Magic wands are usually a feature in works of fantasy fiction as spell-casting tools.
Few other common denominators exist, so the capabilities of wands vary wildly. Note that wands fill basically the same role as wizards' staffs (the staff that Galdalf has is actually a wand), though staffs generally convey a more 'serious' image; a fairy godmother would definitely always use a wand, and usually with a star on the end or good effect, while Gandalf would most often not (however, in The Hobbit, he is seen using a wand to fight the goblins of the Misty Mountains and their Wargs).
In the popular MMORPG World of Warcraft, the caster classes such as the Mage and Warlock use wands offensively.
In dramatic fiction, wands can serve as weapons in magical duels. Wands are also common in the fictional fantasy world of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series of books and films.
The first magical wand featured in the Odyssey: that of Circe (the epic Greek poem by Homer!), who used it to transform Odysseus's men into animals.
Italian fairy tales put them into the hands of the powerful fairies by the late Middle Ages.
In the ballads such as Allison Gross and The Laily Worm and the Machrel of the Sea, the villainesses use silver wands to transform their victims.
In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch's most feared tool is her wand, whose magic (not necessarily by touch, as in the film) is capable of turning people into stone.
In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch's most feared tool is her wand, whose magic (not necessarily by touch, as in the film) is capable of turning people into stone.