Fairy Tale Spotlight: Where is Oz?

I'm happy to say that I am still reading the Oz books. I took a long break. I wasn't actually reading any books at all. But now that I have gotten back into the swing of things, I went back to the book I had left off on for over 2 years: "Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz." Good grief. Is that really the 23rd book in the series? How many puns does that add up to? Anyways, I'll write a review for it later. For now, I want to talk about something else.

Where exactly is Oz in relation to the Earth we know? That is the question. It is a very pertinent question that I do have an answer to... sort of.

So if you look at the map of Earth, you will see all the continents and oceans, but what you will not see is the land of Oz, Ev, and all the other places written about by L. Frank Baum. But according to the lore as well as the lore of many fairylands like Oz, when you look up into the sky and see the moon, you are seeing the same moon in Oz that people in America or Europe see. Where is Oz then? It is located precisely on Planet Earth.

Now, if you were to see the map of Oz as well as the surrounding lands, you might think such a thing would be impossible. After all, we are assuming that Oz is merely uncharted. If it is merely uncharted, how could it possibly fit in the map we already have. Even by the early 1900s, the world map was pretty full up. It hasn't changed too much since then.

Well, when it comes to Oz, the whole idea of it is that it is perfectly hidden from the rest of the world. Therefore there would be no way it would end up on the map to begin with. Nobody found it, and those who ended up there were never sure exactly how they got there. But what about the map? How in the world could Oz fit anywhere in our already drawn up map? Simple answer: It does, but we just never drew it that way.

In reality, if we started to come across the magical fairyland of Oz, we would, for whatever reason, just miss it. We'd either turn around or just not see it outright. It's there. It takes up space, but we never see or find it. Oz is enchanted, you see. It's not something people are allowed to see. But if you were to find a way there, you'd still be somewhere on Earth. But where? Where on Earth?

Quick answer: America. USA to be precise.

Oz is most certainly located somewhere within the United States of America. It was intended from the beginning that Oz was a purely American fairy tale. It is something that belongs to us, and we should take that very seriously. Now, I cannot say what state Oz would be in. I know a lot of people might assume Kansas to be a major contender, but there is not enough evidence pointing towards that. Children from all over the US ended up in Oz, so there really is no telling where it could be.

Whatever the case, once you get to Oz, it is a very large and fascinating place to explore. And yes, I know it doesn't seem to fit within the confines of our map, but if it's really as hidden as the books suggest... how would we ever really know?

Of course, this is all speculation about a work of fiction. I hope you enjoyed it. But at the very least it will give you some insight into how fairylands can work, and the fairyland of Oz will always be one of the most fascinating. It is at its heart, a great, big, American adventure story set in our very own American fairyland. God bless L. Frank Baum for giving us this wonderful gift.

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