"I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too! HaHa! "
―Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
"She's so misguided, it's all so one sided, that little farm girl dares to tangle with me. She's prissy, she's clueless and I want her shoeless! I'll show her how Wicked and mean I can be. I want those slippers to establish just who's number one from the east to the west, than I'll be complete with all of Oz at my feet and Silver Shoes always suited me best!"
―Wicked Witch of the West!
"The wicked woman was greatly pleased with the success of her trick, for as long as she had one of the Silver Shoes, she owned half the power of their charm, and Dorothy could not use it against her, even had she known how to do so. "
"And you, my dear, what an unexpected pleasure. It's so kind of you to visit me in my loneliness..."
―Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
The original appearance of the Wicked Witch of the West!
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum. She is introduced in Baum's first Oz book titled, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', published in 1900. The Wicked Witch is the bad and dominate ruler of the yellow Winkie Country in the western qaudrant of the magical Land of Oz. She appears in the twelfth chapter of the book titled The Search of the Wicked Witch. She does not have a known birth name as she was never given a name by Baum and is only known by her title of position. She is also referred to as the Wicked Witch or in some versions simply the Witch of the West for short.
In the adult story and mature spin-off of Baum's Oz tale, in the 1995 bestselling novel titled 'Wicked', Author Gregory Maguire payed homage to Baum and formulated Elphaba's unique name out of L. Frank Baum's name, taking the phonetic pronunciation of his initials: hence, L.F.B became El-pha-ba. This is the most known and popular name for the Witch other than the character who plays the pre-Wicked Witch of the West named Theodora from Disney's 2013 semi-prequel Oz the Great and Powerful. These character versions are obviously not the same person at all, but are indeed all based on Baum's original nameless Wicked Witch of 1900.
In the original book, it is never stated that the Wicked Witch of the West was a sister or even blood related to the Wicked Witch of the East. Nor is it ever clarified if the two Wicked Witches were ever properly acquainted. Also, the book does not mention the Wicked Witch of the West having any form of discoloration such as "green skin" like the iconic Witch of the 1939 film played by Margaret Hamilton portrayed her to have.
Margaret Hamilton as the infamous Wicked WWitch of the West. 1939
The Wicked Witch of the West is ultimately liquefied and killed by the story's child protagonist, Dorothy Gale of Kansas.
"You Cursed Brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! melting! Oh, what a world, what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful Wickedness? Oooooh, it burns, oh look out! I'm going, I'm gooooiiiinnng, awww...Oooooh! Ooooooh..."
Baum describes his original Wicked Witch as being blind in one eye for unknown reasons.
(Perhaps she traded one of her eyes in exchange for one powerful telescopic eye...)
Nowadays, she would undeniably be referred to as "mentally deranged" or having strong psychopathic personality traits if not simply a complete sociopath. She only can see things her way, has no sympathy for others, is unapologetic for her Wicked actions and has one-sided morals and ideals. And she will quickly put an end to anyone who thinks otherwise or dares to challenge her.
Despite being the villain and antagonist, she is not introduced until halfway into the plot and plays a rather minor role, being involved in only a few chapters. Unlike the MGM film of 1939, she does not appear at the beginning of the story in Munchkinland to threaten Dorothy and little Toto, while demanding the magic slippers, but stays only in the West section of Oz and never leaves her turf and doesn't stray far from her yellow Winkie Castle. However, she is still placed as an obstacle in the way of the protagonist character of Dorothy, and is one of Dorothy's trials in Oz while on her epic quest to find a way to Kansas again.
W. W. Denslow was the original Artist to illustrate Baum's Oz book of 1900. Denslow gave the Witch an umbrella that Baum confirms in his text when she hits Toto with it after she has Dorothy captured to make her a kitchen slave as if she were Cinderella. Baum also tells us that she's afraid of the dark for whatever silly reason.
Wicked In The West!
"I thought all witches were wicked," Dorothy said, who was half frightened at facing a real witch. "Oh, no, that is a great mistake. 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 Wicked Witch of the West sits outside her yellow Winkie Castle. 1900
Even though both Wicked Witches from the book and iconic MGM movie share the same fate by being melted to death, in the book she is much different compared to the MGM film. For example: in Baum's book the Witch is much more Wicked and short tempered than the one on the screen. Her main motives are not to only retrieve Dorothy's charmed Silver Shoes, (Ruby Slippers in the 1939 movie), but also to enslave and imprison anyone she can or having trespassers killed on the spot. In the book she not only sends her Flying Monkeys to capture Dorothy and Toto, but also the Cowardly Lion as well to harness him to her chariot as her personal shofer. However, when the Lion refuses to corporate she keeps him locked in a cage in her castle courtyard and starves him until he obeys, which he refuses. Resulting in Dorothy having to sneek food from the castle Kitchen to the Lion everynight when the Witch is asleep.
In the West part of Oz, the climate is very harsh, dry, desolate and hot. No rain ever falls in West either, possibly due to a spell that the Witch cast upon the land to keep people from wanting to make a home there. The West is always in a state of dehydration and drought and is filled with tumble weeds and dead yellow grass. When the Witch successfully enslaved the people of the West country, she used them as servants and forced them to obey her every wish and command, making them perform never-ending labor. cleaning, cooking or sent with sharp spears and weapons to run people out of her country.
When the Winkies fail her, we are told by Baum that she "beat them well with a strap." She also seems to have the Winkies actively working for her, though Baum never tells us what exactly this work is.
Her castle is said to only be scary looking on the outside to keep people intimidated and away, cautious to approach, but its interior is all quite nice actually. Inside the Witch's home are filled with dozens of long hallways carpeted with yellow rugs of velvet and on every side are many beautiful yellow rooms which are spotless, being filled with draperies of rich yellow fabric and other beautiful yellow decor.
A faithful Illustration of the Wicked Witch of the Wests' yellow Winkie Castle as it is described in the 1900 book by Baum.
But when Dorothy is imprisoned by the Wicked Witch, she is given an empty prison room made of cold stone with a pile of old straw to sleep upon.
Physical Description
"The Wicked Witch of the West had but one eye, yet this eye was very large, strong and powerful. So powerful in fact, that it was like a telescope, and it could see everywhere and everything in Oz. So, as the Witch sat in the door of her yellow Winkie castle, she happened to see Dorothy and her friends far off in the distance..."
The original character look of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West as she appeared in the 1900 book!
Remember what Glinda the Good once said; "Only bad Witches are ugly".
So like many traditional bad Witches, in appearance the Wicked Witch of the West is very ugly, her look is even comical. She has long, stringy and gray hair that is seen unkempt or sloppily styled. In Denslow's illustrations she has braided pigtails like Dorothy, also tied with small bows. Yet unlike Dorothy she also had a third bow on top of her head whenever she is seen without her pointed Witch hat on. Like many bad Witches in stories and fairytales, Oz's Witch of the West is your classic old hag, having very wrinkled skin with large warts and most of her teeth are chipped and yellow or missing altogether. The Wicked Witch only has one working eye, the other being covered up with an eye patch. But her remaining eye is as powerful as a telescope, and can see everywhere and anything across the land of Oz no matter how far away. Unlike the 1939 film, the first Wicked Witch did not wear all black and fly on a magic broomstick that allowed her to write smokey black letters in the sky such as "SURRENDER DOROTHY". Nor did she have a broomatick at all. In fact, she wore funny looking, mixed-match clothing, a yellow trench coat, (as yellow is the mascot color that represents the Winkie Country of Oz) with large buttons sewn into the fabric. She also always carried a large, gaudy umbrella to beat her slaves or anyone who angers her; she also carries her umbrella to avoid contact with water.
The umbrella makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Much more realistic than a broomstick as it is very important to the Wicked Witch and apparently comes in handy. For it is used not to only scare or hurt people. But it is her way of protection to shield herself from any water attacks.
It also is said that she is so wicked and old that all the blood in her body dried up a very long time ago. When Dorothy Gale's little pet dog, Toto, bit the Witch on the ankle in defiance, no blood spilled out because there wasn't any left. The Wicked Witch also owns several groups of unpleasant slave pets that she has trained to do her dirty work when fighting her battles.
She uses her telescopic eye to her advantage when running people out of her territory as she can literally see nearly everything coming her way without them knowing it. Thus, giving the intruders a disadvantage and the Witch a head start at preparing her attacks.
Witches Crystal Ball as seen Oz the Great and Powerful' '
In the 1939 movie, this was discarded. The Witch of the West played by Margaret Hamilton has a magic crystal ball instead of one powerful eye.
Oz History: The Wicked Witch & The Golden Cap of Gayelette...
Long, long ago, in the magical Land of Oz, centuries before Dorothy Gale unexpectedly arrived, or even the Wizard, the northern Gillikin Country was once ruled by a beautiful princess by the name of Gayelette. She was also a great sorceress who owned a magic Golden Cap. This specific cap is said to have cost Gayelette half of her kingdom to make. The cap was made of real solid gold and was encrusted with big sparkling diamonds and rubies adorned all across it.
The Golden of Oz. 1900
The magic cap was originally intended to be presented as a royal wedding gift to Gayellete's significant other named Quelala. But after the Winged Monkeys of Oz made the great mistake of angering Gayellette by throwing a richly dressed Quelala into a river on the wedding day as a naughty prank, humiliating Gayellete, she used the cap to curse and punish the Monkeys for their mischievous ways. So in return as punishment for upsetting the princess, the cap was enchanted and cast a spell on the Monkeys that turned them into slaves of whoever wore the cap. And the winged creatures we're all forced to obey the requests and commands of it's wearer three times. After Gayellete's reign ended and the Good Witch of the North become the new ruler over the Gillikins, the cap eventually fell into the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West who used the charm to have the Winged Monkeys help her conquer the Winkie Country. How Gayelettes' Golden Cap fell into the hands of the Witch is a mystery. Perhaps she stole it?
Anyways, the Wicked Witch successfully defeated the western quadrant of Oz and as the new ruler of the Winkies she became power hungry. She even once tried to overthrow the mortal King of Oz, Pastoria, who had been made King thanks to Lurline, the Fairy Queen who is also responsible for creating the Land of Oz by enchanting it many centuries earlier. When Lurline left Oz forever with her band of fairy children, the only thing she left behind was her half human/half fairy daughter, the baby Princess Ozma. Pastoria and baby Ozma lived in a small but happy little Kingdom in the center of the land. Eventually the Wicked Witch of the East also tried to overthrow Pastoria by using her Silver Shoes, which she used to enslave the Munchkins, keeping them tightly in her bondage as ruler of the eastern quadrant known as the Munchkin Country.
Both Wicked Witches tried to challenge Pastoria and steal his Kingdom away from him. However, there we're two other Witches of Oz who happened to be good ones, the Good Witch of the North, who ruled over the Gillikins and the beautiful Glinda, the Good Witch of the South who ruled over the Quadlings. Both good Witches used all their best magic to keep Oz safe. But even with their powers combined they could not rid Oz of it's Wicked Witches nor the Wickedness that dwelled in Oz as a whole. But the good Witches magic did prevent either Wicked Witch from taking over all of Oz. Later, Pastoria would be successfully overthrown by the Wizard when he arrived via hot-air balloon and Pastoria's little infant daughter, Ozma would be secretly carried away and disappear into the night. And given to a mean old Witch named Mombi. Thus, the last heir to Oz's imperial Royal Throne was lost for many, many years to come.
When the Wizard became the new official ruler of Oz, proclaiming himself as the most powerful force in Oz after he took Pastoria's place, he then also became the Wicked Witches new rival. The Wicked Witch of the West was a tyrannical ruler and made the Winkies her slaves to work day and night. Once, the Great Oz tried to recapture the Winkie lands to claim as his own. But to his dismay the Wicked Witch of the West used the charm of the magic Golden Cap a second time to summon the help of the Winged Monkeys. The Wicked Witch was able to win the battle as the winged creatures fought the man off and successfully ran him off of the Wicked Witch's Winkie land for good.
After that, the people of Oz never dared to reckon with the Witch of the West ever again or venture into the West lands in Oz, which officially became the Wicked Witch's territory. Since no one ever wished to come near the Wicked Witch's turf, there were no roads in the West, not even one that led to her yellow castle.
"You will remember there was no road--not even a pathway-- between the castle of the Wicked Witch and the Emerald City. "
{The Wicked Witch of the West V.S Dorothy Gale of Kansas}
Dorothy: "Run Toto, run! He got away, he got away!" Wicked Witch of the West: "Oh, which is more than you will! Drat you and your dog! You've been more trouble to me than you're worth, one way or another, but it'll soon be over now. Do you see that? (she holds up a large Hourglass timer of glittering red sand) That's how much longer you've got to be alive. And it isn't long, my pretty. It isn't long. I can't wait forever to get those shoes!-(1939)
Unlike in the famous Judy Garland MGM movie of 1939, the original Witch of the West and Dorothy's adventurous task to kill her while being in the Witch's Winkie territory and then eventual imprisonment, unravels slightly differently and in a much more complex and gruesome manner.
"Which road do we follow to seek the Wicked Witch of the West?" Asked Dorothy. "Road? There is no road I'm afraid." Responded the Guardian of the Gates. "No one ever wishes to go that way." "How, then, are we to find her?" inquired the girl. "That will be easy," replied the man, "for when she knows you are in the country of the Winkies she will find you, and make you all her slaves." "Perhaps not," said the Scarecrow, "for we mean to destroy her." "Oh, that is different," said the Guardian of the Gates. "No one has ever destroyed her before, so I naturally thought she would make slaves of you, as she has of the rest. But take care; for she is Wicked and fierce, and may not allow you to destroy her. Keep to the West, where the sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her..."
The Wizard sends Dorothy Gale and her three companions, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion to destroy the Witch and kill her if they all truly wanted the Wizard to grant any of their wishes and send Dorothy back to Kansas again. And to also prove themselves worthy enough. Even Dorothy's little dog Toto set out along with his mistress to help the group of friends prove all themselves worthy by performing a "very small" task.
The Emerald City of Oz was soon left far behind. And as they all advanced the ground became rougher and hillier, and the climate was humid and dry. There were no fences, streets, rivers, animals, farms nor houses in this desolate yellow country of the West, and the ground was untilled, rocky and dangerous.
In the afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were no trees to offer them shade; so that before night Dorothy and Toto and the Lion were tired, and lay down upon the grass and fell asleep, with the Woodman and the Scarecrow keeping watch.
The Wicked Witch of the West unleashes her animal minions.
Meanwhile, the Witch's one powerful eye clearly saw the odd looking travelers many miles away off into the distance but getting closer and closer to her yellow Winkie castle nonetheless. She did not like people walking on her land. So therefore, in self-defense, the Wicked Witch of the West sent every evil creature she owned to get the travelers ran out of her country or even killed on the spot. Thus, commanding her special animals that she had trained specifically to do all her wicked dirty work one by one and showing no mercy to the girl and her comrades. The Wicked Witch of the Wrst unleashed all three pacts in this order...
The Wicked Witch of the West Surrounded by her Killer pets in the Marvel Comic version of Baums' original Oz story.
Killer Wolves
First the Wicked Witch used the magic whistle around her neck and blew it once to summon forty wild and hungry wolves with sharp teeth to tear Dorothy, Toto and her three friends to shreds and kill them. When she commanded them to do this, the wolves bolted off and ran as fast as they could.
The Witch sends her Killer Wolves to kill the party of Dorothy.
The wolves ran many miles but it wasn't until nightfall when they came up to the unsuspecting trespassers.
Dorothy and Toto were alseep yet the Wolves were still ready to do their job and kill. But luckily the Tin Woodman did not need sleep like beings of flesh and blood, so he kept the look out while the girl and her dog rested. When he saw them coming he quickly protected Dorothy, Scarecrow, Toto and Cowardly Lion. The Tin woodman brutally slayed them all with his handy woodsman axe when the wolves came close. Thus cutting off all the heads. Forty wolves and forty wacks the Tin Woodman gave each one that dared to come close enough until they all layed in a bloody headless heap, decapitated and dead. When Dorothy awoke in the morning she was horrified at the sight before her, but thanked the Tin Woodman for protecting her.
The Tin Woodman slays the Witches Wolves. 1900
The Witch became rather angry as she saw with her one powerful eye that the travelers we're still alive and well and the wolves all dead and lying in a lifeless pile.
Killer Crows
So the Wicked Witch blew her whistle twice this time and summoned forty black killer crows to attack the group of travelers and brutally peck out the eyes of Dorothy, her dog and her friends.
The crows did as they we're told and when they did fly up to attack, the Scarecrow saw them flying towards them first. So he stood up with his arms out to the killer crows and defeated all of them by grabbing the crows by the throat and breaking the necks.
The Scarecrow fights with the Killer Crows of the Wicked Witch. 1900
Forty crows tried to attack, and forty times the Scarecrow caught them as they swooped down and flew up close enough and gave the necks a good twist. Until they also we're now lying in a lifeless heap.
Killer Bees
Now the Wicked Witch was even more angered than before. So the Witch blew her whistle three times and summoned a gaint swarm of angry black killer bees to sting the travelers to death with the stingers.
Like the other Witches pets, the swarm of bee's did as they we're told and when they came upon the group of Dorothy, the Scarecrow saw them coming so he took out all of the stray in his clothing and covered Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion with it. Now the black bees tried to sting the Tin Woodman, as he was the only one left to sting. They stung him alright, but he was not at all hurt by them, and they all died when their stingers broke off on his solid tin body and there they all dropped dead in a lifeless pile just like the wolves and the crows.
Toto hides from the Witches Killer Bees with Dorothy and Cowardly Lion under Scarecrow's straw. 1900
The Wicked Witch saw with her poweful telescopic eye that Dorothy and her friends we're still alive and well. And her bee's now we're lying dead like her other pets. The Witch was so infuriated by this point she gnashed her teeth together, stomped her foot on the floor, and ripped out a patch of her own hair and shouted!
So then the Witch sent a small troop of Winkie slaves wielding pointed spears to kill the group with their fierce weapons and come back only when the blood of Dorothy, Toto and Cowardly had been spilled.
The Winkie troop did as they we're all told. But they were not at all a brave type of people. So when they did timidly approach the traveling group as their master wanted, they were all scared and frightened away by the Cowardly Lion who gave them a huge startling roar. Seeing the ferocious beast before them, the Winkie troop immediately dropped their spears and weapons and ran back to castle of the Wicked Witch as fast as they could.
The Cowardly Winkie Troop is scared away 1900.
Thus coming back empty handed. The Wicked Witch punished and beat her Winkie slaves with a strap for failing her.
The Wicked Witch of the West wearing the Golden Cap of Oz 1900.
Finally, The Wicked Witch saved the best weapon for last in the battle. She went into the cupboard in her home and retrieved the magical Golden Cap of Oz. The Wicked Witch put the cap on her head and then she spoke the charm to call the Winged Monkeys one last time. As the cap could only be used three times and three times only. Much like rubbing a magic lamp to get three wishes from a Genie.
These are the magic words she spoke to call and bring the Monkeys to her:
The Wicked Witch with the leader Winged Monkey of Oz 1900.
Suddenly before the Wicked Witch knew it, she was surrounded by the Winged Monkeys of Oz. As the Monkeys we're summoned she ordered the winged creatures to kill Dorothy and her friends.
"Take your Army to the Haunted Forest and bring me that girl and her dog. Do what you want to the others but I want her alive and unharmed. They'll give you no trouble I'll promise that! I sent a little insect up on ahead to take the fight out of them. Remember, take care of those Ruby Slippers, I want those most of all...Now Fly, Fly, Fly!!! "
―Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
The Monkeys did as they were told and when they came to the spot Dorothy and her friends were walking, they terrorized the group and chased them all.
The Winged Monkeys capture Dorothy, Toto and Cowardly Lion!
When the head Winged Monkey who was bigger than all the rest came close to Dorothy he stretched out his hairy monkey arms and grinned terribly at the girl and her dog. Then he stopped short as he noticed that Dorothy had the magic kiss from the Good Witch of the North on her forehead, which was the sign of protection and goodness. Therefore the Monkeys could not harm Dorothy even if they wanted. So, instead they captured Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion, and destroyed the Scarecrow by ripping his straw out and throwing his clothes high up in the tree branches. And they destroyed the Tin Woodman by picking him up and dropping him thus bashing against jagged rocks, which dented his tin terribly. And leaving both him and the Scarecrow helpless. Anyways, The Monkeys carefully dropped Dorothy, Toto and the Cowardly Lion off at the Wicked Witches doorstep and flew away into the sky.
The Winged Monkeys of Oz bring Dorothy Gale and Toto to the Wicked Witch of the West as they were commanded to do.
"Dorothy followed the Wicked Witch through many of the beautiful yellow rooms of the Winkie castle until they came to the dirty kitchen, where the Witch forced Dorothy to clean the pots, pans and kettles and sweep and scrub the floor, and keep the flaming fire fed with wood. Dorothy did all she was told with her mind made up to work as hard as she could; for she was glad the Wicked Witch had decided not to kill her. "
The Witch wasted no time and kept the Cowardly Lion in a harness and caged him up in her castle courtyard as if he were a Zoo animal. Dorothy's life became very sad as she grew to understand that it would be harder than ever to get back to Kansas and Aunt Em again. Sometimes she would cry bitterly for hours, with Toto sitting at her feet and looking into her face, whining dismally to show how sorry he was for his little mistress. Toto did not really care whether he was in Kansas or the Land of Oz so long as Dorothy was with him; but he knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too. Now the Wicked Witch had a great longing to have for her own the Silver Shoes which the girl always wore. Her bees and her crows and her wolves were lying in heaps and drying up, and she had used up all the power of the Golden Cap; but if she could only get hold of the Silver Shoes, they would give her more power than all the other things she had lost. She watched Dorothy carefully, to see if she ever took off her shoes, thinking she might steal them. But the child was so proud of her pretty shoes that she never took them off except at night and when she took her bath. The Witch was too much afraid of the dark to dare go in Dorothy's room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of water was greater than her fear of the dark, so she never came near when Dorothy was bathing. Indeed, the old Witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way.
"The Witch of the West was a Wicked creature indeed, very cunning, and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor, and then by her magic arts made the iron invisible to human eyes. So that when Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length. She was not much hurt, but in her fall one of the Silver Shoes came off; and before she could reach it, the Witch had snatched it away and put it on her own skinny foot."
Dorothy became so angry that in a state and despair she threw a nearby bucket of cleaning water on the Wicked Witch, soaking her from head to toe. The Witch gave out a loud cry as if she was dying.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
"...See what you've done! In a minute I shall melt away! Instantly. The shrinking Witch gave a loud cry of fear, and then, as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to melt and fall away. "See what you have done!" she screamed. "In a minute I shall melt away." "I'm very sorry, indeed," said Dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the Witch actually melting away like brown sugar before her very eyes. "Didn't you know water would be the end of me?" asked the Witch, in a wailing, despairing voice. "Of course not," answered Dorothy. "How should I?" "Well, in a few minutes I shall be all melted, and you will have the castle to yourself. I have been wicked in my day, but I never thought a little girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds. LOOK OUT, HERE... I....GO....!" With these words the Witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. Seeing that she had really melted away to nothing, Dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the mess. She then swept it all out the door. After picking out the Silver Shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman, she cleaned and dried it with a cloth, and put it on her foot again. Then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ran out to the courtyard to tell the Cowardly Lion that the Wicked Witch of the West had come to an end, and that they were no longer prisoners of their own land. "
When the Wicked Witch of the West came into contact with water, she instantly dissolved away like a ice cube in the hot sun. Baum describing it as "melting away like brown sugar." Her body is breaking down due to exposure to the moisture, each cell soaking up the water and pulling away from the rest of her body. It would be a horrible way to go. However horrible these Wicked Witches were, everyone in Oz could breathe a sigh of relief when they were finally gone.
1925 silent Oz film. Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West while in the Witch's Winkie Castle.
Dorothy retrieved her Silver Shoe back and swept the messy brown puddle of the Witch's liquid remains out of the door. Dorothy then freed the Cowardly Lion from his courtyard and took the Witches magic Golden Cap.
Later, after Dorothys' departure, the Tin Woodman became the new ruler of the Winkies, taking the Wicked Witchs place. The Winkies loved their new Tin ruler so much that they built him a handsome Tin Palace to live in as Emperor of the West.
In The Wicked Years
Wicked Never Looked So Good...
"...she was up and running in an ungainly way, and her three goofy companions followed in a mounting panic. As the first few drops of rain fell, the Witch caught sight, not of the girl's face, but the shoes. Her sister's shoes! They sparkled, even in the darkening afternoon. They sparkled like yellow diamonds in the sun, embers of the reddest blood, and like thorny stars from the midnight sky..."
Wicked by author Gregory Maguire is a creative and tragic retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The book is not seen through Dorothy Gale's eyes but instead everything that happens in the Land of Oz revolves around Elphaba Thropp, the protagonist, who is viewed as the antagonist by the other citizens of Oz. Elphie is an outcast girl who was born green and misunderstood. While attending Shiz, she forms a very unlikely friendship with a rich and privileged girl named Galinda who becomes known as just Glinda. Later on in the story and in her bizarre life, Elphaba unwillingly becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West by the people who live in the land of Oz.
Plot Summary Of Wicked...
Elphaba Thropp was born and raised in the Munchkin Country in the Land of Oz. Unlike any other Ozian, she was mysteriously born with green skin. He mother was Melena Thropp, the wife of Frexspar Thropp, a Unionist preacher. Later in the book, it is hinted that Elphaba's biological father was the Wizard of Oz, who had had a one-night stand with Melena while drunk on green toxin beverage. It is also questioned if the Wizard raped Melena while she lay unconscious. Elphaba grew up not knowing why her skin was green and because of her skin color she was considered a freak of nature. Elphaba also had a younger half-sister, Nessarose, who was born with no arms, and who would later become the Wicked Witch of the East; and a half-brother, Shell, who would become the future ruler of Oz years after the Wizard and Dorothy left.
When Elphaba grew older, she attended Shiz University, where she saw the mistreatment of Animals and became a dedicated activist for Animal rights. Ironically, her room-mate was a upper-class rich girl named Galinda Upland (who later on went by Glinda), who was initially mean to Elphaba but grew to love her as a best friend and trusted pal despite their differences and background. Elphaba also became good friends with Fiyero Tiggular and Boq, another Munchkin boy.
They were all seemingly manipulated and their friendships were sabotaged by the infamous Madame Morrible of Shiz, who secretly worked for the Wizard, as he later confesses that Morrible taught him how to "Crush Spirits."
This era ended when Elphaba and Galinda went to the Emerald City to see the great Wizard of Oz, who disappointed them, after which the two girls parted ways and grew apart.
Elphaba with Fiyero.
Elphaba disappeared for years and came to secretly live in the Emerald City, where she became a member of a terrorist cell against the Wizard, who was against the thought of any animals having rights. There, she crossed paths with her close old friend Fiyero again, and the two became lovers behind closed doors. However, Fiyero was tragically murdered by secret agents of the Wizard for being in her apartment.
Elphaba immediately fled far, far away from the Emerald City and disappeared once again for a very long time. She then joined a Mauntery incognito, where she became a maunt for years, and somehow she blacked out many of these years, claiming to have few memories of anything that transpired. During this sad time in her life, she gave birth to a son, Liir, whose father might be Fiyero's, but Elphaba had no memory of this and so didn't know if he was her real son or not.
The two eventually traveled to Kiamo Ko in the Winkie Country, where Fiyero's family lived in a big castle in the mountains, as Elphaba felt guilty for carrying on an affair with Fiyero, who had been married to a woman named Sarima, who still lived in the castle with her sisters and her children. Elphaba didn't have the strength to admit what she had done, and Sarima welcomed her and Liir into the castle to live as long they wanted. And so Liir would play with Sarima's children who were mean to him, yet who were also his half-siblings, though he didn't know this and neither did anyone else.
When Sarima and her family were captured and taken away from the castle by the Wizard's army of soldiers for political reasons, Elphaba inherited the castle, living there with Liir, Nanny, Chistery her pet Monkey and other animals. One random day out of the clear blue, Dorothy Gale from Kansas came to Oz via cyclone, killing her sister Nessarose when her farmhouse was dropped on her by the storm that carried it to Oz, disposing it in Munchkin Land.
Elphaba confronts a frightened Dorothy Gale.
Glinda gave Dorothy Nessarose's magic slippers for protection and sends Dorothy to the Emerald City to get the child out of the way in fear for Dorothy's saftey. Glinda does this without Elphaba's permission. This causes a rather unfixable falling out between the two and Glinda and Elphaba never speak again. The fallout haunts Glinda for the rest of her life.
Eventually Dorothy and her friends the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion were sent by the Wizard to kill her. Dorothy and Lion are caught by the Witch's Winged Monkeys and brought to the castle while the Scarecrow and Tinman are left far behind and out of the story.
When Dorothy is finally confronted by Elphaba face to face, Dorothy tried to apologize for killing her sister, the Witch questioned the girl and demanded her to give her the magic slippers, all the while assuming she had to be tied into the tapestry of conspiracies in Oz. Dorothy tried to do what Elphaba commanded but the shoes were enchanted under the protection of Glinda and would not come off. Dorothy confesses that the Wizard even tried to pry the shoes off but they have been stuck on her feet since her arrival in Oz. As it became apparent, Elphaba briefly realizes that Dorothy really was an innocent human girl from a different place who had been thrown into a world that she knew nothing about. When hot sparks from a nearby fire suddenly catch on Elphaba's long clothing and cape, Dorothy tried to put out the fire with a bucket of water, but to her horror it melts the witch away, killing her by accident. (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)
Her legacy and memory would carry on for many years, inspiring many citizens from Oz to fight against the repression in the land and for stand up for Animal rights. (Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, Out of Oz)
It is questionably hinted that Elphabas' spirit looks over her loved ones in Oz from time to time.
In film
Margaret Hamilton 1939
"...I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too! "
―The Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
"Ring around the Rosie, a pocket full of Spears!"
―The Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
The Wicked Witch of the West, as portrayed in the 1939 movie version by Margaret Hamilton.
In this iconic film, the Witch is portrayed by Margaret Hamilton. She has a crackling and rather unflattering rough voice, has light green skin, yellow fingernails and teeth, and wears all black with a pointed hat and cape. This Wicked Witch does not hold an umbrella but does fly around on a broomstick that fills the sky with thick and dark black smoke.
History
"Who Killed my sister? Who Killed the Witch of the East? Was it you...? "
―The Wicked Witch of the West (1939)
Who killed my sister!?
The Wicked Witch of the West is a very powerful Witch who uses black magic and is the ruler of the Winkies. When her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East is killed by Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale, she appears in Munchkinland and demands to know who killed her sister. When she finds out it was Dorothy, who is also wearing her sister's magic Ruby Slippers, the Witch threatens her but hasn't the power to overcome Glinda. But she promises to return and take her sister's Slippers back from Dorothy. Over the course of Dorothy's journey to see the Wizard, she appears repeatedly and threatens her again, ultimately motivating the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman to join her party out of defiance to the Witch, and motivating the Wizard of Oz to see her.
Surrender Dorothy!
When Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion are sent to kill her and bring her Broomstick back as proof, she sends her flying Monkeys to capture them in the Dark Forest and tries to take Dorothy's slippers, threatening to drown Toto in a river below her castle if she doesn't give them to her. She is unable to take them while Dorothy is still alive, so locks her in a room for an hour to figure out the best way to kill her without damaging the slippers' power. Toto escapes and goes back to the Dark Forest, and gets the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion, who get her out of the room, but the Wicked Witch and her guards chase them and corner them. In the movie, Dorothy's reasons for throwing the bucket of water are different; The Wicked Witch decides to kill everyone else before Dorothy, starting with the Scarecrow by setting him on fire. Dorothy throws a bucket of water to put out the fire, which is unwittingly thrown onto the Wicked Witch in the process, causing her to melt.
The Witch also has a counterpart in the Kansas sequences: a rich, grumpy bachelorette named Almira Gulch who seeks to have Dorothy's dog, Toto, put down. Miss Gulch transfroms into an unidentified witch speculated as either the Wicked Witch of the East or West in the tornado when Dorothy sees her transform in the window. However, it can be thought both ways. (The Wizard of Oz)
The Wiz
A close up of Evillene's face
In both the stage and film productions of The Wiz (the African-American version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), the Wicked Witch of the West (portrayed in both versions by iconic singer and black actress Mabel King) is known as Evillene. She fancies herself as beautiful, but her outward appearance matches her true nature. She wears an unflattering dress which is completely covered by embroidered jewels, gems, pieces of gold, silver and other gaudy items. She also wears several dented gold crowns on her head and lots of rings on her fingers and has long red painted nails.
In the stage version, Evillene rules over the red land in Oz, enslaving the native Winkies. She is evil, heartless, power hungry and always in a bad mood. When she sees Dorothy and her friends on their way to destroy her, she quickly sends her Winged Monkeys to capture them ("Funky Monkeys"). Once back in the castle, Dorothy and the Lion are put to work alongside the Winkies. The Scarecrow and Tinman are nowhere to be found. Evillene tries to take the shoes from Dorothy, but the Lion insults the witch, making her furious. Just before the witch could harm him, Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her, which causes her to melt away. (The Wiz (stage))
In the film version, Evillene is an evil tyrant who runs a sweatshop in the sewers of Oz. When she finds out Dorothy is in Oz and has killed her sister, she sends all her henchmen out to get her (Crows, Poppies Girls, and a subway peddler). All fail except the Flying Monkeys (a motorcycle gang). They bring Dorothy and her friends to the factory, where Evillene slices the Scarecrow in half, flattens the Tinman and hangs the Lion by his tail. She then lights a fire and threatens to burn Toto with it. Dorothy quickly surrenders and begins to give Evillene the silver slippers, but just before she does so, the Scarecrow hints her to a fire alarm. She pulls it and activates the sprinklers, which successfully put the fire out and also melt Evillene in the process. (The Wiz (movie))
Mabel King as Evillene on Broadway
Evillene melting
The Wiz (5 8) Movie CLIP - No Bad News (1978) HD
Mabel King as Evillene The Wicked Witch of the West
Anime film
In the 1982 Japanese anime film, the Wicked Witch of the West is portrayed with gray skin and is voiced by Elizabeth Hanna.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz 2005
Miss Piggy as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Muppets' version of Oz. 2005.
In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Miss Piggy plays all of the witches of Oz, including the Wicked Witch of the West. Her basic attire was a homage of W. W. Denslow's illustration, with a biker/diva theme. The eye patch also covered a magical glass-eye that gave her visual powers. After Dorothy (played by Ashanti) kicked her in the face, she disappeared down the drain, leaving her magical eye.
The Witches of Oz
The Wicked Witch, from a cover for The Witches of Oz.
The Wicked Witch of the West travels to Earth to hunt down a grown up Dorothy who, as a child, hid the key of Oz from her following her deal with the Wizard. Once she planned to obtain the key from Dorothy, the Wicked Witch of the West plans to take over Oz, then Neverland, Wonderland, Narnia, and Camelot. In this film, the Wicked Witch of the West is shown to be allies of Langwidere and Nome King. To get close to her, the Witch disguises herself as a PR agent named Billie Westbrook seeking to represent Dorothy (whose 'Oz' books are becoming famous).
As Westbrook, the Witch slowly acclimatizes to life on Earth (as being away from Oz "makes you forget" about magic) until her true identity is revealed by the Scarecrow causing her to regress to her true form and call forth her entire forces. When the Wicked Witch of the West obtains the key from Dorothy, she discovers a holographic message from the Wizard stating that she was given a fake book and that she has been tricked. When Dorothy gets through to the Witch's Billie half, the Wicked Witch of the West regresses back to Billie before fading away in a bright light. (Dorothy and the Witches of Oz)
Theadora the Good before her Transformation in the Wicked Witch.
In this Disney prequel to the 1939 film, This story takes place twenty-five or more years before Dorothy Gale arrives. It explains how the Wizard came to Oz and how he became the ruler of the Emerald City. Also it explains the origins of the Wicked Witch before she became ruler of the West. She is portrayed by Mila Kunis.
History of Theodora of Oz-Are You A Good Witch or A Bad Witch?
She was originally known as Theodora the Good. Theodora is the youngest of the three witches in Oz who are all sisters. She is the baby of the family and is sweethearted and is good and only wants peace. She is, however, humble, young, naïve, sheltered, slightly neglected by everyone she loves and a helpless romantic. Sometimes when she's frustrated, she tends to be able to lose her temper and throw fire balls. After having been the subject of prejudice against witches all her life, she meets Oscar Diggs, a stranded Circus man from Kansas who was carried to Oz by a Cyclone via hot air balloon. Theodora finds him deep within in the wild jungle of Oz where the beautiful giant flowers grows and is filled with living plants and misty waterfalls.
Oscar is in a shallow lake with the River Fairies when Theodora introduces herself and offers to help Oscar who seems very lost and unaware of his surroundings. Because Oscar came to Oz out of no where, she immediately starts to fall deeply in love with him as she believes it is a good sign and is meant to be as destiny and Oz's fate. What Theodora doesn't know is that Oscar is just a penniless and slightly selfish ladies' man and also the first man to ever show any type of interest in her oe even ask her to dance the waltz and gives her a little music box that plays a sweet tune upon opening it. Oscar closes his eyes and kisses her on the lips during their dance and convincingly makes it appear as if he is in love with Theodora as well, who uses her powers as they float up into the air, making the dance even more special and magical for her. Sadly, even though he seems to give his affection to Theodora and gains her trust, Oscar is simply just a big liar, player, womanizer and skilled con-artist.
Theodora is blinded by her love for him as she also believes he is the one prophesied to become the King of Oz after her long dead father who was the King of the Emerald City and ruler of the land of Oz mysteriously died. And she believes Oscar has the power within him to successfully defeat and put an end to the Wicked Witch, who has been terrorizing the Land of Oz with her vicious attacking Winged Baboons ever since the royal throne has no one to sit upon it. Theodora has great faith in Oz, as a lover, savior and as a future King to rid all the evil of the land and set things right for the people and creatures who live in the land of Oz and fear the Wicked Witch and her winged killer baboons.
When Theodora takes Oz down the yellow brick road and to the glorious Emerald City, inside the Throne room, they meet Evanora, Theodora's older and sophisticated sister who watches over the royal throne room. She seems good at first but she also is the one who later cleverly lies to manipulate her little sister Theodora and says that Oz flirted with her as well, and even gave her a music box, then he also asked her to dance with him. This makes Theodora furious, heartbroken, humiliated, lonely and very sad.
Sadly, Evanora eventually turns her against the Wizard, by tricking her into eating a magic green shiny apple, supposedly to dull the pain of heartbreak to numb it all away. After taking a bite, she starts to feel strange, and realizes that Evanora is really the Wicked Witch, who she had previously believed to be Glinda, but she has already been eternally corrupted by the evil spell of the poison apple and her appearance transforms, going from very beautiful and pure to a green skinned hideous monster with ugly facial features such as a giant chin and big pointy noise with long black claws that are sharp for fingernails. s a result it destroys all of the good and innocence inside of her once truthful and honest loving heart forever and she is permanently transformed into the Wicked Witch of the West, becoming evil, cruel and Wicked. (Oz the Great and Powerful)
Disney's Oz.
After her transformation, she greatly resembles the Wicked Witch as seen in the 1939 movie with a modern and younger appeal and with a more fashionable twist.
In Video Games
Emerald City Confidential
The Witch's spirit is released.
After Dorothy's defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West, her castle in Winkie Country was torn down and replaced with the town of Flow. The Witch herself was somehow imprisoned in a magical rod along with the other three Witches of Oz. This disabled most of the magical defenses of Oz, allowing the Phanfasms to begin to consider a new invasion of Oz.
When Ozma realized this, she sent Petra on a mission to release the spirits of the four witches. Petra released the Wicked Witch of the West, who then fought with The Frogman. (Emerald City Confidential)
In Television
Lost in Oz
The new Wicked Witch of the West is known as Loriellidere, played by Mia Sara. In this pilot she does not have green skin. Instead she has large, lime-green pupils. She is not the same Wicked Witch encountered by Dorothy Gale over a century prior; rather, she's the successor to that Wicked Witch. (Lost in Oz)
Veggietales
In the VeggieTales episode "The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's", the Witch is replaced by Chester the Bully (Gourdon), his Kansas counterpart being Bobby the Bully. At the end, the Bully gets wet but does not melt and his parents take him home after finding him in the Land of Ha's.
Tin Man Syfy Mini series 2009
Azkadelia, on her throne.
The Witch of the West is known as Azkadelia. She has taken over much of the O.Z. and run it into the ground, being a cruel ruler. She and DG are sisters, both daughters of Lavender Eyes. She was separated from her sister as a child when the two girls found the original Wicked Witch of the West, trapped in a cave. The Witch took over her body, leading her to become the new Wicked Witch. She imprisoned her mother in a miniature habitat in her castle. She also commands an army of flying monkeys. (Tin Man)
Supernatural
The Wicked Witch, as seen in Supernatural.
The Wicked Witch was a powerful being from Oz, a place within the Fairy World. She had armies of Flying Monkeys and of Witches, with which she planned to conquer our world. She could not be killed by most means, as Dorothy had tried burning, decapitating, and slashing her with holy water, to no avail. She had the ability to control people by touching them, and to turn into green-black smoke and travel that way. She did not seem to be able to talk, except through the people she possesses.
She also could not kill Dorothy, who was protected, and so the two went into a sleep for 75 years, waking up in 2013. The Witch attempted to find the Key to Oz, so she could bring her armies to this world. However, she was killed by Charlie Bradbury with the Ruby Slippers. (Supernatural: "Slumber Party")
Once Upon a Time
The Wicked Witch in Once Upon a Time, portrayed by Rebecca Mader.
The Wicked Witch, known as Zelena, appeared in the second half of season three of Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by Rebecca Mader.
When they finally meet each other, Zelena reveals to the Queen Regina that they are actually half-sisters. Indeed, their mother Cora, the future Queen of Hearts, sent her away before Regina's birth, so she lived in Oz and met the wizard Rumplestiltskin, who taught her magic just like her sister. Extremely jealous about the life, the mother, and the approbation Rumplestiltskin gave to Regina to cast the Dark Curse, Zelena has now as goal to take everything away from her. Her enemy warned, she flies away on her broomstick.
Zelena, as she appears in Storybrooke.
She also appears in Storybrooke, one year after those events. As she has cast a curse which erased everyone's memory of her, she mingles with the townsfolk, her skin no longer green, identifying herself only as Zelena. She befriends Mary Margaret and offers her advice on her coming child. (Once Upon a Time: "Witch Hunt")
She continued to toy with the Storybrooke residents, particularly with Snow White's family. She embodied David's fears, and then when he conquered them, she stole his sword. Regina later explained that the sword is a symbol of David's true courage, and that it is thus a powerful totem. (Once Upon a Time: "The Tower")
Once Upon a Time (2014): Rebecca Mader as The Wicked Witch.
Background
The Witch has often been used by modern storytellers as the primary antagonist of Oz, despite the fact that she only appears in one chapter of the first book. In subsequent Oz books, it is the Nome King who is the principal villain; the Wicked Witch of the West does not appear after the first book, and is rarely referred to again. Despite this, she makes frequent appearances in modern works based on Oz, and as such has been both re-imagined and expanded upon a number of times.
In Alexander Melentyevich Volkov's The Wizard of the Emerald City, and in subsequent Magic Land books, her given name is Bastinda. March Laumer uses this name for the witch in his Oz books. Like in the 1939 movie, she is the sister of the other Wicked Witch. Her vulnerability to water seems to be not because of her evil, but something inherent; she said a death from water was predicted for her five centuries ago, and she avoided all contact for that long. Her melting is compared to snow - she disappears without a trace.
In L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz: The Graphic Novel the Wicked Witch was drawn to resemble a pirate, and in Marvel's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz she appeared as an old woman peasant in the country of the Winkies.
References in popular culture
In the Brady Bunch Variety hour Marsha day dreams she is Dorothy Gale and Alice the Maid is the Wicked Witch of the West.
In Tim Burton's 1989 film 'BeatleJuice' at the Dinner Party Otho refers to one of the guest as being The Wicked Witch of the West by saying "Don't mind her, she's just mad cause someone dropped a house on her sister!"
In "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" (1988), Judge Doom says "I'm melting!" when he is dissolved.
In the Digimon anime, one of the Wizard of Oz references occurs when Angewomon destroys LadyDevimon, who says "I'm melting!"
Donkey repeats the line in Shrek 2 when it begins to rain.
In the not-so-popular animated TV series Detention there is a point when Gug refers to Serena as the "Wicked Witch of the West" because she locked him in the costume shop.
In The Swan Princess 3, Zelda, the main antagonist, refers to herself as a Wicked Witch of the West as she is absorbing power of the Forbidden Arts.
In Shrek The Final Chapter, Rumpelstiltskin's witch army has the same weakness as the witch: water. This is further referenced as he pours water on one, causing her even to scream "Oh, what a world!" Only her hat is left.
In That's So Raven, Raven as Dorothy was melted she said "I'm melting!"
In Batman (1989), Vicki Vale throws a pitcher of water in the Joker's face and he mimics the witch melting.
In an episode of Mighty Morphin' Alien Rangers, the Rangers fight a monster called Witchblade, whose voice closely resembles the Wicked Witch from the 1939 film. Additionally, much of her dialogue consists of paraphrased quotes from the Wicked Witch in that film.
