Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory.
Today, we’re going to be discussing wands, wand shops, and wand makers.
More specifically- we’re going to be discussing every known wandmaker in Harry Potter.
There isn’t a TON of information out there on this topic, so the level of information
is going to vary from wandmaker to wandmaker, but I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together.
Considered to be a ‘complex and mysterious branch of magic’- wand-making refers to
a ‘wandmaker’ using wand cores and woods to construct wands for witches and wizards.
More broadly, wandmakers can be categorized as anyone who constructs a wand.
However, in wizarding society, wandmakers are traditionally witches or wizards that
construct and SELL wands.
The profession dates back many many centuries, and the earliest known wandmakers were said
to have been druids.
A druid was considered to be, in Celtic times, a member of the learned and priestly class.
Druids considered anything with a ‘woody stem’ to be a tree, which led to them producing
wands out of things like vine- a tradition followed by wandmaker Garrick Ollivander in
the 20th century.
Though druids were skilled at their craft, at this stage in history it was still totally
normal for a customer of a wand shop to bring their own core with them, a tradition that
has basically fallen off in more recent times.
The first Wandmaking shops were known to date back to the establishment of Ollivander’s
Wand Shop in 382 B.C.
The original ‘Ollivander’, the ancestor of Garrick Ollivander, was thought to have
come from a Mediterranean country in Roman times and set up a stall in what would eventually
become Diagon Alley.
The Ollivander family revolutionized wand making when they publicly forsook the traditional
wand-making process, which previously had witches and wizards procure their own wand
core.
Ollivander believed that this process produced wands that were ‘inferior’ in quality
and performance, which led to the family procuring all wand components for future customers.
Ollivander researched the best wand cores and would always find the best wand wood to
complement it, and where the purchaser would previously select a wand of THEIR choosing,
he began the tradition of having the wand choose the wizard.
In large part due to the fact that the Ollivander family were so instrumental in revolutionizing
the wand-making process, and in part due to the fact that Hogwarts students obtain wands
from Ollivanders, many of us have been hard wired to believe that Ollivander’s is the
ONLY option when it comes to wand shops.
But in truth, there are in fact MANY other wandmakers out there in the vast wizarding
world, some of which I’ll introduce you to on today’s list.
Today, we’re going to be examining ALL wandmakers- that is, any witch or wizard that has constructed
a wand- whether that be to sell, use themselves, or otherwise.
Let’s get in to it.
Garrick Ollivander
Well, you already got your fill on Garrick Ollivander and the Ollivander family in the
brief introduction on wandmaking above, but he still belongs on this list!
Yes, he is the MAIN name that comes to mind when we think of wands, but that may be for
a reason!
Mykew Gregorovitch
Probably the best known wandmaker BESIDES Ollivander, Mykew Gregorovitch was a wizard,
famous wandmaker and owner of Gregorovitch Zauberstäbe in Europe.
Gregorovitch was also known to sell wands at Carkitt Market in London in order to compete
with Ollivander.
Viktor Krum was a known proponent of Gregorovitch’s wands, and while Ollivander’s served as
the primary supplier for Hogwarts students, Gregorovitch catered to the students of Durmstrang.
"I vos one of the last to purchase a Gregorovitch vand.
They are the best — although, I know, of course, that you Britons set much store by
Ollivander."
Gregorovitch was considered to be an expert on the highly intricate topic of wandlore,
however, as respected and revered as he was, there was a known rivalry between him and
Ollivander- primarily over differences of opinion.
Ollivander once remarked that Gregorovitch was a ‘fine’ wandmaker, but in the very
same sentence criticized his styling.
One subject that Gregorovitch and Ollivander DID agree on, however, relates to the use
of hawthorn as a wand material.
Jimmy Kiddell
Jimmy Kiddell, whose name was undoubtedly inspired by TV presenter Jimmy Kimmell, was
a British wizard and wandmaker- more specifically, the proprietor of Jimmy Kiddell's Wonderful
Wands located in Diagon Alley.
Not much is known about Jimmy Kiddell, or his approach to wandmaking, but provided that
his shop was ALSO located in Diagon Alley and that we have NEVER heard of him, it’s
likely that his wands were inferior to Ollivanders.
Johannes Jonker
Johannes Jonker (presumably of Dutch origin), was an American Muggle-born (or no-maj born)
wizard that served as one the 4 primary North American wandmakers in the early 20th century.
His name is first shown IN FILM in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, where he is
mentioned in relation to a wand permit application.
Jonker became particularly skilled at wand making in part due to growing up with a cabinet
maker father.
Growing up in a no-maj household gave him early exposure to wood-working, which helped
facilitate proper wand-making later in life.
It has been expressed that Jonker’s wands were both in-demand AND easy to recognize,
in part due to his signature mother-of-pearl inlay that they contained.
Despite experimenting with various wand cores earlier in his career, Jonker’s preferred
core was the hair of a Wampus cat.
Violetta Beauvais
Violetta Beauvais was another one of the 4 primary North American wandmakers in the early
20th century.
Violetta was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was known for using Swamp Mayhaw wood,
wood from a tree native to Louisiana, in all of her wands.
Violetta also used a wand core in all of her wands that, for many years, was kept a closely-guarded
secret.
However, eventually, word got out that Violetta used Rougarou hair in her wand cores.
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.
Many believed that Beauvais’ wands had a natural affinity toward dark magic, most likely
due to their rougarou core, however, many great (and good) wizards of the 1920s used
Beauvais wands, including MACUSA president Seraphina Picquery.
Thiago Quintana
Thiago Quintana was an American wizard that ALSO served as another of the four wandmakers
who served North America in the early 20th century.
Quintana’s wands were said to produce spells of ‘force and elegance’- created with
a single spine taken from a White River Monster- a magical fish-like creature native to Arkansas.
After Quintana’s death, it has been expressed that no other wand makers continued with the
use of White River Monster spine cores- the primary reason for this being that know one
else knew how to lure the creatures!
Shikoba Wolfe
Shikoba Wolfe was an American witch and the last of the four primary wandmakers that served
North America during the early 20th century.
Wolfe was said to be of Choctaw Descent- a group of Native American people originally
from the southeastern part of the United States.
Wolfe produced intricately carved wands and would often use Thunderbird tail feathers
as cores.
Thunderbird Tail Feathers come from the famously POWERFUL magical beast- the Thunderbird- a
large cousin of the phoenix that’s capable of causing storms.
Thunderbird wands are thought to be incredibly powerful, but difficult to master, and are
often sought after by those interested in transfiguration.
Arturo Cephalopos
Arturo Cephalopos was a wandmaker in the 19th century who ‘competed’ with Garrick Ollivander’s
grandfather Gerbold Ollivander.
Gerbold Ollivander claimed that silver lime, a fashionable wand material at the time, had
an association with Divination, a claim that Arturo vehemently denied- going as far as
to state that the claim was "a falsehood circulated by merchants like Gerbold Ollivander, who
have overstocked their workshops with it and hope to shift their surplus."
Garrick Ollivander, otherwise known as the OLLIVANDER we know best, has since referred
to Cephalopos as an ‘ignoramus’ that apparently ended up going out of business.
Cosme Acajor
Cosme Acajor was a French wizard and wandmaker who ran Baguettes Magiques de Cosme Acajor
in Place Cachée, Paris.
Acajor is mentioned in The Crimes of Grindelwald, but unfortunately we don’t know ANYTHING
about his process for creating wands.
And that concludes the list of wandmakers who work as, well, wandmakers.
However, it should be noted that some other witches and wizards, outside of the ones who
sell wands, have been reported as having made wands as well.
These witches/wizards include Isolt Sayre & James Steward, who were able to create a
wand for Chadwick Boot out of serpent’s horn and prickly ash, Salazar Slytherin, who
purportedly created his own wand out of Snakewood and Basilisk horn, and Antioch Peverell, who
(according to Dumbledore) created the Elder wand.
And that’s it for this video!
If you enjoy the content please LIKE the video and SUBSCRIBE to the channel.
Did you know about these other wandmakers?
Leave a comment down below
Until next time
Remember
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand
up to our friends