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The Wicked Witch of the East is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is a crucial character but appears only briefly in Baum's classic children's series of ''Oz'' novels, most notably ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...
'' (1900). The Wicked Witch was a middle-aged, malevolent woman who conquered and tyrannized the
Munchkin Country Munchkin Country or Munchkinland, as it is referred to in the famous MGM musical film version, is the fictional eastern region of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Munchkin Coun ...
in Oz's eastern quadrant, forcing the native
Munchkin A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appear in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in ...
s to slave for her night and day. Her charmed Silver Shoes (famously changed to magic
ruby slippers The ruby slippers are the magic pair of shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Because of their iconic stature, the ruby slippers are among the most valuable items ...
in the 1939 film musical) held many mysterious powers and were her most precious and prized possession. The Witch met her demise when
Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...
's farmhouse landed on her after being swept into the sky by a cyclone. Her old and withered body turned to dust, leaving behind the magical shoes that were passed to Dorothy as their new owner.


The Classic Oz Books

The Wicked Witch of the East was believed to be more powerful than the Good Witch of the North, but not as powerful as
Glinda Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Coun ...
, the Good Witch of the South. She also appeared to be more powerful than
Mombi Mombi is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's classic children's series of Oz Books. She is the most significant antagonist in the second Oz book ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (1904), and is alluded to in other works. Mombi plays a very impor ...
, the Wicked Witch of the North, as the Good Witch of the North was able to defeat Mombi, but was powerless to overthrow the witch of the east and free the Munchkins. She was not in any way related to the
Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
(as is made out to be in several adaptions) but was in league together with her, the Wicked Witch of the North, and the
Wicked Witch of the South This is a list of characters in the original Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. The majority of characters listed here unless noted otherwise have appeared in multiple books under various plotlines. ''Land of Oz, Oz'' is made up of four ...
, to conquer and divide Oz among themselves in four sections as recounted in Baum's fourth Oz book, '' Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz'' (1908). After the fall of
Pastoria King Pastoria is a fictional character mentioned in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. He was the rightful ruler and King of the undiscovered Land of Oz, but was mysteriously removed from his position when the Wizard of Oz unexpect ...
, the last mortal King of Oz, the old witch conquered the eastern section of Oz and held the native Munchkins in her bondage for a number of decades. She had lived in a rather humble dwelling deep within the woods in a cottage located somewhere in Oz's eastern quadrant called
Munchkin Country Munchkin Country or Munchkinland, as it is referred to in the famous MGM musical film version, is the fictional eastern region of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Munchkin Coun ...
. She was bribed by an old woman who owned a beautiful Munchkin maid Nimmie Amee, who worked for her as a full-time servant, and happened to fall deeply in love with a local woodsman by the name of Nick Chopper. The woman gave her two sheep and a cow if the witch promised to prevent Nimmie Amee from marrying Nick and in leaving the old woman, the Wicked Witch of the East resolved to enchant Nick Chopper's ax. The curse cast upon it tragically caused him to eventually turn into the
Tin Woodman Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman, also known as the Tin Man or—mistakenly—the "Tin Woodsman," is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book '' ...
when he hacked all his own limbs off one by one, replacing the parts that were amputated with a hollow tin one, until he was all made of tin from his head to his feet. Once a man of tin with no human heart, Nick Chopper believed he no longer had the proper emotions that were required to love Nimmie Amee — much to the Wicked Witch's satisfaction. A year later, it was while the witch was out in the Munchkin meadows looking for herbs and spices to cast yet another one of her wicked spells, that Dorothy's falling farmhouse unexpectedly descended from the atmosphere and accidentally crushed her to death after it was released by a cyclone from
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
: :"''Who was she?" asked Dorothy. "She was the Wicked Witch of the East, as I said," answered the little woman. "She has held all the Munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. Now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favor.''" She had helped certain Munchkins (such as Nimmie Amee's original mistress and the tinsmith Ku-Klip) with her
witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...
, under certain circumstances (usually at a reasonable cost). Among her exceedingly cruel actions was not just the enchantment of the woodman Nick Chopper's ax, but also Captain Fyter's sword, which caused him to turn into the Tin Soldier.


Adaptations

In most adaptations and references to the Wicked Witch of the East, it is usually in her famous appearance, under a house, with only her feet exposed. Notable recent exceptions are ABC's 2005 television film ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' and Disney's 2013 theatrical film ''Oz the Great and Powerful''. * The Wicked Witch of the East was featured in the film '' The Wizard of Oz'' (1939), in which she is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West. As in the book, she is killed when Dorothy's house falls on her. The Wicked Witch of the West was not pleased with Dorothy for the death of her sister. Before the Wicked Witch of the West can claim the magic footwear, the Wicked Witch of the East's stockinged feet curl up into stumps with striped socks, and they disappear under the house and the shoes are transposed to Dorothy's feet. In the original book, the Wicked Witch of the West showed no remorse for the death of her counterpart in the East, nor was she noted to be related to her in any way. She was only interested in the magic footwear ( Silver Shoes in the book;
Ruby slippers The ruby slippers are the magic pair of shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film '' The Wizard of Oz''. Because of their iconic stature, the ruby slippers are among the most valuable items ...
in the 1939 film). * In Alexander Melentyevich Volkov's '' The Wizard of the Emerald City'', The Witch's name is Gingema. Like in the 1939 movie, the two Wicked Witches are sisters. In Magic Land, she is summoning a magical hurricane to destroy all humanity. However, the Good Witch of the North learns of her schemes and changes the spell to only affect one house and drop it on Gingema's head. Unlike in Baum's books, while being the formal ruler of the Munchkins, she interfered little in their lives, and only demanded that people collect food for her. Since her food was snakes, leeches, spiders, and other similarly disgusting creatures that the Munchkins were afraid of, that was nevertheless a heavy burden for them. The name Gingema was also used for the Wicked Witch of the East in March Laumer's novel ''Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Oz''. * In the 1974
Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
''
The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...
'' and its film version (1978), the Wicked Witch of the East is named Evvamene ("Ever mean") and terrorizes the Munchkins before Dorothy's adventure in Oz begins. * In ''
Mad Mad Mad Monsters ''Mad Mad Mad Monsters'' is a 1972 traditional animated comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in the United States and animated overseas by Mushi Production in Japan. The special aired on September 23, 1972 as an episode of ''The ABC Sat ...
'', it was mentioned by the bellhop Norman to
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...
and Claude the Invisible Man that he heard a rumor that the Wicked Witch of the East would come out of the cake for the Monster's bachelor party at midnight. This actually happens at midnight as the Wicked Witch of the East (vocal effects provided by Rhoda Mann) emerges and flies around on her broomstick. * In the novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', by author
Gregory Maguire Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', '' Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many ...
, and in the hit musical version, the Wicked Witch of the East is portrayed as a beautiful but physically disabled young woman called Nessarose Thropp; Nessa is the sister of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, whose paralysis is caused by her father's attempt to make her mother eat milkflowers (in the play) or the mother herself taking a special medicine she acquired (in the novel) to ensure that her second child would not be born with Elphaba's green skin. The silver shoes, originally a gift from their father, were enchanted by Elphaba to allow Nessarose to walk without assistance (in the novel, she is born without arms, affecting her balance; in the musical, in her premature birth caused by the milkflowers, her legs came out "all tangled", leaving them permanently paralyzed.) * In the novel ''
The Unknown Witches of Oz ''The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts'' is a 2000 novel written by Dave Hardenbrook, with illustrations by Kerry Rouleau. The publication of ''The Unknown Witches of Oz'' was timed to coincide with the centennial of the orig ...
'', the Wicked Witch of the East is named Old Sand-Eye. * In Roger S. Baum's '' Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage'', the Wicked Witch of the East is the main antagonist. She forces the Cowardly Lion, who has just arrived in Oz, to search for the magical Flower Of Oz, which is the only thing preventing her from taking over Oz completely. She is once again the sister of the
Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
and becomes infuriated whenever she is- frequently- mistaken for her sister. She is depicted as a green-skinned hag with brown hair and a black cloak. However, she does not possess the silver shoes or ruby slippers, but she does control the Winged Monkeys. The book was adapted into the 2000 animated film '' Lion of Oz''. In the movie Lion of Oz she was voiced by
Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. B ...
. * In 2007,
Turner Entertainment Turner Entertainment Company is an American multimedia company founded by Ted Turner in 1986. Purchased by Time Warner in 1996 as part of its acquisition of Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), the company was largely responsible for overseeing th ...
collaborated with Madame Alexander to create a series of
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
Happy Meal A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley fac ...
toys centered on the main characters from the 1939 movie, one of which was the Wicked Witch of the East. She is depicted as having blonde hair, a red shirt with a green belt and a burgundy dress over her distinguishable striped stockings and ruby slippers. She also is wearing a hat similar to the
Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
's, although it's colored red. * In ''
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. It is the second film to be made for television in ''The Muppets'' franchise. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, Davi ...
'', the Wicked Witch of the East is played by
Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is one of the Muppet characters known for her breakout role in Jim Henson's ''The Muppet Show''. Since her debut in 1976, Miss Piggy has been notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, tendency to use French phrases i ...
(as are all of the other witches). She manages to lift the house long enough to threaten the Munchkins before it falls back on top of her, killing her this time. Her silver shoes are then confiscated by the Good Witch of the North for Dorothy's use. Miss Piggy's other role is herself. Prior to Dorothy's journey, she appears with Kermit and tries to get rid of Dorothy. After Dorothy's return, she returns for the Muppets' show. * The Wicked Witch of the East was featured in ''
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz ''Dorothy and the Witches of Oz'' is a 2012 film directed by Leigh Scott, based on the early 20th century novels ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', ''Ozma of Oz'', ''The Road to Oz'' and ''The Magic of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Paulie Red ...
'' played by Sarah Lieving. Dressed in a red and black dress with a red pointed hat, her skin is less green then her sister’s but with battle scars all over and her eyes are pitch black. Her magic item being a fire staff, she was in the middle of a battle between Glinda and the Good Witch of the North until Dorothy's house fell on her and her last word after seeing the house coming was (Oh Dear). The Wicked Witch of the West still blames Dorothy for her sister's death. * The Witch is mentioned but not seen alive in a little-known British TV version of "The Wizard of OZ" from 1995 starring Denise van Outen, which has her obtaining the Ruby Slippers when they fell off the feet of a visitor from over the rainbow (
Zöe Salmon Zoe Salmon is a Northern Irish television presenter who hosted the children's television programme ''Blue Peter'' from 23 December 2004 to 25 June 2008. She also appeared on ''Dancing on Ice'' in early 2009. She was the 1999 Miss Northern Irela ...
in a quick appearance) when she wished herself home, which she then uses to rule over the Munchkins until Dorothy's arrival causes her untimely demise. * In the 2013 Disney film '' Oz the Great and Powerful'', the Wicked Witch of the East, named Evanora, is the main antagonist. She is portrayed by
Rachel Weisz Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award. Weisz began acting in British stage and television in the ...
. In this version, the Witch is the older sister of Theodora, the
Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
(
Mila Kunis Milena Markovna "Mila" Kunis (born August 14, 1983) is an American actress. Born in Chernivtsi and raised in Los Angeles, she began playing Jackie Burkhart on the Fox television series ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) at the age of 14. Since ...
), and is at war with Glinda, the
Good Witch of the South Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Cou ...
( Michelle Williams) for control of Oz. She originally portrays herself as a Good Witch, and had been an adviser to the former king of Oz, whom she murdered, so that she could be in charge of the
Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...
herself. Evanora deceived Oscar Diggs by framing the King's daughter Glinda for the murder and telling him that Glinda is the Wicked Witch instead of herself, which resulted in Glinda being outlawed from the Emerald City and retreating to the South. Evanora manipulates her sister, who is in love with Oscar Diggs (
James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...
), and ends up transforming Theodora into the Wicked Witch (of the West, eventually). Evanora is later fooled and scared by Oscar's illusion tricks and banished from the
Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...
. Before she flees, Evanora encounters Glinda in the throne room and the two witches fight each other in a climatic magic duel. Evanora seems to have an upper hand, but Glinda then crushes Evanora's emerald necklace, the source of her power, and the Wicked Witch's youthful and beautiful appearance quickly turns into that of a hideous old crone, which Glinda believes is a reflection of her true nature. Furious, Evanora tries to attack Glinda, but she is blasted out of the throne room window by Glinda wielding her magic wand. Evanora is then carried away by two of her last surviving flying baboons, but not before swearing a personal revenge on Glinda for foiling her. The emerald necklace that Evanora wears enables her to project her power from her very fingertips in a form that resembles green lightning. The magic shoes that the Witch would ultimately become associated with are not seen or even discussed in this film, nor does she officially become the Wicked Witch of the East during the story, which ends with the Wizard taking over the Emerald City. This is one of the significant differences from L. Frank Baum's original books, in which the Wicked Witches of the East and West were already ruling the Munchkin Country and the Winkie Country by the time the Wizard first arrived in Oz. * In the comic book series ''
Oz Squad ''Oz Squad'' is a comic book series using characters and setting from L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz series, "updated for a more adult audience". It was created and written by Steve Ahlquist. The premise is that Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woo ...
'', the Wicked Witch of the East is called Rebecca Eastwitch. * In the comic book series ''Grimm Fairy Tales presents Oz'', the Wicked Witch of the East is named Zinna. * In the graphic novel adaptation of ''How the Wizard Came to Oz'', the Wicked Witch of the East is named Malvonia. * In the TV series '' Once Upon a Time'', there is a Witch of the East (portrayed by Sharon Taylor), but she is not evil and Dorothy's house does not fall on her. The Witches in this series are a benign sisterhood who watch over Oz, but they are eventually overthrown by Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West (portrayed by Rebecca Mader) who was unable to control her jealousy of Dorothy. In this version, the sister of the Wicked Witch of the West is the Evil Queen from the story of Snow White. * In the TV series ''
Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of the L ...
'', the Witch of the East (portrayed by Florence Kasumba) appears as a guest star. In this version, she was one of the last cardinal witches of Oz, known as the Witch of the East "the Mistress of the Eastern Wood, the Most Merciful and Stern". When Dorothy (
Adria Arjona Adria Arjona Torres (born April 25, 1992) is an actress based in the United States. She played Dorothy Gale in the Oz book adaptation '' Emerald City'' (2017), Anathema Device in the TV adaptation of ''Good Omens'' (2019), and Bix Caleen in '' ...
) arrives in Oz, she initially believes that she has killed the Witch of the East when the police car she was in during the initial tornado hit the Witch, but it is later revealed that the Witch survived this incident. She goes on to confront Dorothy and her new companion Lucas, refusing to accept Dorothy's explanation that her appearance was an accident. Faced with the prospect of torture until she gives the Witch the answer she wants despite the fact that she is already telling the truth, Dorothy uses the Witch's current examination of a gun taken from the police car to trick her into pointing the gun at herself and pulling the trigger, blowing a hole through her head. After the witch's death, Dorothy inherits her ruby-encrusted golden gloves, which give her potential access to the Witch's raw magical power even if she lacks control of it. The season finale states that only witches can kill witches, as the Wizard creates new guns to kill the remaining lower-ranking witches and they simply come back to life, but it appears likely that the Witch of the East remains dead as she technically killed herself. * The Wicked Witch of the East appears in '' Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library'' voiced by Breanna Watkins. * In the 2021 novel ''Oscar Diggs, The Wizard of Oz'', the Witch of the East is named Evanora Nessarose Thropp, a combination of the names from '' Oz the Great and Powerful'' and ''
Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...
''.


References

{{Oz Female characters in film Female literary villains Female film villains Literary characters introduced in 1900 Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities Fictional characters without a name Fictional dictators Fictional slave owners Oz (franchise) witches