Board Thread:Wiki-Related Discussion/@comment-4975807-20140714185912/@comment-5834856-20140716193431

Applegirl wrote: So, would you say Wands are considered magic? Or do they only count as an instrument that magic users draw their magic into and unleash?

That's a tricky question. Do you remember the first scene of the episode Lacey? Mr. Gold is haunted by a nightmare: It's Henry's birthday and Mr. Gold asks the boy to pick one object from the shop as a gift. Henry chooses  a wand. Demonstrating how to use the wand Mr. Gold waves his hand he's holding the wand with and turns Henry into a  porcelain doll.

I've rewatched the episode Kansas as well: Stabbing Zelena with his dagger Mr. Gold transforms her into a porcelain doll as well. This time he uses no wand. It happens the instant he stabs Zelena.

Dreams are imagination. However oftentimes there are at least parts of them that can be considered as true. Mr. Gold knows very much about magic.

In both episodes Mr. Gold - as far as I know -  uses the same spell. the Assuming that it isn't a a goof  - at least I hope so - I would say that wands are a kind of catalyst intensifying the magic that is worked. I imagine wands to make it easier to wield magic or wield greater amounts of magic. If you're using a wand it probably won't take so much strength to do it. That's why I'd rather  wands are instruments.

In the episode Snow Drifts Rumplestiltskin provides Emma and Hook with a wand that can recreate any magic that's ever been wielded. So that special one is a memory of magic, an instrument that remembers. It cannot create magic itsself. Or at least that's how I've interpreted that line.