When it comes to the question about strength of wand wood it is not as simple of a consensus as someone may believe. There are many individual wandmakers and wand crafters from nearly every part of the globe that have a series of differing opinions on the matter. Upon requesting to speak to wandmakers about this topic for The Nightly Prophet and my column my owlery was bombarded with owls from all sorts of parts offering their respective opinions. Many have mailed me that they subscribe to Merlin's Theory that his own English Oak wood was the wand wood that contained the strongest wood encasing his core, to learn more about Merlin's wand in depth click here for our last issue of the Nightly Prophet, Merlin's Ancient Wand : A History. I have compiled five wand woods that out of all the letters and owls I have received into my own personal owlery over the last few days have been the most prominent in the letters I, Ollivander Pendragon personally read through. The wand woods will not be listed in any particular order of power but many wandmakers have asked me to inform the public that if you own a wand with any of the woods listed in this issue of The Nightly Prophet please visit your local wand shop for inspection to make sure your wand core can properly handle it's demands for the long-term future which they have assured me is standard procedure with wand woods of these types.
The first wand wood on our list... you may have guessed it...
What else can I say but that Merlin himself has written extensively about his experience with a wand of English Oak. So much so that English Oak wands that as of less than a century ago were common in wizarding households but now since the publication of works of Merlin after his death were brought to light did the wood itself get scarce. Many owners of English Oak wands are not the original chosen owners, they are usually handed down in families which is why there are not many powerful witches or wizards today that use them.
" If the wand is not chosen for you it will never be as powerful as you'd like it to be. How can you be chosen by a wand wood so scarce? And even if you were, it's hard to afford such a high maintenance wand nowadays but the potential of a true English Oak pairing is a very promising sign, very promising indeed."
Writes Ester Gundelberg Wandkeeper of Ester & Borages Wand Emporium located in the small town of Bacharach, Germany.
While it is true that only a few wandmakers carry English Oak there are always some that do. They are typically tricky to find owners for but when they are found Merlin talks about the pairing of the witch and wizard with English Oak calling it in his own words "the premier magic experience" decoded from the ruins he left behind.
This wand wood is controversial in it's own right, as some wandmakers do not categorize it as a wand wood. A simple misfit, as finding a core for a snakewood wand is very costly.
"What you have to understand about Snakewood is that it kills the magical properties in the core it rejects so it ends up turning out being very costly for the wandmaker and often with its reputation preceding it many do not wish to be even offered the choice to be chosen by this wand at all. I certainly do not sell it in my shop"
Writes Barnaby Carlson of East Washington Wands in Spokane, Washington.
The reputation that Carlson has referred to is the continuous streak of picking wizards that relish their opportunities to learn the dark arts. Hence why Snakewood is attributed to some of the darkest wizards known to the wizarding community. However it is important to note for the sake of this article that the wand wood itself upon finding that proper core is known to not only harness very powerful magic but has historically been known for being the wand wood behind the creation of many spells.
One of the more surprising entries on this list to say the very least. It is often referred to as the dark horse of the wand woods listed, in past years nobody would've referred to it as a premium wand wood it was always viewed as a durable wand wood that was known for getting the job done. However recently many wandmakers have begun to experiment with alternative wand cores than previously attempted.
"The new experiments with very particular wand cores and birch wood is definitely one of my favorites coming into the fold at the moment. I've placed three massive orders ahead on the waiting list for them."
Writes Saranaya Prichard Head Wandmaker at Mystics Wands & More
Even in my own personal research many owners of Birch wands upon being paired with them are highly satisfied in their experience. It is a relatively new wood to the list however given the massive volume of input given on the newest experimental pairings of Birch wood, it would be a crime not to include it.
If you are familiar with your wand woods Larch wood should not be a real shock to see on the list, Larch has been known to produce some of the best dueling wands imaginable when paired with the proper core and person wielding it.
"Larch is very quick and properly effective in the art of self defense and dueling, they are truly beautiful wands. I have not sold a single Larch wand that did not have great eye appeal"
Writes Vargas Leonardo a wand keeper at the famous Crossed Wands Wand Shop in Napoli, Italy.
I was aware Larch at least had to be a candidate for this list, given it's extensive history of being owned by some of the more famous duelists of the age.
And last but most certainly not least....
Hazel wood is prominently known as the wand wood that is by far the best in the art of charms. Some of the most intricate charms ever performed have been performed and created using Hazel wood wands. Charm masters have long theorized about a correlation of this particular wood to the creation of the art of charms itself. Inherently it is a very rare wood and the only place I currently know that stocks it is Merlin Morgana. Over 90% of all Hazel wands known to exist are known to reside in France. The French for hundreds of years have kept exclusive stock of hazel wands before finally distributing some to other countries as history continued on. But still even in modern day the majority of Hazel wands are in France, they are rather costly and usually feature metal decorative handles placed over top of them. To find a natural hazel wand is quite rare and sought after.
That will concluded my list and this issue of The Nightly Prophet, but let me say this. Just because your wand wood is not listed here does not make your wand any less powerful than any of those with these wand woods. These wands listed are based off wizarding historical pedigree but it is truly your own determination and skill that determine how powerful your wand can be.
Ollivander Pendragon
Senior Editor of The Nightly Prophet