wand at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts.

Buy Harry's wand now on Amazon The Wand by Hermione Granger



The vine is a very rare wood to produce a wand: its owners are people with a high purpose and who believe they always know better than others. Not surprisingly, this wand has chosen Hermione as its owner. The length is 10 ″ and ¾, the core is of Dragon's heart string.

Buy Hermione's wand now on Amazon Albus Dumbledore's wand



In this case, the one we are considering is the Elder Wand. As we have said, it has the Thestral crinte inside, is 15 "long and was forged by Death himself. The Elderberry does not have a good reputation: it brings with it superstitions and bad omens, in reality Ollivander considers it a wood that goes well only with an out of the ordinary person.

Buy now the Elder Wand on Amazon The Lord Voldemort's wand



Voldemort's wand is made of yew wood, a material that has a particularly dark and frightening reputation. The core is made of Phoenix feather, twin to Harry's and the length is 13 ″ and ½. It was this wand that caused the scar on Harry's forehead.

Buy Voldemort's wand now on Amazon Draco Malfoy's wand



Draco was chosen by a wand of hawthorn wood, an unusual and contradictory material, full of paradoxes: excellent for curses, it is also perfect for healing magic. The core is of Unicorn hair and the length is 10 ″. This is the wand that Harry steals after the battle at Villa Malfoy.

Buy Draco's wand now on Amazon The art of wands is undoubtedly a fascinating branch of magic, it takes very little to change one's character of these magical artifacts. Find your wand on the Wizarding World site and let us know if the result represents you!