Fictional character from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Fictional character
The Cowardly Lion
Oz character
The Cowardly Lion as illustrated by William Wallace Denslow (1900)
First appearance
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
Created by
L. Frank Baum
Portrayed by
Fred Woodward (His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz) Spencer Bell (The Wizard of Oz) Bert Lahr (The Wizard of Oz) Ted Ross (The Wiz) Cedric the Entertainer (1995 Apollo Theater Revival) John Alexander (Return to Oz) David Alan Grier (The Wiz Live!)
Voiced by
Jim Belushi (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return) Jess Harnell (Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz)
In-universe information
Alias
Dandy Lion
Species
Lion
Gender
Male
Title
King of the Forest
Occupation
King of the Forest of Wild Beasts Ozma's chariot puller
The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum.[1] He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.
Since lions are supposed to be "The King of Beasts", the Cowardly Lion believes that his fear makes him inadequate, without understanding that courage means not a lack of fear but acting in the face of fear, which he does frequently. Only during the aftermath of the Wizard's gift, when he is under the influence of an unknown liquid substance that the Wizard orders him to drink is he not filled with fear. He argues that the courage from the Wizard is only temporary, although he continues to do brave deeds.
The Cowardly Lion is in fact brave, but he doubts himself. In many scenes of the classic book and film, he shows bravery in the face of danger, similar to the Scarecrow who wants a brain even though he is the smartest one, and the Tin Man who wants a heart but cries to his detriment when he does anything remotely mean by accident and rusts himself still.
^Jack Snow, Who's Who in Oz, Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 46. ISBN 0-87226-188-3
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limbs, replacing them with hollow tin; and the lion that attacks Finley, a reference to the CowardlyLion. Similarly, various other races and species of...
Lion of Oz is a 2000 animated film set before the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of how the CowardlyLion, formerly...
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for his performance on the cast recording of the play. He played the CowardlyLion in NBC's live performance of The Wiz, which aired on December 3, 2015...
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awry when a storm begins. In Volkov's version, just before meeting the CowardlyLion, Ellie gets kidnapped by an ogre, and Scarecrow and the Woodman save...
morality of the overman. The lion's symbolism continues in fantasy literature. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz features the CowardlyLion, who is particularly ashamed...
of a Tin Woodman, and meets a CowardlyLion. The Scarecrow wants a brain, the Tin Woodman wants a heart, and the Lion wants courage, so Dorothy encourages...
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