{ { Infobox character
|name = Glinda
|series = Oz
|image = The marvelous land of Oz; being an account of the further adventures of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman a sequel to the Wizard of Oz (1904) (14566659598).jpg |caption = Glinda depicted in The Marvelous Land of Oz, illustrated by John R. Neill |first = The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) |last = |portrayer = { { Plainlist| Billie Burke (The Wizard of Oz) Lena Horne (The Wiz) Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) Uzo Aduba (The Wiz Live!) Loretta Devine (The Wiz 1995 Apollo Theater revival) Miss Piggy/Eric Jacobson (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz) LaChanze (The Wiz Encores!) Michelle Williams (Oz the Great and Powerful) Sunny Mabrey (Once Upon a Time) Joely Richardson (Emerald City) Ariana Grande (Wicked film adaptation)}} |nationality = Ozian of Quadling descent |voice = |alias = |species = Unhuman witchImmortal witchSorceress EnchantressFairy/Goddess |gender = Female |occupation = Immortal and witchProtector of OzRuler of the Quadling CountryProtector of Princess Ozma, the Princess of Oz |title = The GoodThe Good Witch of the SouthThe Sorceress of the SouthThe Royal Sorceress of Oz |creator = L. Frank Baum }} Glinda is a fictional character created by L. Frank Baum for his Oz novels. She first appears in Baum's 1900 children's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and is the most powerful sorceress in the Land of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country South of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.
Literature
L. Frank Baum
Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz refers to Glinda as the "Good Witch of the South"; she does not appear in the novel until late in its development. After the Wizard flies away in his balloon, the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Dorothy, and Toto travel South to the land of the Quadlings to ask Glinda for her advice. In the well-known 1939 film version, Glinda is a composite character with the Witch of the North. Later books call her a "Sorceress" rather than a "witch", though Baum's writings make clear that he did not view witches as inherently wicked.
In the books, Glinda is depicted as a beautiful young woman with long, rich rare red hair and blue eyes, wearing a pure white dress. She is much older than her appearance would suggest, but "knows how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived" - a fact that is established in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by the Soldier with the Green Whiskers. She has ruled the Quadling Country ever since she overthrew the Wicked Witch of the South during the period when Ozma's grandfather was king of Oz.
Glinda plays the most active role in finding and restoring Princess Ozma, the rightful heir, to the throne of Oz, the search for whom takes place in the second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, although Glinda had been searching for Ozma ever since the princess disappeared as a baby. It may well be that she did not overthrow the Wicked Witches of the East and West, despite being more powerful than they were, because she wanted all of Oz to be unified under its rightful ruler, Ozma, first. After Ozma's ascent to the throne, Glinda continues to help the Princess of Oz shape the future of the Land of Oz as a whole, no longer confining her powers to guarding her Quadling Kingdom in the South alone; true to her character, Glinda does not interfere in affairs of State unless Ozma seeks her counsel or help specifically.
In addition to her vast knowledge of magic, Glinda employs various tools, charms, and instruments in her workshop. The Emerald City of Oz reveals that she owns a Great Book of Records that allows her to track everything that goes on in the world from the instant it happens. Starting with The Road to Oz she trains the formerly humbug Wizard in magic; he becomes a formidable practitioner, but acknowledges that she is more powerful yet.
Glinda lives in a palace near the Northern border of the Quadling Country, attended by fifty beautiful maidens from each country of Oz. She also employs a large army of female soldiers, with which she takes on General Jinjur's Army of Revolt, who had conquered the Emerald City in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Men are not prominent in Glinda's court.
Glinda is strongly protective of her subjects in the South. She creates walled, gated communities for the rabbits of Bunnybury and the paper dolls of Miss Cuttenclip, showing a personal interest in the concerns of not only the humanoid Quadlings, but also the other inhabitants of her jurisdiction.