zed is less brutal and far more intelligent than the eternals think he is. genetic analysis reveals he is the ultimate result of long-running eugenics experiments devised by arthur frayn—who is zardoz—who controlled the outlands with the exterminators, thus coercing the brutals to supply the vortices with grain. zardoz's aim was to breed a superman who would penetrate the vortex and save mankind from its hopelessly stagnant status quo. the women's analysis of zed's mental images earlier had revealed that in the ruins of the old world arthur frayn first encouraged zed to learn to read, then led him to the book "the wonderful wizard of oz". zed finally understands the origin of the name "zardoz"—wizard of oz—bringing him to a true awareness of zardoz as a skillful manipulator rather than an actual deity. he becomes infuriated with this realization and decides to plumb the deepest depths of this enormous mystery.