Enchanted artifact in The Oz Series
Golden Cap
Also known as the charm of the Cap, the charm of the Golden Cap, that wonderful Cap.
A Golden Cap with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it, formerly kept in the dead Wicked Witch's cupboard. Its charm lets whoever owns it call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who obey any order. Dorothy finds it, tries it on to a perfect fit, and — ignorant of its charm — takes it to wear as her own.
Appears in 7 chapters, first in chapter 12, last in chapter 34.
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 | A golden cap with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it. (as of ch. 12) |
| Charm invocation | Standing on the left foot say 'Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!'; on the right foot 'Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!'; on both feet 'Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!' — the directions are written inside the Cap's lining. |
| Charm uses remaining | 0 |
| Enchantments | Charm that lets its owner call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who obey any order given; invoked by a spoken ritual (“Ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!” / “Hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!” / “Ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!”) while standing on left foot, right foot, then both. |
| Granted power | Its owner may call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who must obey any command given; no owner can command them more than three times. |
| Object type | Artifact |
| Properties | Owning the Cap grants the right to command the Winged Monkeys three times, and the count renews for each new owner. Dorothy gives it to Glinda, who intends to spend all three commands (carrying the Scarecrow to the Emerald City, the Tin Woodman to the Winkies, and the Lion to his forest); once the powers are used up she will give the Cap to the King of the Monkeys so the band is freed forever. (as of ch. 23) |
Relationships
- possesses ← Glinda ch. 23Glinda takes possession of the Golden Cap that Dorothy hands her, intending to spend its three remaining commands to send the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion to their kingdoms, then give the Cap to the King of the Monkeys to free the band forever.
- possesses ← Quelala ch. 14Quelala received the Golden Cap as his wedding present and was its first owner, the first to lay wishes upon the Winged Monkeys.
- invokes ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 14Dorothy reads the charm written inside the Golden Cap, puts it on, and speaks the ritual words while standing on her left foot, then her right, then both — invoking the Cap's charm for the first time and summoning the Winged Monkeys.
- invokes ← Wicked Witch of the West (ended) ch. 12As her last resort the Witch dons the Golden Cap and works its charm, standing on each foot in turn and chanting the magic words to summon the Winged Monkeys for the third and final time.
- bound to ← Winged Monkeys (ended) ch. 14–22The Winged Monkeys are magically bound by Gayelette's ancient charm to obey the owner of the Golden Cap three times. The binding is exercised a second time this chapter — the Monkey King notes 'This is the second time you have called us' — but the summons is wasted 'to no purpose' since they cannot cross the desert, leaving only a single command remaining before the charm is spent.
- uses ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 14Dorothy uses the Golden Cap's charm to call the Winged Monkeys, spending the first of her three commands to have them carry the lost party to the Emerald City.
- invokes ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 22Dorothy puts on the Golden Cap and utters the magic words to invoke its charm for the third and final time, summoning the Winged Monkeys.
- possesses ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 13–23Dorothy owns the Golden Cap she took from the Witch's cupboard. Once ignorant of its power, she now learns from the Queen of the Field Mice that it carries a charm written inside it, and invokes that charm for the first time — spending the first of her three commands to have the Winged Monkeys carry the party to the Emerald City.
- discovers ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 14Told by the Queen of the Mice, Dorothy discovers that her Golden Cap has a charm written inside it, and looks in to find and read the directions for summoning the Winged Monkeys.
- invokes ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 18Dorothy fetches the Golden Cap and speaks its magic words to summon the Winged Monkeys a second time.
- possesses ← Wicked Witch of the West (ended) ch. 12The Wicked Witch keeps in her cupboard a Golden Cap set with diamonds and rubies, whose charm lets its owner call the Winged Monkeys three times; she had already spent two of its uses and now holds only one remaining.
- creates ← Gayelette (ended) ch. 14Gayelette had the Golden Cap made as a wedding present for Quelala, at a cost said to be half her kingdom.
- gives → Quelala (ended) ch. 14The Golden Cap was made as a wedding present for Quelala — said to have cost Gayelette half her kingdom — making him its first owner.
From the text
This Golden Cap had a charm. Whoever owned it could call three times upon the Winged Monkeys, who would obey any order they were given.Chapter 12
There was, in her cupboard, a Golden Cap, with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it.Chapter 12
“Why don’t you use the charm of the Cap, and call the Winged Monkeys to you? They will carry you to the City of Oz in less than an hour.”Chapter 14
See Golden Cap chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →