Ollivanders' origin (was: Ollivander a Dragon Slayer?)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 94708

I (Carol) wrote:
> <snip> As for Mr. Ollivander having been alive since 382 B.C.,
Nicholas Flamel needed the elixir of life to live to 666 (or whatever
his age was at the end of SS/PS). Also, the sign in Mr. Ollivander's
shop window says "Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C." (SS Am. ed. 82)
so there must have been more than one Ollivander. (In fact, I hope Mr.
O. has a son or daughter to keep the business going after he dies
since he seems to be the only wandmaker worth his salt in Britain.)
 
 
Neriresponded:
I wonder what country did the Ollivanders came from? Britain wasn't 
very civilized in the forth century B.C., and "Ollivander" doesn't 
sound British. Is it the same as "oleander"? To my knowledge oleander
is the Latin name for a bush with beautiful but poisonous flowers,
which is common in the Mediterranean.

Carol:
Just for the record, I live in Tucson, where oleander is a common
ornamental shrub, and I know a person who was rushed to the hospital
as a child because he fell on an oleander branch, which pierced his
skin two inches deep. I was told that the little boy could have died
had a doctor not removed the branch and treated him promptly. For that
reason, I don't think there's a connection between "oleander" and
"Ollivander." At any rate, I can't see oleander (a shrub whose wood is
poisonous) as a wand tree, and I think the Ollivander name must be
associated with wands, given their long connection with that
profession and JKR's interest in appropriate names.

I keep thinking that the name means "olive wand-er," i.e., a person
with an olive-wood wand. The olive tree, of course, is associated with
ancient Athens and was the sacred gift of Athena/Minerva (McGonagall,
anybody?), who is also associated with owls. We all know that the
olive branch symbolizes peace in the Hebrew tradition (I don't know
whether it was shared by the Greeks). The association with Athena
*could* suggest that the original Ollivander was "a Greek chappie"
(who translated his name when he arrived in England). (I don't really
think so, but I'm tossing out the thought in respose to Neri.)

Earlier posts have examined the properties of yew and holly in the
Druid tradition in relation to Harry's and Voldemort's wands. Assuming
that Ollivander really is (or might be) associated with olive wood
wands, wouldn't the properties of olive wood be relevant to an
understanding of Ollivander? Has anyone checked into this?

Carol