| The Good Witch of the North | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Locasta or Tattypoo |
|
First Appearance |
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) |
|
Original Publisher |
Reilly & Britton |
|
Created by |
L. Frank Baum & W.W. Denslow |
Oigin[]
Mombi, the Wicked Witch of the North's, power began to decline when she was deposed as Ruler of the Gillikins by the Good Witch of the North. This occurred when Orin came upon Mombi transforming someone into a tree; she interfered, and found her magic was stronger than Mombi's and so defeated her and took over her hut, becoming the Good Witch of the North.
As the new Ruler of the Gillikins, the Good Witch of the North forbade any other witch to live in the Gillikin Country, thus minimizing potential future threats. Mombi herself was compelled to be nothing more than a lowly female wizard.
The Good Witch of the North was summoned to the Munchkin Country when Dorothy Gale's fallen house killed the Wicked Witch of the East. The Good Witch warmly welcomed Dorothy to Oz, and gave her the dead Wicked Witch's magical silver shoes. When Dorothy asked her how to return home again, the Good Witch consulted her magical white cap, which could be turned into a slate that provided magical advice. Dorothy was advised to follow the Yellow Brick Road and travel to the Emerald City to seek the aid of the Wizard of Oz. The Good Witch of the North couldn't accompany Dorothy on her journey but, placed a special kiss on the girl's forehead that would protect her from evil-doers. "No one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North," the Good Witch assured Dorothy, and indeed the kiss protected her from the Winged Monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West.
The Good Witch of the North was one of the many guests who attended Princess Ozma of Oz's birthday party. She amused the other attendees by transforming ten stones into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed back into ten stones once again.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Books:
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- The Road to Oz
- The Marvelous Land of Oz (mentioned)
- The Giant Horse of Oz, by Ruth Plumly Thompson (1928) – named Tattypoo
- The Magical Mimics in Oz
Stage:
- The Wizard of Oz (1902 musical) – named Locasta
Notes[]
- The famous (and non-PD), 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, names the character as "Glinda" however, in Baum's books, this was the name of the Good Witch of the South.
- In the original books, Baum never gave the character a real name. It wasn't until the stage musical that her alter-ego of "Locasta" was revealed. In The Giant Horse of Oz, her name is instead Tattypoo.