Description
A modern-era wand maker and proprietor of Ollivanders, the premier wand shop located in Diagon Alley. Garrick Ollivander is the latest in a long family line of wand makers stretching back to Roman times, and is widely considered the finest wand maker in Britain.
Background
The Ollivander family traces its origins to a Mediterranean country during the Roman period. The original Ollivander relocated to Britain and established the family wand-making business, which has operated continuously ever since. The family name itself — Ollivander — is believed to mean “he who owns the olive wand.”
The Ollivanders revolutionized the craft of wand making by abandoning the older tradition in which customers supplied their own magical cores. Instead, the Ollivander family began sourcing and preparing wand cores themselves, pairing them with carefully selected woods to produce wands of superior quality and consistency. This innovation gave rise to the principle that “the wand chooses the wizard” — the idea that the best magical results come when a wand with a particular core and wood combination selects its own wielder.
History
Garrick Ollivander continues the family tradition with exacting standards. He personally procures all wand cores and woods used in his shop, ensuring the highest possible quality. His preferred cores include phoenix feather, dragon heartstring, and unicorn hair, each of which produces wands with distinct temperaments and affinities.
Ollivander follows the druid tradition of classifying any plant with a woody stem as a tree, which accounts for the existence of vine wands among his stock — a choice that occasionally surprises customers unfamiliar with the older botanical conventions.
His shop in Diagon Alley has served as the first stop for generations of young witches and wizards preparing for their studies at Hogwarts.
During the Second Wizarding War, Ollivander was captured by Voldemort and held prisoner to extract information about wand lore, particularly regarding the Elder Wand. His shop was raided and left empty for two years. After the war ended, Ollivander returned to Diagon Alley, repaired his shop, and resumed his business.