| Queen Lurline of the Fairies | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Lurline |
|
First Appearance |
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1902) |
|
Original Publisher |
Bowen-Merrill |
|
Created by |
L. Frank Baum |
Origin[]
Much like the Wicked Witch of the South, Lurline is never directly depicted as a character in any of the Oz books. She is, however, a crucial figure in the backstory and origin of Oz... and, indeed, she was most likely seen earlier than that (see Notes).
L. Frank Baum first mentions her in The Tin Woodman of Oz, Chapter 12, where he states that Lurline's fairy band was passing over the isolated Land of Oz when they enchanted the country; and Lurline left one of her fairies to "rule" it. Lurline then "forgot all about" Oz.
Baum next mentions Lurline in Glinda of Oz, Chapters 6 and 8, where he repeats this bare origin account and names Ozma as the fairy left to rule Oz.
Appearances[]
- The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
- The Tin Woodman of Oz (mentioned only)
- Glinda of Oz (mentioned only)
Notes[]
- Although the story, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, was originally written to be separate from the Oz books, the character was later brought into the Oz universe when he was seen at Ozma's birthday party in The Road to Oz. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that Queen Lurline and the unnamed Queen of the Fairies from the Santa story are indeed one and the same.
- There is some confusion between her and Lulea, Queen of the Fairies and, indeed, many people consider them to be the same character. However, given Baum's rationale of giving everything and anything a King or Queen, there is no reason not to believe that there may be more than one colony of Fairies in need of a ruler.