Gayelette

Gayelette is a figure from the ancient history of the Land of Oz, a powerful sorceress whose story is told by the King of the Winged Monkeys to explain the origin of the Golden Cap's charm. She embodies the archetype of the good and beautiful enchantress, yet her personal narrative is defined by a profound loneliness and a failed attempt to secure love through magical means, an endeavor that ultimately leads to the enslavement of an entire magical race.

Identity and Power

Gayelette was a beautiful princess who lived in the North of Oz, long before the Wizard Oz arrived from the clouds. She was also a powerful sorceress, and all her magic was used to help the people; she was never known to harm anyone who was good. Her palace was a handsome structure built from great blocks of ruby. Despite her power and the love of her people, Gayelette suffered a great sorrow: she could find no one to love in return, as all the men around her were, in her estimation, much too stupid and ugly to be a suitable mate for one so beautiful and wise.

The Quest for a Husband

Gayelette's search for a partner ended when she found a boy named Quelala, who was handsome, manly, and wise beyond his years. Determined to make him her husband when he grew to manhood, she took him to her ruby palace. There, she used all her magical powers to shape him into the ideal man, making him as strong, good, and lovely as any woman could wish. When Quelala reached adulthood, he was considered the best and wisest man in all the land, and his manly beauty was so great that Gayelette loved him dearly. She hastened to make everything ready for their wedding.

The Incident with the Winged Monkeys

Just before the wedding, the King of the Winged Monkeys, who was then the grandfather of the Monkey King who serves Dorothy, played a cruel joke. Seeing Quelala walking beside a river in a rich costume of pink silk and purple velvet, the Monkey King ordered his band to seize him, carry him over the middle of the river, and drop him into the water. Quelala, being wise, swam to shore and laughed off the incident, but his silks and velvet were ruined. When Gayelette saw this, she was furious. She summoned all the Winged Monkeys before her and initially decreed that their wings should be tied and they should be dropped into the river as they had done to Quelala.

The Binding of the Golden Cap

The grandfather of the Monkey King pleaded for their lives, arguing that the Monkeys would drown with their wings tied. Quelala also spoke a kind word on their behalf. Moved by this, Gayelette spared them, but on a strict condition: the Winged Monkeys would ever after be required to do the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap three times. This Cap had been made as a wedding present for Quelala and was said to have cost the princess half her kingdom. The Monkeys agreed, and this is how they became thrice-bound slaves to the Cap's owner. After the wedding, as Gayelette could not bear the sight of the Monkeys, Quelala, as the first owner of the Cap, ordered them to keep away from her, a command they were glad to obey. Gayelette's story thus serves as the foundational myth for the central magical artifact of the latter half of Dorothy's journey, explaining the power and the limitation of the Winged Monkeys' obedience.