Questions tagged [wandlore]
A term coined by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, involving the history and study of magical wands. May cover the material composition of wands, theories and/or eccentricities of past wand makers, duels recorded, wand folklore, etc. Always use this with the [harry-potter] tag.
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Why didn't Ollivander make the obvious choice of testing the twin core wand on Harry earlier?
In the first book, while Ollivander is trying to find a suitable wand for Harry, it seems it was a difficult process at first, as Ollivander does not seem to be happy with most of his first choices.
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Why wouldn't a broken wand work? [closed]
It is clear that a wand that has been broken will not work properly and is very hard to mend. The only examples of mended wands are Harry's phoenix wand, which he mended using the Elder wand, and (...
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Why does Hermione claim that all wands are equal, save for the Elder Wand?
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Ollivander and Harry have this conversation:
‘Ah yes,’ said the man. ‘Yes, yes. I thought I’d be seeing you soon.
Harry Potter.’ It wasn’t a question. ‘...
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Did Voldemort's Horcrux that latched to Harry make the Wand-matching and House-sorting processes more complicated? [duplicate]
A lot of characteristics of Harry's were passed to him via Voldemort:
parseltongue
telepathic connection to voldemort
the iconic scar
These were caused by a portion of Voldemort latching onto Harry ...
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Did the Elder Wand's power in Draco's wand go back to the original Elder Wand once Harry owned both of them? [closed]
I'll try to explain the question as best as I can, for those who are still confused about what really happened with the Elder Wand:
When Draco disarms Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower, the actual ...
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What do wands look like in the books?
In the film's designs of the wands they are very intricate. I always thought it was over the top and imagined the wands in the books were supposed to look plain and basically all the same, except ...
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Why is Lucius Malfoy's Wand so Long?
It is stated in various places that Lucius Malfoy's wand is 18" in length.
This seems to exceedingly long as Ollivander states:
In my experience, longer wands might suit taller wizards, but they ...
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What is the distribution of wand lengths?
Wands come in a multitude of lengths in the Harry Potter universe, but what is the most common length for a wand to be, based on the wands we've seen and heard of in universe (including wands that don'...
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Why are wands so cheap compared to their materials in Harry Potter?
Harry's wand cost only 7 Galleons:
He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand
However, we know wands contain very rare materials: Dragon heartstring, Unicorn hair, Phoenix feather.
For making a wand ...
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Can the Elder Wand betray its owner?
I have a vague recollection that the Elder Wand is quite happy to betray its owner for a more powerful wizard.
The best I could find was a quote from screenrant:
Because this wand thinks so highly of ...
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Is Ron Weasley the master of Bellatrix Lestrange's first wand?
Harry and Ollivander have this conversation in Deathly Hallows after Malfoy Manor detainment.
‘Walnut and dragon heartstring,’ he said. ‘Twelve and three-quarter inches. Unyielding. This wand ...
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Are wands required for an animagus transformation? If so, how were they used in Azkaban? If not, why did Pettigrew need one? [duplicate]
In chapter 20 of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it's made very clear that Peter Pettigrew needed a wand to use his animagus transformation and escape. However, one chapter earlier we learn ...
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How did Harry know that wand allegiance can be won by proxy?
The entire plot of the end of the Harry Potter series relies on the fact that Harry won the allegiance of the Elder Wand by taking a different wand from Draco Malfoy, the current master of the Elder ...
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What is the extent that a wand targeted at its owner will have, in particular, regarding the Elder Wand?
So, here's the hypothetical: if a wand is targeted at its owner (particularly using the Avada Kadavra or any spell that is insta-kill), will it kill the owner? And, if not, would it backfire upon the ...
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How did Ollivander know about Voldemort's wand?
There's evidence that Ollivander knew that Voldemort and Tom Riddle were the same person. When he gave Harry his wand, he remarked that a similar wand was given to Voldemort, who did 'terrible, but ...
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How was Barty Crouch Junior able to use Alastor Moody's wand for a whole year without any noticeable side effects?
At the beginning of GoF, we know that Moody is fought by Wormtail and Barty Crouch Junior. They win the battle and lock him inside his own magical lockers. However, they do not kill him. Wandlore has ...
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Will a wand change allegience if its owner lost a friendly duel?
Severus Snape defeated Lockhart during a friendly duel in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. If Snape had defeated Lockhart during a real duel, Lockhart would have lost his wand's allegiance.
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user89104
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Would a completely good Muggle be able to use a wand?
I was reading through this question Can a Muggle do anything with a wand? and Valorum’s answer said this:
JKR addressed this point in an interview in 2006;
"I been asked what would happen if a ...
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Is it possible for wands to be made of more than one type of wood without them being blended together?
I'm pretty sure that wands can be made of a blend of more that one type of wood but do any wand makers make a wand with different parts made out of different types of wood? (e.g. The wand base being ...
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Does wandcore or element affect a wand's ability?
In the Harry Potter universe there are three kinds of wandcore widely used: phoenix tail feathers, dragon heartstrings and unicorn hairs. Do these variations in wand cores affect the wand's ability? ...
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Why don't wizards use more than one wand like when Harry uses three? [duplicate]
In the seventh book, when Harry is escaping from Malfoy Mansion he grabs three wands from Draco Malfoy and uses a spell against the snatcher Scabior. The effects are described as more powerful than a ...
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Is this an instance of Priori Incantatem?
During the climax of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Tina briefly duels with Graves and their wands appear to lock with each other (see picture). I believe this also happens some other times ...
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What is actually happening when Harry Potter is trying out wands?
When Harry is in Ollivanders, he holds certain wands and magic happens whilst trying to find a wand match.
Is this similar to when he uses magic uncontrollably in the third book (to inflate Aunt ...
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What happens if a wand chooses a wizard who cannot afford it?
In Harry Potter with the recent question (How much do wands cost?), we know how much a wand costs which is 7 gold galleons. What if the young wizard family can't afford that? Like the Weasleys were ...
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How much do wands cost?
Its never mentioned how much Ron or Hermione or anyone else's wand costs. Does anyone know how much an average wand would cost in the Wizarding World?
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Did Ollivander actually use his measurements?
When Harry gets his wand, Ollivander's magical measuring tape first takes all kinds of ridiculous measurements on him, like the distance between his nostrils, from eye to ear or something like that.
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Is there any reference to which wand Ron uses after the Battle of Hogwarts?
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron loses his wand during the capture and subsequent imprisonment in Malfoy Manor. When they take their opporunity to escape, they also take with them Wormtail'...
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If the holder of the Elder Wand commits suicide, who does it belong to?
I got what would happen to it after the natural death of the owner (power of the wand breaks) but will the same happen if the owner commits suicide?
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Is there any possibility that Harry's wand was a Horcrux?
I came upon this possibility due to Dumbledore's words:
“I believe that your wand imbibed some of the power and qualities of Voldemort’s wand that night, which is to say that it contained a little ...
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In what way is the Elder Wand more powerful than a regular wand?
The Elder Wand is more powerful than a regular wand, as we see Harry use it to repair his seemingly irreparable wand.
We have also seen that every time the wand had been used in front of the readers ...
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Could Harry have used the Elder Wand to undo the damage to Hogwarts after the Battle of Hogwarts?
Could Harry have used the Elder Wand to undo the damage to Hogwarts after the Battle of Hogwarts before he broke it in half and threw it away? In other words, would the Elder Wand have given Harry ...
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Are there any clear predecessors to the idea from Harry Potter of wands with special cores?
It now seems like a common idea, perhaps one with a long reaching tradition. But my Google results seem to be solely dominated by Harry Potter references. I've found references to wands with different ...
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The core of Voldemort's wand came from Fawkes, so how could he successfully use a Killing Curse against Fawkes?
We know that Voldemort's wand was made from one of Fawkes' feathers, like Harry's. We know that this fact caused the weird behavior of the wands when Harry and Voldemort battled in Little Hangleton ...
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Was Ollivander despised? And if so, then why?
I was reading a story on the Pottermore website regarding Ilvermorny, when I read a sentence which stated;
Gormlaith had purchased a wand at the despised Ollivanders...
Is there a reason why ...
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When did the Elder Wand realize its owner has been defeated?
The Elder Wand's allegiance change from Draco to Harry is quite unique in the series, since it changed allegiance without having taken part in the conflict that caused its owner to be defeated (Draco ...
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Is the breaking of a wand functional or merely ceremonial?
This question spins off of Why did Hagrid's umbrella work for him?, which discusses whether or not only Hagrid's wand, or indeed any broken wand, can be used.
Hagrid can clearly still use his wand, ...
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Why don't wizards always use multiple wands? [duplicate]
As far as I am aware, in Harry Potter, a wand is simply a means of channelling magic.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, at Malfoy Manor, Harry grabs three wands from Draco and performs a ...
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Why didn't the Avada Kedavra cast at Harry at Godric's Hollow come out of Voldemort's wand during Priori Incantatem?
I came across an old essay on the Harry Potter Lexicon dated 17th January 2001, written after the release of Goblet of Fire when many details about Voldemort's attack at Godric's Hollow were still ...
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Is it a wand core that gives it its awareness?
Given that wand lore is a complex and not fully understood subject,
"I think so," replied Ollivander, his protruberant eyes upon Harry's face. "You ask deep questions, Mr. Potter. Wandlore is a ...
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Why would broken wands have any value?
From Chamber of Secrets:
In Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop, they met Fred,
George, and Lee Jordan, who were stocking up on Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat
Fireworks, and in a ...
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Can the Elder Wand be duplicated?
The Elder Wand is apparently a unique, and uniquely powerful, wand. However, its components are well known: Elder wood, 15" long, and a thestral-hair core.
According to the HPWiki, elder wood is ...
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Can you carve a wand after it is created?
As can be seen by some of the Death Eaters' wands, many have shapes and objects carved into them to indicate an affiliation or as decoration:
Alecto Carrow's Wand:
Amycus Carrow's Wand:
Various ...
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What kind of shapes can wands have?
I was wondering, does a wand have to be in only the shape of a cylinder with a smooth narrowed tip?
Can it have a bent shape or have two ends like a two blade fork? Can it be flat or have a snake-...
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How does one wand win over the other in Priori Incantatem?
"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" said Sirius.
"They will not work properly against each other," said Dumbledore. "If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle…...
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Shouldn't Voldemort be alerted that someone else might be the true Master of the Elder Wand when he concluded that Dumbledore was its last owner?
Wands die with their owner
Following my answer in the question "Why did Voldemort visit Grindelwald?", I came across the following question: after Voldemort concluded that the Elder Wand's ...
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Why did Voldemort visit Grindelwald?
We know that Voldemort finds out about the Elder Wand by torturing Ollivander when even the borrowed wand (Lucius Malfoy's) fails to kill Harry. We see that Voldemort instantly becomes fascinated by ...
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Is selling a used wand the same as winning it in a duel?
If a wizard sells a second-hand wand, is this the same as winning it in a duel? Could Voldemort have bought the Elder Wand from Snape instead of killing him for it?
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Why do wands work for a wizard when disarmed/borrowed, but not while purchasing?
When Harry Potter first arrived at Ollivander's to purchase his wand he had attempted several with no success.
Harry tried – but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was
snatched back by Mr ...
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Is using a friend's wand better than using a stranger's wand?
We all know that wands tend to be picky depending on the flexibility of the wood, thus if the wand is used not by their owner, the spells tend to be weaker. But does the potency of spells differ? If ...
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Was Harry shown to struggle with his wand more than the other students?
According to Pottermore on wand cores and wand woods:
This is the rarest core type. Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn or ...
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