Fantastic Beasts, Interpreting Dumbledore’s Wand

I recently watched an unboxing review for the Fantastic Beasts Collectors Edition Wand set and I was stoked to see the details on Dumbledore’s wand – take a look!

This short and quiet video is just an excerpt I made from KivoxEnder’s unboxing and review video on YouTube that I mentioned covering the full set of eight Fantastic Beasts 2 Wands – it’s a pretty detailed review so feel free to click HERE to check out his full video!

I was really excited to see that this Dumbledore wand had symbols engraved on the hilt and pommel – which is a neat little nod to the Elder Wand and the mystical symbols engraved on it; I think that of all the wands The Wizarding World has introduced to us only the Elder Wand and Dumbledore’s Old Wand have symbols on them in this way – I could be wrong but these are the only two I can recall. I did recognize some of the symbols as being either alchemy symbols or runes and got really curious to decipher their exact meanings (so like Hermoine I went to the “library”… lol):

The symbols are Nordic Runes, or as Hermoine says in The Prisoner of Azkaban “Ancient Runes”, which is a fascinating subject, of course. While there are several different Runic alphabets and languages, they are a part of the same language family and share many similarities with each other and to what I’m sharing here.

This image is not a complete runic translation, some additional meanings may be used in this article.

The runes found on Dumbledore’s wand are as follows:

•  Jera – meaning Cycles, Right Action, and Harvest
•  Ansuz – meaning God, Ancestors, Spirit, and Language (included twice)
•  Uruz – meaning Power, Health, and Creativity
•  Dagaz – meaning Day, Light, Light Within, Truth, and Enlightenment

The last one, “Dagaz” is a little tricky. This rune is found on the pommel or backside of the wand but the symbol does not appear exactly like the traditional “Dagaz” rune. Instead the symbol matches an “alternate” form  of the ancient rune that might simply be something like a cursive variant.

Now it makes sense that these runes would relate to Dumbledore’s character in some way – and I’m determined to figure out what they mean for his personality and story. I have three methods of reading these runes to determine some kind of literary significance:

1. Reading the runes in sequence one after another
2. Reading the runes in pairs together in relation to the pommel
3. Reading the runes in an alternating sequence from pommel to band

Each of these methods might reveal a different meaning for the story but they also can overlap in a lot of ways, but regardless I’m excited to start! Just know that these are possible translations – I’m not an expert, I’m just using what I’ve found 🙂

• Read as:  
  • We have a generalized meaning of “Daylight: God of Strength, God of Harvest” (or “Harvest of Spirits”)
• Read as:  /          /            /          /
  • We get a somewhat different series of meanings: “Truth: Language of Power”; “The Light Within: Righteous Spirit”;  “Enlightenment: Language of God”; “Truth: The Power of Right Action”
• Read as:              
  • We find: “God of Light/Truth”; “Power of Light/Truth”; “Harvest of Light/Truth”; “Spirit of Light/Truth”

I think it’s really interesting and cool that there are so many potential references to language in these runes when you consider just how highly Dumbledore thought of words. Remember his advice to Harry in the Kings Cross spirit world? “I have always prized myself on my ability to turn a phrase; words are in my not so humble opinion our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” This wisdom shows some definitive connection to the lessons written into the runes of his old wand.

The translation “God of Harvest” pairs surprisingly well with the JK Rowling approved fan theory that Dumbledore is comparable with the character of Death from the Tale of the Three Brothers – though the premise of this fan theory was supposedly unintended by JK Rowling herself, she has acknowledged that it fits nicely as a sort of symbolic poetry with the stories she did create. This symbolic poetry is accentuated by Dumbledore’s own wand, recently unveiled to the world, referring to a “God of Harvest” or “Harvesting Spirit”… or even a “Harvester of Spirits”.

Another application of the Harvest translation pairs well with the translation “Truth: The Power of Right Action” which together points toward Dumbledore’s role as the Quest Giver in both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. He is, in a manner of speaking, a *Harvester of Truth and Right Action* from the pupils he teaches and leads; influencing them to take on righteous causes and choosing those who show the most potential to accomplish the tasks he knows need to be done right.

In total all of the translated runes indicate a person with a truly good nature and character, a hero… and even, potentially, a sort of god. But they also frequently refer to power, both indicating the fact that Dumbledore is an exceptionally powerful Wizard – so much so that both of the two greatest Dark Wizards in recent history considered him their only true threat – but also that he was drawn to and courted power in his youth, leading to his brief alliance with the future Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald. That lust for power, according to Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth, caused him to neglect his family – in particular his doting sister Ariana, even leading to her unfortunate death.

Albus Dumbledore with Gellert Grindelwald in their youth

But there is another use for Dumbledore’s wand runes that I want to talk about. Reading the runes and learning their meanings got me thinking about other objects in the Wizarding World, specifically Dumbledore’s Deluminator – a device of his own creation. FYI this next part is just my theory, but I do think it’s accurate – if I do say so myself lol.

If you don’t really remember or know much about this Deluminator, here’s a quick summary: It’s a powerful and unique invention of Albus Dumbledore that has the power to absorb and refill any light source in its vicinity; but it also have the ability to teleport a person to those loved the most – and who loved you the most as well. We see this ability in the Deathly Hallows when Ron Weasely returns to Harry and Hermoine in the middle of nowhere. But we still know very little about this exceptional device.

It’s long been established in JK Rowling’s writings that the human soul is in essence a body of light. And what does the Deluminator harvest? Light; apparently even the light of a human soul as we saw in Ron Weasely’s situation. Also, don’t forget how the soul is portrayed in the Prisoner of Azkaban as Sirius Black is being drained by Dementors – a small but brilliant orb of light, being harvested as food for the icy shades. But what purpose could this harvesting truly serve? Why would Dumbledore create a device that has the power not only to harvest the superficial lights around him but also be capable of harvesting the light of a human life?

Looking through Dumbledore’s history and character we see a few trends that might help answer this question. First and foremost is the fact that Albus Dumbledore is connected with both the Deathly Hallows (Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak) and the Philosopher’s Stone – both of which are designed to conquer death and restore life. Secondly, and perhaps more influentially, was the tragic death of his sister Ariana and the hardships that struck his family. Thirdly is Dumbledore’s relationship with a Phoenix, an immortal creature that rises from the ashes of its own death. The appeal of immortality, or at the very least returning a loved one from death is one that is consistently very strong with Albus throughout his life.

With what we know already about the Deluminator and with the information gained from the Wand Runes combined with Dumbledore’s personal history and regrets – remember what he claimed to see in the Mirror of Erised; his family all together and whole again – I believe the true purpose of the Deluminator was to intervene at the moment of death, transporting the wielder to the loved one who was in the most need then collecting the “light within” or soul, storing it in safety until the body can be restored at which time the soul light can be returned to the body.

It’s unclear whether Dumbledore actually achieved this capability as we never see such a feat ever actually accomplished but all things considered, I’d say it’s highly probable that conquering death in this way was his ultimate goal in creating the Deluminator, at least until he grew to develop the wisdom that he should no longer fear death. In his own words – “Do not pity the dead… pity the living”.

There is so much more to discover about the Great Albus Dumbledore and I look forward to the continuation of his story in the Wizarding World of JK Rowling. And I thank you for reading, I hope this was enlightening!

p.s. SPOILERS BELOW

If you’ve seen Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald already then you might remember the scene where Leta LeStrange is sitting reflectively at her old desk in Hogwarts. In that same desk, a little above where she had carved “L+N” you actually see two runes carved as well: Jera  and Dagaz . Why is that important? Because you should recognize these runes as belonging to Dumbledore’s wand – together meaning something like “Harvest of Light/Truth” – implying that Leta’s desk may have in fact been Dumbledore’s childhood desk when he was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Just a fun Easter egg lol.