Object in The Oz Series

green spectacles

Also known as locked spectacles with green glasses, their spectacles, a pair of green spectacles.

Green-glassed spectacles that Oz orders locked onto everyone entering or living in the Emerald City. They are no magical emerald-glass but an ordinary trick: because everything seen through green glass looks green, the plain city appears to be built of emeralds, and long habit convinces the people it truly is.

Appears in 6 chapters, first in chapter 10, last in chapter 30.

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	Spectacles of every size and shape, all fitted with green glasses; each pair has two golden bands that pass around the back of the wearer's head and lock together with a little key. (as of ch. 10)
Charm uses remaining	0
Enchantments	No real enchantment: they are plain green glasses. Because everything looks green when seen through green glass, the locked spectacles merely make the ordinary city appear to be built of emeralds — a trick, not magic.
Object type	Artifact
Properties	Green-glassed lenses that tint everything the wearer sees; locked on with golden bands by a little key held only by the Guardian of the Gates, so the wearer cannot take them off; said to protect the wearer from being blinded by the brightness and glory of the Emerald City. (as of ch. 10)

Relationships

possesses ← Jack Pumpkinhead ch. 30
Jack Pumpkinhead is fitted with a pair of green spectacles, tied on over his great round eyes because no stock pair could cover them.
possesses ← Guardian of the Gates ch. 10
The Guardian keeps a large green box filled with green-glassed spectacles of every size and shape, from which he fits pairs for all who enter the Emerald City.
wields ← Guardian of the Gates ch. 10
Before leading the party into the City, the Guardian puts on his own green glasses, wearing them like all who dwell in the Emerald City.
possesses ← Saw-Horse ch. 30
A pair of green spectacles is quickly fastened over the Saw-Horse's bulging wooden knots that serve it for eyes, at its own request.
acquires resource ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 10
At the Emerald City gate the Guardian of the Gates fits the Cowardly Lion with a pair of green-glassed spectacles and locks them on with his key, as Oz's decree requires of everyone entering the City.
acquires resource ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 10
At the Emerald City gate the Guardian of the Gates fits Dorothy with a pair of green-glassed spectacles and locks them on with his key, as Oz's decree requires of everyone entering the City; her companions and Toto are fitted likewise.
acquires resource ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 10
At the Emerald City gate the Guardian of the Gates fits the Scarecrow with a pair of green-glassed spectacles and locks them on with his key, as Oz's decree requires of everyone entering the City.
acquires resource ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 10
At the Emerald City gate the Guardian of the Gates fits the Tin Woodman with a pair of green-glassed spectacles and locks them on with his key, as Oz's decree requires of everyone entering the City.
acquires resource ← Toto (ended) ch. 10
At the Emerald City gate the Guardian of the Gates fits Toto with a pair of green-glassed spectacles and locks them on with his key, as Oz's decree requires of everyone entering the City.
wields ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 10–12
The Guardian fits green spectacles on the Cowardly Lion and locks them fast with the key before the party enters the Emerald City.
wields ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 10–12
The Guardian finds a pair of green spectacles that just fits Dorothy and locks them over her eyes with golden bands and a little key, so she now wears them and cannot take them off.
creates ← Oz (ended) ch. 15
To make the Emerald City name fit, Oz put green spectacles on all the people so that everything they saw would look green.
used against ← Oz (ended) ch. 15
Oz used the locked green spectacles against his own people's perception, making the ordinary city look like a city of emeralds so long that most believe it truly is.
wields ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 10–12
The Guardian fits green spectacles on the Scarecrow and locks them fast with the key before the party enters the Emerald City.
wields ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 10–12
The Guardian fits green spectacles on the Tin Woodman and locks them fast with the key before the party enters the Emerald City.
wields ← Toto (ended) ch. 10–12
Even little Toto is fitted with green spectacles, which are locked fast on him with the Guardian's key before entering the Emerald City.
uses ← Guardian of the Gates (ended) ch. 12
As the party leaves the Emerald City, the Guardian of the Gates unlocks their green spectacles and puts them back in his great box before opening the gate for them.
uses ← Guardian of the Gates (ended) ch. 15
As before, the Guardian takes the spectacles from the great box and locks a pair over the eyes of each traveler before letting them into the Emerald City.

From the text

There were two golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain the Guardian of the Gates wore around his neck.Chapter 10

He opened the big box, and Dorothy saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. All of them had green glasses in them.Chapter 10

“No more than in any other city,” replied Oz; “but when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you.”Chapter 15

See green spectacles chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →

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