Species in The Oz Series
the beasts of the forest
Also known as hundreds of beasts of every variety, the great assemblage, all the animals of the forest, the other beasts.
Hundreds of forest animals of every kind — tigers, elephants, bears, wolves, foxes, and more — gathered in an opening in the wood to decide how to survive a man-eating spider-monster; they hail the Cowardly Lion as King of Beasts and swear to obey him if he slays their enemy.
Appears in 1 chapters, first in chapter 21, last in chapter 21.
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 gather in council to decide shared dangers, and readily submit to and obey the strongest and bravest beast as their King. (as of ch. 21) |
| Habitat | The great old forest beyond the bogs south of the china country, where the trees are bigger and older than any the travelers had seen. (as of ch. 21) |
| Innate traits | Ordinary wild forest animals of every kind (tigers, elephants, bears, wolves, foxes and others), able to speak and hold council but helpless individually against the spider-monster. (as of ch. 21) |
| Is alive | no |
Relationships
- leader of ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 21Having slain the monster, the Cowardly Lion becomes King of the forest beasts, who bow down to him and vow to obey him as their King.
- rescues ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 21The Cowardly Lion rescues the beleaguered forest beasts by going alone to fight and kill the spider-monster that had been devouring them, freeing them from its terror.
- threatens ← the great spider (ended) ch. 21The spider-monster terrorizes the whole assembly of forest beasts, seizing and devouring them one by one, so that none is safe while it lives.
- oath bound ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 21The Lion promises the forest beasts he will come back and rule over them as their King once Dorothy is safely on her way to Kansas; fulfillment_status: pending.
- shows respect → Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 21The whole assembly of forest beasts hushes at the Lion's approach and, after he slays the monster, bows down to him as their King.
- enemy of · the great spider (ended) ch. 21The spider-monster is the forest beasts' deadly enemy, a lately-arrived predator that hunts and eats them until the Lion kills it.
- located in → the forest of the beasts (ended) ch. 21The hundreds of forest beasts are gathered in an opening within the great old forest, holding their council there.
- kills ← the great spider (ended) ch. 21The spider-monster has been devouring the forest beasts, and has already eaten all the forest's lions before the Cowardly Lion arrives.
From the text
and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "We will!"Chapter 21
hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the natural historyChapter 21
See the beasts of the forest chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →