“The Tin Woodman” is now available over at my #CafePress Shop: (http://www.cafepress.com/azodnem/9896404)
The origins of the Tin Woodman are astonishingly rather gruesome. Originally an ordinary man by the name of Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman used to make his living chopping down trees in the forests of Oz, as his father had before him. Unfortunately, the Wicked Witch of the East cursed his axe to prevent him from marrying his one true love. The wickedly enchanted axe chopped off his limbs, one by one. But each time he lost a limb, Nick replaced it with a prosthetic one made of tin until there was nothing left of him but the tin replacements. Sadly, the tinsmith who had been helping him neglected to replace his heart. Though far from missing his original existence, the Tin Woodman is actually very proud of his new untiring tin body.
Oz Fact: A recurring problem for the Tin Woodman in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was his tendency to rust when exposed to rain, tears, or other moisture. For this reason, in The Marvelous Land of Oz, published in 1904, the character has himself nickel-plated. Ironically, however, tin does not rust.