Elphaba

Elphaba is the name given to the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the witch is unnamed and we know little about her life. Elphaba is modeled after the witch as she is shown in the 1939 classic movie The Wizard of Oz: Green-skinned, clad entirely in black, and wearing a tall peaked hat. Maguire formulated the name out of L. Frank Baum's name. L. Frank Baum became El-pha-ba. In both adaptations, Elphaba is also called by several nicknames including Elphie, Fabala, Sister (Saint) Aelphaba, and Fae. Elphaba is the daughter of Melena Thropp and the Wizard of Oz (a fact which Elphaba discovers near the end of her life). Her father's origins beyond Oz is one possible explanation of her green skin, and is the reason she is able read to the Grimmerie. Through her mother, she can lay claim to the highest held... full article at wikipedia