Fairy being in The Oz Series
Polychrome
Also known as Polly, the Rainbow's Daughter, the Daughter of the Rainbow.
Polychrome is a radiant, fairy-like little girl who is the Daughter of the Rainbow; separated from her father's rainbow, she is lost and afraid, but joins Dorothy's group to seek a way home.
Appears in 7 chapters, first in chapter 94, last in chapter 100.
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 | Traveling companion of Dorothy's group, journeying alongside the shaggy man and Button-Bright, dancing ahead of them on the road. (as of ch. 95) |
| Age | Appears to be about the same age as Dorothy, a young girl. (as of ch. 94) |
| Appearance | A small, slender, radiant girl clad in flowing, fluffy cobweb-like robes with soft blended tints of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and white; her hair is like spun gold and flows loose around her, and she has violet eyes and rose-hued cheeks. (as of ch. 94) |
| Being nature | An immortal fairy being, the Daughter of the Rainbow, native to a realm nearer the sun. |
| Body conditions | Susceptible to cold; feels the chill of damp, sunless places like the Scoodlers' cave and must dance about to keep warm. |
| Conflict | She has been separated from her father's rainbow and is stranded far from her home in the sky, unsure how to return. (as of ch. 94) |
| Current goal | To travel with Dorothy's group toward the Emerald City in hopes that Princess Ozma can help her return home to her father. (as of ch. 94) |
| Dialogue style | Speaks in short, earnest, emotionally direct exchanges, alternating anxious questions with simple exclamations. (as of ch. 94) |
| Fairy domain | The sky and the rainbow itself — she dwells near the sun and dances upon the rainbow's rays, her father setting the rainbow across the world; her element is the upper air, not the earth. |
| Gender identity | woman (as of ch. 94) |
| Health condition | Physically unharmed but unaccustomed to earthly cold; being used to living near the sun she at first feared she would freeze on the ground, and dances continually to keep herself warm. (as of ch. 94) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 94) |
| Maturation stage | child |
| Motive | To find her way back home to her father, the Rainbow. (as of ch. 94) |
| Personality | Light-hearted and buoyant by nature, quick to swing from tearful worry back to joyful dancing and laughter. (as of ch. 94) |
| Quirks | Normally dances to keep herself warm and laughs with a sound like the tinkling of a silver bell; but when the road grows too rough and difficult to walk, she ceases her dancing, since the effort of walking itself keeps her warm. (as of ch. 98) |
| Referential profile | feminine (as of ch. 94) |
| Sex profile | female (as of ch. 94) |
| Skills | A graceful, skilled dancer. (as of ch. 94) |
| Social status | Fairy nobility of the sky — the Daughter of the Rainbow, born of a fairy lineage far above the earth, though while lost on the ground she holds no rank or authority among mortals. (as of ch. 94) |
| Special capabilities | Able to dance upon and travel along the rays of her father's rainbow. |
| Status | No longer lost; currently traveling on the road with Dorothy's group toward the Emerald City. (as of ch. 94) |
Relationships
- ally of · Dorothy ch. 94Dorothy meets the lost, weeping Polychrome on the road, comforts her, agrees to be her friend, and invites her to travel with the group to the Emerald City so Ozma can help her get home.
- child of → the Rainbow ch. 94Polychrome introduces herself as the Daughter of the Rainbow, explaining she was left behind on the road when her father lifted his rainbow away without noticing she was still on it.
- member of → road_to_oz_traveling_party ch. 94After being stranded when her father's rainbow lifted away without her, Polychrome agrees to travel along with Dorothy's group, since traveling will help keep her warm while she hopes to be found.
- parent of ← the Rainbow ch. 94The Rainbow is Polychrome's father; she is the Daughter of the Rainbow who slid off his rainbow and was left behind on the road.
- imprisoned by → Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99[CASCADE] Created by CAPTURES(scoodlers→polychrome)
- captures ← Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99The Scoodlers surround Polychrome along with her companions and lead her, as their captive, into the cave and before the Queen.
- rescues ← the Shaggy Man (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man directs Polychrome to flee for the cave entrance during the escape and then single-handedly holds off the pursuing Scoodlers so she can get away safely.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 94Dorothy asks the crying, dancing stranger why she is unhappy and who she is, learning her name is Polychrome, the Daughter of the Rainbow, and that she is lost.
- persuades ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 94Dorothy persuades the frightened, lost Polychrome to travel with the group by assuring her that Princess Ozma at the Emerald City will know how to send her home, prompting Polychrome to agree to come along.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 94Polychrome explains to Dorothy that she is lost, gives her name and parentage as the Rainbow's Daughter, and describes how she slipped off her father's rainbow and was left behind.
- communicates with ← the Shaggy Man (ended) ch. 94The shaggy man asks Polychrome how the Rainbow's Daughter came to be lost on the lonely road, and later cheerfully invites her to come along with the group.
- communicates with → Allegro da Capo (ended) ch. 97Polychrome remarks that the musicker's playing is pretty and, hearing his sung riddle-verse, admits she doesn't quite understand it.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 100Dorothy asks Polychrome whether she knows any magic that could help them cross the desert, and Polychrome explains that those who live among the rainbow's clouds have no use for magic.
- deceives → Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99Acting on the shaggy man's whispered plan, Polychrome dances near the guarding Scoodler and slaps his face before whirling away, provoking him into throwing his head so the shaggy man can catch it and disable him.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 96Dorothy asks Polychrome for her opinion on whether to promise King Kik-a-bray an invitation to Ozma's birthday party, and Polychrome tells her to do as she pleases, noting he might amuse the guests.
- gives ← the Shaggy Man (ended) ch. 98Shaggy Man gives Polychrome her share of the divided apples, though she is satisfied with only a small bite of hers.
- communicates with → the Shaggy Man (ended) ch. 96Polychrome asks the shaggy man to stop saying 'hee-haw' because it gives her cold chills, and he apologizes, explaining his new donkey head makes him want to bray continually.
From the text
Polychrome. I'm the Daughter of the Rainbow.Chapter 94
A little girl, radiant and beautiful, shapely as a fairy and exquisitely dressed, was dancing gracefully in the middle of the lonely road, whirling slowly this way and that, her dainty feet twinkling in sprightly fashion.Chapter 94
who was flitting about the room like a sunbeam because she could never keep stillChapter 96
Polly was already dancing along the road, far in advance, and the others turned to follow her.Chapter 97
"How curious," said Polychrome; "and how loose their heads seem to be! Are they friendly to us, do you think?"Chapter 98
"I wish father would come for me," sighed the pretty Rainbow's Daughter, "I would take you all to live upon the rainbow, where you could dance along its rays from morning till night, without a care or worry of any sort. But I suppose father's too busy just now to search the world for me."Chapter 100
See Polychrome chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →