Species in The Oz Series

Field Mice

Also known as the little mice, thousands of mice, such small animals as mice, the small gray mice, a dozen field mice, your subjects, twelve of my most intelligent subjects, a tiny grey mouse, the startled mice.

A vast people of intelligent, speaking field mice, numbering in the thousands, ruled by their own Queen; small and timid yet loyal and obedient to her every order, they can be summoned in a body and are numerous enough to haul a Lion-bearing truck.

Appears in 5 chapters, first in chapter 9, last in chapter 39.

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

Cultural norms	They serve and obey their Queen absolutely, bowing low before her, and by her decree will serve anyone who has saved her life; they answer a summons in a body. (as of ch. 9)
Habitat	The open green fields and grass near the river, where they keep their homes and can be called upon for aid. (as of ch. 9)
Innate traits	Tiny, timid, and enormously numerous speaking mice; like other flesh creatures they are vulnerable to the poppies' sleeping poison if they linger among the flowers. (as of ch. 9)

Relationships

provides service → Scarecrow ch. 38
A dozen field mice, hidden in the Scarecrow's straw, render decisive service this chapter: loosed on his signal, they scamper among the Army of Revolt and throw it into a screaming stampede, saving him and his friends from destruction.
ally of → Dorothy's Traveling Party ch. 10
The Queen of the Field Mice leaves the party a standing pledge of aid — if they ever need the mice again they may call in the field and the mice will come to their assistance — an alliance sealed by the mice hauling the Lion out of the deadly poppy bed, a debt the Lion himself acknowledges in this chapter when told how such small animals saved his life.
leader of ← Queen of the Field Mice ch. 9
The Queen rules all the Field Mice — thousands of them — who obey her orders and bow low before her.
species of ← Queen of the Field Mice ch. 9
The Queen is herself a field mouse, the sovereign of her own kind.
indebted to ← Cowardly Lion ch. 10
The Cowardly Lion owes his life to the field mice, who generously saved him from death among the deadly poppies; the debt is acknowledged with humble wonder but remains unrepaid. fulfillment_status: pending.
provides service → Tin Woodman ch. 9
The Field Mice serve the Tin Woodman and his party again this chapter: the dozen loosed from the Scarecrow's straw rout Jinjur's Army, freeing the disarmed Tin Woodman from captivity and his sentence of destruction.
rescues → Jack Pumpkinhead (ended) ch. 39
The field mice's stampede of the Army frees Jack Pumpkinhead from captivity and his sentence of being chopped up.
rescues → Saw-Horse (ended) ch. 39
The field mice's rout of the Army frees the Saw-Horse from captivity and its sentence of being chopped up for kindling.
rescues → Scarecrow (ended) ch. 39
Loosed from the Scarecrow's straw, the field mice rout the girl army and empty the throne room, rescuing the Scarecrow from Jinjur's sentence of destruction.
rescues → Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 39
The field mice's stampede of the Army rescues the disarmed Tin Woodman from captivity and his sentence of being fed to the goats.
rescues → Tip (ended) ch. 39
The panic the field mice cause among the Army frees Tip from captivity along with his comrades.
rescues → Woggle-Bug (ended) ch. 39
The field mice's rout of the Army rescues the Woggle-Bug from Jinjur's threat of being made into soup, prompting his sigh of relief.
uses ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 39
Facing destruction, the Scarecrow secretly unbuttons his jacket and looses the dozen field mice hidden in his straw, using them as his escape stratagem.
used against → Army of Revolt (ended) ch. 39
The loosed field mice are used against the Army of Revolt: their scampering throws the girl soldiers into a screaming stampede that empties the throne room.
rescues → Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 9
Thousands of harnessed Field Mice pull the truck bearing the sleeping Lion out of the poppy bed to the green fields, saving him from a fatal sleep.
commands ← Queen of the Field Mice (ended) ch. 9
The Queen orders her mice to fetch all her people with strings, and later commands them to start hauling the truck out of the poppies before they too fall asleep.
commands ← Queen of the Field Mice (ended) ch. 38
With a little piping call in the mouse language, the Queen summons a dozen field mice and orders them to hide in the Scarecrow's straw, which they obey without hesitation.
protects ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 9
The Tin Woodman catches and holds Toto tight, calling the frightened mice back and promising that Toto shall not hurt them.
praises ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 9
Dorothy warmly thanks the little mice for saving her companion the Lion from death.
threatens ← Toto (ended) ch. 9
Waking to find mice all around, Toto barks with delight and leaps into the middle of them to chase them, and would have bitten them but for the Woodman's grip.
shows respect ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 10
On learning the field mice generously saved him from death in the poppies, the Lion laughs and humbly acknowledges that such small animals saved the life of one who thought himself very big and terrible.

From the text

They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: big mice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth.Chapter 9

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