Good Witch of the North facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Good Witch of the North |
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| Oz character | |
The Witch of the North as illustrated by W. W. Denslow (1900)
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| First appearance | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) |
| Created by | L. Frank Baum |
| Portrayed by | Karen Holness (Once Upon a Time) |
| Information | |
| Aliases |
(The Wiz Live!) |
| Species | Human (witch) |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Ruler of the Gillikin Country |
| Title | The Good Witch of the North |
| Nationality | Ozian of Gillikin descent |
The Good Witch of the North is a famous character from the magical Land of Oz. She was created by the American author L. Frank Baum. Sometimes, she is also called Locasta or Tattypoo. She is an older, kind, and gentle ruler of the Gillikin Country in the northern part of Oz.
Her most important appearance is in Baum's first Oz book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). In this story, she meets Dorothy and helps her begin her journey to see the Wizard. She also gives Dorothy a special protective kiss on her forehead. The Good Witch of the North is known for being very kind and standing up against unfairness. She became the ruler of the Gillikin Country after freeing its people from the evil Mombi, who was the Wicked Witch of the North before her. People all over Oz, including the Munchkins, loved her because she was so caring.
Literature
The Classic Books
In the first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Good Witch of the North arrives in the Munchkin Country. This happens after Dorothy Gale's house accidentally lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch is the only one brave enough to talk to Dorothy. Dorothy is thought to be a powerful sorceress because she defeated the Wicked Witch.
The Good Witch welcomes Dorothy to the Land of the Munchkins. She shows Dorothy the body of the dead witch and introduces herself as the Witch of the North. Dorothy is scared at first, thinking all witches are bad. But the Good Witch assures her that she is a good witch and loved by her people. She also explains that she wasn't powerful enough to free the Munchkins from the Wicked Witch of the East herself.
Using a magic slate made from her hat, she tells Dorothy to go to the Emerald City. There, Dorothy can ask the powerful Wizard of Oz for help to return to Kansas. The Good Witch then kisses Dorothy on the forehead. This magical kiss protects Dorothy on her journey. She explains that "no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North." This protection helps Dorothy later in the book. It stops the Winged monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West from harming her. The shining mark from the kiss also helps convince the Wizard to meet Dorothy.
In The Marvelous Land of Oz, it is mentioned that the Good Witch of the North had stopped other witches from practicing magic in Gillikin Country. This was to prevent future dangers. We learn in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz that she defeated Mombi, who was the Wicked Witch of the North before her. This made Mombi just a regular wizardess under the Good Witch's rule.
In Baum's fifth Oz book, The Road to Oz, the Witch of the North attends Ozma's birthday party. She entertains everyone by changing ten stones into ten birds. Then she changes the birds into ten lambs, and the lambs into ten little girls. The girls perform a dance, and then she changes them back into stones.
In L. Frank Baum's own stage play of The Wizard of Oz, the Good Witch of the North is named Locasta.
The 1939 Movie
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In the famous 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz, the Good Witch of the North is called Glinda. This is actually the name of the Good Witch of the South in the original Oz books. In the movie, Glinda, played by Billie Burke, looks beautiful and a bit motherly. She meets Dorothy when she first arrives in Oz. Glinda also watches over Dorothy's journey to the Wizard. At the end of the story, she helps Dorothy find her way back to Kansas.
Glinda wears a beautiful coral pink ball gown and a matching crown. She carries a long magic wand with a sparkling star on its tip. The movie suggests there might be a "Good Witch of the South" because of the names. However, it doesn't directly show such a character.
Later Works
In The Giant Horse of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, the Good Witch of the North is named "Tattypoo." It turns out that Tattypoo was once a beautiful Munchkin queen named Orin. She was kidnapped by the evil Mombi, the former Wicked Witch of the North. Mombi loved Orin's husband, King Cheeriobed. To get rid of Orin, Mombi kidnapped her after her son, Prince Philador, was born. Mombi then turned Orin into an old witch who couldn't remember her past life.
As Tattypoo, Orin eventually took Mombi's place as ruler of the Gillikins. After 25 years, she was changed back to her true self. Orin lost her magic powers as the Good Witch of the North. She returned to her husband and son and became Queen of the Ozure Isles again. She no longer wanted to rule the Gillikin Country. At the end of the book, Princess Ozma chose Jo King and Queen Hyacinth to be the new rulers of the Gillikins.
In the Magic Land series by Alexander Melentyevich Volkov, the Witch's name is Villina. In his version, when the Wicked Witch of the East tried to destroy humanity with a magical hurricane, Villina changed the spell. It only affected one house, which was always empty during storms. This house then fell on the Wicked Witch. Villina's magic slate becomes a tiny book that grows into a giant book when blown on. It can tell the future and also works like an encyclopedia.
The Wiz
In the Broadway musical The Wiz, the Good Witch of the North is named "Addaperle." She was played by Clarice Taylor. Amber Riley played her in the 2015 TV special, The Wiz Live!. In the 1978 movie version of The Wiz, her name is "Miss One" and she was played by Thelma Carpenter. In both the stage and film versions, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, is a separate character.
Animation
In the 1982 anime film, The Wizard of Oz, the Good Witch of the North is shown as a kind, grandmotherly figure, just like in the book.
In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Glinda and the Good Witch of the North are separate characters. The Good Witch of the North is named Tattypoo. Both characters are played by Miss Piggy.
The VeggieTales episode The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's features Madame Blueberry as "Splenda the Sweet But Non-Fattening Fairy." She takes the place of both Good Witches in this version.
Television
The "Witch of the North" appears in the third season of Once Upon a Time. She is played by Karen Holness. At first, she is a good witch and part of the Sisterhood of Witches with Glinda. Later, after the Wicked Witch of the West takes over Emerald City, she moves back to the North. There, she becomes the cruel "Wicked Witch of the North." She is responsible for turning Stanum into the Tin Man.
Novel
In the 2014 novel Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, the former Good Witch of the North, named Gert, is a member of the Order of the Wicked.
