Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing the wands of the wizarding world. Now, if you’re any sort of Harry
Potter fan at all- then you’ll know that wands are tools that witches/wizards use to
channel their magic. We’re introduced to Ollivander’s wand shop right near the beginning
of the Philosopher’s Stone- when Harry is picking up his supplies for Hogwarts. Harry
is ultimate given an 11” wand made of Holly, with a Phoenix feather core- and what’s
interesting about wands is that they CHOOSE the wizard- rather than the other way around.
Wizards and wands share an almost symbiotic relationship- and that’s why some wands
simply won’t work for certain people.
“A wand is the object through which a witch or wizard channels his or her magic. It is
made from wood and has a magical substance at its core. Wands made by Ollivander have
cores of phoenix feather, unicorn hair or dragon heartstring, and are of varying woods,
lengths and flexibilities.”
As shown above- wands come in a variety of shapes, colours, sizes, flexibilities and
materials. The main parameters that differentiate each wand are as follows: length, wood type,
and lastly- core type. Each element is just as important as the last.
Length generally pertains to the size and/or character of the witch/wizard:
“Most wands are between 9-15 inches long. Wandmakers often match the wand length to
the height of the witch or wizard who will use it, but Ollivander considers this measure
inadequate. In his experience, longer than average wands tend to be drawn to those with
a physical peculiarity or a bigger personality whereas abnormally short wands select people
whose character lacks in something.”
Similar to the length- the chosen ‘wood’ for the wand also takes in to account the
witch/wizards individuality - and the type of wood that is eventually chosen can be considered
an extension of their personality. You can tell a lot about a person from their wand.
Lastly- we have the topic of today’s video- the wand core. Like the wood- the wand core
will act as an extension of the wizard themself- allowing them to properly tap in to their
most powerful innate magical abilities. If you have the right wand- then you will always
be able to channel your magic better than with a less suited counterpart.
The wand maker of which we are most familiar- Ollivander, has a tendency to utilize 3 primary
wand cores: phoenix, unicorn and dragon. HOWEVER, what I want to discuss in this video are some
of the other, lesser-known cores. First, let’s hear what Ollivander has to say about the
3 that he personally uses:
“Early in my career, as I watched my wandmaker father wrestling with substandard wand core
materials such as kelpie hair, I conceived the ambition to discover the finest cores
and to work only with those when my time came to take over the family business. This I have
done. After much experimentation and research, I concluded that only three substances produce
wands of the quality to which I am happy to give the illustrious name of Ollivander: unicorn
hair, dragon heartstring and phoenix feather. Each of these costly and rare materials has
its own distinct properties.”
So, as you can see above, though Ollivander is fully aware of the presence of other available
wand core materials- he chooses to stick with dragon, phoenix and unicorn because they are
the most reliable, and allow him to consistently make powerful wands. This makes sense because
they are all powerful creatures. However, there are OTHER types of cores- and I think
that Ollivander is being a little unfair here, as I’m sure some of the others have benefits
as well. In this video, I’m going to be taking a look at them all. Let’s start with
the big 3:
Dragon From Pottermore: As a rule, dragon heartstrings
produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells.
Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance
if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner. The
dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline
that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents,
being somewhat temperamental. Phoenix
From Pottermore: Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they
may take longer than either unicorn or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative,
sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. Phoenix
feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature
from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world.
Unicorn From Pottermore: Unicorn hair generally produces
the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with
unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most
faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective
of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.
Okay so now that we’ve got the big 3 out of the way, let’s dive in to the lesser
known stuff.
Veela Veela hair wands come from..well, Veela- semi-human
magical beings that resemble beautiful women with white-gold hair and moon-bright skin.
Fleur Delacour notably has a veela hair core in her wand- and Ollivander has described
Veela hair as highly ‘temperamental’ which makes sense. I suspect that Gregorovitch may
have used Veela hair in his wands.
Basilisk It has been expressed that the horn of a Basilisk
can be used as a wand core and was notably used by Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin
for his own wand. This should come as no surprise given his affinity for basilisks - giant serpentine
beasts often affiliated with dark wizards.
Wampus Cat Wampus cat hair is a core material used by
American wandmaker Johannes Jonker. The Wampus Cat is a magical cat native to the United
States, and is actually the symbol for one of the houses at Ilvermorny school.
Thunderbird Thunderbird Tail Feathers come from the famously
POWERFUL magical beast- the Thunderbird- a large cousin of the phoenix that’s capable
of causing storms. The Thunderbird is also one of the house symbols at Ilvermorny school.
Snallygaster The Snallygaster Heartstring core comes from
the magical beast- the Snallygaster. This core was used by Isolt Sayre to make wands
for some of those that began attending Ilvermorny school.
Jackalope Another of the wand core-types utilized by
Isolt Sayre of Ilvermorny, the Jackalope Antler comes from the fabled Jackalope- a mythical
creature from North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns.
Rougarou Rougarou Hair cores come from the dangerous
dog-headed magical beast that inhabits the US. Rougarou are said to resemble werewolves-
sporting the head of a dog and the body of a human. Rougarou hair cores are used by American
wandmaker Violetta Beauvais. Some believe that Rougarou hair has a connection with the
dark arts- since Rougarou are highly dangerous magical beasts. Seraphina Picquery- former
president of MACUSA- has a Rougarou hair in her wand.
Thestral Thestral Hair comes from the fabled magical
beast- the Thestral. If you weren’t already aware- Thestral’s are a breed of winged
horse with a skeletal body, face with reptilian features, and wide, bat-like wings. The argument
could be made that the Thestral hair core is the most powerful of all wand cores, as
the Elder Wand itself is the only wand in existence known to use it. However, it is
also possibly the most unstable and most difficult to use of all of the cores.
Troll Troll Whisker core’s came from the facial
hair of Trolls, massive albeit stupid creatures that exist in the magical world. Troll whisker
cores are considered to be a relatively inadequate wand material- however, they are passable.
Dittany Dittany Stalk Core’s are the only cores
in canon that come from a plant- at least, it’s the only one that we know about. Dittany
is a powerful restorative healing herb that may be eaten raw to cure shallow wounds."
Horned Serpent Horned Serpent Horn’s are taken from, you
guessed it, Horned Serpents- large magical snakes with a multitude of abilities. The
core was used by Isolt Sayre- and is said to be exceptionally powerful. Additionally,
the wand core itself is sensitive to Parseltongue, and is said to vibrate when Parseltongue is
being spoken. The core also warns the owner of danger by emitting a low musical tone.
White River Monster White River Monster Spine’s come from White
River Monster’s- a magical fish native to the white river in Arkansas. The wand core
was pretty much exclusively used by wandmaker Thiago Quintana- and the cores were thought
to produce spells of great elegance and force.
Bone Apparently- all sorts of bones can be used
as wand cores. There’s no canon evidence anywhere to suggest that any particular type
of bone is better- but apparently they can be used. Wands containing a BONE core may
also simultaneously contain a SHELL core.
Shell Similar to the peculiar use of bone above,
it has been expressed that SHELL can also be used as a wand core. Newt Scamander notably
had a wand with elements of shell as its core.
Coral Coral exists in our own world- a marine invertebrate.
However, in Harry Potter, it has magical properties and can be used as a wand core. Wandmaker
Gregorovitch notably uses coral wand cores in some of his wands.
Curupira Curupira hair cores come from Curupira- red-haired,
forest-dwelling dwarves native to Brazil. It is a notoriously unstable wand core, but
it has been expressed that IF the wand chooses you, then you must be a very talented wizard.
Kelpie Last but not least-well, sort of least, we
have the Kelpie hair core. Kelpie hair is of course from Kelpies- shapeshifting water
demons native to Great Britain. Ollivander himself has publicly denounced the usage of
Kelpie hair in his wands:
“Early in my career, as I watched my wandmaker father wrestling with substandard wand core
materials such as kelpie hair, I conceived the ambition to discover the finest cores.”
And that’s it for this video! Did you guys know that there were TWENTY different core
types? I bet you didn’t. Let me know in the comment section below the new ones that
you learned. I’m going to be making the same video but for wand woods in the future.
Also, if you’ve taken the Pottermore wand quiz, let me know what your wand is.
Until next time
Remember
“Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”