The Nasty Witch of the Northern Region is a character from the famous story "The Wizard of Oz". She is depicted as a powerful and evil sorceress who rules over the northern part of the magical land of Oz. Unlike the Good Witch of the South, who is known for her kindness and benevolence, the Nasty Witch is notorious for her wickedness and cruelty. She enjoys spreading fear and misery among the inhabitants of her domain, and has a particular disdain for Dorothy, the protagonist of the story. Throughout the narrative, the Nasty Witch of the Northern Region is determined to obtain Dorothy's magical ruby slippers, which possess extraordinary powers. She believes that by acquiring these slippers, she will be able to cement her dominance over the entire land of Oz.
Looking back, I feel like Glinda being a young woman instead of a more crone-like witch was meant to be something of a surprise in the original Oz book.
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. 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.
She believes that by acquiring these slippers, she will be able to cement her dominance over the entire land of Oz. The Nasty Witch is relentless in her pursuit of Dorothy, and sends her minions, such as flying monkeys and enchanted creatures, to capture the young girl and steal her slippers. However, despite her wickedness, the Nasty Witch ultimately fails in her attempts to conquer Dorothy, thanks to the intervention of Dorothy's loyal companions and the guidance of the Good Witch of the South.
Great Characters: The Good Witch of the North
The 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz” has made that moment when Dorothy first opens her door and walks out into the Munchkin kingdom magical and iconic. It’s hard to forget that moment when sepia tones turn to bright, vivid color and then a woman descends from the heavens in a bubble to greet Dorothy. I mean, even setting aside the amazing color reveal of the world, what kind of magical person can travel by bubble?
When we first meet the Good Witch of the North in the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, she doesn’t arrive by bubble. She walks up to Dorothy like anyone else flanked by three Munchkin men. She is even dressed like them, with the same pointed hat ringed in bells that tinkle as she moves (although hers is white while everything they wear is blue). Dorothy observes that the men each appear about her Uncle Henry’s age, “but the little woman was doubtless much older: her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, an she walked rather stiffly.” And that is our first introduction to her. Sort of…
The first chapter of the book is “The Cyclone” and starts a while before we meet the Witch or see Oz at all. In the editions that Baum and Denslow designed for the original printing (and which have been reprinted many times since), like every other chapter, it starts with a splash page stating the chapter title and featuring an illustration. In this case, it happens to be opposite the dedication page, which also features an illustration. What’s interesting about these illustrations is that they work together as if related, which can hardly be an accident when Baum and Denslow designed the layout so specifically throughout the book. This pair of illustrations makes it almost look like the Good Witch of the North is controlling the cyclone. As if maybe she summoned it, and Dorothy, deliberately.
In this first (and only for several books) meeting, the Witch of the North does explain that she is a good witch, one of two – North and South – and that there are two wicked witches – East and West – of which the Eastern one is dead under Dorothy’s house. She gives the little girl the silver shoes, but by merely picking them up, shaking out the remains of the Wicked Witch of the East, and handing them to her. Her two feats of visible magic are to turn her hat into a slate and to spin around three times and disappear.
Nevertheless, this is clearly a woman of great power. Before Dorothy leaves on her yellow brick road adventure, the Witch of the North gives her a kiss on the forehead. Where she kisses Dorothy, her lips leave a “round, shining mark” and the Witch says that “no one will dare injure person who has been kissed by the Witch of the North.” And throughout the story, this appears to be true. When she meets the Wizard, he observes and asks about the kiss, but does not comment on it. It’s not until she meets the Winged Monkeys and the Witch of the West that the power it represents becomes evident.
Dale Ulrey’s illustration of the kiss for the Reilly and Lee edition of The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wicked Witch of the West sees Dorothy and her band approaching and sends (among other sentinels) the Winged Monkeys with instructions to “destroy them all except the Lion” (whom she wants to harness like a horse). When they reach the band, though, they do not harm Dorothy. The leader “saw the mark of the Good Witch’s kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.” They know they cannot harm her, so they carry her carefully to the Wicked Witch instead.
The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy’s forehead, for she knew well that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way.
L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
What power does this kiss, and the Witch who gives it, have that holds everyone else in such fear? The Witch of the North herself claims that she is not that powerful, but one has to suspect that perhaps that is not entirely true. She certainly seems to be affecting things, even simply by kissing a little girl’s forehead, more than any other single character in the story besides perhaps Dorothy herself! Even Glinda only explains the power of the shoes, she doesn’t actually do much of anything and displays no magic powers. In fact, the Witch of the North is the only character in the entire book who actually does display magical powers!
For the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz” MGM for some reason decided to merge the two Good Witches and make Glinda the Good Witch of the North. She does not give Dorothy the protective kiss in the movie, but she does make it clear to the audience that she is watching over the companions when she makes snow fall on them to awaken them from the poppies. Gregory Maguire kept this compilation character in his book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and the sequels. It carried into the subsequent musical based on the book as well.
Other adaptions have chosen to keep the two characters separate. The musical “The Wiz” turns the matronly Good Witch of the North into Addaperle, a guide who sets Dorothy off in the right direction when she arrives in Oz. In the 1978 film version of the musical they call her “Miss One”, but the idea of the character seems the same. Several of the animated and video game adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz also keep the Good Witch of the North as her own character. Even “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz”, where Miss Piggy plays all four witches, keeps the characters distinct instead of merging them.
- Billie Burke as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”
- Thelma Carpenter as Miss One in the 1978 film “The Wiz”
- The Good Witch of the North in the 1986 Anime “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
- Miss Piggy as the Good Witch of the North in the 2005 film “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz”
- Karen Holness as the Good Witch of the North in the television series “Once Upon a Time”
- Amber Riley as Addaperle in the 2015 file “The Wiz Live!”
L. Frank Baum didn’t even give the Good Witch of the North a name in the books. He did call her Locasta in his 1902 stage musical version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but the name never appeared in the books. Ruth Plumly Thompson named her Tattypoo. Adaptations have had a range of names for her. But for a character with no definitive name, she has a big impact!
Dorothy with her magical kiss from The Wishing Horse of Oz as illustrated by John R. NeillNot only does the Good Witch of the North display the only true magical powers not tied to a magical object in the original book, but her power is impressive and lasts. Indeed, that kiss on Dorothy’s forehead is still there twenty-nine books later in 1935’s The Wishing Horse of Oz. That’s an impressive kiss!
I love how understated the Good Witch of the North is. She clearly has great power and is likely causing and guiding a huge amount of what happens in the story, but she takes no credit for anything. Indeed, her touch is so light that it’s not actually clear how much she is involved in the story at all! I love the mystery of her and the glimpse she gives of actual magical power. She’s a wonderful grandmotherly figure, unlike the rest of the witches, which helps her fly so far under the radar that many people forget she existed at all. And that’s real power.
Not only does the Good Witch of the North display the only true magical powers not tied to a magical object in the original book, but her power is impressive and lasts. Indeed, that kiss on Dorothy’s forehead is still there twenty-nine books later in 1935’s The Wishing Horse of Oz. That’s an impressive kiss!
The main idea of this note is that the Nasty Witch of the Northern Region is a formidable antagonist in "The Wizard of Oz" who seeks to obtain the magical ruby slippers in order to solidify her power. However, she is ultimately thwarted by the protagonist and her allies, reminding readers of the triumph of good over evil..
Reviews for "Under the Nasty Witch's Spell: Exploring the Effects of Her Magic on the Characters in Wizard of Oz"
1. Sarah - 1 star
I found "Nasty Witch of the Northern Region Wizard of Oz" to be quite disappointing. The production lacked creativity and imagination, leaving me bored throughout the entire performance. The acting was subpar, with the actors lacking emotion and failing to bring their characters to life. The set design was also underwhelming, with minimal effort put into creating a visually engaging backdrop. Overall, I would not recommend wasting your time and money on this production.
2. John - 2 stars
While "Nasty Witch of the Northern Region Wizard of Oz" had potential, it fell short in various aspects. The storyline seemed convoluted and poorly executed, making it difficult to follow and connect with the characters. The musical numbers were lackluster, lacking both catchy tunes and impressive choreography. Additionally, the costumes were unimpressive and did not reflect the vibrant and unique world of Oz. Overall, I left the theater feeling disappointed and unsatisfied with my experience.
3. Emily - 1 star
I regret attending "Nasty Witch of the Northern Region Wizard of Oz" as it was a complete waste of my time. The acting was amateurish and lacked any depth or conviction. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to engage with the characters or the story. The production also suffered from poor pacing, with scenes dragging on for far too long. I was left feeling disconnected and uninterested throughout the entire performance. I would strongly advise against seeing this production; there are much better adaptations of "The Wizard of Oz" out there.