The Magic of Oz™

Guardian of the Gates

also Guardian of the Gate

A man dressed entirely in green who guards the entrance to the Emerald City and ensures all visitors wear protective green spectacles.

First named in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ch. 10

I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since you demand to see the Great Oz I must take you to his Palace.

Names in the books

  • called Guardian of the Gates 8 chapters

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz10111215

    The Marvelous Land of Oz68

    The Road to Oz18

    The Lost Princess of Oz6

  • called Guardian of the Gate 6 chapters

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz1019

    The Marvelous Land of Oz89

    The Patchwork Girl of Oz15

    The Cowardly Lion of Oz18

What the books say it is

  • size little 1 chapter
  • colour greenish tint 1 chapter
    • Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint.
      The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ch. 10
  • colour green 2 chapters
    • This man was short and round, with a fat face that seemed remarkably good-natured. He was clothed all in green and wore a high, peaked green hat upon his head and green spectacles over his eyes. Bowing before the Pumpkinhead he said: “I am the Guardian of the Gates of the Emerald City.
      The Marvelous Land of Oz, ch. 6
    • a cheerful-looking little man who wore green spectacles over his eyes
      The Road to Oz, ch. 18
  • appearance cheerful-looking 1 chapter
  • wears a high, peaked green hat and green spectacles 1 chapter
    • This man was short and round, with a fat face that seemed remarkably good-natured. He was clothed all in green and wore a high, peaked green hat upon his head and green spectacles over his eyes. Bowing before the Pumpkinhead he said: “I am the Guardian of the Gates of the Emerald City.
      The Marvelous Land of Oz, ch. 6
  • wears green spectacles and a golden chain of keys 1 chapter
    • These were opened by a cheerful-looking little man who wore green spectacles over his eyes. Dorothy introduced him to her friends as the Guardian of the Gates, and they noticed a big bunch of keys suspended on the golden chain that hung around his neck.
      The Road to Oz, ch. 18
  • wears clothed all in green 1 chapter
    • Before them stood a little man about the same size as the Munchkins. He was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint.
      The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ch. 10
  • trait good-natured 1 chapter
    • This man was short and round, with a fat face that seemed remarkably good-natured. He was clothed all in green and wore a high, peaked green hat upon his head and green spectacles over his eyes.
      The Marvelous Land of Oz, ch. 6

Where the books disagree

  • disputed how the name is spelled 2 chapters

    The books spell the name two ways. "Guardian of the Gates" is used 18 times by Baum; "Guardian of the Gate" 7 times by Baum, 1 time by Thompson. They are one and the same.

Appears in

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (4 of 24 chapters)
The Marvelous Land of Oz (1 of 24 chapters)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1 of 28 chapters)
The Lost Princess of Oz (1 of 26 chapters)

Mentioned in

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1 of 24 chapters)
The Marvelous Land of Oz (1 of 24 chapters)
The Road to Oz (1 of 24 chapters)

Connections

  • guards The Emerald City 2 chapters
    • "So he is," said the green man, "and he rules the Emerald City wisely and well. But to those who are not honest, or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared ask to see his face. I am the Guardian of the Gates, and since you demand to see the Great Oz I must take you to his Palace. But first you must put on the spectacles." "Why?"
      The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, ch. 10
    • The Guardian of the Gate at once came out
      The Marvelous Land of Oz, ch. 8

Seen alongside

Seen in