J.K. Rowling explains the mystery behind the Elder Wand
By Callum Gunn
(Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Ever wondered how the Elder Wand kept tabs on who it truly belonged to? J.K. Rowling explains all.
This is why I love Harry Potter so much. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in 2007. The movie adaptation was released 2010 for part one and 2011 for part two. It is now 2018 and we are still finding out new bits and pieces about the Magical world.
The Elder Wand. One of the three Deathly Hallows. The most powerful wand in existence. A wand that is able to perform feats of magic that is normally viewed as impossible. Created by death himself and given to Antioch Peverell when he requested, as his reward, the most powerful wand in Wizarding history. It is also known as the Deathstick, Wand of Destiny and most importantly Albus Dumbledores wand.
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Possession of the Elder Wand
Who possess and can use the Elder Wand is one of the fascinating things about it, but it is also one of the most confusing things as well. The wand is only as powerful as tales say when it is being used by the true owner of the wand. If it is used by an owner who is not the true owner it is nothing more than an ordinary wand.
But who qualifies as the true owner is hard to say. When the Elder Wand was first discussed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it was explained that ownership will pass when the owner was defeated. Whether that defeat was only classified by murder was unknown but with its history being so bloody that was the assumption at first.
We eventually learned that killing the owner was not the deciding factor when Harry disarmed Malfoy and became the new owner of the Elder Wand. That realization, however, raised a new question. How does the Elder Wand know who the true owner is?
How does it know?
J.K. Rowling has given us the answer to this question via Twitter. During a Twitter conversation over how exactly Harry is the owner of the Edler wand, J.K. Rowling was asked to weigh in and she did just that. She explained in her Tweet how the Elder Wand is able to tell who is the true owner and who is not.
👍 The secret of the elder wand is that it's more sentient than any other. It can identify the caster of any spell that touches it and keeps tally of which wizard has beaten which, giving its allegiance to the one it judges the victor. Physical possession is irrelevant. https://t.co/DLfcadfjBw
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) February 19, 2018
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What do you think of this explanation? Was this what you were thinking all along or did you have another idea? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.