Holly and Yew

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 85730

"Berit Jakobsen" wrote:
<snip>
What makes Harry and Voldemort's wands "brothers", are their core:
A feather each from Fawkes the Phoenix. But the wood used in their 
wands differ from each other. Voldemort's is made of Yew and
Harry's is made of Holly (PS p. 64-65 Bloomsbury). For fun, I looked
up a little information on these trees at the www.botanical.com.
> 
Yew: The first thing that leaps at you when you look up the info on 
the Yew tree, is large angry letters in red: "POISON!" Both its 
leaves, seed and fruit are poisonous. In history and legend of
Great Britain the tree is associated with places of worship. The wood
is said to resist the action of water and is very hard, and, before
the use of iron became general, was greatly valued.
> 
Holly (Holy Tree, Christ's Thorn): Is in the general mind closely 
connected with the festivities of Christmas. "...Pliny tells us
that Holly if planted near a house or farm, repelled poison, and
defended it from lightning and witchcraft..." <snip> The wood of Holly
is hard, compact and of a remarkable even substance throughout... It
is beautifully white, and being susceptible of a very high polish, is
much prized for ornamental ware... The evenness of its grain makes it
very valuable to the turner. <snip>

Carol:

As you say, Berit, the bit about holly repelling lightning and
witchcraft is very interesting and clearly has a connection with
Voldemort. It also suggests that holly and yew are worthy opponents.
But what's most interesting to me is that Voldemort's wand and Harry's
may be "brothers" in more than their core. Yew and holly, like young
Tom Riddle, have important similarities as well as significant
differences.

Here's more on the yew tree from a site on Celtic imagery:

"YEW. Also known as English Yew and European Yew. Another important
tree to the Winter Solstice and the deities of death and rebirth. It
is a beautifully smooth, gold-coloured wood with a wavy grain. The
Irish used it to make dagger handles, bows and wine barrels. The wood
or leaves were laid on graves as a reminder to the departed spirit
that death was only a pause in life before rebirth. All parts of the
tree are poisonous except the fleshy covering of the berry, and its
medicinal uses include a recently discovered treatment for cancer. The
yew may be the oldest-lived tree in the world. Ancient yews can be
found in churchyards all over Britain, where they often pre-date even
the oldest churches. There are some convincing arguments for it being
the original 'World-tree' of Scandinavian mythology. The Yew may be
used to enhance magical and psychic abilities, and to induce
visions." 

Yew trees are poisonous, but they're also symbols of immortality and
rebirth, which is why yew trees were planted around graveyards from
Celtic times onward. They can live to a great age--thousands of years
according to one site I checked. Another source said that the branches
can take root in the ground and grow into new trees. Yew wood was used
for bows by everybody from the Greeks to the Saxons because it was
flexible and strong. Given all that, I would guess that yew wood makes
a formidable wand. Its symbolism and properties tie in with
Voldemort's desire for immortality and power and even, as suggested in
the last sentence of the quotation, his ability to read minds.

But holly, as we know, is also a symbol of immortality and
resurrection, which is why it was used in rituals celebrating the
winter solstice and incorporated from there into Christian symbolism,
and it too would make a powerful wand. Less important but still, I
think, worth mentioning is that the wood of both trees is
beautiful: compare the perfectly white wood of the holly in the
passage Berit quoted with the "beautifully smooth, gold-coloured wood"
of the yew. No wonder Mr. Ollivander, a skilled craftsman and a
connoisseur who would appreciate the fine qualities of the wood, was
so proud of those wands. 

Both are as powerful as they are beautiful and each chooses an
eleven-year-old wizard in whom it senses the potential for greatness.
"I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter," he says
after telling Harry that Voldemort also "did great things. Terrible,
yes, but great" (SS Am. ed. 85) with the "brother" wand that
gave Harry his scar.

Despite some superficial differences in color and length and one key
difference (the poison in the yew), the wand that chose Harry is truly
the "brother" of Voldemort's wand not only in its core but in the
kindred properties of the holly and the yew, both of which represent
immortality--as does the the phoenix feather core they share. "Unusual
combination. Holly and phoenix feather," says Mr. Ollivander (SS 84).
Unusual indeed.

Carol, who wonders whether seven gold Galleons is an unusually high
price for a wand