Magic practitioner in The Oz Series
Wicked Witch of the East
Also known as the Wicked Witch of the East, the dead Witch.
The wicked witch who ruled the eastern land of the Munchkins and held them in bondage for years. Bribed by a lazy old woman, she enchanted a wood-chopper's axe so that it slipped again and again, severing his legs, arms, head, and finally his body until he was rebuilt in tin and left heartless — a cruel scheme to prevent his marriage. She was crushed to death when Dorothy's house fell on her, her aged body drying up in the sun and leaving only her silver shoes.
Appears in 6 chapters, first in chapter 2, last in chapter 83.
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 | The former wicked ruler of the Munchkins of the eastern land of Oz. (as of ch. 3) |
| Age | Very old. (as of ch. 2) |
| Appearance | Very old; her feet were shod in pointed silver shoes, and being so old she dried up quickly in the sun after death. (as of ch. 2) |
| Being nature | A wicked witch of the eastern Munchkin land capable of laying harmful enchantments on objects. |
| Conflict | As the Tin Woodman's enemy, she was determined to stop his marriage, escalating from maiming him to destroying his ability to love at all. (as of ch. 5) |
| Equipment | The pointed silver shoes she wore and was proud of, which carry some secret charm no one living knows — the only things of her to survive her death. (as of ch. 2) |
| Gender identity | woman (as of ch. 2) |
| Health condition | Dead: crushed under the corner beam of Dorothy's falling house, and so old that her body dried up quickly in the sun, leaving nothing but the silver shoes. (as of ch. 2) |
| Is alive | no (as of ch. 11) |
| Magic alignment | Wicked — one of the two wicked witches of Oz, ruling the East. |
| Magic tradition | A wicked witch, one of the two evil witches of Oz (East and West). |
| Magical domain | Curse-enchantment of objects and binding of peoples: she enchanted the wood-chopper's axe to betray its wielder stroke by stroke, and held all the Munchkins in bondage, making them slave for her night and day. |
| Motive | Bribed by a lazy old woman with two sheep and a cow, she acted to prevent the Tin Woodman from marrying the Munchkin girl the old woman wanted kept as a servant. (as of ch. 5) |
| Personality | Cruel and vindictive, escalating her malice: she repeatedly enchanted the woodman's axe to maim him and then to destroy his very capacity to love. (as of ch. 5) |
| Power tier | A ruling witch-tier power, stronger than the good Witch of the North — who admits she could not have freed the Munchkins herself — though far beneath Oz, who exceeds all the witches together. |
| Quirks | Proud of her pointed silver shoes — vanity conspicuous enough for the Munchkins to remark on it after her death. (as of ch. 2) |
| Referential profile | feminine (as of ch. 2) |
| Sex profile | female (as of ch. 2) |
| Skills | Skilled in curse-enchantment: she bewitched an axe so it would slip again and again, severing the wielder's legs, arms, head, and finally his body. (as of ch. 5) |
| Social status | The ruling wicked witch of the eastern land, powerful enough to enslave the Munchkins. (as of ch. 2) |
| Special capabilities | Able to work harmful enchantments on objects, bewitching an axe so that it repeatedly slipped and cut its own wielder. |
| Status | Dead; crushed by the falling house and dried up in the sun. (as of ch. 2) |
Relationships
- kills ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 2Dorothy's cyclone-borne house comes down on the Wicked Witch of the East, crushing and killing her; Dorothy killed her only unwittingly, through the falling house.
- kills ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 11Dorothy recounts to Oz that she killed the Wicked Witch of the East when her house fell on the witch; this earlier deed is invoked as proof of her strength and as the reason she now wears the silver shoes.
- injures → Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 5By enchanting the Tin Woodman's axe, the Wicked Witch of the East made it repeatedly slip and sever his legs, arms, head, and finally his whole body — a total, dismembering harm that left him rebuilt in tin and heartless.
- enslaves → Munchkins (ended) ch. 2The Wicked Witch of the East held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, forcing them to slave for her night and day, until her death freed them.
- rules → Land of the Munchkins (ended) ch. 2The Wicked Witch of the East ruled the eastern land of the Munchkins until Dorothy's house killed her.
- fears ← Oz (ended) ch. 15Oz feared both wicked witches of the East and West, who could really do wonderful things; he was overjoyed when Dorothy's house fell on the Witch of the East.
- possesses → Silver Shoes (ended) ch. 2The Wicked Witch of the East owned and was proud of the silver shoes, worn on her feet until her death, after which they pass to Dorothy.
From the text
“She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day.”Chapter 2
I little knew how cruel my enemy could be.Chapter 5
See Wicked Witch of the East chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →