Bardistry Wandworks--Or, Call me Ollivander

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Having made a few for myself, I took to creating a some wands, which I could sell as a small side-business.  I thought I'd post a few pictures of some that I've made so far.  The primary purpose of this is just to show what I've done.  That said, I do take commissions.

White Wand of the Otherworld
This wand is made from Tamarisk, whose branches were associated in the Zoroastrian tradition with travel between the worlds of the living and the dead. It was the tree which grew around Osiris, Egyptian god of the dead and the King of the Underworld.

The handle is inscribed with Futhark Runes whose symbology relates to the god, the Pillar of the World Tree, and the travel into the world below.

Faery Imbolc Wand
Folklore of the goddess Brighid (also Spelled Bride, Brid, Bhride, Brigid, Brigit, etc.) and the later figure of the Christian Saint by the same name say that on Imbolc, she was given a white wand by a queen of the faeries.  The wand is sometimes said to have golden snakes coiling up its shaft.

At her breast was a Crystal called "The Guiding Star of Bride."

With Imbolc approaching, this wand commemorates the one given to Brighid. A ribbon of gold leaf curls up the shaft, into which is carved the inscription "Praise Bride, the High Queen of Summer" translated into Tolkien's elvish, and written in his Dwarvish Runes. Inset into the tip is a Quartz Point to channel energy and to recall the Guiding Star. The handle is adorned with spirals. Into the pommel is carved a triskele, the triple spiral which here represents the goddess' influence over Poetry, Healing, and Smithcraft.

Wand of Stars
The Astral Plane is one of infinite possibility--for travel to other places, for creation, for connection. This Poplar Wand is designed for traveling the stars and forging deep connections, while also protecting the bearer from harm. The handle is adorned with the constellations of the zodiac, and around the base are a set of astrological symbols. Between the handle and the shaft is a set of futhark bindrunes designed to aid in safe travel through the Plane of Stars.

Wand of the Moon Witch
This wand is specially crafted for Moon Magic. Carved from the branch of a desert willow, it is tied with water and our Moon. Her soft glow has led her to be worshipped as a goddess by cultures all over the world. With her command of the tides, the flow of things, emotions, dreams, even madness as seen in the word lunacy, all magic tied to the pull of the queen of the night sky. This white wand reflects the soft light the moon gives off, and carries a moonstone at its pommel and a quartz point at its tip, giving it a mystical, feminine quality. Around the pommel are symbols of the Triple Moon Goddess in her Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspects, which are reflected in the waxing, full, and waning moons. Even the gentle curvature of the wand evokes the image of the crescent moon.

Burning Bull Pocket Wand
The wand has a long history as a tool of the Will. It is a tool which conducts the energy of the one working the magic. This tamarisk pocket wand is small enough to carry for magic in any circumstances. It is designed with a fire motif, with a red shaft and a stylized flame pattern.

The Norse Elder Futhark Rune "Fehu" adorns the wand, instilling it with the headstrong quality of the Bull, and the strength of elemental fire.

Wand of Three Worlds
Celtic wisdom divides the cosmos into three distinct “worlds:” Land, Sea, and Sky. The Voyage of Bran, an Irish epic poem following a journey into the otherworld, involves the title character Bran being given a magical apple branch enabling him to travel into the mystical Otherworld across the sea, where time has no meaning, and long years can pass in an instant for those who journey there. The apple was a food of the gods, and the 3 apples growing on the branch fed Bran and his shipmates for the duration of their journey. The apple therefore is strongly connected with health, nourishing, and immortality. The three colored bands which divide the handle from the shaft can be seen to represent the blue of the Otherworld, the green Land of the mortal world, and the gold Sun and stars of the sky realm. These bands divide the wand into 5 segments which correspond with the 5 rivers at the Well of Segais in the Otherworld. These rivers are the 5 senses with which we gain wisdom. May this wand aid you in your travels between the worlds, on your own quest to gain the wisdom of the Well of Segais.

[Cheomesh]

No where near as arrow straight as is depected in fiction, which makes them memorable.  They kind of remind me of baculum.  Interesting associations you have worked there, and the constellation inspired designs on the one appropriately titled "Wand of the Stars" is interesting.  

What are these for?

M.

[Mason]

I would and will buy one!

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Ch30

What are these for?

Magic, silly!  :-p

But art, prop, tool for energy work--they could be all of those things. But no matter what, they are made with magic in mind.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Sarisa

I would and will buy one!

Great!  These ones in particular are all sold, but if you know what you want, I can make one for you.  PM me to discuss details.

[Cheomesh]

Seraphine_Harmonium

Ch30

What are these for?

Magic, silly!  :-p

But art, prop, tool for energy work--they could be all of those things. But no matter what, they are made with magic in mind.

Like, new-agey stuff?

Regardless, good work.  From my own fandom, I know of a group that does something similar - wands and athame.  Not a part of the site I frequent, however, except at one point I was going to buy some of their pipes.  Here is the link:  http://www.fableblades.com/

M.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Ch30

Like, new-agey stuff?

Yes, like New-Agey stuff.  But I'm not above making wands for people who want to Cosplay (or LARP), or making them for DMs who want something to hand to their players during a game.   

[Cheomesh]

I can get behind their use as a prop; I used to do that kind of thing myself.

M.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Out of Character

I will soon be opening an etsy shop for wands, but I first wanted to share some that I have made, sold, and not shown pictures of, or that were on sale already.

Spark


A static shock, hair standing up on the back of the neck, the spark from a hammer on the forge; electricity is all around us. Zeus was known for throwing thunderbolts, and Thor the thunder god of the Vikings protected them with his mighty hammer. Lightning is that fire in the sky that links all elements together. But lightning is just the most spectacular display of this power that underlies all life. Every move we make and every bodily function is triggered by the electrical synapses in our brains.

This short wand is of mesquite wood, and given a linseed oil finish. It bears the jagged pattern of flowing electricity. It taps into the energy of lightning and electricity as a whole. Use it as a channel for your own inner power and strength, as a way of sending your own electrical signals out into the world.

FOR SALE: $80

Wand of the Pyromancer

The art of fire-gazing is ancient and powerful. The flickering dance of the flames tells stories of past and future to those who can decipher their movements. This wand is meant for fire-magic. Its apple-wood shaft gives it a connection to the mystical otherworld. This wand activates the fire within the wizard—and helps him (or her) to use that inner fire to connect to the lessons flames teach us.

This wand’s magical reservoir is its red agate cabochon, which aids the user with concentration and finding the truth of things. It balances and calms its master, helping them achieve the state of mind to accept the teachings of the fire spirits. Its tip is a quartz point, wrapped in spiraling tongues of flame, which focuses the intent of the spell caster as they send their energy out into the universe.

FOR SALE: $100


Thorn


The thorn is a common adaptation of plants, designed to protect against attackers, and those animals that wish to eat it. This poplar wand has a branch offshoot very reminiscent of thorns, and it is for this reason that it gets its name.

Poplar is a complex wood. It is closely tied to the emotions, feelings, and mental states. It is intuitive, and its heartwood bears a natural luster. Emotions are critical to magic, and a poplar wand is highly adept at projecting these emotions. A poplar wand is less a tool of the Will, more a tool of the self.

The bands of runes read “Futhark” which forms both the first six letters of the runic alphabet as well as constituting its name, thereby tapping into the power and magic of the entire runic set. The other reads “Strength.” Mixed in is a prevalence of the “th” rune Thorn. Working with the motif of the thorn, this wand is highly suited to emotional protection, and guarding against psychic intrusions and negative energy.

SOLD

Wand of the Spiral Swan


An Irish legend tells of the dream of Aenghus Mac Óg, a god of love and youth. He dreams of a beautiful woman, and begins to search the length and breadth of Ireland for her, but she is nowhere to be found. Finally he finds a King who reveals that the woman Aenghus had seen was his daughter Caer, who was cursed to spend every second year in the form of a swan. The King grants Aengus permission to wed Caer if he can pick her, in swan form, from the flock she flew with, when they all gathered at a nearby pond. Aenghus chooses correctly, and he too becomes a swan. They fly off together, until the next year, when they take human form and are married.

This Orange wood wand bears the sweetness of its fruit, and the shape of a swan. Swans were important to the Celts, both since their yearly migrations symbolize the cycle of seasons, and because, as water fowl, they can traverse all three worlds of land, sea, and sky. The corkscrewing shaft echoes the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun. The feather pattern bears the characters of the Ogham magical alphabet, and the inscription band reads “The Year of Caer” which in Futhark Runes takes 12 characters, one for each month.

SOLD


Torch

Made from Manzanita, Bloodstone, and Quartz, Torch is a wand of focused elemental fire. The smooth red bark of the Manzanita is highly resistant to fire, connecting it with heat and the focused Will that is embodied by the element of Fire. These associations are emphasized by the flame-licked pattern carved into the shaft.

Bloodstone is connected to our life essence, to the god of war Mars, and to vigor, health and vitality. It’s green color is well suited to healing. As a kind of chalcedony it is also connected with water and women, for whom blood has a special meaning.

With the focus granted by quartz tip, this wand is good for healing, especially disorders of the blood. One can visualize it as “burning up” the impurities the way we use fire to boil harmful bacteria out of water.

SOLD

[Cheomesh]

I will cede that the workmanship on these is superior than your first posting.  The Wand of the Pyromancer is actually attractive, though I am unsure how durable the stone would be, as I do not know it's means of attachment.

M.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Well yes, I am more practiced now than I was when I first started. 

I'm glad you like Wand of the Pyromancer.  The stone is attached with epoxy, so it's pretty secure.  I may start wrapping the binding points on the wands though, to give them extra stability, and to make the join look more finished.

[Cheomesh]

It most certainly would, in my opinion.  Did you check out the Fableblades link I posted some months back?

M.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

I did.  Very cool and very interesting work.  A few are a bit boring and commercial to me, but these are just a few.  The others are pretty great.

[Seraphine_Harmonium]

Hem-Netjer, Wand of the Godslave

Out of Character

This is one I made some time ago, though I never shared it here.

This wand is suited for an Egyptian temple priest. It is of Tamarisk, the wood that held the coffin of the murdered Osiris, and bears the Wedjat, better known as the Eye of Horus, and the symbol of the flying scarab pushing the sun across the sky. It shows wisdom, and the endless cycles of life and death. The pommel is set with turquoise, and the handle is heavily gold-leafed, including twin cartouches that bear the name of the wand.

SOLD

Spiritseer

The spirit is at once omnipresent and intangible. It is a powerful force that unites everything in the universe, but it cannot be seen or detected by science. It can work our will, manifest as energies, deities, and spirit guides. It is the latter that I now speak.

This wand was commissioned to aid in contacting spirit guides. The witch who requested it desired something that would help unlock her second sight, and promote a bond with otherworldly beings. It is made of poplar, a deeply feeling wood with a strong water association. Such wands are keyed to the needs of their users. Central is an eye, standing in for the Third Eye of enlightenment, which was also naturally shaped in the branch. Two inscriptions read "Spirit" and "Vision" against Silver leaf, which ties to lunar energies. Set in the pommel is a moss agate, which is useful in contacting spirits.

SOLD

[Xathan]

You have an awesome skill for these! No wonder they sell. Are these just things that occur to you? Do you ever do requests? How do you make these? Is it all carving and paint with the gems/stones added in, or something more?