Wicked Witch of the East
Encyclopedia
The Wicked Witch of the East is a character in the fictional Land of Oz
created by American
author L. Frank Baum
in his Oz series of books.
The cruel old witch conquered and tyrannically ruled the Munchkin Country
in the East, making the Munchkins slave for her night and day. The magical silver shoes were one of her most prized possessions, and she met her demise when Dorothy Gale
's house landed on her. Her dry, withered body quickly turned to dust, leaving only the magic shoes.
, but not as powerful as Glinda the Good Witch of the South.
She was not related to the Wicked Witch of the West
, but leagued with her, and also with Mombi
(Wicked Witch of the North) and the Wicked Witch of the South, to conquer and divide Oz among themselves. After the fall of Pastoria
, the last King of Oz, the old witch conquered the Eastern part of the Land of Oz and held the Munchkins in bondage for a number of decades.
Among her exceedingly cruel actions were the enchantments of Nick Chopper's axe and Captain Fyter's sword, which caused the two men to cut up their own bodies and eventually turn into the Tin Woodman
and the Tin Soldier
.
She had lived in a hut with her maid Nimmie Amee, who was Nick Chopper's sweetheart. Determined to prevent Nimee Amee from getting married, the Wicked Witch of the East resolved to turn her into an old crone. It was while the Witch was out looking for herbs that would effect such a transformation that Dorothy's house landed on her.
Interestingly, she had helped certain Munchkins (such as Nimmie Amee's original mistress and the tinsmith Ku-Klip) with her witchcraft
, under certain circumstances (usually at a reasonable cost). This demonstrates that she was a ruler who could be approached and propitiated, at least by some of her subjects.
's The Wizard of the Emerald City
, The Witch's name is Gingema. Like in the 1939 movie, the two Wicked Witches are sisters. In Magic Land, she is summoning a magical hurricane to destroy all humanity. However, the Good Witch of the North learns of her schemes, and changes the spell to only affect one house and drop it on Gingema's head. Unlike in Baum's books, while being the formal ruler of the Munchkins, she interfered little in their lives, and only demanded that people collect food for her. Since her food was snakes, leeches, spiders, and other similarly disgusting creatures which the Munchkins were afraid of, that was nevertheless a heavy burden for them.
In the Broadway musical
, The Wiz
, the Wicked Witch of the East is named Evvamene ("Ever mean") and terrorizes the Munchkins.
In the more recent novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by author Gregory Maguire
, and in the Broadway musical version
, the Wicked Witch of the East is portrayed as a beautiful but physically disabled young woman called Nessarose. For more information on this incarnation of the character, refer to the Nessarose
article.
In Roger S. Baum
's Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage
, the Wicked Witch of the East is the main antagonist. The book was adapted into the 2000 animated film Lion of Oz. In the movie Lion of Oz she was voiced by Lynn Redgrave
.
In 2007, Turner Entertainment
collaborated with Madame Alexander
to create a series of McDonald's
Happy Meal
toys centered on the main characters from the 1939 movie, one of which was the Wicked Witch of the East. She is depicted as having blonde hair, a red shirt with a green belt and a burgundy dress over her distinguishable striped stockings and ruby slippers. She also is wearing a hat similar to the Witch of the West
's, although it is colored red.
In The Muppet's Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the East is played by Miss Piggy (as are all of the other witches/fairies). She manages to lift the house long enough to threaten the Munchkins before it falls back on top of her, killing her this time.
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
created by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in his Oz series of books.
The cruel old witch conquered and tyrannically ruled the Munchkin Country
Munchkin Country
Munchkin Country is the Eastern region in the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Wizard it was originally called "the land of Munchkins", and "Munchkin Country" in all subsequent Oz books...
in the East, making the Munchkins slave for her night and day. The magical silver shoes were one of her most prized possessions, and she met her demise when Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
's house landed on her. Her dry, withered body quickly turned to dust, leaving only the magic shoes.
The classic books by L. Frank Baum
The Wicked Witch of the East was more powerful than the Good Witch of the NorthGood Witch of the North
The Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the elderly and mild-mannered Ruler of the Gillikin Country...
, but not as powerful as Glinda the Good Witch of the South.
She was not related to the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, but leagued with her, and also with Mombi
Mombi
Mombi is a wicked old witch from L. Frank Baum Oz Books. She appears in the book The Marvelous Land of Oz and is alluded to in other works. Of all the wicked witches in L...
(Wicked Witch of the North) and the Wicked Witch of the South, to conquer and divide Oz among themselves. After the fall of Pastoria
Pastoria
King Pastoria is a fictional character mentioned in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. He was the rightful King of the Land of Oz, but was removed by an evil witch named Mombi, and his throne was taken by the Wizard of Oz...
, the last King of Oz, the old witch conquered the Eastern part of the Land of Oz and held the Munchkins in bondage for a number of decades.
Among her exceedingly cruel actions were the enchantments of Nick Chopper's axe and Captain Fyter's sword, which caused the two men to cut up their own bodies and eventually turn into the Tin Woodman
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
and the Tin Soldier
Tin soldier
Tin soldiers are miniature figures of toy soldiers that are extremely popular in the world of collecting. They can be bought finished or in a raw state to be hand-painted. They are generally made of pewter, tin, lead, other metals or plastic...
.
She had lived in a hut with her maid Nimmie Amee, who was Nick Chopper's sweetheart. Determined to prevent Nimee Amee from getting married, the Wicked Witch of the East resolved to turn her into an old crone. It was while the Witch was out looking for herbs that would effect such a transformation that Dorothy's house landed on her.
Interestingly, she had helped certain Munchkins (such as Nimmie Amee's original mistress and the tinsmith Ku-Klip) with her witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, under certain circumstances (usually at a reasonable cost). This demonstrates that she was a ruler who could be approached and propitiated, at least by some of her subjects.
Recent works
In Alexander Melentyevich VolkovAlexander Melentyevich Volkov
Alexander Melentyevich Volkov was a Soviet novelist and mathematician.He wrote several historical novels, but is mostly remembered for a series of children's books based on L...
's The Wizard of the Emerald City
The Wizard of the Emerald City
The Wizard of the Emerald City is a 1939 children's novel by Russian writer Alexander Melentyevich Volkov. The book is a loose translation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, The Witch's name is Gingema. Like in the 1939 movie, the two Wicked Witches are sisters. In Magic Land, she is summoning a magical hurricane to destroy all humanity. However, the Good Witch of the North learns of her schemes, and changes the spell to only affect one house and drop it on Gingema's head. Unlike in Baum's books, while being the formal ruler of the Munchkins, she interfered little in their lives, and only demanded that people collect food for her. Since her food was snakes, leeches, spiders, and other similarly disgusting creatures which the Munchkins were afraid of, that was nevertheless a heavy burden for them.
In the Broadway musical
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
, the Wicked Witch of the East is named Evvamene ("Ever mean") and terrorizes the Munchkins.
In the more recent novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...
by author Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
, and in the Broadway musical version
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
, the Wicked Witch of the East is portrayed as a beautiful but physically disabled young woman called Nessarose. For more information on this incarnation of the character, refer to the Nessarose
Nessarose
Nessarose Thropp is the name of the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked...
article.
In Roger S. Baum
Roger S. Baum
Roger Stanton Baum is a former banker and stockbroker, and currently a children's author, residing in Branson, Missouri. Baum publishes under the name Roger S. Baum. Baum is a former resident of Los Angeles and the vicinity of Las Vegas. He also tours the country, reading from and signing his...
's Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage
Lion of oz and the badge of courage
Lion of Oz is an official animated prequel film to The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of how the Cowardly Lion, formerly part of the Omaha Circus, came to be in Oz, how he stopped the Wicked Witch of the East from getting the Flower of Oz. It is based upon the book Lion of Oz and the Badge of...
, the Wicked Witch of the East is the main antagonist. The book was adapted into the 2000 animated film Lion of Oz. In the movie Lion of Oz she was voiced by Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
.
In 2007, Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment
Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. is an American media company founded by Ted Turner. Now owned by Time Warner, the company is largely responsible for overseeing its library for worldwide distribution Turner Entertainment Company, Inc. (commonly known as Turner Entertainment Co.) is an American...
collaborated with Madame Alexander
Madame Alexander
Madame Alexander is a brand of American collectible dolls introduced in 1923.Madame Alexander is also the business name of Beatrice Alexander, who was born Bertha Alexander, later changed her name to Beatrice, married Philip Behrman and then started her doll business...
to create a series of McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Happy Meal
Happy Meal
A "Happy Meal" is a meal specifically marketed at children, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a small box or paper bag with the McDonald's logo....
toys centered on the main characters from the 1939 movie, one of which was the Wicked Witch of the East. She is depicted as having blonde hair, a red shirt with a green belt and a burgundy dress over her distinguishable striped stockings and ruby slippers. She also is wearing a hat similar to the Witch of the West
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character and the most significant antagonist in L. Frank Baum's children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's, although it is colored red.
In The Muppet's Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the East is played by Miss Piggy (as are all of the other witches/fairies). She manages to lift the house long enough to threaten the Munchkins before it falls back on top of her, killing her this time.