Witch of the North

Witch of the North. Also known as the Good Witch of the North, she is a benevolent fairy and ruler of the northern Gillikin Country in L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz. She first appears in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where she welcomes Dorothy Gale to Oz after her house kills the Wicked Witch of the East. A kind but less powerful figure than Glinda, she gives Dorothy the protective kiss and the enchanted Silver Shoes before sending her on the journey to the Emerald City.

In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The character makes her sole appearance in the original book when Dorothy Gale's farmhouse, carried by a Kansas cyclone, lands in the Munchkin Country, killing the Wicked Witch of the East. She is described as an old woman with white hair and gentle eyes, dressed entirely in white. She identifies herself to Dorothy and the gathered Munchkins, explaining the nature of Oz and the death of the witch. She performs a magical rite, marking Dorothy's forehead with a kiss that grants protection from harm. She also bestows upon Dorothy the powerful Silver Shoes that once belonged to the slain witch. Unable to personally guide Dorothy back to Kansas, she advises the girl to follow the Yellow Brick Road to seek help from the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City.

In other Oz works

In subsequent books by L. Frank Baum, the Witch of the North is largely absent, with her role as primary benevolent sorceress supplanted by Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. She is mentioned in later stories as the sovereign ruler of the Gillikin Country, one of the four quadrants of Oz. Her domain is depicted as a region where the color purple predominates, and she is said to govern from a palace. While not a central figure in the extended canon, her existence is consistently acknowledged, maintaining her status as one of the four great witches of Oz alongside Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Wicked Witch of the East.

Character analysis

Literary scholars often contrast her with the more prominent Glinda, interpreting the Witch of the North as a figure of limited but genuine power whose kindness initiates the hero's journey. Her advanced age and white garments symbolize wisdom, purity, and a non-threatening form of magic. Critics like Michael O. Riley have noted that her inability to solve Dorothy's problem herself establishes the need for the quest, driving the novel's plot. Her act of bestowing the Silver Shoes (changed to Ruby Slippers in the MGM film) provides Dorothy with the ultimate means of returning home, though the child must discover its use independently. This positions her as a mentor archetype who provides essential tools but not direct solutions.

Adaptations

The character has been portrayed in numerous adaptations, most famously by Billie Burke in the iconic 1939 MGM film The Wizard of Oz, though in that adaptation, the roles of the two good witches are combined into a single character named Glinda. In the 1902 Broadway musical, she was played by Ida May. She appears in the 1985 ''Return to Oz'' film, portrayed by Emma Ridley. The 1978 film ''The Wiz'' features a version of the character named Miss One, played by Thelma Carpenter. The SyFy miniseries Tin Man reimagines her as a mystic named Lavender Eyes, while the ABC series Once Upon a Time includes her as a recurring figure.

Cultural impact

As the first magical authority figure encountered in one of America's most beloved children's stories, she has left a significant imprint on popular culture. The image of the kindly, elderly witch in white has influenced countless subsequent depictions of benevolent fairy godmother figures in fantasy genres. While often overshadowed by Glinda's more glamorous portrayal in the MGM film, the Witch of the North remains a foundational character in the Oz mythos. References to her appear in various media, from comic books like Fables to video games and musical theatre, cementing her status as an archetype of gentle guidance and the instigating force behind epic adventures.

Category:Characters in American novels of the 20th century Category:Female characters in literature Category:Oz characters