King Krewl was the ruler of Jinxland in the Land of Oz.
Description[]
Krewl is a lean man and his face is hard and sullen. His eyes glow like coals of fire through the slits of his half-closed eyelids. His voice is as harsh as his features. As king he wore a jeweled crown, dressed in brilliant satins and velvets, and carried a slender golden staff with a ball of clustered gems on one end.
Krewl was a very abrupt king, self-willed with a fierce temper. He loves wealth above everything else.
History[]
Krewl served as Prime Minister to King Phearse, but one day when the two were out hunting, they got into an argument. Phearse gently tapped Krewl on the nose with the knuckles of his closed hand, and Krewl then tripped Phearse backward into a pond and buried him under a mass of heavy stones. Krewl declared himself king and took possession of the royal castle.
King Krewl was the caretaker of his niece, Gloria, whom he commanded to marry a rich courtier named Googly-Goo. When she refused, Krewl used Googly-Goo's money to hire Blinkie the witch to freeze the girl's heart.
The Scarecrow of Oz arrived in Jinxland and, with the help of a flock of Orks deposed Krewl as king and broke the enchantment on Gloria. The people of Jinxland chose Gloria as queen. She in turn chose Pon, the gardener's boy whom she loved, to be her consort, making him king. Krewl's name was changed to Grewl, and he became the new gardener's boy. (The Scarecrow of Oz)
In film[]
King Krewl is portrayed by Raymond Russell in His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914), whose released precede the novel's publication.
Prime Minister Kruel, played by Josef Swickard, is the primary antagonist of 1925 Wizard of Oz silent film.
Lord General Nikidik in Shirley Temple's Land of Oz appears to be partly based on the 1925 Kruel.
King Krewl is offhandedly mentioned in the third episode of The Chronicles of Oz alongside other Ozian dignitaries as having narrowly survived an assassination attempt in the wake of the news of the death of the Wicked Witch of the East.