Dragons are a race of creatures who live in many fairy countries, including the Land of Oz and its neighboring lands.
Description[]
Dragons are the toughest creatures alive. They have a heavy tail that can smash their enemies, and most have sharp teeth and claws. They can also breathe fire.
Some dragons live in Gillikin Country's underground and are allowed to come out once every 100 years in search of food.
History and Notable dragons[]
According to the account given to Betsy Bobbin by the Queen of Light, the Original Dragon was the first being ever created, and therefore is the oldest and wisest of all creatures. That Original Dragon still lives in the fairyland of Tititi-Hoochoo the Great Jinjin. All other dragons are its offspring. (Tik-Tok of Oz)
Dorothy Gale and the Wizard of Oz and their friends encountered dragonettes during their subterranean journey. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz)
The most notable dragon ever seen near Oz is probably Quox, who was sent to the Nome Kingdom by Tititi-Hoochoo. (Tik-Tok of Oz)
Dragons once lived on the surface of Regos, until they were all eaten by the Choggenmugger. (Rinkitink in Oz)
Mechanical "auto-dragons" draw chariots through the streets of the Winkie Country city of Thi. Splendid in gold and sparkling jewels, their swiveling heads have lights for eyes. (The Lost Princess of Oz)
A tribe of dragons lives underneath Gillikin Country, which was encountered by Woot the Wanderer. Woot (who grew up in Gillikin Country) had heard stories that Dragons lived underground and were forbidden to come to the surface, except once every hundred years to find food. This proved to be true; the dragons only need to eat every century or so, except that the child of 600+ years was hungry after having eaten only 11 years ago and wanted to eat Woot. (The Tin Woodman of Oz)
The fire-breathing dragon Enorma plagued the island of Isa Poso for many years, until her internal fire was doused in a plunge into an icy stream. (Grampa in Oz)
Ojo and his companions confront an enormous blue dragon with purple fangs, guarding a frozen crystal city. They also encounter a dragon-like serpent called the Snoctorotomus. (Ojo in Oz)
The underground land of Subterranea has blind dragons called gropers. (The Yellow Knight of Oz)
The Grand Gheewizard of the Silver Islands had a wheezy, rheumatic dragon as a familiar, until the arrival of Sir Hokus of Pokes. (The Royal Book of Oz)
A dragonette by the name of Evangeline was one of the inhabitants of the Emerald City. She was gentle by nature, and helped the Oz people when she could, but nonetheless she inspired Sir Hokus' love of fighting dragons. So he would chase her around the city, a game which she loved to partake in. (The Wonder City of Oz, The Scalawagons of Oz)
A Purple Dragon (the most terrible kind of dragon to fight) once terrorized the Land of Mo, biting off the king's head and stealing food from the royal gardens. He was destroyed by the cleverness of Prince Fiddlecumdoo. (The Magical Monarch of Mo)
The Royal Dragon of Spor is visually resplendent, though by dragonish standards it is grossly deficient in fierceness. (The Enchanted Island of Yew)
Asiatic Dragons once fought a battle against the fairies, though fairy magic caused the dragons to be consumed by their own flaming breaths. (The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus)
Fire-dragons allied to trolls once threatened the Forest of Burzee. The threat was nullified when the dragons and trolls fell to fighting each other. (The Forgotten Forest of Oz)
Other Dragons[]
1934's The Laughing Dragon of Oz by Frank Joslyn Baum features The Laughing Dragon who tries to help the characters escape.
Types of dragons appear in the Magic Land series.
In The Wicked Years series by Gregory Maguire, there is a device called the Clock of the Time Dragon which is a prophetic clock tower.