Object in The Oz Series
the wooden wings
Also known as those loose wings, eight of the much prized wooden wings, the missing wings, these wooden wings, their eight wings.
Wooden wings with hinges, formerly worn by the Gargoyles for flight; torn off by Zeb and the Wizard once the group reached the cavern mouth, then piled up, doused in kerosene, and burned as a barrier to block the pursuing Gargoyles.
Appears in 2 chapters, first in chapter 81, last in chapter 82.
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
| Appearance | Torn-off wooden wings, piled in a heap at the cavern mouth, soaked in kerosene oil and set alight — now a smoking, roaring, crackling bonfire rather than intact worn wings. (as of ch. 82) |
| Object type | Artifact |
| Properties | Flammable wooden construction with hinges; can be piled up and burned, producing flames that smoke, roar, and crackle and terrify the wooden Gargoyles. (as of ch. 82) |
Relationships
- possesses ← underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 81–82The party gains the escape device of the arc: by having Zeb and Eureka raid a sleeping Gargoyles' dwelling, they acquire eight of the detachable wooden wings, which they fasten to Jim and the buggy to fly away toward the distant rock archway.
- steals ← Zeb (ended) ch. 81Zeb climbed down a rope of buckled harness straps, crept with Eureka into a neighboring house while the Gargoyles slept, and took eight of the detached wooden wings, hauling them back up to the prison platform.
- discovers ← Eureka (ended) ch. 81While prowling the sleeping wooden city, Eureka observed that the Gargoyles unhook and remove their wings before resting, and reported this to the others, revealing that the wings can be detached.
- uses ← Oz (ended) ch. 81The Wizard used wire from his satchel to fasten the stolen Gargoyle wings onto Jim the horse and the buggy so the party could fly to escape.
- possesses ← Jim (ended) ch. 81–82Four of the stolen Gargoyle wings were wired onto Jim's harness, two near his head and two near his tail, letting him fly despite their wobbliness.
- destroys ← Oz (ended) ch. 82The Wizard had the torn-off wooden wings (along with the cavern's wooden doors) piled up, doused in kerosene, and set alight, burning them to create a barrier of fire against the pursuing Gargoyles.
- possesses ← the buggy (ended) ch. 81The remaining four stolen Gargoyle wings were fastened two on each side of the buggy so it could bear the weight of the children and the Wizard in flight.
- includes ← the buggy (ended) ch. 81–82Four of the stolen Gargoyle wings are wired onto the buggy (two on each side) as fitted flight components, so the buggy can carry the children and the Wizard aloft during the escape.
From the text
"I wish we had some of those loose wings," he said. "I think so. If the Gargoyles can unhook the wings then the power to fly lies in the wings themselves, and not in the wooden bodies of the people who wear them."Chapter 81
"Just now they are all going to bed, and—what do you think?—they unhook the hinges of their wings and put them in a corner until they wake up again."Chapter 81
"No; we must stop them," declared the Wizard. "Quick Zeb, help me pull off these wooden wings!"Chapter 82
See the wooden wings chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →