The Evolution of the Wand Magic Cores Materials Size Wand Abilities

The Evolutuion of the Wand

No wizard has been able to cast a powerful spell without the ability of a wand. Many great wizards have been able to cast smaller spells with out the use of a wand, but countless wizards and witches like the reliable use of a wand.

We are now used to the fact that wizards and witches will use wands to cast spells and learn the ways of magic. This was not always so, back in B.C. 421 there were many wizards that were trying to harness their power that they had found within themselves. They were able to make things happen when they really wanted to or where scared but they did not have the ability to cast spells whenever they pleased.

This is when the original wand had its beginning. Made from the wood of a redbud tree, a tree found in this wizards backyard, Leval Harpinton one of the few people to realize that they were magical decided that he was going to invent a means of casting spells. This was no small task as no one had ever had any means of casting spells before. Through research and practicing magic he finally realized that magic came from magical beings and that humans (muggles of now a day) could not cast spells. So he placed one of his own hairs in the center of the wand, with the thought that if magical beings could do magic then maybe with a tool or sorts he could cast spells a will. This odd idea did turn out to be the first step in which was the evolution of the wand of today.

This is where the idea that one witch's or wizard’s wand will not work the best for any other witch or wizard, because many believe that the wand is a part of the wizard. Even though threw the centuries no one actually uses there self as a core the idea that magic comes from yourself as stuck with many of our kind to date.

Today many wand makers have cast spells on the wands, so that the wands can actually feel wizard and witches and sense if they can work with them better than another other wand could. This creates a bond with the wand and opens the door for some of the greatest magic’s of today and tomorrow to be cast and created.

From a wizard using his own hair to cast a spell to the uses of other more magical cores today, wizards of tomorrow will used new and more existing wands to cast their littlest and greatest spells.

Magic Cores

Every wand contains a magical core from a powerfully magical creature. The essence of these creatures give the wand it's magic, and are the most important part of the wand itself.

Although some wands have other magical cores, the most common are the below three.

Unicorn Hair

Used because of the purity and extremely magical nature of unicorns. Wonderful for counter curses, due to the overwhelming sense of good coming from the unicorn.

Phoenix Feather

Used because of the magic of the phoenix, good for curses, because of the fire escaping the phoenix, but also good for charms, for the good in the phoenix.

Dragon Heartstring

As dragons are some of the most incredibly magical and powerful creatures, so are the wands containing them. Dragon Heartstring wands are good for transfiguration, one of the more difficult magic’s to master.

Each wand is used because of the remarkable power of magic it possesses. Most of the recently made wands have one of these three cores inside, as these cores seem to work most effectively, since these creatures are easily the most magic in the wizarding world.

Materials

There are many wand throughout the world made of many types of materials but in this edition of spell casters we will discuses the seven main types of woods used in wand production.

Mahogany: Mahogany wood is the often considered to be one of the most valuable types of timber. Mahogany wood makes an excellent wand do to the fact that it is very stable and dries easily. It is very common with wizards who work outside or have extremely active lifestyles. The deep red-brown color of mahogany wood also makes it a very attractive choice for wands.

Willow: Wood from the willow tree is know to break rather easily. However, it is much less expensive then the other types of wands. It is often found it the wands of young wizards as a starter wand. Like mahogany it also has a high tolerance for wet conditions.

Oak: Is a very hard and strong wood. It comes in a great variety of colors and types. It is also very popular with wizards do to the fact that it is not high priced but still reliable.

Beechwood: Is very popular with wizards due to the fact that it most highly durable of all the commonly used woods for wand making. This wood also makes a very attractive wand, due to its natural appearance. It is also very easy to care for and maintain.

Maple: Like oak maple comes in a variety of colors and types. Nearly 200 species of maple are known and all of them are commonly used in wand making. It is sturdy, dependable, and very common in modern wands.

Ebony: Ebony has long been associated with power and prestige ever since Persian tribes used this wood to create idols. Ebony wood is very rare in wand use; however, wands made in ebony are considered very valuable. Ebony wands are very popular amongst the wizard elite. Wands made of Ebony are hard and heavy, and can be polished very easily. While ebony wands are perhaps the most attractive of all, many wizards find their weight to be somewhat of a burden and do not find wands made of this wood to be practical.

Yew: Yew wood is very thin, making it light weight and easy to manage. It can also be purchased rather cheaply. However, its decline in wand use has decreased dramatically in recent years due to its association with dark wizardry. It is of this wood that the wand of the Dark Lord himself was made.

Size

After many years and adaptations to the wand, Ollivander's carries wands in all shapes and sizes. The wands of today range from 7 inches for the small and young wizards to a large 16-inch wand for half giants and large wizards and witches. There are many wands today, with thousands and thousands of witches and wizards worldwide. Many are Ollivander's creations, but other manufactures of our wands have sprung from Gregovitch and other wand makers worldwide. They all have a standard for there wand to be in the range of 7 to 16 inches while some are in other countries that use a different metric system where the wands are from 17.78 cm to 40.64 cm no wand is allowed to be over or under the range of sizes. This to prevent small magical creatures like houses elves from using wands and large creatures such as Giants from getting a wand that would be powerful in there hands alone.

Wand Abilities

Following many years of making different combinations of wands for the young and old alike, it has been found that certain combinations will be good for different parts of spell casting. Many times it is found within the witch or wizards, by them choosing certain aspects of magic the wand will also choose those types of magic as well. Many witches and wizards who have a thirst for transfiguration will find that the wand that picks them will work very well in that field of magic. Other who feel that charms or defense against the dark arts would be there main magical interest will find wands that also cast well in their expertise. Even thought there is no way to tell which wand will choose the witch or wizard the first time many methods of measuring and knowledge of good combinations has lead to wand makers being able to find the right wand faster and more efficiently.