The Wand
This lesson will look at the ultimate wizarding tool, the wand. The wand in itself is of no use to anyone who does not contain at least some magical ability. Basically a wand is used to focus magical strength.
What is it about this stick that represents the awesome powers of the magician? The answer may trace back to the prehistoric man's first instrument of power – the cave man's club.
While not particularly "magical", the club, in the form of a hefty hint of a tree branch, certainly did endow it's user with an extraordinary amount of power he didn't have without it – power to defend himself, bonk his enemies into oblivion and put dinner on the table. Indeed in a confrontation with an enemy, even raising the club in a threatening gesture was recognised as a sign of power.
As spears and swords replaced the club as weapons of choice, the club was retired from everyday use but lived on in reduced size and symbolic form. For instance it is argued the club took the form of the scepter, the king's or emperor's wandlike emblem of power or a herald's staff, investing the bearer with the powers of the king he represented.
In the hands of a witch or wizard, the mini-club took the form of the wand, symbolising command of the powers of nature and the supernatural. While the wand no longer resembles the club it evolved from, in the wizarding world it continues to function as the most powerful of weapons.
A wand is necessary for *most* magic and is definitely essential for beginning witches and wizards such as yourself. That's not to say that wandless magic doesn't exist however.
The most basic occurrence of wandless magic occurs in children with magical ability. In these cases the magic is done spontaneously and without the use of a wand. This usually only happens in moments of strong apprehension, fear or anger.
Of course there are other forms of wandless magic. Animagi are people who can transform themselves into an animal at will. The actual transformations can be done without wands. However the process of initially becoming an animagi is extremely difficult and the chances of mishaps are so great that it is closely monitored by the Ministry of Magic. You should be aware though that an animagus is different to a werewolf; the most obvious difference being werewolves are not able to control their transformation.
Apparating also seems to be a form of wandless magic, although again it's a tricky process regulated carefully by the ministry of magic.
The majority of magic however requires the use of a wand. Each wand is not only unique but it is also uniquely suited to a certain witch or wizard, also the wand chooses the wizard.
There are 3 main things that distinguish one wand from another: length, wood and core.
LENGTH
The specific role length plays is still ambiguous however magical folk with longer wands tend to be quite powerful, eg Harry's wand is 11 inches long.
WOOD:
Here are some well-known trees and their properties for magic.
1. Alder. Divination, or "fortune telling." Self-protection/defense.
Well, this is your fortune teller!
2. Apple Tree. Love and beauty magic. Spell writing. Powerful healing
magic….dealing with serious wounds. Also a celebration tree. These
people tend to be overly interested in the affairs of love and
romance. They are great poets, and write many of our spells.
3. Ash. Psychological magic and law. Magic relating to intelligence.
These people judge a lot, and are very obsessed with the rules. They
are also very quick to learn.
4. Beech. Old magic and history. Hopeful magic and wishes. These
people tend to be historians and archaeologists. They are also
dreamers, writing a lot of fiction (fantasy in particular).
5. Blackthorn. Creative magic… as in the creation of new… things such
as people and creatures. This includes plant magic… and growing
gardens and crops. Cleansing magic… getting rid of dark magic. These
people are very good parents and great gardeners.
6. Ebony. Resistance, obstinacy, strength in opposition. Protection
from Tyranny, outside control, wrongful commands or magical mind
control. Inability to change. Inability to bend. Overwhelming
masculinity.
7. Elder. Healing after emotional injury. Regeneration magic. These
people are the creepy scientists trying to bring the dead back to
life. Some don't go that far, and are simply good at recovering from
traumas. They also help others through trauma. They notice a lot of
people come to them with their troubles.
8. Elm. Magic relating to animals and magical creatures. These people
are talented with animals, and love camping.
9. Hawthorn. Marital magic and parenting. Protection from dark magic.
Magic to bring happiness, and communication with magical places and
spirits. These people are always searching for a life-mate for either
themselves or their friends and family. They can be superstitious.
10. Hazel. Wisdom-related magic and power-related magic. Creativity
and dowsing. Users of these wands tend to be very intelligent and
creative. Teachers and artists use Hazel a lot.
11. Holly. Strong protective magic and light-hearted magic. Courageous
magic, and dream magic. These people tend to be strong on the
defensive, but are fun company. They are very often class clowns, and
uplifting to others who may be depressed.
12. Laurel. Prophecy in visions. Victories at the expense of others.
Old ways fading and lost in time. Reoccurring events. Use of history
for making decisions. Very good for cooking and household magics.
13. Oak. This is sort of the general power tree. Strength and courage
are related to the oak. Users of this wand tend to be leaders.
14. Olive. A Giving tree. Generosity even to the point of self
sacrifice. Accepting a lonely lifestyle without bitterness. The
sentry, the scout, the shepherd. This wood is often associated with
Diplomacy and peace.
15. Pine. Ancient magic. Practical, survival-based household magic.
Magic associated with longevity, including healing. Party magic…
celebration. These people are fun friends. They throw the parties, and
they are the cooks.
16. Poplar. Preventative magic… not really protection. Graceful magic,
meaning anything that might contribute to one's dignity. These people
are cautious, but aware that some negative situations have
tremendously positive outcomes. They are very dignified, and sometimes
can be found in positions of royalty.
17. Rowan. This is the all-purpose protection tree. Protection from
everything… almost. It also is a "grounded" tree… with all five senses
working together. Magic regarding success. These people can be a
little paranoid, and are aware of everything. They are also good
entrepreneurs.
18. Silver Birch. Magic relating to friendship and other
relationships. Inspiration and new ideas. Good for evolving old ideas.
Also good for healing magic. These people are always trying to improve
things.
19. Willow. Magic dealing with water, and psychic abilities. Dream
magic. These people tend to be emotional, empathetic, and spend a lot
of time sleeping.
20. Yew. Transformation, Divination, work with spirits and magical
creatures. Those who have Yew wands tend to be secretive and
mysterious, with a very serious side.
CORE:
While the outer part of the wand is important in conducting magical forces, it is the magical item that forms the core that is the heart of the wand. The properties of the core will affect the performance of the wand itself. Some sample cores include:
1. Augurey feather: strongest when working weather charms, given the
augurey's innate ability to predict rainfall.
2. Billywig Stinger: Exceptionally good when working levitation
charms. The only drawback to this core is that it is somewhat
unstable, given the volatile nature of the insect that provides it.
Also useful when dealing with emotional healing.
3. Centaur tail hair: The cool logic of the centaur makes this a very
stable core material. Long known for their intellectual ability,
centaurs are also known for their skill as healers and this core is
very good for healing charms.
4. Chimaera Hair (from mane): Hair from a Chimaera's Mane is a good
core for spells that involve fire. This core may choose someone who is
adventurous, noble, and/or a parselmouth.
5. Cockatrice feather: This core works well with spells related to the
fire element, due to the fact that the cockatrice is a cross between a
roster and a dragon. It's also good for most charm work.
6. Crup Hair: This core is good for counter curses, and spells to
speed something up. The core "Crup Hairs" prefers someone who is
constantly in motion, someone who is strong, and/or someone who never
gives up easily.
7. Demiguise hair: The hair of a demiguise is long and silky, and good
at charms involving invisibility, and transfiguration. It is very
dependable and long lasting, and can heal very well.
8. Diricawl feather: A very queer core, feather of the diricawl
(muggle 'dodo') is sometimes very powerful but sometimes very feeble
and ineffective. It's most persistently powerful in stunning and
petrifying. Diricawl feathers are rarely used as wand cores, and
attracted to unusual people.
9. Golem dust: Remnants of a real live (well, sort of) golem reputed
to have been fashioned by Rabbi Yaakov of Prague in the 13th century.
Exceptionally good for use in charms worked on inanimate objects.
10. Hippocampus scale: Good with water-related spells, and can perform
spells to destroy evil underwater creatures. It makes a good wand for
care of animals and gardening work, as it is harmonious with almost
all un-human creatures.
11. Hippogriff feather: Hippogriff feathers make powerful wand cores
and can perform almost all kinds of magic well. They excel in
transfiguration and levitation especially, and are very common in
European wands.
12. Jarvey feather: A valuable wand core, the Jarvey feather is good
at all simple spells and many advanced ones. It is most effective when
used to bewitch an object or an animal, but is also used to organize
things and to clean dishes.
13. Jobberknoll feather: Jobberknoll feathers are good wand cores for
charms, advancing along with its owner through time. It is also used
in simple cooking spells and transfiguration.
14. Manticore hair: A core that is used for producing a protection (a
shield to protect someone/something from any spells or charms, except
the Killing Curse) is Manticore hair. Any wand that has this core may
choose someone who is brave, loyal, strong, and fierce.
15. Phoenix feather: The phoenix feather represents power and strength
in a wizard, which is why her wand is one of the most powerful of all.
It improves the effectiveness of spells with time and practice, and
can be used to do great things, good or evil.
16. Pogrebin hair: Pogrebin hairs carry lots of power and are good for
work with transfiguration and work with the earth element. They are
effective in most advanced spells, but are best when in used in the
dark arts.
17. Puffskein fur: The fur of a puffskein is a good wand core for love
spells and spells related to music, as the puffskein itself is known
for making pleasant noises.
18. Selkie whisker: particularly useful when working with the element
of water in any form. Given the selkie's gift of transfiguration this
wand core is favoured by animagi.
19. Veela Hair: This wand is useful for things related to love and/or
beauty. It's also good for transfiguration and charms. However it
can be a bit temperamental.
20. Werewolf hair: A werewolf hair is best used in transfigurations
and transformations, given the transforming nature of the werewolf.
Before you scamper off there is one other thing that needs to be discussed and that is wand maintenance. This is extremely important! Because wands are uniquely coupled to a witch or wizard using another person's wand will be less effective. Also while wands are quite strong they can be broken. Using a damaged wand is extremely dangerous! So please take good care of your wand.
Instead of outlining charms this time, we're going to look at technique and form. Some charms require specific wand or wrist movement, while others may require concentration of thought and intent. The charm Waddiwasi is used by Professor Lupin to remove a wad of gum and direct it to fly up Peeves's nose. The direction his wand takes and also the determination of his intent is what makes this incantation work. If he were to point his wand at a rock and flick his wand towards Peeves saying that spell, the rock would not have behaved the same as the gum. This is because of the "waddi" part of spell, which is Swedish for a 'soft mass'. He should have pointed at the rock and said Petrawasi, 'petra' meaning rock in Latin, but he must also flick from the rock to the target (Peeves) to have the desired effect.
Another such charm where technique and form are essential is Densaugeo. If Mr. Malfoy had pointed his wand at Hermione's feet and said Densaugeo, nothing would have happened. 'Dense' means tooth in Latin and so as he swishes his wand towards her mouth and says Densaugeo, poor Hermione is left with overgrown teeth ('augeo' meaning grow in Latin). Let's see, if we take the Latin word for nail, clavus, and attach it to augeo… he could point at her feet and say, Clavusaugeo. This, of course, would make her toenails shoot out the front of her shoes and keep growing until she arrived at Madame Pomfrey's office.
Alright, one last charm for us to look at today is Colloportus, which combines the two words, colligo (Latin for to bind together) and portus meaning door in Latin. This was used to seal doors when Dumbledore's Armies were running from the Death Eaters. It made an odd squelching noise and quite frankly, I'm not sure exactly what 'binds' the door, but thankfully that's not what we're here to find out today. Again, your wand must be pointing at the target and a circular motion with your wrist helps seal the entire perimeter of the door.
