Magic practitioner in The Oz Series
Gwig
Also known as the thorny Sorcerer, the thorn-covered man, Old Prickly, the two halves of the Sorcerer, the veg'table Sorcerer.
A bald, thorn-covered sorcerer of the Land of the Mangaboos who sits upon a glass throne, speaks with cold, cruel eyes, and claims his sorcery never errs.
Appears in 4 chapters, first in chapter 72, last in chapter 78.
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
| Affiliation | Court Sorcerer of the Mangaboos, serving under the Prince (man with the star) (as of ch. 72) |
| Appearance | Bald head and face, thorns covering his bald head, face, and the backs of his hands, with a thorn even on the tip of his nose; wears bright yellow clothing; has a vegetable body (no bones or blood, resembling a sliced turnip or potato inside). (as of ch. 72) |
| Being nature | A vegetable being of the Mangaboo race, grown from a bush, with no bones or blood inside. |
| Conflict | Rivalry with the Wizard of Oz over whose magic is superior, escalating to Gwig attempting to kill the Wizard by stopping his breath. (as of ch. 72) |
| Current goal | To defeat the Wizard in a contest of magical power by stopping his breath and killing him. (as of ch. 72) |
| Dialogue style | Speaks sternly and boastfully, issuing curt commands and confident, taunting claims of infallibility, e.g. 'I am never wrong' and 'Let me see you equal the sorcery I am about to perform.' (as of ch. 72) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 72) |
| Health condition | Vegetable being with no bones or blood; killed instantly when cut in two by the Wizard's sword (as of ch. 72) |
| Is alive | no (as of ch. 72) |
| Motive | To prove and defend his superiority and infallibility as a sorcerer, especially when challenged by the Wizard. (as of ch. 72) |
| Personality | Cold, cruel, arrogant, and stubbornly self-assured, insisting he is never wrong even when confronted with contrary evidence. (as of ch. 72) |
| Quirks | Performs an unimpressive show of invisible tinkling bells as his standard proof of sorcery (as of ch. 72) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 72) |
| Sex profile | nonbiological (as of ch. 73) |
| Skills | Sorcery: conjuring phantom music (invisible bells) and casting a breath-stopping curse on an opponent (as of ch. 72) |
| Social status | Official Sorcerer of the Mangaboo people, seated on a glass throne of state (as of ch. 72) |
| Special capabilities | Performs sorcery such as conjuring the sound of tinkling bells from nowhere and casting a spell to stop a person's breath. |
| Status | Killed by the Wizard's sword, his two halves buried and watered in the public gardens' planting-ground; the Prince expects him to sprout soon into a bush bearing several new sorcerers. (as of ch. 73) |
Relationships
- species of → Mangaboos ch. 72Gwig is a Mangaboo, a vegetable being like the rest of his people, confirmed when the Wizard cuts him open and finds no bones or blood, only a turnip-like interior.
- kills ← Oz (ended) ch. 72Oz assembled a sword from knives in his pocket and cut Gwig's vegetable body exactly in two, killing him before Gwig's breath-stopping charm could finish taking effect.
- threatens → Oz (ended) ch. 72Gwig threatens to stop Oz's breath with sorcery, claiming it will kill him within about five minutes.
- used against → Oz (ended) ch. 72Gwig used his breath-stopping sorcery charm against Oz, making it hard for him to breathe until Oz cut him down first.
- accuses → Dorothy (ended) ch. 72Gwig, the Sorcerer, accuses Dorothy and her companions of wickedly and viciously causing the Rain of Stones that damaged the Mangaboos' city.
- rival of · Oz (ended) ch. 72Oz and Gwig compete in a contest of magic before the Prince, trading tricks and threats until Oz kills Gwig with a sword to settle who is the greater magic-worker.
- defeats ← Oz (ended) ch. 72Oz defeats Gwig in their magic contest, first outperforming him with the piglet trick and then killing him with a sword before the Sorcerer's breath-stopping charm could take full effect.
- confronts ← the man with the star (ended) ch. 72The Prince confronts Gwig over his failed prediction that there would be no second Rain of Stones, questioning the value of his sorcery.
- accuses → underground_traveling_party (ended) ch. 72The thorny Sorcerer Gwig interrogates the newly-arrived fellowship, accusing them of wickedly sending the Rain of Stones that cracked and broke the Mangaboo houses and demanding they prove their innocence.
- accuses → Zeb (ended) ch. 72Gwig accuses the group, including Zeb, of wickedly and viciously causing the Rain of Stones that damaged the Mangaboos' houses.
- confronts ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 72Dorothy pushes back against Gwig's accusation, denying responsibility for the Rain of Stones and telling him he should have known it was an earthquake.
- plants ← Mangaboos (ended) ch. 73Mangaboo attendants dig a hole in the planting-ground, bury the two halves of the slain Sorcerer Gwig, and water the earth so he will sprout into a bush from which future sorcerers can be picked.
- provides service → the man with the star (ended) ch. 72Gwig serves the Prince as the Mangaboos' official Sorcerer, using his sorcery to answer the Prince's questions about the Rain of Stones and future events.
- commands ← the man with the star (ended) ch. 72The Prince summons Gwig to appear before him and the newcomers, calling him forth to answer for his sorcery.
From the text
My name is Gwig," said the Sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival.Chapter 72