Living being in The Oz Series
the braided man
Also known as the man with the braids, a great inventor, the strange personage.
A very old man, bent nearly double, with white hair and beard so long they reach to his feet, carefully plaited into many braids each tied with a bow of colored ribbon. He was once a manufacturer of holes on the surface of the earth and fell through his own invented Adjustable Post-hole into this cavern half way up Pyramid Mountain, where he now lives alone making Assorted Flutters and Rustles.
Appears in 1 chapters, first in chapter 79, last in chapter 79.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Age | very old (as of ch. 79) |
| Appearance | A very old man, bent nearly double, with long white hair and beard reaching to his feet, plaited into many braids, each braid's end fastened with a bow of colored ribbon (yellow, pink, brown, red, green, white, black — but no blue until Dorothy gives him one). (as of ch. 79) |
| Being nature | Human (a former earth-surface manufacturer who fell into this underground cavern). |
| Current goal | To trade his manufactured goods (rustles and flutters) for a blue hair-ribbon to complete his braid collection. (as of ch. 79) |
| Dialogue style | Speaks politely and formally, with a dramatic, mock-solemn flourish when telling his own story, e.g. inviting listeners to "restrain your tears." (as of ch. 79) |
| Equipment | Card-board boxes of Rustles and Assorted Flutters, kept on a broad shelf in his shop cave, tied with cotton cord. (as of ch. 79) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 79) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 79) |
| Motive | To find some use or recipient for the flutters and rustles he manufactures, since making them with no one to use them feels pointless to him. (as of ch. 79) |
| Personality | Polite, eager to please, lonely, and given to elaborate, absurd storytelling about his past; visibly delighted by small kindnesses like the gift of a ribbon. (as of ch. 79) |
| Quirks | Braids his long white hair and beard into many braids, each tied off with a bow of colored ribbon, and is missing only a blue ribbon from his collection. (as of ch. 79) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 79) |
| Sex profile | male (as of ch. 79) |
| Skills | Skilled inventor and manufacturer, having previously made holes for Swiss cheese, pores for porous plasters, holes for doughnuts and buttons, and an Adjustable Post-hole. (as of ch. 79) |
| Social status | A solitary self-styled inventor living alone in a hidden cave, isolated from any society since his fall from the earth's surface. (as of ch. 79) |
| Special capabilities | Manufactures Assorted Flutters (for making flags flutter without wind) and Rustles (for silk gowns) that escape from boxes when opened. |
| Status | Living alone and self-sufficient in his cave-factory halfway up Pyramid Mountain, having fallen there through his own invented post-hole years earlier. (as of ch. 79) |
Relationships
- located in → Pyramid Mountain ch. 79The braided man lives and runs his factory in a cave halfway up Pyramid Mountain, having fallen there years earlier through his own invented post-hole.
- possesses → the blue hair-ribbon ch. 79The braided man now possesses the blue hair-ribbon Dorothy gave him, the one color previously missing from his braid-ribbons.
- trades with ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 79Halfway up the mountain the party barters with the Braided Man: Dorothy gives him a blue hair-ribbon and in return he insists the Wizard take the box of flutters and Dorothy the box of rustles.
- gives ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 79Dorothy gives the braided man a blue hair-ribbon from her suit-case, the one color he lacked among his many braid-ribbons.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 79The braided man explains his rustles and flutters to Dorothy, offers her a box of rustles, asks for a blue ribbon, and tells her and the others the tale of how he fell from the earth's surface into the mountain.
- communicates with → Oz (ended) ch. 79The braided man shows the Wizard his shop of rustles and flutters, declines payment in favor of a blue ribbon, and recounts the story of his fall from the surface world through his own invented post-hole.
- gives → the box of flutters (ended) ch. 79The braided man gives the Wizard the box of assorted flutters, insisting he take it since the goods are otherwise useless sitting unsold in his shop.
- gives → the box of rustles (ended) ch. 79The braided man gives Dorothy the box of rustles, insisting she accept it since he has no other use for the goods he manufactures.
- communicates with ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 79The party questions the Braided Man about his factory and his history, and he recounts to them the absurd tale of how he fell down his own Adjustable Post-hole into the mountain.
- communicates with → Zeb (ended) ch. 79The braided man tells Zeb they are only about half way up Pyramid Mountain, to the boy's discouragement.
- gives → Dorothy (ended) ch. 79The braided man insists Dorothy accept the box of rustles as a gift in return for the blue hair-ribbon she gave him.
- gives → Oz (ended) ch. 79The braided man insists the Wizard take the box of assorted flutters as a gift in return for Dorothy's blue hair-ribbon.
- creates → the box of flutters (ended) ch. 79The braided man manufactures the box of assorted flutters himself, describing them as useful to make flags flutter on a still day.
- creates → the box of rustles (ended) ch. 79The braided man manufactures the box of rustles himself in his mountain factory, describing it as containing twelve dozen rustles for ladies' silk gowns.
From the text
To be sure, said the other. I am a great inventor, you must know, and I manufacture my products in this lonely spot.Chapter 79
He was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard.Chapter 79
See the braided man chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →