A Northern Lady

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The Good Witch of the North is the elderly and mild-mannered Ruler of the Gillikin Country in Oz. Her only significant appearance in L. Frank. Baum's work is in Chapter 2 of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which she introduces young Dorothy Gale to the Land of Oz and sends her off to Emerald City to meet the Wizard, after placing a protective kiss on her forehead. Baum presented her as an extremely kind and gentle character who stood against the oppression and subjugation of any Ozian. She became the Ruler of the Gillikin Country in the North after freeing the Gillikins from the clutches of Mombi, the erstwhile Wicked Witch of the North. However, the character's kindness and magnanimity of spirit was not confined to her own domain, and she was loved not only by her own subjects but also by many of the other people in Oz, such as the Munchkins.

The Good Witch

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L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, refers to Glinda as the Good Witch of the South, and ruler of Quadling Country. Later books will call her a “sorceress” rather than a “witch”. Baum’s writings make it clear that he did not view witches as inherently wicked, so some theorize that this change was meant to signal that Glinda was more powerful than any common witch. Others speculate that he may have simply decided to avoid associating Glinda with any of the negative connotations the word “witch” might have socially carried.

Artist's Personal Note: This lovely good witch’s appearance is an amalgamation, and tribute to several of Glinda’s incarnations and makeovers through the years, including: Baum’s original description of the character, Billie Burke’s appearance in the 1939 MGM film, as well as a nod to the Broadway musical, "Wicked" (blonde hair), based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.