Land of Oz

Miscellaneous

Death in Oz

An interesting side note is the fact, stated in The Tin Woodman of Oz, that no one in Oz could die. Anyone killed would continue to live wounded, beheaded or not. This "fact" was not universally adhered to in the novels, particularly those preceding The Tin Woodman of Oz -- for instance The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, although containing perhaps the definitive example of the rule (the Tin Woodman's origin), also has the deaths of two wicked witches. As well, the Tin Woodman rescues the Queen of the Field Mice by chopping off the head of a pursuing wildcat. Whether the cat's unjoined head and body continue to live independent of each other goes unmentioned in the text.

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Origin of the name Oz

A legend of uncertain validity is that when relating bedtime stories (the origin of the Oz novels) Baum was asked by one of his listeners the name of the magical land. He glanced at a nearby filing cabinet which was marked O-Z. Thus he named the land Oz. Another story is that Oz is a corruption of Uz, the homeland of Job in the Old Testament. It is also speculated that Oz was named after the abbreviation for ounce.

Related Topics:
Uz - Job - Old Testament - Ounce

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In Wicked, the Wicked Witch of the West researches the etymology Oz, and concludes that it comes from either oasis, because it is surrounded by desert on all sides, or ooze, due to the creation legend of a great flood.

Related Topics:
Wicked - Etymology - Oasis - Creation legend

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