Posts tagged "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Exhibit in Grapevine, Texas
This afternoon I visited The Wonderful Wizard of Oz exhibit in Grapevine, Texas. There were reproductions of character art by original Oz artist W.W. Denslow. The exhibit included educational stations to learn about the brain, heart, courage, tornadoes, and more.
Entrance to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz exhibit.
At the entrance, we were greeted by some old friends.
Scarecrow exhibit and brain learning center.
The Scarecrow brain learning center had a matching game. There were six plastic brains and six possible choices for which animal (or person) the brain belonged to. In the case of the human brain, the small door had a mirror on it instead of a picture. My lovely wife got all six brains correct. Nice job.
There was a model scarecrow just lying on the floor. He had velcro on his joints to help him stay together. However, we came at the end of the day, and he looked like he had been through a lot with the kids coming through, so we let him rest.
This dapper fellow's station contained information about the heart. Unfortunately, one of the experiments wasn't working, so we couldn't see the pump in action.
While I was there, I met a very enthusiastic Oz fan, and I got to talk with her about some of the great Oz books she is reading. There are many Oz spin-offs and reimaginings, of which The Hidden History is only one universe. She is a collector and always keeps her eye open for new Oz memorabilia.
It was nice to meet another fan, and to see the lasting impact that L. Frank Baum's original American fairy tale has, even more than a century after publication.
August 15, 2015 | Categories: Author's Vision | Tags: exhibit, Grapevine Texas, museum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Leave a comment
Dorothy's first trip to Oz
If you are interested in a day-by-day view of Dorothy's first trip to Oz (found in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel), click over to Dorothy's Timeline.
You can also find it in the menu above: About > Timeline > Dorothy's Timeline.
November 5, 2014 | Categories: Exploring the Hidden History of Oz | Tags: Chronology, Dorothy, Dorothy Gale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, timeline | Leave a comment
Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West, by W.W. Denslow
There are four witches in Oz – one in each corner, or rather, one in each Cardinal Direction. L. Frank Baum laid out the powers that ruled the corners of Oz. In his first book, he detailed this witchy phenomenon:
"There were only four witches in all the Land of Oz, and two of them, those who live in the North and the South, are good witches. I know this is true, for I am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. Those who dwelt in the East and the West were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you have killed one of them, there is but one Wicked Witch in all the Land of Oz–the one who lives in the West."
— The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, chapter 2, "The Council with the Munchkins"
So, four Witches? Is this a Star Wars dark lord of Sith-type limitation on the number of Witches? Let's explore this witch-rule across three different versions of Oz – canonical Oz, by L. Frank Baum; Disney Oz, coming to theaters soon; and The Hidden History of Oz, available now.
You may have seen what Disney is doing with their Oz prequel, Oz, the Great and Powerful. If not, here's a quick peek at one of the TV spots.
Which Witch is which?
Disney's Witches
Official character bio for each witch:
Glinda – Glinda is a good witch who rules over a peaceful kingdom of simple, kind folk. Beautiful Glinda is not only a compassionate and benevolent witch, but also a fierce protector of her people. Though Glinda sees through Oz's facade early on, she knows genuine goodness lies within and helps Oz achieve his true destiny.
Evanora – A witch to be feared, Evanora is Theodora's over-protective sister. With her penetrating gaze, she exudes a powerful presence and has positioned herself as the royal advisor and protector of Emerald City.
Theodora – Theodora is a beautiful, naive witch who is protected by her powerful sister Evanora. Theodora only wants peace to come to the Land of Oz and truly believes that a prophesied wizard will arrive someday to restore order.
Then there is a silhouette of a witch in the fire. Who could this be? We'll have to wait until March 8, 2013, when the film is released, to find out.
Baum's Witches
The Good Witch of the North was not named in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Nor whas she named in any of Baum's Oz books. However, Baum gave her the name of Locasta in the 1902 musical extravaganza, The Wizard of Oz.
Ruth Plumly Thompson, Baum's handpicked successor in writing Oz books, revamped the character and gave her the name of Tattypoo.
The Good Witch of the North is often confused with Glinda. Why? Because the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz, combined the two good witches into one and called her Glinda. Thanks for that.
The Wicked Witch of the East is not named in Baum's books.
The Wicked Witch of the West is not named in Baum's books. However, in the 1910 silent film, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this witch is named Momba in the intertitles (or title cards).
The Good Witch of the South is Glinda the Good. She is the most powerful of the Witches. According to the Soldier with Green Whiskers, Glinda:
"knows how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived."
— The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, chapter 18, "Away to the South"
So she was the most beautiful of the four witches. Later books in Baum's Oz series refer to Glinda as a Sorceress, rather than a Witch.
Hidden History Witches
This information is taken from The Hidden History of Oz, Book One: The Witch Queens.
Gayelette
Gayelette is the eternal sorceress who rules from the Ruby Palace in the lands of the North. She is a sorceress who exists in a different time than normal people – she does not ever age. She is more than one hundred years old. Her constant research keeps her too busy to pay attention to either matters of state or family.
Gayelette researches the power of dreams, probing into the mystery, "Why does nobody in Oz dream?"
Kalinya
Kalinya rules over the Munchkins in the East as their unquestioned leader. She is cruel and easily irritated. Her magic is telekinetic, and her greatest threat is to throw a person into the sky. She is clever and constantly schemes to gain more power, especially against her chief rival, Gayelette.
It is Kalinya who later becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the East.
Ondri-baba
Ondri-baba is the homely and cruel younger sister of Kalinya. She is short and stocky, and fond of wearing ornate neckpieces. Her magic is invisibility. She has a magic eye that can see long distances; it can see what normal waking eyes cannot see. She controls the majority of the magic hourglasses sold by Smith & Tinker, and so controls the Sandy Armies.
It is Ondri-baba who eventually conquers the Winkies in the West and becomes the Wicked Witch of the West.
Sonadia
Sonadia is only mentioned in the book. She met her untimely death under very mysterious circumstances. Through conversations with Kalinya and Glinda, we learn that Sonadia had powers over weather, and she taught some of these spells to Gayelette.
Mombi is a strategist and political opportunist. Though her powers of transformation and disguise are well-known to the leaders of the various lands in Oz, Mombi seeks out the true positions of power – those behind the throne. She is careful in her use of power, though sometimes she gets caught up in Kalinya's schemes.
Note: Mombi is not mentioned in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though she is the primary antagonist in Baum's second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz.
Locasta
Locasta is a young Munchkin maiden, taken as an apprentice by Kalinya, Witch of the East. She is quiet and non-confrontational, doing what she is told. She fears her master and the cruel punishments that she earns for her supposed ineptitude. Her most powerful magic is the ownership of an oracular hat.
Though sent to capture Glinda, she learns a valuable lesson from the young sorceress and finds the courage to stand on her own merit. With Glinda building her forces in the South, Locasta becomes what Glinda cannot be – the Witch of the North.
Glinda is the daughter of the Ruby Sorceress, Gayelette, and Quelala, rulers of the North. She was born a princess, but she imagines for herself adventure and romance, just like in her large collection of books. She has fiery red hair, and a temper to match.
When her parents disappear, Glinda finds herself thrown into adventure, with the Wicked Witches chasing after her. With a name and a fame belonging to her mother, Glinda fights back against the witches to earn for herself the title of Glinda the Good, and secure a new home for herself in the South.
History of the Witches in Oz
Baum's version
According to Baum's later Oz books, the witches had been ruling for decades, and the three witches – East, West, and Mombi in the North – conspired to conquer the entire Land of Oz and divide it up among themselves.
Hidden History version
According to stories in Book One, there have been two Witch Wars. Both of these wars tore the Land of Oz apart as the Witches combined their powers and created vast armies to fight against the kings and queens of the land.
In the Second Witch War, the Witches obtained an alliance and power from the Queen of Dreams, a mysterious ruler from across the sea. The Witches unwisely used this power and poisoned and destroyed the sea. The sea became a toxic desert that surrounds the Land of Oz.
Book One details the beginning of the Third Witch War, as the Wicked Witches again combine their power to overthrow the rulers of the land. While this book begins the Third Witch Wars, they do not end until later books, with the arrival of a young "sorceress" (Dorothy) to the Land of Oz.
How will it end?
The Witch Wars end when all the Witches are dead. We know that Dorothy interacts with all of the main witches in the original story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She destroys two of them, and receives magical protection and favors from the other two. However, the journey from four cardinal witches to two witches is a fascinating one explored in the Hidden History of Oz novels.
If you haven't picked up your copy yet, you can find it on Amazon (in paperback and Kindle versions) or on Smashwords.
Edit: Update on the ending of the Third Witch Wars. It happens in later books, not Book Four. – Tarl
January 27, 2013 | Categories: Witches of Oz | Tags: four witches in Oz, Glinda the Good, Hidden History of Oz, L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked Witch, Wicked Witch of the East, Wicked Witch of the West, Witch Wars, Wizard of Oz | 17 Comments
Hidden History of Oz – 2012 recap
The wizard, by W.W. Denslow, original illustrator for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Free promo time on Amazon is over, and I want to say THANK YOU to all of the hundreds of readers who downloaded The Hidden History of Oz, Book One: The Witch Queens. If a link in the book brought you here, welcome. If you are looking for information about L. Frank Baum's Oz, you'll find some useful pieces of canonical knowledge, as it relates to the Hidden History of Oz.
But first, a welcome and introduction- (more…)
December 31, 2012 | Categories: Author's Vision | Tags: Amazon.com, creating the Hidden History, L. Frank Baum, Land of Oz, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Leave a comment
This handy infographic displays the interrelationship of Oz stories.
There are a lot of Oz stories out there, and we're about to discover even more. Find out where The Hidden History of Oz series, written by Tarl Telford, fits into everything.
December 21, 2012 | Categories: Baum's Oz meets the Hidden History (comparative mythology), Concept Art | Tags: Canonical Oz, Hidden History of Oz, infographic, Oz, Oz Apocrypha, Oz books, Ruth Plumly Thompson, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wicked, Wizard of Oz | 1 Comment
Prince of Humbugs, written by P.T. Barnum
Humbug.
"I do not think that word means what you think it means." I quote here Inigo Montoya here, talking to Vizzini about "inconceivable". (see The Princess Bride for details)
Humbug isn't a word we use anymore. It became forever immortalized on the lips of one Ebeneezer Scrooge in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's too bad – humbug is a good word that describes very well a practice that many of us buy in to. It may even describe some of the people we may know. (more…)
December 21, 2012 | Categories: Old-fashioned words | Tags: Ebenezer Scrooge, Humbug, Inigo Montoya, P.T. Barnum, The Hidden History of Oz, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wizard of Oz | Leave a comment
Rubies and Emeralds and Pearls, oh my!
When you think of precious gems in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, what immediately comes to mind? Emeralds, of course. Why is this? Because the Emerald City is the central metropolis in the Land of Oz. It is the must-see destination for all visitors to Oz.
However, there is another prominent precious stone that appears multiple times in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and is arguably of equal, if not greater, significance.
August 5, 2012 | Categories: Exploring the Hidden History of Oz | Tags: Emerald, Emerald City, Golden Cap, L. Frank Baum, Land of Oz, Rubies, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz | Leave a comment
Dreamers in Oz
How did Dorothy get to Oz? How did Oscar Diggs (aka The Wizard) get to Oz?
The simple answer is that they flew. With all of the satellite technology that we have available to us now, you would think that Oz would show up on Google Maps, but it doesn't. The reason is simple – there is only one way to get to Oz.
Or, put another way, only dreamers enter Oz. Proof after the break. (more…)
July 13, 2012 | Categories: Dreams, Exploring the Hidden History of Oz | Tags: Aunt Em, Picasso, Queen of Dreams, Silver Slippers, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wizard of Oz | Leave a comment
Powered by Dreams
Dream City, by Paul Klee, courtesy wikipaintings.org
The basic premise of the Hidden History of Oz is "dreams determine reality." Compare this with the basic premise set forth by L. Frank Baum in his written introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:
"… a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out." (emphasis added)
As stated on this site, "There is that history which is celebrated … and that which is hidden." Baum told simple stories with no explanation. They have enchanted generations. The fairy tales of the past have been lost in the shadows as today's knowledge has expanded. It is time to revisit the fairy tales and discover their meaning for our generation. (more…)
May 6, 2012 | Categories: Dreams, Exploring the Hidden History of Oz | Tags: dreams, Hidden History of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Land of Oz, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Wizard of Oz | 1 Comment