Talking animal in The Oz Series
leader of the Winged Monkeys
Also known as their leader, The leader of the Winged Monkeys, One, much bigger than the others, the Monkey King, the King of the Monkeys.
The leader of the Winged Monkeys, one much bigger than the others, with long hairy arms and an ugly grinning face. Summoned by the Golden Cap's charm, he obeys whoever owns the Cap: earlier he answered the Witch's third command, but now he answers Dorothy's, bowing low to her and carrying the whole party gently to the Emerald City in under an hour. A good-humoured storyteller with a 'winged laugh', he passes the flight recounting the origin of the Cap's charm — how his grandfather, the joke-loving King of the Winged Monkeys, ducked the bridegroom Quelala in a river and so brought the sorceress Gayelette's binding-curse upon the band.
Appears in 5 chapters, first in chapter 12, last in chapter 23.
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 | Leader of the Winged Monkeys, bound to obey whoever owns the Golden Cap; in this chapter that owner is Dorothy, whom he and his band now serve. (as of ch. 14) |
| Animal kind | monkey (a Winged Monkey — a monkey with a pair of immense powerful wings). |
| Appearance | Much bigger than the other monkeys, with a pair of immense powerful wings, long hairy arms, and an ugly face that grins terribly. (as of ch. 12) |
| Being nature | A winged monkey with human-level speech and reason, leader of the band of Winged Monkeys bound to the Golden Cap. |
| Conflict | Bound by the Golden Cap to obey its owner, he must nonetheless refuse Dorothy's wish to be carried to Kansas, because the Winged Monkeys belong to this country alone and cannot cross the desert. (as of ch. 18) |
| Current goal | To carry out Dorothy's final command — lifting the party over the Hammer-Heads' hill to the country of the Quadlings — and then to take his leave, the Cap's power now exhausted. (as of ch. 22) |
| Dialogue style | Formal and deferential toward whoever commands the Cap, but also an easy, expansive storyteller: he laughs, offers to pass the journey with a tale, and recounts the Golden Cap's long history at leisure. (as of ch. 14) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 14) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 12) |
| Motive | To fulfill the command bound to the Golden Cap while refusing to violate the Power of Good that protects Dorothy. (as of ch. 12) |
| Personality | Obedient to the Cap's command yet principled; also good-humoured and garrulous, laughing a 'winged laugh' and gladly passing a long journey by telling stories — a trait he traces to his joke-loving grandfather. (as of ch. 14) |
| Quirks | Laughs with a winged laugh and readily passes a long journey by telling stories. (as of ch. 14) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 12) |
| Skills | Flight and carrying passengers gently through the air; his band makes a chair of their hands to bear a rider safely, crossing the whole distance to the Emerald City in under an hour. (as of ch. 14) |
| Social status | Leader of the band of Winged Monkeys. (as of ch. 12) |
| Special capabilities | Flight on immense powerful wings; can seize and carry beings through the air; commands the band of Winged Monkeys. |
| Status | Summoned for the third and final time by Dorothy's Golden Cap; this time he obeys without objection, carrying the four travelers and Toto over the Hammer-Heads' hill into the country of the Quadlings, then bids Dorothy a permanent farewell as the Cap's charm is now spent. (as of ch. 22) |
Relationships
- leader of → Winged Monkeys ch. 12One monkey, much bigger than the others, is the leader of the Winged Monkeys; he speaks for the band to the Witch, directs the others in seizing the party, and forbids them to touch Dorothy.
- protects → Dorothy (ended) ch. 12Seeing the mark of the Good Witch's kiss on Dorothy's forehead, the leader stops short and motions the other monkeys not to touch her, declaring she is protected by the Power of Good, and has her carried gently to the castle unharmed.
- reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 14As they fly, the Monkey King tells Dorothy the long history of why the Winged Monkeys must obey the Golden Cap: the tale of Gayelette, Quelala, his grandfather's prank, and the binding-charm.
- communicates with → Wicked Witch of the West (ended) ch. 12The leader of the Winged Monkeys speaks with the Witch when summoned, noting she has called them for the third and last time and asking her command, then afterward reports that they obeyed as far as able but dared not harm the girl, declaring her power over the band now ended.
- shows respect → Dorothy (ended) ch. 14The Monkey King bows low before Dorothy as the wearer of the Golden Cap, asks her command, and bows low to her again before flying away.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 14Riding beside Dorothy, the Monkey King converses with her, answering her question about the charm and passing the journey by telling her the whole story of the Golden Cap.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 18The Monkey King bows to Dorothy and tells her they cannot fly her to Kansas — the Winged Monkeys belong to this country alone and cannot cross the desert — then departs with his band.
From the text
“We dare not harm this little girl, for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the Power of Evil.”Chapter 12
One, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader.Chapter 12
“That is a long story,” answered the King, with a winged laugh; “but as we have a long journey before us, I will pass the time by telling you about it, if you wish.”Chapter 14
“We belong to this country alone, and cannot leave it. There has never been a Winged Monkey in Kansas yet.”Chapter 18
See leader of the Winged Monkeys chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →