- "As for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose, while she counted “One, two, three” in a solemn voice. At once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks: "LET DOROTHY GO TO THE CITY OF EMERALDS""
- ― The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Good Witch of the North, sometimes named Locasta or Tattypoo, is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum, author and creator of the Oz legacy. She is introduced in Baum's first Oz book titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), published in 1900. She is from the magical Land of Oz and appears in the second chapter of the novel The Council with the Munchkins. Interestingly, she is not given a name in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and is only known by her title of position. It would not be until Baum wrote the sequel Oz books when her character is finally given an actual name. Unlike the 1939 MGM musical movie The Wizard of Oz, she is the first Good Witch to originally greet a newly arrived Dorothy and her little pet dog Toto to Oz, and should not be mistaken for the character of Glinda the Good, who is actually the Good Witch of the South and doesn't make an appearance until the end of the original story.
The Good Witch of the North is known as being the elderly and mild-mannered ruler of Oz's northern quadrant called Gillikin Country. In Baum's later Oz books which serve as sequels to the first story, it is also revealed that she became the official head ruler of the North after overthrowing the old Witch Mombi.
Physical Apperance[]
The Good Witch of the North is portrayed as a short old woman with a kind face, pale skin, white hair and dark eyes. She wears a long bluish-white tunic and wears a pointed witch hat that matches her tunic. She always carries a cane with the symbol of the north with her.
History[]
The Good Witch of the North was born as a Princess of the North, named Orin, and her father was King Gil of Gilkenny. She was courted by Prince Cheeriobed of the Ozure Isles, and she accepted, but during the wedding preparations, Mombi, the Wicked Witch of the North, fell in love with Cheeriobed and tried to seduce him. Mombi's attempt failed, so she later kidnapped Princess Orin and transformed her into an old witch, which also caused Orin to forget her own identity, and she began calling herself Tattypoo. (The Giant Horse of Oz)
- For more detail on Ruth Plumly Thompson's history for the character, see Tattypoo.
Ironically, though Mombi's vengeance upon Orin initially seemed to be an effective one, it ultimately turned out to be her own downfall, for as the good witch Tattypoo, Orin was more powerful than she - Mombi - was, powerful enough, in fact, to depose her as Ruler of the Gillikins. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz) This occurred when Tattypoo 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. (The Giant Horse of Oz) As the new Ruler of the Gillikins, the Good Witch of the North forbade any other witch to live in the Gillikin Country, thus minimising potential future threats. Mombi herself was compelled to be nothing more than a raggedy old Bag-Lady who knows some magic.
The Good Witch of the North was summoned to the Munchkin Country when Dorothy Gale's falling house killed the Wicked Witch of the East. She warmly welcomed Dorothy to Oz with compassion and kindness, 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 her 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 Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Queen Orin, restored to her true form, returns to the Ozure Isles.
The Good Witch of the North was one of the many guests who attended Princess Ozma'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. (The Road to Oz)
After many years ruling over the Gillikins, Tattypoo was reminded by her dragon Agnes to look in the Witch's Window, which made her remember her true identity as Orin, the Queen of the Ozure Isles; she then returned there to rule, and was made co-ruler of Munchkin Country with her husband. (The Giant Horse of Oz)
She was later in attendance at the celebration of Ozana's arrival in Oz. (The Magical Mimics in Oz)
- Here she is referred to only as the Good Witch of the North, and refer to a successor. Jack Snow (who tended to reject any Thompsonian continuity), in his book Who's Who in Oz, indicated that "important things have transpired" regarding the Good Witch that would "take a whole book to tell," an indication that he was developing a story involving her.
Baum's Description[]
The Good Witch of the North, illustrated by W. W. Denslow (1900)
Locasta Tattypoo is humble, optimistic, mild-mannered, and extremely kind, with an adorable sense of humor that all the other authority figures of Oz lack. Hence, she is respected and beloved, not only by her own subjects, the loyal Gillikins, but also by other Ozians, such as the Munchkins. Baum also presented her as an extremely sweet and positive character who stood against the oppression and subjugation of people - though she was not as powerful as the Wicked Witch of the East, and was therefore unable to depose her the way she did Mombi, Locasta was still exceedingly sensitive to the plight of the enslaved Munchkins, who regarded her as their dear friend. As demonstrated by her interaction with Dorothy, despite her limitations, Locasta would still help those in need to the very best of her capacity - advising Dorothy to go to the Wizard for help, and even giving her a magical kiss of protection to defend her from any possible injuries or threats during her journey. Her personality is said to be much like Santa Claus' wife, the smitten Mrs. Claus.
The Good Witch of the North welcomes Dorothy & Toto to the Munchkin Country of Oz, illustrated by Charles Santore (1991)
Physically, Locasta Tattypoo has purple eyes and short curly white hair. She always wears a clean white pointed hat that reaches a foot above her head with little silver bells that run across the brim and jingle ever so sweetly as she moves. Her hat is also a magical one and can also turn into a magic slate with magic white chalk letters she can consult for wise answers when in need of any advice. Her dress is a very long and poofy, sparkling ball gown of pure white yet sprinkled with glittering half-moons and little stars all about that glow brightly even in the sunlight. She also carries a large magic wand that has the initial "N" on the very top.
Magical Abilities[]
The Good Witch of the North during her council with Dorothy Gale and the Munchkins, illustrated by Michael Hague (1982)
It is reasonable and logical to deduce that, out of the four Witches of Oz, Locasta ranked third in magical strength: Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, was acknowledged to be the most powerful of all the Witches. Next to Glinda was clearly the Wicked Witch of the East (owner of the magical Silver Shoes), whom Locasta once described as being more powerful than she was.
However, Locasta was still proven to be stronger than the Wicked Witch of the West (owner of the Golden Cap), as the latter was unable to hurt a person who had been magically kissed by the former. Later on, it was also revealed that Locasta had become the official Witch of the North by conquering Mombi in the past.
Hence, though Locasta ranked third among the four Witches, and did not know how to utilise the powers of the Silver Shoes (while the other three did), she was still a powerful practitioner of magic in her own right. Examples of powers she derived from her magic were:
- Divination: Locasta had the power to gain insight into a question or situation using an occult, standardized process or ritual, which she channeled through her magical hat - by balancing the point of her hat at the end of her nose and counting to three, the hat would transform into a slate on which would be written the answer to her question.
- Defense Manipulation: Locasta had the power to manipulate defensive powers, bestowing them on whoever she desired - she gave Dorothy a powerful magical kiss on her forehead ("a round, shining mark") that protected her from being abused by any who would wish her harm. In fact, it was this very kiss that prevented Dorothy from being hurt in any way by the Winged Monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Teleportation: Locasta had the power to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between - after whirling around on her left heel three times, she would disappear into thin air, being instantly teleported away to her desired location.
- Transformation: Locasta had the power to manipulate reality to transform any object or being into something else - during Ozma's birthday party, she amused by the people 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 into ten stones again, just as they were in the beginning".
- Evil Immunity (possibly): Even before she became a Witch, it was highly likely that Locasta had the innate ability to be immune to anything evil - Mombi had tried to turn her into a Wicked Witch, but her innate goodness was too great to turn wicked, and so she became a Good Witch instead.
Book Appearances[]
Locasta Tattypoo in the Marvel Comics adaptation of Oz, illustrated by Skottie Young (2009)
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (first appearance)
- The Road to Oz
- The Giant Horse of Oz
- The Magical Mimics in Oz
Background[]
The name of the Good Witch of the North in L. Frank Baum's own stage version of The Wizard of Oz is Locasta, although she was not identified by name in his books.
Adaptations[]
The Wizard of Oz (1939)[]
In the classic 1939 MGM musical movie The Wizard of Oz, the Good Witch of the North was replaced by the character of Glinda, who was originally the Good Witch of the South in the book. In the movie, the Good Witch of the North was portrayed by Billie Burke. In addition to meeting Dorothy on her arrival in Oz, she also supervises her progress on her journey to the Wizard and helps her find her way back to Kansas at the end of the story. The movie makes no reference to a "Good Witch of the South". The two Ozian Witches were combined for the sake of the film to save time. This was often done in many movie versions - combining the elements of two popular book characters to shorten lengthy novels.
The Wiz[]
- In 1974, The Good Witch set foot on stage as Addapearle, a wisecracking showgirl Witch.
- In 1978 she was changed a bit and given the name "Miss One", a mathematical witch. She is portrayed by Thelma Carpenter refers to the Munchkins as her "Little Digitals".
- In 2015 the role of Addapearle was reprised by singer and actress Amber Riley.
Magic Land[]
In Alexander Melentyevich Volkov's Magic Land series, the Witch's name is Villina. When the Wicked Witch of the East tried to exterminate humanity by means of a magical hurricane, Villina changed the spell so that it only affected one house (which, as her magical book said, was always empty during storms), and dropped it upon the Wicked Witch. Her magical slate is changed into a tiny book which transforms into a giant tome when blown upon, and, in addition to the divination qualities, also functions as an encyclopedia. In The Seven Underground Kings, it is mentioned that when the Four Witches had a dispute over the rulership of the country, her possessing such an unusual book was enough to convince the Wicked Witches to settle the matter peacefully. She appears in two books after the first one (although in one of them she appears off stage, and it is narrated to the main characters). She has the power to teleport to any place within the Magic Land. In The Yellow Fog, an evil witch considers fighting Villina, but reconsiders after it is pointed out to her such an elusive enemy is impossible to defeat.
Later works[]
She is a significant but highly-altered player in Ruth Plumly Thompson's book, The Giant Horse of Oz. Thompson calls her "Tattypoo," but portrays her as the bewitched form of a beautiful young Munchkin queen named Orin. Royal Historian Jack Snow later retconned this backstory in his Who's Who in Oz, claiming that the Good Witch of the North was alive and well, and that Tattypoo was a separate individual who was disillusioned into simply thinking that she was the Good Witch of the North. This is further reinforced by Snow's entry on the Good Witch herself, saying developments were made on her that would "take a whole book to tell." This is believed to be Snow's as-of-yet undiscovered, potentially lost, third Oz novel, known as Over the Rainbow to Oz, which is believed to also involve elements such as Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter, a boy named Billy, and the Wicked Witch of the West's castle.
Furthermore in Who's Who in Oz, Jack Snow implies that rather than being the Good Witch of the North, rather, Tattypoo was a good witch in the North who somehow found rule over the Gillikins, and later discovered her former life as Orin. During this period of time, it was unknown what happened to Locasta-- where she was, if Locasta appointed Tattypoo as a helper, etc.
She plays a significant role in Phyllis Ann Karr's book, The Hollyhock Dolls of Oz, in which Aunt Em's visit to her turns into a much larger adventure.
In Paul Dana's The Magic Umbrella of Oz, the Tah-Tipuu is revealed to be, not a name, but the title for a long line of female guardians of the north. The narrative features a Tah-Tipuu from around the year 1700.
In the 1982 anime film she wears a red hat and a blue dress and is the same size as the Munchkins and a blonde Dorothy.
In the 1986 anime series she wears all orange and is larger than the Munchkins and a brunette Dorothy.
Gregory Maguire's 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and the musical Wicked (based on the book), follow the model of the 1939 movie in giving the name "Glinda" to the character who grows up to become the Good Witch of the North. See Glinda (The Wicked Years) for more information on this character.
Miss Piggy as Tattypoo.
In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Glinda and the Good Witch of the North are again separate characters (and the Good Witch of the North has the name Tattypoo), although they are both played by Miss Piggy (as are the Wicked Witches of the West and East).
From The Witches of Oz : Locasta (left) and Glinda (right)
The Good Witch of the North is Locasta again in David Hardenbrook's novel The Unknown Witches of Oz (2000).
In The Wizard of Oz: Dark Witch Rising by Mike LaMontagne, the Good Witch of the North is named Lillian. She is only mentioned by name briefly in the first book, Rainbow's Emissary, but she becomes a significant player in Witch Hunt, the second book and Paradise Lost, the third book in the series.
In Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return the Good Witch of the North is Glinda, voiced by Bernadette Peters.
In Barnyard Studio's Wonderful Wizard of Oz film, the Good Witch of the North will be played by actress Stacey Pratt.
In the Hidden History of Oz series, she is called Locasta. Unlike other materials, where she is seen as an elderly woman, she is depicted here as a teenage girl not much older than Ginda. She is also apprentice to Kaliyana, Witch of the East, before rebelling to help Glinda.
In Oz the Great and Powerful, it can be assumed that Theodora acted as the Good Witch of the North before her fall to wickedness by the hand of her sister Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East.
Credits[]
- Wizard of Oz (1902): Edith Hutchins as Locasta
- The Wizard of Oz (1939) : Billie Burke as Glinda
- Journey Back to Oz (1974): Rise Stevens as Glinda (voice)
- The Wiz (1975) : Clarice Taylor as Addapearle
- The Wiz (1978) : Thelma Carpenter as Miss One
- The Wizard of Oz (1982): Miyoko Aso/ Eliziabeth Hana (voice)
- Oz no Mahotsuki (1986): Mitsuko Tomobe
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005): Miss Piggy as Tattypoo
- Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2012): Brooke Taylor as Locasta
- Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014): Bernadette Peters as Glinda (voice)
- The Wiz Live! (2015): Amber Riley