Quelala

Quelala is a figure from the legendary history of Oz, a man whose beauty, wisdom, and good fortune set in motion the chain of events that would bind the Winged Monkeys to the service of the Golden Cap's owner. His story, told by the King of the Winged Monkeys to Dorothy, reveals the origin of the cap's charm and the terms of the Monkeys' ancient servitude.

Identity and Background

Quelala lived in the Land of Oz many years ago, long before Oz himself arrived from the clouds to rule. He was discovered as a boy by the powerful sorceress Gayelette, a beautiful princess who lived in a handsome palace built from great blocks of ruby in the North. Gayelette, who used all her magic to help people and was never known to hurt anyone who was good, had a great sorrow: she could find no one to love in return, as all the men were much too stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise. When she found Quelala, who was handsome and manly and wise beyond his years, she made up her mind that when he grew to be a man she would make him her husband. She took him to her ruby palace and used all her magic powers to make him as strong and good and lovely as any woman could wish. When he grew to manhood, Quelala was said to be the best and wisest man in all the land, while his manly beauty was so great that Gayelette loved him dearly and hastened to make everything ready for the wedding.

The Incident with the Winged Monkeys

Just before the wedding, the King of the Winged Monkeys—the grandfather of the Monkey King who later told Dorothy the story—was flying with his band near Gayelette's palace. Seeing Quelala walking beside the river, dressed in a rich costume of pink silk and purple velvet, the old Monkey King decided to play a joke. At his word, the band flew down, seized Quelala, carried him in their arms until they were over the middle of the river, and then dropped him into the water. The Monkey King called out, "Swim out, my fine fellow, and see if the water has spotted your clothes." Quelala, much too wise not to swim and not in the least spoiled by his good fortune, laughed when he came to the top of the water and swam in to shore. But when Gayelette came running out to him, she found his silks and velvet all ruined by the river.

The Binding of the Winged Monkeys

The princess was angry and knew who had done it. She had all the Winged Monkeys brought before her and said at first that their wings should be tied and they should be treated as they had treated Quelala, and dropped in the river. The old Monkey King pleaded hard, for he knew the Monkeys would drown with their wings tied, and Quelala himself spoke a kind word for them. Gayelette finally spared them on one condition: the Winged Monkeys should ever after do three times the bidding of the owner of the Golden Cap. This cap had been made as a wedding present for Quelala and was said to have cost the princess half her kingdom. The Monkeys at once agreed to the condition, and thus their threefold servitude was established.

Legacy and Significance

Quelala became the first owner of the Golden Cap and the first to lay his wishes upon the Winged Monkeys. After he married Gayelette, who could not bear the sight of the Monkeys, he called them all to him in the forest and ordered them always to keep where she could never again set eyes on a Winged Monkey—a command they were glad to obey, for they were all afraid of her. This was all the Monkeys ever had to do until the Golden Cap fell into the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West, who used it to enslave the Winkies and drive Oz himself out of the Land of the West. Quelala's story thus explains the origin of the charm that later becomes crucial to Dorothy's journey, as the Golden Cap passes from the Wicked Witch to Dorothy and finally to Glinda, who uses its last commands to send the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion to their respective kingdoms before freeing the Monkeys forever.