Glinda the Good Witch of the South is a character from L. Frank Baum's Oz books who appears in several Disney adaptations, most prominently in the films The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) as the deuteragonist, and the television series Once Upon a Time.
Glinda is the daughter of the late king of Oz, and currently rules over a peaceful kingdom of the Quadlings in Southern Oz. Glinda is not only a compassionate and benevolent witch, but also a fierce protector of her people. Though Glinda sees through Oscar's facade early on, she knows that genuine goodness lies within him.
Background[]
Personality[]
Glinda aspires to see the good in all others, even when they themselves cannot see it themselves. Even after the death of her father, Glinda never once wishes for war, violence, or revenge, but will fight for justice and peace within Oz. She has a protective, maternal streak shown with her love and care of her people and China Girl. It is with this that she is loved dearly by all who know her.
Physical appearance[]
Glinda is an incredibly beautiful young woman with fair skin, long blonde hair, and hazel eyes. She wears an ivory dress with a silver-and-gold crown on her head with a diamond in the center of her forehead.
Powers and abilities[]
As a magical witch, Glinda possesses numerous magical powers, and like Theodora and Evanora, her powers animate from a source: a magic wand with a diamond at the tip. Hence, Glinda is powerless when she is separated from her wand. If the wand is broken, Glinda will die. Examples of magical powers Glinda displayed through her wand include:
- Hydrokinesis: Glinda could conjure thick, white fog that could be used in either defensive or offensive means, or even both - she utilized it to enable her and her allies to make a quick escape, and later cloaked the Poppy Fields with fog to trick the Wicked Witches into attacking the fake army via the army of Flying Baboons in order to send them to sleep. Glinda could also conjure bubbles made from the water in clouds around herself and her allies to provide a means of flight.
- Telekinesis: Glinda could move and levitate objects without touching them through her wand.
- Flight: Glinda could levitate herself and fly in the air through her wand. Though she was first seen flying by means of a giant bubble, she later revealed that it had been just for show.
- Magic Blasts: Glinda could shoot blasts of magical energy from her wand, which could either extinguish fire or serve as defense against opposing Witches.
- Kiss of Protection: Glinda's kiss could serve as a means of magical protection, as demonstrated by her kissing Oscar's forehead before the final battle took place.
Appearances[]
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz[]
In this movie, Miss Piggy played the Good Witch of the South. It was her who fell in love with the affections of the Scarecrow (portrayed by Kermit the Frog).
Return to Oz[]
Glinda was a background character in Return to Oz, during the final scene, in Oz, via Emerald City.
Oz the Great and Powerful[]
Oscar Diggs, Finley, and China Girl come to a cemetery at the edge of the Dark Forest and see a dark, hooded figure. They quickly realize that the figure must be the Wicked Witch Evanora told them about, and watch as she carefully places her wand onto nearby rocks. While Finley distracts the figure, Oscar steals the wand, and is about to break it in two when a gentle voice stops him. The hooded figure unveils herself, revealing a beautiful woman identical to Annie, Oscar's old flame back in Kansas. She introduces herself as Glinda and explains that the true Wicked Witch is Evanora. Years ago, she poisoned Glinda's father, the King, so she could rule Oz uncontested. Before he died, the King predicted that a powerful Wizard would come and take his place. To stop this from coming to pass, Evanora framed Glinda for her crime, forcing the good witch into exile.
In Emerald City, Evanora watches as her plans to do away with Glinda fail via her crystal ball. Furious, Evanora sends out her armies of Winkie guards and winged baboons to kill Oscar and Glinda. Back in the graveyard, the quartet hear the enemies approaching. Glinda proposes that Oscar use his magic to stop the army, but Oscar, being nothing more than an illusionist, opts to run for it. To aid their escape, Glinda creates a thick fog to blind the Winkies and baboons. The quartet finds themselves at the end of a cliff, hanging over a seemingly bottomless drop.
With no other option, Glinda leaps off the cliff. With the army quickly approaching, Finley, China Girl, and reluctantly Oscar jump after her. Fourtunately, Glinda uses her magic to enclose the four inside gigantic, floating bubbles which take them far into the south, to Glinda's safe haven. Glinda introduces Oscar to her subjects: the Quadlings, Tinkerers, and Munchkins. They have escaped Evanora's tyranny and joined Glinda's resistance against the wicked witch. Oscar, now convinced that his ruse has gone too far, takes Glinda aside and explains that he is not a real wizard. Glinda, to Oscar's surprise, admits that she knows, but still believes that he could be what the citizens need. With this new information, Oscar puts on a show of confidence, convincing the townspeople that he is the wizard they hoped would come to save them.
After Oscar and Glinda interview the people of the resistance (with Oscar quickly realizing that they are far out of their depth), an ominous cloud appears over Glinda's refuge. A red-hot light at the center of the cloud pounds against the impenetrable bubble barrier, meant to keep out anyone with evil in their hearts. The cloud breaks though the bubble, and the red light beams into the city, landing like a meteor in the town square. A glowing evil figure emerges from the crater – it's Theodora, the youngest witch sister, transfigured into a green-skinned Wicked Witch. She angrily confronts Oscar for his supposedly breaking her heart, becoming a truly Wicked Witch because of it, and promises death to him and the people. Theodora steals a broom from a Quadling woman and flies away on it, leaving a trail of black smoke behind. Amidst the chaos, Glinda searches for Oscar, but finds that he's run off. She confronts him in his quarters, where he's quickly packing for a hasty escape. Glinda tries to convince Oscar not to give up, and, combined with a pep talk from China Girl, Oscar formulates a plan. Under Oscar's guidance, the townspeople create elaborate mechanisms and magician's equipment while the Wicked Sisters prepare for battle in the Emerald City.
As Oscar, along with Knuck, Finley, and the Munchkins, sneak into the Emerald City, Glinda covers a field of everlasting sleep inducing poppies with fog at the edge of the city. Theodora and Evanora, distracted by the thick blanket of fog, watch as an army of soldiers stomps through the fog toward the city. The sisters summon the winged baboons to stop the incoming force. The baboons tear into the soldiers, but are shocked to find that they're full of straw. The fog dissolves, revealing that the soldiers are merely scarecrows, built by the Quadlings. Before the baboons can flee, many of them catch the poppies' scent, and fall into a deep sleep. The resistance runs back into the woods as the rest of the baboons go after them. Glinda is suddenly struck by Evanora's lightning magic, dropping her wand, and is taken away by a pair of baboons. Evanora searches the grass for the wand, but thanks to China Girl, is unable to find it.
In the center of the Emerald City, Glinda is chained to a pair of posts, and Evanora and Theodora torture Glinda with lightning and fire magic, as the revolting citizens of Emerald City look on in horror. Suddenly, Theodora stops to bring the people's attention to the sky. Above them is a hot air balloon. Evanora points at the balloon, and exposes Oscar as a greedy fraud, trying to escape with the royal treasure instead of defending Oz as the prophecy foretold.
Theodora angrily shoots a fireball at the balloon, sending it and the gold crashing down in flames. Glinda mourns Oscar's apparent demise, and prepares to die. Suddenly, a booming voice echoes throughout the city and Oscar's ghostly face appears in a plume of smoke. He says that his death was necessary to become the true, immortal and all-powerful, Wizard of Oz. Evanora and Theodora try to attack Oz's ghostly facade, but they do nothing, and then the Wizard begins to attack the sisters with fireworks, which are foreign to Oz. Secretly, Oscar, Knuck, Finley and the Master Tinker sit huddled in a nearby caravan, projecting a moving image onto the black smoke, putting on a spectacular illusion, with the Munchkins outside and inside the city supplying the fireworks. With the Wicked Witches distracted, China Girl sneaks Glinda her wand and manages to break her free.
Upon finding Glinda gone, the townspeople turning on her, and a rain of fireworks, Evanora panics and runs into the castle, leaving Theodora to deal with Oz by herself. Evanora is then confronted by Glinda in the throne room, and when the latter implores her to surrender, she acts like she will, only to shoot her with lightning and subsequently engage her in an airborne battle. Evanora grabs Glinda by the throat, and Glinda grasps at Evanora's emerald amulet. Their attacks rebound off one another and the two are thrown to the ground. Evanora prepares to deliver the next blow, but lacks the magic to do so. She reaches for her neck, and finds her amulet is gone; unintentionally shattered by Glinda. Without the source of her magic, Evanora suddenly keels over, and reverts to her true form: A grotesque old hag. The true Evanora lunges at Glinda, but the good witch repels her attack and sends her flying through the castle window. She is caught by a pair of flying baboons and carried off into the distance, following Theodora.
The Land of Oz, now freed of tyranny, celebrates. Glinda walks into the throne room and is greeted by the smoky visage of Oz, hovering over the throne. Finley and China Girl close the curtains, and once the coast is clear, Master Tinker switches-off the mechanism, and out steps Oscar in the flesh. As thanks for their exemplary work, Oscar gives each of them a gift. To Master Tinker, his swiss-army knife. To Knuck, a novelty mask with a smile painted on it. To Finley, his top hat and confirmation of their friendship, and to China Girl, he offers themselves as her new family. Finally, to Glinda, he takes her behind the curtain and they get married as the King and Queen of Oz by sharing a kiss.
Once Upon a Time[]
Sunny Mabrey as Glinda on Once Upon a Time.
Glinda appears in the third season of the TV series Once Upon a Time, portrayed by actress Sunny Mabrey.
Ruling over the South of Oz as the Good Witch, Glinda is friends with Zelena and gifted a pendant to help control her magic. She is later banished to the Enchanted Forest by Zelena after sending Dorothy Gale home, and begins living in the woods, south of Rumplestiltskin's castle, hidden in a pocket dimension of ice and snow, which only the pure of heart may enter through.
Sensing the incoming presence of Snow White and Prince Charming crossing into her realm, Glinda makes herself known to them. When Snow White asks for Regina's whereabouts since she was just with them, Glinda states that the Queen didn't meet the qualifications needed for entering through the door. The banished Good Witch briefly explains her past friendship with Zelena and tells them the Wicked Witch's greatest weakness is light magic. Recalling that her own daughter, Emma, is a product of the strongest magic of all—true love, Snow White believes she may able to defeat Zelena. Glinda agrees with this sentiment; further prompting Snow White to go through with casting another Dark Curse to send everyone back to Storybrooke.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Like Theodora's ring and Evanora's amulet, Glinda's wand is the source of her magic.
- Glinda in Oz the Great and Powerful shares her appearance with the Glinda in the musical Wicked and classic 1939 adaptation, who was also based on the original character, both are blonde. The original Glinda from the book was a redhead.
- In the original Wizard of Oz novel, there were two good witches and two wicked witches. Both Glinda and the Good Witch of the North are combined into one character in the 1939 film. This portrayal of Glinda stays in league to the original novel, while the real name of the Good Witch of the North varies by production.
- Blake Lively was offered the role of Glinda, but chose to do Oliver Stone's Savages instead.
- Glinda's kiss of protection comes from the original story. The Good Witch of the North protected Dorothy with a magical kiss.
See also[]
- Isabella Garcia-Shapiro - Played the role in the Phineas and Ferb episode "Wizard of Odd".
- Miss Piggy - Played the role in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.
- Clarabelle Cow - Played the role in The Wizard of Dizz.
v - e - d  | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|