Four Wandmakers of America Revealed!
A week of new information from J.K. Rowling on North American magic has come to a close, as Rowling reveals what 1920s wizarding America looked like.
In the final post on Pottermore, readers were gifted with Part 4 of the new writings on the wizarding world, specifically focusing on Newt’s time period and the importance of the International Statute of Secrecy.
MACUSA continued to impose severe penalties on those who flouted the Statute of Secrecy. MACUSA was also more intolerant of such magical phenomena as ghosts, poltergeists and fantastic creatures than its European equivalents because of the risk such beasts and spirits posed of alerting No-Majs to the existence of magic.
Wand permits for wizards and witches in America were a requirement, and unlike their British brethren, who purchased their wands from Ollivanders, there were four wandmakers to choose from: Wolfe, Jonker, Quintana, and Beauvais.
Shikoba Wolfe, who was of Chocktaw descent, was primarily famous for intricately carved wands containing Thunderbird tail feathers (the Thunderbird is a magical American bird closely related to the phoenix). Wolfe wands were generally held to be extremely powerful, though difficult to master.
Johannes Jonker, a Muggle-born wizard whose No-Maj father was an accomplished cabinet maker, turned himself into an accomplished wandmaker. His wands were highly sought after and instantly recognisable, as they were usually inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Thiago Quintana caused ripples through the magical world when his sleek and usually lengthy wands began entering the market, each encasing a single translucent spine from the back of the White River Monsters of Arkansas and producing spells of force and elegance.
Violetta Beauvais, the famous wandmaker of New Orleans, refused for many years to divulge the secret core of her wands, which were always made of swamp mayhaw wood. Eventually it was discovered that they contained hair of the rougarou, the dangerous dog-headed monster that prowled Louisiana swamps.
Additionally, it appears that while most of America remained bound by Prohibition and alcohol-free, 1920s wizarding America did not.
Unlike the No-Maj community of the 1920s, MACUSA allowed witches and wizards to drink alcohol. Many critics of this policy pointed out that it made witches and wizards rather conspicuous in cities full of sober No-Majs. President Picquery was heard to say that being a wizard in America was already hard enough. ‘The Gigglewater’, as she famously told her Chief of Staff, ‘is non-negotiable.’
Finally, a bit more on the North American wizarding school, Ilvermorny, which we were previously told began with only two teachers and two students:
By the 1920s Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been flourishing for more than two centuries and was widely considered to be one of the greatest magical education establishments in the world. In consequence of their common education, all witches and wizards are proficient in the use of a wand.
You can review our coverage of Parts 1, 2 and 3 here, and don’t forget to keep checking back with us for all the latest news and theories popping up in the wizarding world!
Was the last revelation of North American magical history what you thought it would be? What do you think Jo left out that might be revealed in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film? Let us know your thoughts on all of this week’s new writing from Jo and your theories for the new film trilogy by commenting below!