Gillikin Country


The Gillikin Country is the Northern division of L. Frank Baum's fictional land of Oz. It is distinguished by the color purple worn by most of the local inhabitants as well as the color of their surroundings. The inhabitants of Gillikin Country are called Gillikins.

Elements in Gillikin Country

Like all of the countries of Oz, the Gillikin Country contains various unusual sights, creatures, and places. Among them are:

''[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]''

Note: The Gillikin Country is the only province of Oz not mentioned by name or visited by the characters in this particular book. The following locations are merely referenced by various characters through the story.
In Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novels and Son of a Witch, the Gillikin Country is simply called 'Gillikin'. It is portrayed as more prosperous and industrially developed than other regions of Oz, and is home of Shiz University. Located around northern Oz, the Yellow Brick Road emerges from the Emerald City's northern Shiz Gate up to the gillikinese capital, Shiz; from here, most of Gillikin cities are interconnected by the Great Gillikin Railway, running all over the province, along with the Gillikin River, it is implied that the railway was built above the Yellow Brick Road's remains, from the Pertha Hills on the west, a mountainous region, home of dripping dales, dairy farms, ancient pagan temples dedicated to worship fairy queen Lurline and Mount Rouncible, the tallest mountain in Oz; at the east, the Great Gillikin Forest stands, being home to a tribe of northern bears and lions living on the shores of Lake Corge, the railway keeps running further east to The Glikkus, a place full of emerald mines, the workplace of miner trolls.
Galinda hails from Gillikin, as do the ruling Ozma family. The people of this province are referred to as 'Gillikinese', and are distinguishable by their prominent foreheads and slightly gapped front teeth. They often have heads of curling blond hair, and are believed to be temperamental by non-Gillikinese.
Much of both of Edward Einhorn's modern Oz novels, Paradox in Oz and The Living House of Oz, are set in Gillikin Country, specifically in the kingdom of Tonsoria, homes to Princesses Ayala and Talia, and in Absurd City, home of the Parrot-Ox.