Wand intelligence? (was: Harry's Protection)

justcarol67 justcarol67 at yahoo.com
Thu Dec 9 07:28:06 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 119559


Alla wrote:
> 
> Welcome, Annette! Yes, the "wands chooses the wizard" sounds 
> intriguing to me too.
> 
> I don't remember details on last discussion of this topic, but I do 
> remember that some list members opinion was that Mr. Olivander 
> exaggerated (again, I apologise, I don't remember other opinions).
> 
> I believe that there is at least some truth in his statement - 
> meaning that wands DO have if not intelligence, than at least some 
> independent magical energy, put into them by their makers.
> My speculation is that when this energy is on the same wave as any 
> particular witch or wizard's magical energy, or signature, or 
> magical core , then wand chooses them.
> 
> I don't know if I would go that far as saying that wands did the 
> choosing as part of the prophecy though, mainly because I believe 
> that we are about to get a big surprise as how prophecy will be 
> fulfilled.

Carol notes:
Just a quick addendum here. I think the combination of cores and woods
is important; otherwise, Mr. Ollivander wouldn't remember every wand
he ever made in such detail. Some wands are more powerful than others
(James's first wand was more powerful than Lily's; Tom Riddle's is
probably the most powerful wand Mr. Ollivander ever made or sold, with
Harry's, with a core from the same Phoenix, a close second. Also,
Lily's wand is " a nice wand for Charm work" while James's is more
suited to Transfiguration. it seems clear that the wands recognized
those talents in those particular children and "chose" them for that
reason. Neville, I'm sure, will do better with his own wand than he
ever did with his father's.

Also, Mr. Ollivander uses only three "powerful magical substances" as
cores (unicorn tail hairs, Phoenix feathers, and dragon heart
strings), which seems like a limited selection (he deliberately
excludes Veela hairs as "too temperamental"), but he points out that
every Phoenix (or unicorn or dragon) is different from every other,
and the variety of woods (maple oak, holly, and yew being the ones I
remember, but I'm sure there are many others) would lend additional
variety and individuality to the wands, so that they're as distinctive
as fingerprints. If you look at Druid mythology, you can see that
different woods have different symbolism or different properties. The
folklorists on the list can probably talk about the qualities
associated with unicorns (innocence?), Phoenixes (immortality) and
dragons (dunno). (The length of a wand may help determine power, or it
may simply relate to the size of the person, but I don't want to get
into that.)

At any rate, the composition of a wand is clearly important in terms
of its suitability to a particular wizard, and it's no accident that
both Harry and Voldemort's wands have a shared Phoenix feather core,
or that they're made of holly and yew, respectively.

To get back to the original point, I think wands can do more than
"choose the wizard." In the hands of a powerful wizard, whther it's
Dumbledore or Snape or Dolohov, they can respond to a *silent*
command. IIRC, Harry's wand comes when he calls it in OoP. So, yes, I
think that wands are sentient, that they know their owners, and that
they respond (like Harry's Firebolt) to the desire or will of their
owners, which is one reason why not only power but the desire to hurt
or kill or control is important in an Unforgiveable Curse. The wand
senses the desire (and the power) and responds accordingly. It isn't a
mere conduit responding only to words, or a five-year-old who was mad
at his mother could pick up her wand and AK her.

Carol, who probably hasn't put her thoughts in the best orderand may
have made some ludicrous typos but just wants to finish reading the
posts and go to bed







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