Everybody thinks Glinda is the Good Witch of the North. This is because of how she is portrayed in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz.” However, in L. Frank Baum’s original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, not the North. The Good Witch of the North is Glinda’s little sister. She is the one who sends Dorothy on her way to see the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.
In the book, Glinda doesn’t even meet Dorothy until the very end of the story. It is she who sends Dorothy home with the magical slippers, which by the way, were silver, not ruby.
The Witch of the North’s Foolish Act.
In his original book, Mr. Baum is a little vague about who the Witch of the North is. She only appears in the first of his fourteen Oz books, and he never explicitly names her. However, we get a hint as to her identity in that first book. Mr. Baum briefly mentions a powerful witch who lives in the northern part of Oz.
Her name is Gayelette. It turns out she bears a grudge against the flying monkeys. They play a prank on her fiancé. As punishment, Gayelette creates the Golden Cap. This cap gives whoever possesses it the power to command the monkeys three times.
Little did Gayelette suspect that the Golden Cap would fall into the hands of the Wicked Witch of the West, who would use it to cause so much trouble for Oz in general and Dorothy in particular.
In “The Lost Wizard of Oz,” we begin to see how Gayelette’s actions drained a great deal of her power, youth, and beauty. That is why Gayelette is a little old woman while her older sister, Glinda, retains her youth and beauty even though she is five hundred years old. Revenge always comes with a very high price.
Glinda’s Sweet Relationship with Gayelette
Despite her failings, Glinda loves her sister dearly and supports her as the Witch of the North. As children, Glinda helped train Gayelette in the magical arts. In “The Lost Wizard of Oz,” Glinda recalls a story from their childhood.
“When my baby sister, Gayelette, was born, she exhibited her own variety of magic. I remember trying to give her a bath once. Gayelette loved the water, and the water certainly seemed to love her. She didn’t just sit in the tub splashing and kicking like some children. Not Gayelette. She would make water spouts and whirlpools by waving her little hands in the air. The oddest thing was that she never needed to be dried off. We’d pull her out of the water, and she’d be as dry as bone, but she’d be clean.”
This early display of Gayelette’s magical prowess foreshadowed her profound connection with the elements, making her a powerful and intriguing figure in the northern lands of Oz. Even now, they share a profound bond as sisters. Together, they struggle to maintain the balance of magic in their enchanted world.
Learning from Her Mistakes.
Gayelette does not become bitter about the loss of her youth and beauty. Rather, she learns from her mistakes and embraces her new role as the Land of Oz’s warm and loving Grandmother. Her kindness and approachability make her a comforting presence in the northern lands of Oz.
