Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video,
we’re going to be discussing Dumbledore, Voldemort,
and the Elder Wand. More specifically- we’re going to be discussing a popular
fan theory which suggests that Dumbledore was never the TRUE owner of the elder wand.
The Elder wand was the first hallow created, made by Death himself, and it was said to be
the most powerful wand that ever existed. The Elder Wand is made of elder wood,
and it’s core is the tail hair of a Thestral. It’s 15” long and has carvings down its length
that resemble clusters of elderberries. With the elder wand, witches and wizards have historically
been able to produce intensely powerful magic that others could only dream of. Some magic is
actually altogether impossible without the Elder Wand- including things like mending other wands.
We see this powerful artefact pass hands on numerous occasions throughout the Harry
Potter story- and its ‘ownership’ is of utmost importance to the plot. After all,
it’s the ownership of the Elder Wand that eventually allows Harry to defeat Voldemort-
firing his own killing curse right back at him. But before Harry became it’s owner in
his final showdown with Voldemort at the end of the Deathly Hallows- who were the true owners?
Conventionally it is believed that Dumbledore was the owner, followed by Draco who disarmed
Dumbledore, followed by Harry who disarmed Draco. But one popular fan theory suggests
that Dumbledore was never the true owner at all. So where does that leave us?
The main driver behind the theory is HOW the wand actually changes ownership. Conventionally it is
believed that a witch or wizard can only become the true master of the wand if they ‘best’ the
previous owner. But what does ‘best’ mean? While it was originally suggested that ‘besting’ a
wizard meant defeating them, the Harry Potter story seemed to suggest later on that ‘besting’
can include an act as simple as disarming- i.e Draco with Dumbledore. But, is that true?
The theory in question suggests that ‘disarming’ is definitely NOT a valid way of obtaining
ownership- and that in order to become the ‘true’ owner of such a powerful object- you need to take
it forcefully-commanding the wand’s respect. If we trace back the wand’s history, we can see that
Dumbledore took the wand from Grindelwald. And if we look at how Grindelwald obtained the wand-
we can see that he did so in a cowardly manner, stealing it from Mykew Gregorovitch in the night:
"Gregorovitch burst into the room at the end of the passage and his lantern illuminated
what looked like a workshop; wood shavings and gold gleamed in the swinging pool of light,
and there on the window ledge sat perched, like a giant bird,
a young man with golden hair. In the split second that the lantern's light illuminated him,
Harry saw the delight upon his handsome face, then the intruder shot a Stunning Spell from
his wand and jumped neatly backward out of the window with a crow of laughter."
The theory is this- because Grindelwald stole the wand in a cowardly fashion, he was never its
true owner, and because Dumbledore took the wand from Grindelwald (who was not its true owner),
he himself could not have become the true owner. This means that for years and years,
even though it was not in his possession, Mykew Gregorovitch was the true owner of the elder
wand. But if all of this is true- how did Harry end up becoming the wands true owner? Did he?
Well, it starts with Voldemort becoming the owner. Voldemort,
who wanted to escape the unique circumstances regarding his and Harry’s wands- ended up
tracking down Ollivander. After finding him, Voldemort tortured and interrogated him for
information pertaining to the elder wand. To this, Ollivander reveals that he had heard a
rumour that Mykew Gregorovitch still had it in his possession. The prospect of obtaining
a. The most powerful wand in the world and b. An instrument that could defeat
Harry was extremely intriguing to Voldemort- and so he vowed to track down Gregorovitch.
For months, Voldemort tracked Gregorovitch down- even murdering a family that lived in his former
residence along the way. Eventually, however, Voldemort does find Gregorovitch- and it’s at
this point that Gregorovitch reveals that the wand was stolen from him years ago. Voldemort, who did
not believe him, ended up using legilimency to infiltrate his mind- and it was at this point
that Voldemort saw the truth- a vision of the wand being stolen from him years ago. To this,
Voldemort then demands to know who the thief was- something which Gregorovitch reveals he
never found out. At this point Gregorovitch- who pleaded with Voldemort for mercy,
was no longer of any use to him, and is killed by Voldemort’s killing curse. At this point- the
theory suggests that Voldemort, without even knowing it, had become the elder wand’s true
owner. This means that Grindelwald was never the true owner after stealing it from Gregorovitch,
and it also means that Dumbledore wasn’t the true owner after defeating Grindelwald.
Though Voldemort became the true owner by killing Gregorovitch,
the wand still wasn’t in his possession- he would need to track it down. Eventually,
however, he does finally wield the wand- the only issue is that this fabled powerful wand
is just not living up to his expectations. He tests it out time and time again, and
believes that there is no difference between his ordinary wand and this powerful magical artefact.
He eventually comes to the conclusion that it’s not a problem with the wand,
but a problem with him. Yes- he now held the elder wand in his possession,
but from his perspective- because Snape had killed Dumbledore, Snape was the ‘true owner’,
not him. This meant that the wand would never work to its full capabilities. It’s
not until Voldemort finally kills Snape that he becomes completely satisfied.
What the theory suggests here is that- though he was the rightful owner at this stage,
the reason he lacked power was for reasons unrelated to the wand or the
wands ownership. Voldemort didn’t lack power because he wasn’t the true owner,
he lacked power because pieces of his soul were being destroyed.
He was the owner of the elder wand now, sure, but many pieces of his soul had been destroyed without
him even realizing it, making him weaker and weaker. When Harry scores a victory over Voldemort
later in the story, destroying him, it’s only at that point that Harry becomes the true owner.
This theory is only reinforced by Rowling,
who seems to suggest that it takes a great deal for the wand to properly change allegiance.
"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 won't 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."
In essence, this theory closes the plot
hole that simply disarming your opponent counts as besting them.
What do you guys think of this theory? Had you
heard of it before? Let me know in the comment section below.
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Until next time
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live