Shaggy Man

From Oz Wiki

Species	Human
Place of origin	United States
Current residence	Land of Oz
Title
First appearance	The Road to Oz

The Shaggy Man is a kindly old wanderer, dressed in rags, whose philosophy of life centers on love and an aversion to material possessions. His one possession of value was the Love Magnet. His individuality is not welcome in America, but is accorded respect in the Land of Oz, where Ozma provides him with a fine wardrobe of silks, satins, and velvets, but as shaggy as his old rags.^[1]

Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Book Appearances 4 References 5 External link

Description

The Shaggy Man has shaggy hair and whiskers, but a sweet smile and kind eyes. His clothes were shaggy and his boots were shaggy and full of holes.

History

The Shaggy Man appeared at the Kansas home of Dorothy Gale one day in August, asking for directions to the nearby town of Butterfield so as to avoid going there by accident. (A man there owed him fifteen cents, and the Shaggy Man did not want to be repaid.) Dorothy agreed to show him the way, but after a short time the two became inexplicably lost. The Shaggy Man told Dorothy about a magical device he had called the Love Magnet, which causes the owner to be loved by everyone he meets. He claimed that this artifact was given to him by "an Eskimo in the Sandwich Islands."

Eventually Dorothy and the Shaggy Man realized that they were wandering in an unknown fairyland. They met Button-Bright and Polychrome, and eventually passed through the town of Dunkiton where King Kik-a-bray transformed the Shaggy Man's head into that of a donkey in honor of his great wisdom. Shaggy was instrumental in their escape from the Scoodlers, and when they reached the Deadly Desert the Shaggy Man called on Johnny Dooit to help them cross.

Arriving in the Land of Oz, the Shaggy Man bathed in the Truth Pond and regained his former head, but found that ever after he was forced to tell the truth. The travelers found that their journey had been prearranged so that Dorothy could attend a birthday party for Princess Ozma. The Shaggy Man was awed by the splendor of the fairy-realm, and resolved to live there permanently. Upon being questioned by Ozma, he revealed that he actually stole the Love Magnet from a girl in Butterfield, but was without remorse because doing so had allowed him to travel to Oz with Dorothy. Nevertheless, eager to be a good subject to the princess, he agreed to Ozma's decree that the Love Magnet be donated to the Emerald City and hung over the city gates. (The Road to Oz)

The Shaggy Man serendipitously arrived to rescue Ojo , the Patchwork Girl, the Glass Cat, and the Woozy from man-eating plants that attacked them along a Yellow Brick Road in the Munchkin Country. He then guided them to the Emerald City. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz)

It was revealed that the Shaggy Man had a long-lost brother who was being held prisoner by the Nome King. He and his companions tried to rescue and disenchant this brother. Finally, the Shaggy Man decided to give up Oz to remain with his brother and other companions; the prospect of losing him from Oz persuaded Ozma to allow these others to enter Oz. (Tik-Tok of Oz)

Book Appearances

• The Road to Oz (first appearance)
• The Patchwork Girl of Oz
• Tik-Tok of Oz

References

External link

• Oz encyclopedia entry for Shaggy Man

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Shaggy Man. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Oz Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.