Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In today’s video, we’re going
to be discussing WANDS. Wands are an essential part of any witch or wizards arsenal- an object
with which they are able to channel and hone their magical capabilities.
When witches and wizards come of age, and their time finally comes for them to head
off to Hogwarts, one of the first places they go in preparation for the school year is Ollivanders.
It’s at Ollivander’s: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C., that many witches and wizards
are paired with the wand that they will keep for their entire life- the wand that they
form a real connection with. As wands are quasi-sentient, they possess the ability to
‘choose the wizard’ rather than the other way around, which is why wands are a very
personal item. We know Harry’s wand, and a few others are mentioned, but, what about
all of the other characters? In today’s video, I want to break down the wands of 20
Harry Potter characters, and explain what these wands mean.
Without further ado, let’s get started:
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger’s wand is made of vine wood- a less common type of wand wood that
tends to general suit witches/wizards who seek a greater purpose. Vine is also drawn
to personalities with hidden depths. The core of her wand is dragon heartstring, one of
the most powerful (but temperamental) wand core materials derived from dragons. The length
of her wand is 10 ¾”, which is pretty much normal.
Voldemort
Though Voldmeort eventually procures the Elder Wand, at one point he was appointed a wand
at Ollivanders just like everyone else. His first wand was made of Yew, 13 ½” length
and with a Phoenix Feather core. This wand is arguably one of the most infamous / destructive
wands in the entire Harry Potter universe and was responsible for the famous scar on
Harry’s forehead. Yew is a rarer wand type which tends to be drawn to more unusual people.
It also retains a fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling.
Gilderoy Lockhart
Gilderoy Lockhart’s wand was 9” long and made of Cherry wood with a Dragon heartstring
core. The short length of Lockhart’s wand is representative of the fact that his personality
is ‘lacking’ in some ways. Cherry wood is common for students of Mahoutokoro, the
magical school in Japan, and creates a wand of ‘strange’ power.
Ron Weasley
Ron Weasley had two wands over the course of the story. The first was a hand-me-down,
which was 12” and made of Ash with a Unicorn Hair Core. His second wand was 14” long,
made of Willow and also had a Unicorn Hair core. The great length of his wand is representative
of his ‘larger than life’ personality, and the Willow wood used is an uncommon wood
type which is purported to possess ‘healing power’.
“Willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those
who feel they have little to learn”
Neville Longbottom
Neville Longbottom had two wands, the first was a hand-me-down, and little is known about
it. His second wand, however, was 13” long and made of Cherry wood with a Unicorn Hair
Core. Like Ron, the length of his wand is representative of his strength of character.
Unicorn Hair Cores generally produce the most consistent magic, and are the most faithful
of all wands.
Bellatrix Lestrange
Bellatrix Lestrange’s wand was 12 ¾:” long and made of Walnut with a Dragon Heartstring
Core. Though ‘evil’, the length of Bellatrix’s wand in conjunction with her small stature,
would suggest that she has a ‘strong’ character. Walnut wands are often found in
the hands of magical inventors and are particularly versatile. Bellatrix’s wand was often described
as ‘unyielding’.
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy’s wand was 10” long and made of Hawthorn with a Unicorn Hair core. Draco’s
wand was once described by Ollivander as ‘reasonably springy’. Hawthorn wands are often paired
with witches/wizards that have a ‘conflicted’ nature- and for this reason the Hawthorn fits
Draco perfectly.
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall’s wand was 9 ½” long and made of Fir with a Dragon Heartstring
core. What stuck out to me about her wand is the length, as it is quite short as far
as wands go, SOMETIMES (but not always) indicating a lack of strength of character (like with
Lockhart). However, in McGonagall’s case, the short length of her wand may solely be
due to her small physical stature. Fir wands are particularly suited to transfiguration-
her specialty.
Quirinus Quirrell
Quirinus Quirrell’s wand was 9” long and made of Alder with a Unicorn Hair core. Quirrell’s
extremely short wand is undoubtedly the result of his ‘narrow’ personality and feeble
nature. Alder wood wands generally seek witches/wizards that represent characteristics considered
to be the ‘opposite’ of what the wood itself represents.
Hagrid
The story of Hagrid’s wand is lengthy, and I know that he later uses the umbrella, but,
once upon a time, Hagrid’s wand was fully intact. Hagrid’s wand was 16” long and
made of oak with an unknown core. Oak wands are said to have an ‘affinity with magic
of the natural world’ and expertly suit witches/wizards that work with creatures and
plants. The length of Hagrid’s wand is representative of his GIANT stature and larger than life
personality.
Sir Cadogan:
Sir Cadogan’s wand was 9” long and made of Blackthorn with a Troll Whisker Core. Blackthorn
wands are best suited to warriors and can be found in the possession of many prodigious
witches/wizards. Troll Whisker Cores, on the other hand, are considered to be ‘barely
passable’ wand core materials.
Horace Slughorn:
Horace Slughorn’s wand was 10 ¼” long and made of Cedar with a Dragon heartstring
core. Cedar wands are drawn to those with an incredible strength of character and propensity
for immense loyalty.
Peter Pettigrew:
Peter Pettigrew’s wand was 9 ¼” long and made of Chestnut with a Dragon Heartstring
core. His short wand length is (in my eyes) certainly representative of his mental weakness
and stunted character. Chestnut wands are pretty versatile, but are often drawn to witches
and wizards that are gifted tamers of magical beasts. However, this can change greatly depending
on the core with which it is paired.
Remus Lupin Remus Lupin’s wand was 10 ¼” long and
made of Cypress with a Unicorn Hair core. The great medieval wandmaker, Geraint Ollivander,
wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting
a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death. Couldn’t be more fitting.
Lucius Malfoy:
Lucius Malfoy’s wand was 18” long and made of Elm with a Dragon Heartstring core.
I should mention that the length of Lucius’s wand can be attributed to the addition of
a silver snake head handle- I’m not sure how long his actual wand is. Elm wands are
very sophisticated wands which are capable of highly advanced magic in the right hands.
Fleur Delacour
Fleur Delacour’s wand was 9 ½” long and made of Rosewood with a Veela Hair core. Rosewood
is a very rare wand wood representing love and purity that is not used by Ollivander.
Veela hair cores, which come from VEELA like Fleur, are said to be highly temperamental.
Celestina warbeck
Celestina Warbeck’s wand was 10 ½” long and made of larch with a Phoenix Feather Core.
Larch wood wands are said to be incredibly attractive and powerful, but also very ‘hard
to please’
Viktor krum
Viktor Krum’s wand was 10 ¼” long and made of Hornbeam with a Dragon Heartstring
core. Hornbeam wands are known for being expertly matched with a witch or wizards ‘style’
of magic and become extremely personalized, very quickly- making them nearly impossible
to use in the hands of anyone else.
Ollivander
The wandmaker himself Garrick Ollivander had a 12 ¾” wand made of Hornbeam with a Dragon
Heartstring core.
He had this to say of his own wand:
“My own wand is made of hornbeam, and so it is with all due modesty that I state that
hornbeam selects for its life mate the talented witch or wizard with a single, pure passion,
which some might call obsession.”
Sybill Trelawney
Sybill Trelawney had a 9 ½” wand made of Hazel with a Unicorn Hair Core. Hazel wands
are said to work best for those who are able to master the art of understanding and managing
their own feelings. Not sure this was the best pairing.
And that’s it for this video! I hope you guys learned something about the wands of
some of your favourite characters. If you enjoy the content please LIKE the video and
SUBSCRIBE to the channel. Until next time
The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter.