Skip to main content

harry potter - Can a Muggle do anything with a wand?


From the answers to this question, we know that one doesn't have to be a wizard to own a wand.


Also, in other works, the ability to do magic is often tied to a magical object, such as a wand. In the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia, Mickey Mouse, as the apprentice, dons the sorcerer's hat and is suddenly able to do magic, but usually, it's the wand.
For instance in a sequel to Cinderella, where other characters are able to do magic by using the Fairy Godmother's wand and saying the magic words. Also, a trope I've noticed in cartoons, is where two non-magical characters find a wand and use it in turn to transform each other in increasingly absurd creatures and objects.


So how does this work in Harry Potter's world? Could a Muggle do anything with a wand, or is it just a stick to them?



Answer



Yes, a muggle can do something with a wand.


According to the brand new "History of American Magic" writings on Pottermore, a muggle (from a family described as being descended from wizards, but possessing no magic) was able to use a wand in a semi-controlled fashion



Bartholomew had disseminated his leaflets widely, and a few newspapers had taken him seriously enough to print pictures of Dorcus’s wand and note that it ‘had a kick like a mule’ if waved.




We have a similar quote from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Note that the wand rebels against use by a muggle.



As Isolt watched, James finished marking the graves he had dug by hand, then picked up the two broken wands that had lain beside the Boot parents. Frowning he examined the sparking core of dragon heartstring that protruded from Mr Boot’s, then gave it a casual wave. As invariably happens when a No-Maj waves a wand, it rebelled. James was sent flying backwards across the clearing, hit a tree and was knocked out cold.





We also see a movie example of a non-wizard (in this case, a monkey) using a wand in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.


enter image description here




JKR addressed this point in an interview in 2006;




I been asked what would happen if a Muggle picked up a magic wand in my world. And the answer would probably be something accidental... possibly quite violent. Because a wand, in my world, is merely a vehicle — a vessel for what lies inside the person.



and again in the footnotes for "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"



While the “rogue” ability to perform magic sometimes appears in those of apparent non-magical descent (though several later studies have suggested that there will have been a witch or wizard somewhere on the family tree), Muggles cannot perform magic. The best — or worst — they could hope for are random and uncontrollable effects generated by a genuine magical wand, which, as an instrument through which magic is supposed to be channeled, sometimes holds residual power, which it may discharge at odd moments



This makes it clear that that while a true muggle couldn't generally create a controllable magical force such as a spell or a hex through their own magical powers, they could potentially create a big bang or a explosion from the magic remaining within a magic wand.


There's also the (evidently quite small, but still real) possibility that they have sufficient magical heritage to make a wand do something.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...