The Cowardly Lion

E49588

Oz character fictional character lion literary character

The Cowardly Lion is a fictional lion from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as Dorothy’s timid yet ultimately brave companion in "The Wizard of Oz."

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All labels observed (4)

Label	Occurrences
Cowardly Lion	34
The Cowardly Lion canonical	6
Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz	1
Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T379822 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Cowardly Lion
Context triple: [The Wizard of Oz, character, The Cowardly Lion]

A. The Tin Man
The Tin Man is a beloved fictional character from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as the heart-seeking, metal woodsman who journeys with Dorothy to see the Wizard.
B. The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is a beloved fictional figure from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, known for his quest for a brain and his role as one of Dorothy’s loyal companions.
C. Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional royal character from L. Frank Baum’s Oz book series, serving as the rightful ruler of the Land of Oz.
D. Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is the iconic green-skinned villain from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as Dorothy’s primary antagonist in the classic film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
E. Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda the Good Witch is a benevolent and powerful sorceress from L. Frank Baum’s Oz universe, best known for guiding Dorothy on her journey home.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Cowardly Lion
Target entity description: The Cowardly Lion is a fictional lion from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as Dorothy’s timid yet ultimately brave companion in "The Wizard of Oz."

A. The Tin Man
The Tin Man is a beloved fictional character from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as the heart-seeking, metal woodsman who journeys with Dorothy to see the Wizard.
B. The Scarecrow
The Scarecrow is a beloved fictional figure from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, known for his quest for a brain and his role as one of Dorothy’s loyal companions.
C. Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional royal character from L. Frank Baum’s Oz book series, serving as the rightful ruler of the Land of Oz.
D. Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is the iconic green-skinned villain from L. Frank Baum’s Oz stories, best known as Dorothy’s primary antagonist in the classic film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
E. Glinda the Good Witch
Glinda the Good Witch is a benevolent and powerful sorceress from L. Frank Baum’s Oz universe, best known for guiding Dorothy on her journey home.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Oz character ⓘ fictional character ⓘ lion ⓘ literary character ⓘ
adaptedIn	The Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
allyOf	Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: Dorothy Gale The Scarecrow ⓘ surface form: Scarecrow The Tin Man ⓘ surface form: Tin Woodman
appearsIn	Oz book series ⓘ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ⓘ film adaptations of The Wizard of Oz ⓘ stage adaptations of The Wizard of Oz ⓘ television adaptations of The Wizard of Oz ⓘ
associatedWith	Emerald City ⓘ Yellow Brick Road ⓘ
basedOn	stereotypical image of a brave lion contrasted with cowardice ⓘ
characterArc	overcomes fear and discovers his own courage ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	United States of America ⓘ surface form: United States
creator	L. Frank Baum ⓘ
desires	courage ⓘ
fictionalUniverse	Land of Oz ⓘ
filmDebut	The Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
firstAppearance	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ⓘ
firstAppearanceYear	1900 ⓘ
gender	male ⓘ
hasCompanion	Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: Dorothy Gale The Scarecrow ⓘ surface form: Scarecrow The Tin Man ⓘ surface form: Tin Woodman Toto ⓘ
homeRegion	forest in the Land of Oz ⓘ
languageOfOrigin	English ⓘ
literaryGenre	children's fantasy ⓘ
nationality	Ozian ⓘ
notableScene	meeting Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Woodman in the forest ⓘ receiving a symbolic token of courage from the Wizard of Oz ⓘ
notableTrait	bravery ⓘ cowardice ⓘ timidity ⓘ
portrayedBy	Bert Lahr ⓘ
roleInStory	Dorothy's companion ⓘ member of Dorothy's group on the Yellow Brick Road ⓘ
seeksHelpFrom	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: Wizard of Oz
species	lion ⓘ
symbolizes	inner courage ⓘ the idea that bravery is acting despite fear ⓘ
travelsWith	Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz ⓘ surface form: Dorothy Gale The Scarecrow ⓘ surface form: Scarecrow The Tin Man ⓘ surface form: Tin Woodman

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (42)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Wizard of Oz → character → The Cowardly Lion ⓘ

Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz → meetsCharacter → The Cowardly Lion ⓘ

subject surface form: Dorothy Gale