The King of Beasts

Francis Barlow, Aesop's Fables 1687

Animals and beasts of various form dance within the pages of folklore and mythology, they step in when heroes are in need, providing aid and companionship. In tales of adventure and discovery it is not uncommon for animal creatures to have a certain role among men. As men have their leaders and Kings, animals have the Lion and he is called the King of Beasts.

Una and the Lion, Briton Riviére 1880

The symbol of the lion appears in nearly every culture, spanning almost every continent. He stands guard protecting temples in Ancient China. He establishes the body structure for the sphinx in Ancient Egypt. The Babylonian goddess Ishtar drove a chariot pulled by seven lions.

Hercules Fight with the Nemean Lion, Pieter Paul Rubens

One of the greatest Greek myths involves a creature called the Nemean Lion. It was a dark creature who boasted powerful golden fur which was impenetrable to human weapons. Nemean comes from Nemea an ancient site in Greece that the beast was said to have terrorized. He was defeated by Hercules son of Zeus with his bare hands. It was there after than Hercules was recruited to destroy the Lernaean Hydra (,an ancient water serpent who had many heads. Each time one was taken it would be replaced by two). The Nemean Lion is represented by our very own constellation Leo, and one of the key points of the Zodiac.

Leo with leo Minor, Urania's Mirror Cards 1825

Aesop, perhaps one of the the most famous Greek storytellers born in 620 BCE, wrote many morality tales that elevated the lion's position as the King of Beasts. Among the most famous were The Lion's Share and The Lion and the Mouse.  The Lion's Share is a cautionary tale that expresses that mighty relationships are seldom trustworthy. In this short tale a goat, a cow and a sheep go hunting together with a lion who deceives them upon catching prey and dividing the prize. "I take the first portion because of my title, since I am addressed as king; the second portion you will assign to me, since I’m your partner; then because I am the stronger, the third will follow me; and an accident will happen to anyone who touches the fourth". ---Aesop's Fables

Aunt Louisa's Oft Told Tales, New York 1870's

In the Lion and the Mouse, perhaps the most beloved of Aesop's tales, a lion discovers a tiny mouse in his den, seizes and threatens him. The mouse asks for forgiveness and expresses that such a creature as he would be considered unworthy prey for a lion. The lion then sets the mouse free. Later the lion is caught up within a hunters net. Hearing the great beast roar the mouse returns and remembering the lion's compassion he gnaws through the ropes to help set him free. The moral of the story is that mercy, compassion and assistance can come from the most unexpected, and no one is so small that they cannot help remedy another. 

Queen of the Field Mice, W. W. Denslow 1900

This tale surely inspired L. Frank Baum in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy and her companions are traveling to the Emerald City to seek the famous Wizard they decide to take a shortcut through a beautiful scarlet meadow of poppies. Unaware of the deadly poison within the flowers Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and Toto fall into a deep slumber. The Tin Man and the Scarecrow, because they are not flesh and blood, remain unharmed. Dorothy and Toto were small enough to be carried to safety but the Lion, described as being large as a horse, was much to big. The companions are eventually aided by a small mouse who reveals that she is Queen of the field mice. The mice who live in a nearby underground kingdom decide to help. The queen summons her mice to bring ropes while the Tin Man agrees to build a cart that the Lion could be hoisted upon. The Lion is then saved when the mice pull him to safety.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, W.W. Denslow 1900

Early Slavic chroniclers told tales of animals in a time before man and like the Greek gave origin to the design of beasts. One of the most famous tales sees a great lion who was called the Lion Tsar in a world where animals spoke like men. He is known for bestowing tails to all creatures in likeness of his own. 'According to the ancient tales, this was the way of life not only in human society but also in the realm of the animals. The beasts and birds had their hierarchies and social classes, their laws and customs, their manners and mores, all of which disappeared from the face of the earth when the new two-legged species established its hegemony. But before that conquest was complete, the lion presided as the king of the beasts. Slavic chroniclers said that a great lion ruled as Tsar of Russia in the days before humans. His vassals and courtiers were lesser creatures that bowed low before his wise brow, his awe-inspiring voice and his bone-cracking jaws. From the lattice-roofed throne room of his elegantly furnished summer residence to the tapestry-clad chambers of his Winter Palace, the lion lived in splendor worthy of his magnificence.' ---The Book of Beginnings, Time-Life Books 1986 

Dictionary Art Print, Pinterest

Aesop's Greek fables of the lion were inspired by a book titled: Physiologus, a book dating back to the 2nd Century AD. This book is notably one of the first to give moral character to animals, fantastic beasts and even plant-life. It is the predecessor of all bestiaries (a book detailing various creatures). In it animals are described anecdotally, symbolically and morally. An allegorical story in the Physiologus tells of cubs who were born dead and brought back to life by the lion's breath. This is among the first books to detail the mighty Phoenix rising from it's own ashes, and the Unicorn who can only lay upon the lap of a true Virgin. Some of the most well regarded bestiaries come from Medieval Europe, and there the lion journeys into further allegory but most significantly to the sun and seasons. 

Panther, Bern Physiologus, 9th Century 

'In older times, said scholars, forests rang with battles between the Lion and the Unicorn. They fought for dominion over the wilderness, and the outcome was believed to follow a seasonal pattern. In the spring, the unicorn's power was greater, but as summer approached, the lion won suzerainty. Then the unicorn retreated, biding it's time until the next spring, when warm breezes renewed it's strength and called it forth to reclaim the land.' ---Magical Beasts, Time-Life Books 1986    

Stardust, Charles Vess 1999

The Christian Bible documents the presence of lions most notably in The Book of Daniel (Chapter 6). In this book we learn about Daniel, who is cast into a den of lions and miraculously survives. A lesser known tale accounts of Samson (of Samson and Delilah), who like Hercules of Greek legend, kills a lion with his bare hands.  The Lion remains the symbol of the Kingdom of Judah where the capital Jerusalem is, it is emblazoned upon their flag as well as their coat of arms. "Judah is a lion's whelp; On prey, my son have you grown. He crouches, lies down like a lion, like the king of beasts—who dare rouse him?" (Genesis 49:9) 

Daniel in the Lion's Den, Henry Ossawa Tanner 1915

While medieval bestiaries document a symbiotic relationship between the lion and the unicorn, it can be argued that they allegorically represent higher spiritual ground, i.e God. C. S. Lewis an english scholar in mythology took these many thoughts and developed them into his masterpiece The Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven books that detail many adventures including the birth and destruction of the mystical land Narnia. Narnia is inhabited by men,  many mystical creatures of old and animals that can talk. Aslan, as he is called is the master spirit of the realm and he is represented as a lion, he is called King of Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea. He is the supreme authority both spiritually and at times physically over the land. Like the Lion described in the Greek Physiologus, he processes the power to breath life into the earth as well as it's inhabitants. He is arguably a representation of Jesus Christ in an alternate reality as he, at one of the most significant moments in the saga is resurrected after death. Aslan is actually the Turkish and Mongolian word for Lion. 

Aslan, Pauline Baynes 1950

“He'll be coming and going" he had said. "One day you'll see him and another you won't. He doesn't like being tied down--and of course he has other countries to attend to. It's quite all right. He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.” 
― C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Arthur A. Levine Books 1997

In Arthurian legend and folklore the lion is seen symbolistically as virtue and is represented in various tales. Three Lions are seen on the English Coat of Arms, originally a symbol for Richard the Lionheart. In an early variant on Beauty & the Beast the beast is represented as a lion, told by the Brothers Grimm in a tale titled: Lily and the Lion. In J. K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter Series the lion is the symbol for the House of Gryffindor, which is the house of bravery. The House of Lannister in George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice is represented by a golden lion on crimson and while traditionally this is honorable it can be disputed that this is also representative of pride and lust for power. The Lion as myth and legend is seen in nearly every culture outside of libraries, outside of temples, a symbol of power, a symbol of strength and spirit. As folklore grows and evolves the legend of the lion is sure to travel with as he is anciently and allegorically the King of Beasts.  

Löwe, Albrecht Dürer 1494

Source Material:

• The Book of Beginnings, The Enchanted World Series, 1986
• Magical Beasts, The Enchanted Word Series, 1986 
• The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis, Macmillan Publishing Co. 1950's
• The Annotated Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Michael Patrick Hearn, W. W. Norton & Co Inc, 2000
• Dictionary.com
• Wickipedia.com
• Oz.wikia.com
• Goodreads.com

Underland

Jules Verne, 1878

There are many parallels within the world of folklore such as the existence of magic and the inevitability of good conquering evil. Many peculiar characters rise in similar fashion out many worlds, such as talking beasts in Narnia and Oz, as well as good faeries and bad witches, talking goblins and secret heroes destined to be Kings. Cinderella's lesson of patience is shared by many other hero and heroines alike, but what of the terrain of these magical lands? Many trends appear through out faerie realms, one of the most fascinating being the exploration of subterranean territories.

Alice in Wonderland, Arthur Rackham (1907)

The most well known tale of a hero/ heroine slipping into subterranean territory is perhaps Alice in Wonderland. Alice's extravagant and unusual experiences begin after chasing the White Rabbit into a hole within the ground. Upon slipping into the rabbit hole she falls for a long period of time before landing into a hall with many doors, one of which leads directly to Wonderland. It is interesting to note that Lewis Carroll's original 1864 manuscript for this tale was originally titled: Alice's Adventures Underground. 

The Princess and the Goblin, Jessie Willcox Smith (1920)

The famous fantasy writer George MacDonald, who is known to have inspired Lewis Carroll with his fiction, published a tale in 1872 titled The Princess and the Goblin. In this tale a young Princess named Irene, who lives in a mountainous kingdom, is drawn into a deep realm below the kingdoms mines where goblins have been dwelling. The goblins are malevolent creatures  with an unusual flaw in their anatomy, they have very weak feet. The princess befriends a boy named Curdie who works with his father in the mines. Curdie and Irene begin several adventures when they learn about the goblins future attempt to flood the mines. For a good portion of the tale the two are focused on escaping the goblin dominion. 

The Goblin King, Alan Lee, Warner Bros. Pictures (2012)

The Goblin dominion within mines appear also in J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 tale: The Hobbit. Early in the novel, Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, along with Thorin and Company (a group of Dwarves,) find themselves below the Misty Mountains where they are accosted by goblins who live in deep strongholds. In a battle, the company is driven deep underground where they are eventually saved by Gandalf the Grey (,wizard). Thereafter Bilbo is separated from the group and manages to get further lost in the deep caverns. It is there that Bilbo discovers the peculiar creature named Gollum, and there where he discovers the ring that is the driving force for the whole saga that is The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien later describes that the Orcs, the citizens of the dark army in The Lord of the Rings are one in the same with goblins.

The Hobbit, Arthur Rankin & Jules Bass, Warner Bros Pictures (1977)

The irony of Bilbo's adventures into deep dark caverns is that he himself is described as living under the earth:

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort" – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit (1937).

The Silver Chair, Pauline Baynes (1953)

C. S. Lewis, Tolkein's longtime academic companion, also incorporated a deep subterranean plot within The Silver Chair, the fourth book in The Chronicles of Narnia. In this tale two English children are selected by the great and powerful lion Aslan to save the missing Narnian Prince Rilian. Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole have many adventures through vast terrain including a trek through marsh-land and a city inhabited by giants. Eustace and Jill take shelter in a cave to escape the cannibalistic giants where they slip on a slope and fall deep into Underland.  

Puddlegum the Marsh Wiggle, Pauline Baynes (1953)

Underland is inhabited by an army of small earthmen (gnomes) who are slaves to an enchantress Queen called the Lady of the Green Kirtle and who have spent a lifetime in eternal darkness. This enchantress is considered to be one in the same with the White Witch of Narina, who was defeated in the first book: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She uses her power primarily for transformation. Once in Underland Eustace and Jill travel by boat across the Sunless Sea to a gigantic city, there they discover the missing Narnian Prince under enchantment. At one point the enchantress uses sorcery to try and convince the heroes that the world above does not exist.The evil Queen is eventually destroyed but not before she transforms into a giant serpent. The heroes thereafter flee from the underground kingdom which was tied to the witches magic and begins to collapse. 

Hades, The Divine Comedy

Underland is similar to Hades the underworld in Greek Mythology. The Sunless Sea and the hopeless earthmen are strikingly similar to the ferryman Charon, who carries souls of the recently deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that separate the world of the living from the world of the dead.   
C. S. Lewis' characters are very similar to figures in Greek Myth who were told that once in Hades they could never leave and still managed to escape (Theseus, Odysseus, Orpheus, etc.).

John R. Neill (1908)

 Dorothy of Oz fame even has an adventure under the earth. L. Frank Baum's fourth Oz book titled: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, written in 1908, features unusual subterranean adventures. At the very beginning of this tale Dorothy and her cousin Zeb are riding together in a buggy when an earthquake occurs and pulls the two deep into the earth along with Dorothy's cat Eureka and a horse named Jim. 
The group falls into a land called Mangaboo which boasts a race of vegetable people. The Mangaboo's condemn Dorothy and Zeb for bringing with them Rain of Stones. The group is sentenced to death but saved when a mysterious balloon appears carrying The Wizard of Oz. 

Dorothy & the Wizard in Oz, John R. Neill (1908)

An underground Nome Kingdom is featured throughout the Oz series predominantly in Ozma of Oz (1907), Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908) and Tik-Tok of Oz (1914). The Nome Kingdom stretches throughout Oz and even under the impassable Deadly Dessert. This is where the Nome King resides and in the literary world he is a greater threat to Oz than any of the witches. 

Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney Pictures (2010)

In Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, 2010, Alice returns to Wonderland after being away for a great amount of time. Upon returning to the surreal landscape Alice discovers that when she was younger she had the name wrong and it was actually called: Underland. This is perhaps an homage to Lewis Carroll's original text title  Alice's Adventures Underground. 

Underground is the title track and song for Jim Henson's 1986 film titled Labyrinth. The film boasts the most traditional character found underground, goblins, along with the Goblin King played by David Bowie. There are many significant moments in the film when the main character Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) falls down and finds herself in more mysterious circumstances. One of the most visually stunning moments of the film is when she slips into a dream state and finds herself at a masked ball with the mysterious Goblin King, who sings a song titled: As the World Falls Down. The entire ballroom scene appears to be within a bubble. In the end of the film when Sarah defeats the Goblin King she falls out of the sky back into her bedroom, a sort of backwards exit from the Underground. 

Labyrinth, Universal Pictures (1986)

Many myths are adapted from others. The Mayans had many wells and sinkholes which were believed to host magical and spiritual powers. The Hopi tribe of America has a creation myth that begins inside the earth. They believe that their people traveled through four worlds before they climbed out of the earth into this one. New-Age philosophers speak of Agartha a peaceful inner earth realm that can be related to the Tibetan Buddhist's Shambala. It seems as if every culture has at one point pondered or mythicized the subterranean worlds that exist under our feet. 

Mayan sinkhole in Tulum Mexico, Picture by Patrik Gustafsson, National Geographic 2014

Source Material:

• The Silver Chair, C. S. Lewis, Macmillan Publishing Co. 1953
• Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, L. Frank Baum, Dover Publishing Co. 1984
• Labyrinth, Universal Pictures 1986
• Alice in Wonderland, Walt Disney Pictures 2010
• http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Goblins
• wikipedia.com
• http://dictionary.reference.com  
• http://natgeotravel.tumblr.com

The Heart of the Tin Man

The Tin Woodman as Illustrated by W.W. Denslow, 1900 

"When a man's an empty kettle, he should be on his mettle. And yet I'm torn apart. Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind of human, if I only had a heart." ---Words by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg

The Wizard of Oz, MGM Pictures, 1939

The most beloved figure in the history of folklore is perhaps the one who desired a heart the most. The Tin Man first appeared in literature in 1900 with the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a companion to the immortal Dorothy Gale. He is the expression/exploration of one of three simple dynamics, where the Scarecrow lacks a brain and the Cowardly Lion lacks the Nerve (Courage), he lacks a physical heart. The invention of three companions who each desire something we inherently possess as human beings establishes many existential thoughts. What would it mean if we were missing a brain or a heart? How would we function? Could one work with out the other? As the Oz tales continue in later works by L. Frank Baum the Tin Man and the Scarecrow become inseparable best friends and there is metaphorical irony in the success of their further adventures, for surely when the brain and the heart are united nothing is impossible.

Fred Stone as the Scarecrow & David Montgomery as the Tin Man, 1902

The Tin Man is notably one of the first bionic/mechanical men to appear in literature. Surely L. Frank Baum was inspired by the Industrial Revolution and the romanticism of a changing world. Long before he started writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Baum worked as an editor for a magazine specialized in store window displays. It is said that Baum was once asked to set up a hardware store window "He wanted to create something eye-catching...so he made a torso out of a washboiler, bolted stovepipe arms and legs to it and used the underside of a saucepan for a face. He topped it with a funnel hat and what would become the inspiration for Tin Woodman was born." --- As told by Harry Neal Baum about his father to the Indianapolis Times, May 3rd, 1965.

Oliver Hardy as the Tin Man, The Wizard of Oz, 1925

The Tin Man develops as a noble figure in the later Oz tales. He becomes Emperor to the Winkies who were once conquered by the Wicked Witch of the West (The Gilikins are the people of the North, the Munchkins are the people of the East and the Quadlings are the people of the South) and resides within the castle where the witch was destroyed.

The Marvelous Land of Oz, John R. Neill, 1904

In the 1904 book titled The Marvelous Land of Oz the Tin Man is given the name Nick Chopper. 'The name came from the 1902 musical extravaganza, in which Nick (from "Niccolo") Chopper sang an interpolated song "Niccolo's Piccolo." David C. Montgomery portrayed him in that production, and Oliver Hardy in the same role was the highlight of the 1925 Chadwick silent picture of The Wizard of Oz.' --- Michael Patrick Hearn, The Annotated Wizard of Oz, 1973

Poster for the 1902 Extravaganza at the Chicago Opera House

In the Wonderful Wizard of Oz the Tin Man tells his story: "I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forest and sold them for a living. When I grew up I too became a wood-chopper, and after my father died I took care of my old mother as long as she lived. Then I made up my mind that instead of living alone I would marry, so that I might not become lonely."

"There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; So i set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and the the cooking and the housework. So the old woman went to the wicked Witch of the East, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the wicked Witch enchanted my axe, and when I was chopping away at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and my wife soon as possible, the axe slipped all at one and cut off my leg."

"This seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged man could not do very well as wood-chopper. So I went to a tin-smith and had him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once I was used to it; but my action angered the wicked Witch of the East, for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the pretty Munchkin girl. When I began chopping again my axe slipped and I cut off my right leg. Again I went to the tinner, and again he made me a leg out of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one after the other; but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones. The wicked witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and at first I thought that was the end of me. But the winner happened to come along, and he made me a new head out of tin."

Tin Man by Barry Moser , 1985

"I thought I had beaten the wicked Witch then, and I worked harder than ever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy would be. She thought of a new way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me into two halves. Once more the winner came to my help and made me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means of joints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I had no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and did not care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still living with the old woman, waiting for me to come after her."

"My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it and it did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me. There was only one danger---that my joints would rust; but I kept an oil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it. However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caught in a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted, and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It was a terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I had time to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of my heart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give me one. If he does, I will go to the Munchkin maiden and marry her."---The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, W. W. Denslow, 1900

The Tin Man's plight is clear, for how can he exist completely without a heart? His tale makes us wonder what life would be like without one of our core strengths. Baum's inspiration for the Tin Man might have stemmed from witnessing, as a youth, the invention of prosthetic limbs for amputees of the Civil War. His own Uncle was tortured by his experiences in the war. The modern advancement in medicine and technology established a multitude of questions regarding humanity. Baum himself suffered a heart condition for his entire lifetime, the Tin Man is perhaps an extreme metaphor for his existential thoughts.

The Marvelous Land of Oz, John R. Neill, 1904

"Reality and unreality are so intertwined that it is often difficult to know where one leaves off and the other begins."---L. Frank Baum, "Why the Wizard of Oz Keeps on Selling.", The Annotated Wizard of Oz, 2000

The Tin Woodman of Oz, John R. Neill, 1918

Baum's novels often carry an even balance of light hearted wonder and macabre experiences. In a later Oz tale titled: The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) Nick Chopper meets a Tin Soldier named Captain Fyter who suffered a similar fate when he too became made of tin and fell in love with the same Munchkin girl. Together they journey to find the tinsmith who might still posses their original body pieces (,as you can not be killed in Oz). Nick Chopper discovers that what was saved of his body parts has now been combined with that of Captain Fyter's to make a whole new man altogether. Like Frankenstein's monster the man is pieced together with the spare flesh and blood body parts. Chopfyte as he is called is Baum's exploration of technological overdevelopment. Thereafter the Tin Men discover the beautiful Munchkin maiden, Nimmee Aimee, who has ironically fallen in love with Chopfyte, the man of spare body parts. The most interesting part of the tale is when the Tin Man looks upon his former head and thinks upon which is better.

John R. Neill, 1918

The most beloved depiction of the Tin man is certainly the portrayal in the 1939 film by Jack Haley. Jack brought a sentimental quality to the Tin Man that is unprecedented. You believe in his desire for a heart. The tone of voice that Haley developed for the Tin Man was taken directly from reading bedtime stories to his son.

Cover by John R. Neill, 1918

The Tin Man might have been the inspiration for the character Lieutenant Commander Data in Star Trek the Next Generation (1987-1994). Data is a fully functional android who is self aware, he experiences ongoing difficulties with not being able to fully comprehend human emotion. An  episode in 1991 was even titled: Tin Man

Brent Spiner as Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Paramount Television

The Tin Man appears in the revisionist tale Wicked (1995). 'In the book, Nessarose - the Wicked Witch of the East - is seen enchanting the axe to swing around and chop off Nick Chopper's limbs. She does this for a peasant woman who wishes to stop her servant, probably Nimmie Amee, from marrying Nick Chopper. This seems to be close to the Tin Man's origin in the original books, but from the Witch's perspective.' ---Wikipedia

Wicked Witch of the East, John R. Neill, 1918

In 2005 the Muppet's made their interpretation of the classic tale with Gonzo as the Tin Man. 

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Walt Disney Pictures, 2005

A notable revisionist cinematic experience was developed by the Sci Fi Channel in 2007 titled: Tin Man. This mini-series was a futuristic take on the land of Oz with a steampunk twist giving the 'Tin Man' (played by Neal McDonough) a more heroic position. The movie starred Zooey Deschanel, Richard Dreyfuss, and Alan Cumming.

"I've heard that anyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be." ---Tin Woodman, The Marvelous Land of Oz, 1904 

Jack Haley, MGM Pictures, 1939

The most significant words spoken about the Tin Man are by Frank Morgan who played the Wizard in the 1939 film, when he says: "You want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be made practical until they can be made unbreakable. And remember my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." 

Source Material:

• The Annotated Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Michael Patrick Hearn, 2000, W.W. Norton & Co Inc, New York, NY
• All Things Oz, Edited by Linda Sunshine, 2003, Clarkson Potter/ Publishers, New York, NY
• The Wizard of Oz: 75 Years Along the Yellow Brick Road, Life Books, 2013
• The Wizard of Oz: 75th Anniversary, I-5 Publishing, Irvine, CA, 2014
• The Wizard of Oz (Film), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, 1939
• The Marvelous Land of Oz, L. Frank Baum, Dover Publications Inc. 1969, New York, NY
• The Tin Woodman of Oz, L Frank Baum, Dover Publications Inc. 2000, New York, NY
• Wikipedia.com

   

Chicago and Oz

Chicago World's Fair (1893) by Thomas Moran

The World's Columbian Exposition or the Worlds Fair of 1893 brought unimaginable marvels to the city of Chicago, highlighting electric innovation and international culture, art,  and architecture. This World's Fair marked the 400th celebration of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World. The fair spread over South Shore stretching through Hyde Park, Jackson Park Woodlands and Woodlawn. The Fair was established in a very short amount of time by means of sophisticated construction utilizing white stucco. The white buildings illuminated against the darker architecture that is Chicago. It was this very experience that influenced the development of one of America's greatest treasures, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Nostalgia Hotel Del Coranado by John Yato 2011

Over the last century many States have taken claim over the land of Oz. Kansas for obvious reasons boasts many museums and the official American Yellow Brick Road. Chittenango, New York, birthplace to famed author L. Frank Baum is home to many Oz related festivals. California has the historical Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego where Baum penned many of his later Oz tales. Seattle is called the Emerald City because it is lush with greenery. Nebraska has Omaha the word famously painted on the Wizard's Balloon in the 1939 film. Many cities continue to boast that Oz has a particular localized relevance but Chicago holds the flag, for it was the experience of Chicago that helped shape the novel.

L. Frank Baum, Los Angeles Times (1911)

L. Frank Baum lived at 1667 North Humboldt Boulevard Chicago, Illinois, where now a simple plaque pays homage to the famed author. There he channeled his experiences of a changing world into a humble story for children an adults alike. Baum was born to a wealthy family in Chittenango, New York on May 15th, 1856. His development and experiences would be shaped by a life of travel. Early in his life he grew up on an estate outside of Syracuse called Rose Lawn, there he and his brothers and sisters were tutored and there he developed his imagination. 

The Scarecrow as played by Fred A. Stone (1902)

Baum suffered from night terrors as his powerful imagination was vivid and often haunting. Baum eventually revealed that it was on his childhood estate that he had a reoccurring nightmare in which he was being chased by a certain Scarecrow. 

Baum was nurtured very closely because he had been born with a heart condition and at times had to refrain from too much physical activity. Baum's health would be the very thing that created necessity for departures from one town to the next. Perhaps the Tin-Man and his longing for a heart was Baum's desire for a stronger one himself. The notions however did not weigh him down, he was living during a time of remarkable innovation. In his lifetime he witnessed the development of electricity, the industrial revolution, and powerful political leaders. He also had a first hand experience with the Women's Suffrage Movement as he married one of the founding member's (Matilda Gage's) daughter, Maud Gage.

Maud Gage Baum

L. Frank Baum developed an early appreciation for the written word as a youth. After petitioning his parents for a printing press (, which were greatly advertised in children's magazines,) Baum created his first amateur journalism with The Rose Lawn Home Journal, a monthly paper that explored literature, poetry and the art of stamp collecting. Baum's interest in stamps would lead to the development of his first book, Baum's Complete Stamp Dealers Directory. Baum's interests would bounce from one unique experience to another. He would later produce a monthly poultry column, The Poultry Record after he and his family developed the interest of breeding chickens. Baum found his first commercial success with the publication of The Book of Hamburgs, which hi-lighted his experiences and understandings with poultry farming.

L. Frank Baum as Hugh Holcomb
in THE MAID OF ARRAN (1882)

Baum's growing interests eventually shifted into the theater where he could write and produce. Baum moved to Richburg, New York to pursue his interests as a Thespian. By 1882 he had written three complete productions. His first theatrical success came from an adaptation of a Scottish novel titled A Princess of Thule (1877) written by William Black. His play, The Maid of Arran found such success in his hometown that he eventually took it on the road traveling throughout New York and across the continent. This would be Baum's experience seeing the Kansas plains. Baum wrote several other plays that were never produced. His theatrical success would only be matched once again with his musical extravaganza adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Aberdeen, Photo by L. Frank Baum (1888)

Baum, after marrying Maud Gage moved the the Dakota Territory to a town called Aberdeen. Less driven by his theatrical career he wanted to make a home for his wife and his first child. South Dakota was the place for business opportunities. Baum's first opportunity in Aberdeen was with amateur photography for a publication called The Aberdeen Daily News. He used his early success to finance Aberdeen's first novelty store called Baum's Bazaar. Frank, as he liked to be called, and Maud were very social, they both attended card parties, dances and regularly sat down with mediums. They shared unconventional spiritual views and were unafraid to explore them. Eventually they would enter the Theosophical Society which was developed around the famous and mysterious Helena Blavatsky. Baum thereafter took over a weekly publication called the Dakota Pioneer, renaming it, the Saturday Pioneer, this paper among other things examined the changing world where Baum could write about anything from electrical inventions to women's suffrage. It was here that Baum may have been inspired to write about the Good Witch Glinda and her powerful Book of Records (A Book that details global events as they are happening).

Maud and Frank in Egypt 1906

By 1891 many people were deserting the Dakota Territory, and Baum's Bazaar went under. L. Frank Baum's heath conditions pushed the family into a new direction. Baum quickly accepted a job with the Evening Post of Chicago. He was mindful to take his family in that direction because the World's Columbian Exposition was set to open in 1893. There business was sure to be booming. Baum disliked the Evening Post so much that after only a month he left and found work as a traveling China Salesman. This delicate work surely inspired the Dainty China Country in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The Dainty China Country, W. W. Denslow (1900)

It was somewhere between May and October of 1893 that L. Frank Baum made his way to the Chicago World's Fair which was the splendor that influenced the famed Emerald City. The White City as it was called, glistened with electrical wonder powered by General Electric who at the time was backed by Thomas Edison and J. P. Morgan. Here Baum was inspired by the theatrics put into spectacle, from a distance the fair looked as if built by marble. The elaborate statues were unprecedented, but it was all fake, it was all stucco painted like marble.

Architectural Building World's Columbian Exposition (1893)

"The impressive, dazzling palaces that glinted on the edge of Lake Michigan were, in truth, hurriedly erected temporary sheds painted to look like marble; the Fair was a film set before cinema had been invented. The numerous impressive sculptures that adorned the palaces weren't hewn from marble, but were rather made from staff, a lightweight mix of plaster, cement and fibers (a kind of Plaster-of-Paris). So the grand palaces were actually storage sheds covered in a veneer of plaster that was most usefully employed to reset broken bones.The White City's combination of beauty and phoniness influenced Baum in his creation of the Emerald City."--- Rebecca Loncraine, The Real Wizard of Oz

The White City (1893)

L. Frank Baum's further influence with whimsy might have been driven by witnessing the invention of many things and experiencing them at the Fair, there were Cracker Jacks, phosphorescent lamps, bubble gum, moving walkways and the very first Ferris Wheel built by George Ferris, measuring 264ft high.

L. Frank Baum (1904)

Although Baum had been successful as a bohemian, what with journalism, theatre, photography, etc. He had never quite thought to write for children. In his later career he expressed that as a youth he certainly wanted to be remembered as a literary author. It was Matilda Gage, his Mother-in-Law who influenced him to do so. Baum had a reputation for telling fables to the neighborhood and children would swarm his house begging for stories about fairies and witches. Matilda told Baum that he was a damn fool if he didn't write his stories down, and it was this very notion that changed L. Frank Baum's life.

The Wizard of Oz is a fictional tale, but it certainly highlights all of L. Frank Baum's various experiences: traveling by train though the Kansas Prairie, his delicate heart condition, his dreams of a certain Scarecrow, the wizards of deception behind the World's Fair, etc. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. The success carried Baum into the literary world of immortality. He immediately developed the book into a musical comedy extravaganza which debuted in Chicago's Grand Opera House in 1902 and later became a smash hit on Broadway in 1903.

The success of his show led to the development of further Oz productions. Eventually, in his late life Baum journeyed into Hollywood where he made several attempts to translate his stories to screen. Before the famed movie of 1939 the Wizard of Oz had seen several silent film adaptations. Baum was left nearly bankrupt in his attempt to get his story to it's greatest translation. Perhaps he knew how powerful it could be. L. Frank Baum died at the age of 63 in 1919, just 20 years before the famous MGM classic film was developed. Now there is not one person who is unfamiliar with the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man.

Shirley Temple as Tip in The Marvelous Land of Oz 1960

Tales about Oz have been reinvented time and time again. Shirley Temple developed a later Oz novel The Marvelous Land of Oz into a small production for her televised show in 1960. In 1985 Disney developed a dark and underrated look into Baum's work with Return to Oz, a live action film that was in ways closer to the source material than the first film.

Dorothy (Fairuza Balk),Disney's Return to Oz (1985)

The most significant Oz-volution is notably Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, written by Gregory Maguire. This famed novel explores ideas of scapegoating that are so often cast against WITCHES. Much like the original, this novel has seen a proper Broadway adaptation that opened in 2003, the production has since made Wicked a household concept. Wicked has toured every major city in the world, including the Windy City. Wicked is considered one of the highest grossing musicals of all time.

Playbill (2003) Kristen Chenoweth & Idina Menzel

L. Frank Baum is most notably honored by Oz Park in Chicago, Illinois. The park was developed to pay homage to Baum's Oz, an expansive area rich with a grand flower garden and 4 marvelous sculptures displaying Dorothy and her dearest companions. The Park was dedicated in 1976, bordering Webster and Larrabee Streets on Chicago's North side.

Oz Park, Chicago Illinois Photo by: Ron Szematowitcz 

     
For more information on Chicago visit: Chicago Day Tripping



Source Material:

• The Man who was L. Frank Baum --- http://articles.chicagotribune.com 
• Chicago Tribute Markers of Distinction --- http://www.chicagotribute.org
• The Wizard in the White City ---  http://backstoryradio.org
• Wikipedia.com
• Life Magazine: The Wizard of Oz: 75 Years Along the Yellow Brick Road, Time Home Entertainment Inc. 2013
• The Wizard of Oz: Celebrating 75 Years of Movie Magic, I-5 Publishing 2014
• The Annotated Wizard of Oz: L. Frank Baum, W. W. Norton & Co. Inc. Michael Patrick Hearn 1973