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In L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel, there are four principal witches: the Good Witch of the North, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, the Wicked Witch of the East, and the Wicked Witch of the West. They represent the four cardinal directions of Oz, divided between two good witches and two wicked witches.
The most common mistake is calling Glinda the Good Witch of the North without qualification. That is the arrangement used by the famous 1939 MGM film. In Baum’s original book, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, while an unnamed Good Witch of the North is the first witch Dorothy meets.
The four witches in Baum’s original Oz
The four-witch system is established in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900. When Dorothy arrives in Oz, she learns that the land is organized geographically: the Munchkins live in the East, the Winkies in the West, and benevolent magical rulers occupy the North and South. Baum’s story therefore has two good witches and two wicked witches—not simply one good witch and one villain.
Readers who want to compare the later adaptations with Baum’s original arrangement can read Baum’s original The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the public domain.
| Witch | Direction in the 1900 novel | Alignment | Role | Fate or status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Witch of the North | North | Good | Welcomes Dorothy, explains Oz, gives her the silver shoes | Survives; unnamed in the first novel |
| Glinda | South | Good | Helps resolve Dorothy’s quest and explains how she can return home | Survives; Glinda the Good Witch |
| Wicked Witch of the East | East | Wicked | Rules and enslaves the Munchkins | Killed when Dorothy’s house lands on her |
| Wicked Witch of the West | West | Wicked | Hunts Dorothy and tries to obtain the silver shoes | Melts when Dorothy throws water over her |
1. The Good Witch of the North
The Good Witch of the North is the first witch Dorothy encounters after the cyclone carries her house to Oz. She arrives with three Munchkins, examines the scene, and confirms that Dorothy’s house has killed the Wicked Witch of the East.
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Her role is primarily practical and introductory. She explains that witches are not automatically evil, identifies the four directional regions of Oz, and helps Dorothy understand what has happened. She also gives Dorothy the silver shoes that belonged to the dead Witch of the East and sends her along the yellow brick road toward the Emerald City.
The Good Witch of the North places a protective kiss on Dorothy’s forehead before Dorothy leaves. The mark is invisible, but the witch explains that it will help protect Dorothy from harm. She also admits that she is not as powerful as the Wicked Witch of the East had been.
In Baum’s first novel, this witch has no personal name. She is a regional ruler and a guide into the story, not the same character as Glinda. That distinction is easy to lose because the 1939 film gives Glinda the North’s role.
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In the 1900 novel, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South. She does not meet Dorothy at the beginning. She appears near the end of Dorothy’s journey, after Dorothy and her companions have defeated the Wicked Witch of the West.
Glinda is more powerful and consequential than the Good Witch of the North. She helps settle what happens in the western part of Oz after the Witch of the West’s death, gives the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion the recognition or authority they sought, and finally explains how Dorothy can use the silver shoes to get home.
This makes Glinda the final magical authority in Baum’s first book. She does not merely welcome Dorothy; she supplies the information that completes the story. The Library of Congress identifies Glinda as one of the memorable characters in Baum’s 1900 book and records how the Oz story grew into a fourteen-book series, ending with Glinda of Oz, published posthumously in 1920. See the Library of Congress record for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for that broader publication history.
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3. The Wicked Witch of the East
The Wicked Witch of the East rules the Munchkins and enslaves them. She is responsible for the oppression Dorothy discovers when she arrives in Oz, but Dorothy never confronts her in a deliberate magical battle.
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Although the Witch of the East drives the opening situation, she has very little on-page characterization. She is already dead when Dorothy begins speaking with the Good Witch of the North. The reader learns about her rule and cruelty through exposition rather than through scenes showing her personality, appearance, or history.
This is one reason later versions have room to invent additional material about her. In Baum’s original continuity, however, she is an oppressive ruler whose death begins Dorothy’s adventure—not a fully developed character with a substantial backstory.
4. The Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is the novel’s principal active antagonist. She rules the Winkies in western Oz and wants the silver shoes Dorothy inherited from the Witch of the East. Unlike the Eastern witch, she directly pursues Dorothy and repeatedly tries to use magic and servants to seize the shoes.
Her attacks include magical surveillance and assaults involving wolves, crows, bees, and the Flying Monkeys. Dorothy and her companions survive these attempts, and the witch’s plans ultimately fail. Dorothy kills her accidentally by throwing a bucket of water over her; the witch melts away.
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Baum does not give this witch the personal name Elphaba, and the 1900 novel does not establish the familiar later image of her as green-skinned. Elphaba is a later invention associated with Gregory Maguire’s revisionist novel Wicked, not the original name of Baum’s Witch of the West. The Library of Congress discussion of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz specifically distinguishes Maguire’s naming and reinterpretation from Baum’s unnamed character.
Book versus the 1939 film: why Glinda’s direction changes
The 1939 MGM film adapts Baum’s story, but it does not reproduce the novel’s four-witch structure one-for-one. Its most important change is that it effectively combines the Good Witch of the North with Glinda, the Good Witch of the South.
At the beginning of the film, Billie Burke’s character is identified as the Good Witch of the North. In popular memory, however, she is Glinda the Good Witch. The film gives the North witch Glinda’s name and benevolent screen identity, while removing Glinda as a separate Good Witch of the South.
The film also does not show the Wicked Witch of the East as an active character. She is dead beneath Dorothy’s house when Dorothy arrives, just as in the book. Her death and her shoes remain important to the plot, but she is not an independent on-screen antagonist.
As a result, the 1939 film presents two prominent visible witches: Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West. The dead Witch of the East remains a plot device, and the separate Good Witch of the South is absent.
The casting history reinforces how strongly the film’s version has shaped public memory. The American Film Institute records Billie Burke’s casting as the Good Witch and the production’s casting process for Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West. You can consult the AFI Catalog entry for The Wizard of Oz for the film’s production and cast information.
For viewers comparing the continuities, the simplest rule is:
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- Baum’s 1900 novel: the unnamed Good Witch of the North meets Dorothy first; Glinda is the Good Witch of the South.
- 1939 MGM film: Glinda appears in the North and serves as the film’s single Good Witch.
How Wicked changes the story again
Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked and the Stephen Schwartz–Winnie Holzman stage musical create a separate reinterpretation of Oz. They make the relationship between the future Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the emotional center of the story.
In this continuity, the Witch of the West is Elphaba, a green-skinned young woman whose public reputation eventually turns her into the figure known as the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda—initially called Galinda—is an ambitious student who develops an unlikely friendship with Elphaba and later becomes known as Glinda the Good.
This is not simply missing biography from Baum’s novel. It is a revisionist account that changes the moral and political framework. The West witch becomes a protagonist, while the label “wicked” is connected to political conflict, public opinion, and propaganda. The official Broadway Wicked site describes the story as viewing Oz from a different angle, and its educational guide identifies Elphaba and Galinda/Glinda as the central connected figures.
The film adaptation of Wicked continues that interpretation. The first film opened in November 2024, and Wicked: For Good was released theatrically on November 21, 2025. The official synopsis presents Elphaba as demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda as estranged from her former friend. Those films belong to Wicked continuity, not to the continuity of Baum’s 1900 novel or the 1939 MGM adaptation.
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Readers interested in this reinterpretation can explore the official Wicked production information or seek out Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. Any edition should be treated as a separate version of the Oz story rather than as a definitive explanation of Baum’s original Witch of the West.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the four-witch structure matters
The directional system does more than give each witch a title. It turns Oz into a mapped political and magical world. Dorothy’s journey begins in the East, moves through the central Emerald City, and eventually reaches the West and South. Each witch is tied to a region, and the contrast between good and wicked rulers gives Dorothy an initial framework for understanding a country she does not know.
The arrangement also establishes an important theme: in Baum’s original book, “witch” is not synonymous with “evil.” The North and South witches are benevolent, while the East and West witches are oppressive. Later adaptations often compress this structure because a single Glinda is easier to recognize and a single Wicked Witch is easier to dramatize, but the four-part arrangement remains the foundation of the original novel.
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Baum’s Oz subsequently expanded through additional books, stage productions, films, television programs, toys, games, and other adaptations. Those works do not always preserve the same geography, names, powers, or moral categories. The 1900 novel is therefore the essential source for the four-direction system, while each later production should be read on its own terms.
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- Who is the Good Witch of the North?
- In Baum’s 1900 novel, she is an unnamed witch who meets Dorothy in Munchkinland. In the 1939 film, Glinda takes over this role.
- Is Glinda the Good Witch of the North or South?
- Both answers can be correct, but they refer to different continuities. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South in Baum’s novel and the Good Witch of the North in the 1939 film.
- Who kills the Wicked Witch of the East?
- Dorothy’s house lands on her during the cyclone’s arrival in Oz. Dorothy does not intentionally defeat her in combat.
- Who is Elphaba?
- Elphaba is the later reinterpretation of the Wicked Witch of the West in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked and its stage and screen adaptations. Baum’s original witch is unnamed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many main witches are in The Wizard of Oz?
Baum’s 1900 novel has four main witches: the Good Witch of the North, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, the Wicked Witch of the East, and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Why is Glinda sometimes called the Good Witch of the North?
The 1939 MGM film merges Glinda with the unnamed Good Witch of the North. In Baum’s original novel, Glinda is the Good Witch of the South.
Are the Wicked Witch of the East and West sisters in Baum’s book?
The supplied text of the 1900 novel establishes them as the wicked witches of the East and West, but it does not provide the developed family relationship familiar from some later versions. Their substantial backstories are largely later inventions.
Was the Wicked Witch of the West originally named Elphaba?
No. Baum’s original Witch of the West is unnamed. Elphaba is the name created for Gregory Maguire’s later reinterpretation, Wicked.
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The original four witches are defined by direction: North and South are good; East and West are wicked. Glinda belongs to the South in Baum’s 1900 novel, but the 1939 film transfers her into the North and combines the two good-witch roles. Wicked then reimagines the West witch as Elphaba, creating a new continuity rather than revealing the “true” backstory of Baum’s character.
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