Fans of Wicked are only now beginning to understand the true meaning of the name “Elphaba.”
Actress Cynthia Erivo’s character has a somewhat unusual moniker, which has raised questions among Wicked aficionados about its origins.
However, Gregory Maguire, the author of Wicked, has now solved the enigma by disclosing the precise process by which he came up with the unique moniker.
The character’s name is actually a hidden reference to L. Frank Baum, the author of the first edition of The Wizard of Oz, which was published in 1900, more than a century ago.
The name “Elphaba” in the 2024 rendition is a smart play on Baum’s initials, “L. F. B.”
Since then, Maguire has talked about how he came up with the moniker because neither Baum’s original version of The Wizard of Oz nor its later cinematic versions give The Wicked Witch of the West a name.
Maguire intended to make a total transformation in this area.
During an interview on GBH’s Morning Edition, the author revealed how he came up with the name through experimenting with various combinations.
“I invented the name by playing with the initials of the author, Lyman Frank Baum,” Maguire explained.
“I tried Lafaba, I tried Lafeyba. And then I tried Elphaba. As soon as I got Elphaba, I thought, oh, that’s it.”
It’s not just Erivo’s character Elphaba drawing attention, as the Wicked fandom has recently been clarifying a significant mix-up regarding the actual name of Grande’s character in the film.
The confusion revolves around whether the protagonist’s name is “Glinda” or “Galinda,” with fans noticing both forms being used interchangeably across social media.
The short answer is that a professor in the plot is unable to pronounce the letter “a,” which is why Grande’s character goes by two names at different stages in the movie.
Just found out that Elphaba is named after L. Frank Baum, who wrote the Wizard of Oz children’s books.
L. F(r)a(nk) Ba(um)
— Hannah Danielle (@sincerelyhannah) November 22, 2024
When we first meet Glinda, she is known as Galinda Upland.
She continues criticizing Professor Doctor Dillamond (played by Peter Dinklage) on his pronunciation since she finds it frustrating that he has trouble pronouncing Galinda’s name in his seminars at Shiz University.
Her attempts are unsuccessful, though, as Dillamond just can’t get it right. As a result, Galinda changed her name to Glinda, saying she did it in support of her professor and in protest of his termination as a university professor.