Fawkes: His Age, His Name and the Timing of Ollivander's Wand Production

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 54247

Karen (karenoc1) wrote:

> I think at least two things are possible: Fawkes is not as old 
> as we think, and Dumbledore named him himself, or Fawkes was not 
> originally owned by Dumbledore, and he is only around 300-390 years 
> old.  Phoenixes are not immortal; they just have an extra-long life-
> span, of say 500 years or so.  

Now me:

In Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, JKR tells us that 
the "phoenix lives to an immense age as it can regenerate, bursting 
into flames when its body begins to fail and rising again from the 
ashes as a chick" (p. 32). So, while phoenixes in Greek mythology 
might have a 500 year life-span, in the HP universe, the phoenix's 
life-span is simply referred to as "immense."  So we don't know for 
sure exactly how long phoenixes live in the world JKR has created.

With regard to his name, I think JKR named him Fawkes because 
bonfires are lit on Guy Fawkes day and phoenixes are reborn from 
fire.  JKR has even admitted so herself in a 2000 interview with 
Scholastic (see: 
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript2.htm):
 
Q: "What is Bonfire Night?"

JKR: "Good question! We celebrate November 5th in Britain every year. 
There was a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The ringleader 
of the plot was called Guy Fawkes (spot any Harry Potter 
connection?!), and we burn him in effigy and set off fireworks to 
celebrate not losing our government."

Karen again:

> And since other wands have phoenix feathers (and Fawkes only gave 
> two feathers), I think it's safe to say that there have been more 
> than one phoenix in this Wizarding World.  Whether or not more than 
> one phoenix exists at a given time may be in question, though.

Me again:

In Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, JKR indicates that 
the "phoenix gains a XXXX rating not because it is aggressive, but 
because very few wizards have ever succeeded in domesticating it" (p. 
32). So there is clearly more than one phoenix in the HP universe, 
but there appear to be few phoenixes such as Fawkes who have been 
domesticated.

Anne U wrote:

> So I'd also like to know whether Ollivander made these two wands at 
> approximately the same time, knowing that Tom Riddle and Harry 
> Potter *themselves* would eventually be chosen by the wands? Or did 
> he make them at the same time knowing that the two wands would 
> eventually choose two (as yet unknown to him) extremely powerful 
> wizards? Or did he make them at different times using tail feathers 
> given at different times??

Me again:

Given Ollivander's surprise at Harry's compatibility with his wand, 
and given the number of wands Harry tried before he connected with 
his wand, I don't believe that Ollivander made the wand with Harry in 
mind.  

*However,* Anne's question about the timing of the making of the two 
wands got me thinking - what if Ollivander originally made just the 
one wand with Fawkes' feather as the core, which Tom Riddle 
purchased, and then when Riddle went bad, Ollivander asked Dumbledore 
for a second feather so he could create a second wand for the wizard 
who had the same potential for greatness as Voldemort and who, by 
making the correct choices, had the potential to vanquish Voldemort 
for good?  Since the priori incantatem effect only happens when wands 
with the same core are forced to do battle, having the wizard who is 
destined to overthrow Voldemort in possession of a wand with the same 
core could provide a measure of safety if that wizard found himself 
battling with Voldemort.  This theory would explain why Ollivander 
immediately wrote to Dumbledore to tell him that Harry had purchased 
the second wand - it was important for Dumbledore to know who this 
destined wizard was, to help him make the right choices along the way 
in order to ensure Voldemort's eventual defeat.  

~Phyllis
hoping Voldemort will eventually be defeated