Salazar Slytherin's Wand

• Type: Wand
• Owners: Salazar Slytherin, various descendants of the Gaunt Family, Isolt Sayre
• Maker: Salazar Slytherin

One of the oldest known wands, this powerful artifact was created by Salazar Slytherin himself. It was constructed from the wood of a snakewood tree and contained a core made from the horn of a Basilisk. Slytherin's ability as a Parselmouth was deeply embedded in the wand's properties and capabilities. (Pottermore)

Salazar Slytherin's wand was exceptionally powerful, particularly in the Dark Arts. Its most unique feature was a special ability imparted by its creator: the wand could be commanded to “sleep” using Parseltongue. Once put into this dormant state, it would become inert and could not be used by a non-Parselmouth. Only another Parselmouth could reawaken the wand by speaking to it in the serpent tongue. (Pottermore) The wand was also noted to be highly proficient in Legilimency, a skill for which Salazar Slytherin himself was famous. Its connection to its master was so strong that it retained a “memory” or “echo” of its creator's ambitions and dark magic. (Pottermore)

After his conflict with the other founders and his subsequent departure from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Salazar Slytherin took his wand with him. The wand was passed down through his direct descendants for centuries, eventually coming into the possession of the Irish branch of the Gaunt Family. (Pottermore) In the 17th century, a young witch named Isolt Sayre, a direct descendant of Slytherin, stole the wand from her cruel aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt. Isolt fled with the wand to the New World, eventually arriving in North America. There, she and her No-Maj husband, James Steward, founded the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For a time, Slytherin's wand served as Isolt's own. (Pottermore) Gormlaith Gaunt eventually tracked her niece to Ilvermorny and attempted to use the wand against her. She put the wand to sleep from a distance with Parseltongue, hoping to render Isolt defenseless. However, when Gormlaith tried to use it to enter the school, the wand refused to cooperate against its true mistress, Isolt. The cries of Isolt's adopted sons awakened the wand, which then emitted a low musical note to warn her of the danger. After Gormlaith's defeat, Isolt and James decided they could no longer keep the wand, as its dark history was too great a burden. (Pottermore) Unable to destroy it, Isolt and James buried the wand on the Ilvermorny grounds. From that spot, a unique snakewood tree grew. The tree could not be pruned or killed, and its leaves were discovered to possess powerful medicinal properties. This tree stands as the final resting place of Salazar Slytherin's wand. (Pottermore)

Salazar Slytherin's wand is never mentioned in the seven original Harry Potter novels. Its entire history and significance are derived from supplementary materials that expand the wizarding world. The wand serves as a crucial plot device in the founding story of the North American wizarding school, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It acts as a physical and ideological link between the old magical traditions of Hogwarts and the new ones established in America, carrying the legacy of the Gaunt Family across the Atlantic.

All known information about Salazar Slytherin's wand comes from the official supplementary writings by J.K. Rowling, published on the Pottermore website (now part of the Wizarding World website), specifically within the short story Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.