Magic practitioner in The Oz Series
Glinda
Also known as the Good Witch of the South, the most powerful of all the Witches, the Good Witch who rules here, the Witch Glinda, a very delightful Queen called Glinda the Good, the great Sorceress, the Queen of the Southland, your glorious highness, your mistress, the gentle Sorceress, a friendly sorceress of our land, a kind sorceress.
Glinda, the Witch of the South, the most powerful of all the Witches, who rules over the Quadlings and is kind to everyone; a beautiful woman who knows how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived, whose castle stands on the edge of the desert, so she may know a way to cross it.
Appears in 14 chapters, first in chapter 18, last in chapter 84.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Affiliation | Ruler of the Quadlings of the Land of the South. (as of ch. 18) |
| Age | Has lived many years yet keeps herself young in appearance. (as of ch. 18) |
| Appearance | Seen directly for the first time: beautiful and young to the travelers' eyes, with rich red hair falling in flowing ringlets over her shoulders, a pure white dress, and kindly blue eyes. (as of ch. 23) |
| Being nature | A witch — a powerful magic-working woman who has lived many years while keeping herself young. |
| Conflict | A pursuit contest against the shape-shifting Mombi: matching every transformation with greater experience, Glinda seals the tent, gives chase, and defeats the witch she had earlier failed to find. (as of ch. 46) |
| Current goal | Her aim of restoring the rightful heir is fulfilled: Ozma has escaped Mombi and now reigns as the established Ruler of Oz, so the earlier pursuit-and-restoration goal no longer stands. (as of ch. 84) |
| Dialogue style | Warm, gentle, and gracious, addressing Dorothy tenderly ('my child', 'Bless your dear heart') and speaking with kindly, reassuring authority as she settles each petitioner's fate with calm, measured promises. (as of ch. 23) |
| Equipment | The Golden Cap, which Dorothy gives her and by whose charm she will command the Winged Monkeys three times. (as of ch. 23) |
| Gender identity | woman (as of ch. 18) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 18) |
| Magic alignment | good |
| Magic tradition | A witch — the Witch of the South, reckoned the most powerful of all the Witches of Oz. |
| Magical domain | The Land of the South and the Quadlings, which she rules from a castle on the edge of the desert; her magic may know a way to cross the deadly desert. |
| Maturation stage | Adult |
| Motive | To succor the unfortunate and oppressed and to see justice done in the Land of Oz — to overthrow the usurper Jinjur and restore the rightful heir Ozma to the throne that was stolen from her father Pastoria. (as of ch. 44) |
| Personality | Kind to everyone; regarded as good by the Quadlings she rules. (as of ch. 18) |
| Power tier | The most powerful of all the Witches. |
| Referential profile | feminine (as of ch. 18) |
| Sex profile | female (as of ch. 18) |
| Skills | Powerful witchcraft — she keeps herself young in spite of the many years she has lived, and may know a way to cross the deadly desert. (as of ch. 18) |
| Social status | The ruler of the Quadlings and the most powerful of all the Witches of Oz. (as of ch. 18) |
| Special capabilities | The most powerful of all the Witches; may know a way to cross the impassable desert, and knows how to keep herself young in spite of the many years she has lived. |
| Status | Off-scene in this window; her wartime command and interrogation of Mombi are past — with Glinda's help Jinjur was conquered and Ozma restored to the throne. (as of ch. 84) |
Relationships
- imprisoned by ← Mombi ch. 46Held wholly helpless by the golden thread around her neck, Mombi is carried to Glinda's tent and interrogated under the magic truth-pearl; caught in a lie, she confesses the secret of Ozma and, under threat of death, consents to give up her magic — her last act being to restore Ozma before losing her powers.
- ally of · Scarecrow ch. 44Allied with Glinda, the Scarecrow supplies the winning idea — to fly the Gump over Jinjur's barred walls — and Glinda praises his brains; their joint cause won, Ozma is enthroned and Glinda's army marches home in peace.
- controls → Mombi ch. 47Glinda keeps the captive Mombi wholly helpless by the golden magical thread around her neck, holding its end so the witch cannot work any magic to escape.
- studies → Oz ch. 44Glinda keeps in her library a book inscribing every observed action of the Wizard during his time in Oz, and reads it carefully to single out the suspicious acts — eating beans with a knife, three secret visits to Mombi, a limp — that might reveal where he hid Ozma.
- advises → Ozma ch. 48Glinda becomes the young Queen's standing counselor, giving Ozma good advice on all occasions as she learns to rule.
- provides service ← Saw-Horse ch. 46The tireless Saw-Horse carries Glinda in the pursuit of the fleeing Mombi, running for hours without slacking until his untiring wooden legs outlast the Griffin and bring the Sorceress up to her exhausted quarry.
- possesses → Golden Cap ch. 23Glinda takes possession of the Golden Cap that Dorothy hands her, intending to spend its three remaining commands to send the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Lion to their kingdoms, then give the Cap to the King of the Monkeys to free the band forever.
- rules → the Land of the South ch. 18Glinda rules the Land of the South, where her castle stands on the edge of the desert.
- guards ← Glinda's girl soldiers ch. 44Glinda's private Body Guard — trained girl soldiers in neat uniforms bearing swords and spears — silently surround and receive the arriving party, then escort them to their Sorceress, whom they attend.
- subordinate to ← Glinda's girl soldiers ch. 22The girl soldiers serve under Glinda as her gate-guards, taking visitors' names and asking whether she will receive them before admitting anyone.
- rules → Quadlings ch. 18Glinda, the Witch of the South and most powerful of all the Witches, rules over the Quadlings.
- located in → the Castle of Glinda ch. 22Glinda resides in her beautiful Castle in the Quadling country, receiving petitioners there.
- captures → Mombi (ended) ch. 46After a long chase, Glinda overtakes the exhausted Griffin at the desert's edge and casts a slender golden thread over its head, destroying Mombi's transformation and taking the old Witch prisoner.
- reveals secret to ← Mombi (ended) ch. 47Compelled by the truth-pearl and the threat of death, Mombi reveals to Glinda the long-hidden secret: the Wizard gave her the infant Ozma to conceal, and she enchanted the princess into the boy Tip, who is the rightful ruler of the Emerald City.
- reveals secret to → Scarecrow (ended) ch. 44Through grave questioning Glinda reveals to the Scarecrow the hidden truth of the throne: the Wizard usurped it from King Pastoria, whose daughter Ozma is the rightful heir — a girl the Wizard hid away so that no one, not even Glinda, can find her.
- deposes → General Jinjur (ended) ch. 48By capturing Jinjur and ending the war, Glinda deposes the usurper and clears the throne for the rightful heir Ozma's accession.
- discovers → Mombi (ended) ch. 46Noticing the big red leaves of the rose in the Tin Woodman's button-hole tremble slightly, Glinda's suspicions are aroused and she deduces that the seeming rose is a transformation of old Mombi.
- restores form → Mombi (ended) ch. 46The golden thread from Glinda's girdle undoes Mombi's Griffin transformation: the animal shudders and vanishes, and in its place the true form of the old Witch is revealed, glaring savagely at the Sorceress.
- threatens → Mombi (ended) ch. 47Glinda threatens the captive Mombi with death unless she reveals the truth about the girl Ozma, making clear it is merely a threat to compel her — offering, if she confesses, only the loss of her magical powers instead.
- deceives ← Mombi (ended) ch. 45Mombi twice deceives Glinda: first disguising Jellia Jamb as herself so Jinjur's soldiers can hand over a false Mombi, then, when that is exposed, transforming herself into a red rose in the palace garden to escape Glinda's search.
- persuades → Tip (ended) ch. 47Glinda gently persuades the reluctant Tip to accept the truth and resume his proper form as the Princess Ozma, taking his hand and reassuring him, until he hesitantly consents to try being a girl again.
- conquers → City of Emeralds (ended) ch. 48Glinda marches her army on the Emerald City; when the barred green-marble walls halt the advance, the party flies the Gump over them, seizes Jinjur in her courtyard, and takes the city for Ozma.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 69Dorothy and Ozma visit Glinda, and Dorothy explains her plan to use the magic belt to reach Uncle Henry, discussing with Glinda how the belt's magic works and what to do with it afterward.
- reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 23Glinda reveals to Dorothy that her Silver Shoes have the power to carry her anywhere in the world in three steps — that she could have gone home the very first day had she known — and explains that she need only knock the heels together three times and command the shoes.
- warns → Dorothy (ended) ch. 69Glinda corrects Dorothy's assumption, warning her that the magic belt only has magical power while in a fairy country and that if Dorothy wore it to Australia, the belt itself would be lost forever like her silver shoes were.
- threatens → General Jinjur (ended) ch. 45After the first deception is exposed, Glinda sends word to Jinjur that the fraud is discovered and she must deliver up the real Mombi or suffer terrible consequences.
- negotiates with ← General Jinjur (ended) ch. 45Besieged by Glinda's army, Jinjur sends a girl with a flag of truce to parley, asking why Glinda has invaded and what her demands are; Glinda replies that Jinjur must deliver up old Mombi as prisoner and she will not molest her further.
- restores form → Jellia Jamb (ended) ch. 45Understanding magic better than anyone in Oz, Glinda utters a few potent words and makes a peculiar gesture to transform the disguised girl back into her proper shape, revealing her as Jellia Jamb.
- gives → Ozma (ended) ch. 57Glinda the Good presents Ozma with a magic carpet that continually unrolls itself to make a path across the great desert, enabling the rescue expedition to Ev.
- communicates with ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 44The Scarecrow requests an audience with Glinda and, on her throne, petitions her in solemn courtly style — recounting how Jinjur's girl army overran his Emerald City, enslaved its men, stole its emeralds, and usurped his throne — and begs the Good Sorceress's assistance.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 23Received in Glinda's throne room, Dorothy tells the Good Witch her whole story — the cyclone, finding her companions, and their adventures — and asks the way home to Kansas, explaining she fears Aunt Em will grieve and Uncle Henry cannot afford mourning.
- gives ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 23Dorothy willingly gives Glinda the Golden Cap in exchange for being told the way home, noting the Cap is of no use to her now and that its owner may command the Winged Monkeys three times.
- enemy of · General Jinjur (ended) ch. 45–48Glinda ends the war with Jinjur: baffled by the barred walls, her party flies the Gump over them and seizes Jinjur in her courtyard; the Army of Revolt submits, and on promise of good behavior the deposed Jinjur is released.
- defies ← General Jinjur (ended) ch. 48Unwilling to give up her throne, Jinjur listens to her soldiers and sends a sharp defiance to Glinda, refusing to submit and provoking a declaration of war.
- uses → magic pearl (ended) ch. 47Glinda uses her magic white pearl as a lie-detector during the interrogation, watching it turn black to catch Mombi's falsehood and remain white only for truth, forcing the witch to confess.
- protects → Jellia Jamb (ended) ch. 45When Jellia, forced to confess Mombi's trick, begs Glinda's protection, the Sorceress readily grants it.
- commands → Mombi (ended) ch. 47Glinda commands the silent, evasive Mombi to answer and to look up, sternly directing the interrogation until the witch complies.
- deceives ← Mombi (ended) ch. 47Under questioning Mombi tries to deceive Glinda with false answers — claiming the Wizard visited only to learn her tea-biscuit recipe — until Glinda's truth-pearl turns black and exposes the lie.
- commands → Saw-Horse (ended) ch. 46Springing upon the Saw-Horse's back to chase the fleeing Griffin, Glinda commands it to prove its right to be alive and run its fastest.
- shows respect ← Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 23Along with the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, the Lion earnestly thanks the Good Witch Glinda for her kindness in promising to carry him back to his forest.
- communicates with → Cowardly Lion (ended) ch. 23Glinda asks the Lion what he will do once Dorothy is home; hearing he wishes to return to the forest whose beasts have made him King, she promises her third command to the Winged Monkeys will carry him to his forest.
- defies ← Mombi (ended) ch. 47Newly captured, Mombi defiantly refuses Glinda — croaking that she defies her and that Glinda dare not harm her, and at first meeting the Sorceress's questions with stubborn silence.
- shows respect ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 23Along with the Tin Woodman and the Lion, the Scarecrow earnestly thanks the Good Witch Glinda for her kindness in arranging his safe return to rule the Emerald City.
- communicates with → Scarecrow (ended) ch. 23Glinda asks the Scarecrow what he will do once Dorothy leaves; hearing he means to return to rule the Emerald City but fears the Hammer-Heads' hill, she promises to use the Golden Cap to have the Winged Monkeys carry him to the city gates, and calls him 'unusual'.
- scries → Scarecrow (ended) ch. 44By her magic Glinda saw the party approaching long before they arrived, awaiting them in her palace — for nothing that goes on in the Land of Oz escapes her notice.
- located in → the Land of the South (ended) ch. 18–22Glinda's castle stands in the south on the edge of the desert.
- shows respect ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 23Together with the Scarecrow and the Lion, the Tin Woodman earnestly thanks the Good Witch Glinda for her kindness in promising to carry him back to rule the Winkies.
- communicates with → Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 23Glinda asks the Tin Woodman what will become of him; learning he wishes to return to rule the Winkies, she promises her second command to the Winged Monkeys will carry him safely to the land of the Winkies, assuring him he will rule wisely.
From the text
Really, said the Sorceress, that is beyond my magic. I never deal in transformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likes to make things appear to be what they are not.Chapter 47
The Witch of the South. She is the most powerful of all the Witches, and rules over the Quadlings.Chapter 18
Her hair was a rich red in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. Her dress was pure white but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindly upon the little girl.Chapter 23
Upon her throne of finely wrought gold sat Glinda, and she could scarcely repress a smile as her peculiar visitors entered and bowed before her.Chapter 44
But Glinda, sweet and fair though she was, understood magic better than any other person in the Land of Oz.Chapter 45
But Glinda had not only equal cunning, but far more experience than the Witch.Chapter 46