Locasta Tattypoo _top_ May 2026

Baum describes her as a “little old woman” with snow-white hair, dressed in a beautiful white silk gown. She wears a pointed hat set with rubies and carries a wand. Her demeanor is not the saccharine benevolence of the film; it is pragmatic, weary, and deeply concerned with protocol. To understand Locasta, one must understand the Gillikin Country. Unlike the cheerful, agrarian Munchkin Country (East) or the pastoral Quadling Country (South), the North is a land of rugged forests, purple mountains, and, most importantly, magic. It is home to the Magic Isle of Yew, the underground realms of the Nomes, and the mysterious forests where inanimate objects speak. Ruling this region is no small feat.

“I am not as powerful as the Wicked Witch of the East was,” she confesses, “or I would have made you some wings to fly home.” This is a rare moment of vulnerability from a sovereign. She is a good witch, but not an omnipotent one. Her power is defensive, not teleportational. She redirects Dorothy to the Emerald City not out of cruelty, but out of honest limitation. She is the good administrator who knows her own constraints. The name “Tattypoo” is one of Baum’s most delightful inventions—part nonsense, part implied history. In later Oz books (particularly Ruth Plumly Thompson’s and Baum’s own The Tin Woodman of Oz ), we learn that Locasta is not a sorceress by accident. The Tattypoo family has served the North for generations, often intermarrying with the ruling fairy dynasties of Oz. locasta tattypoo

The Wicked Witch of the East ruled the Munchkins with terror. The Wicked Witch of the West ruled the Winkies with fire and wolves. Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, ruled the Quadlings but was largely isolationist. And Locasta? Locasta held the North—a buffer zone against the most dangerous threats from the western mountains. Baum describes her as a “little old woman”

Her most famous act in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is subtle and easily overlooked: she kisses Dorothy on the forehead. That kiss is not maternal affection. It is a powerful protective charm—a stasis ward —that renders the girl invulnerable to harm from anyone who means her ill will. “No one will dare injure you,” Locasta says, “because they will know you are under my protection.” To understand Locasta, one must understand the Gillikin

Locasta’s power is genuine but limited. Baum’s magic system delineates between Witches (born with innate power), Sorcerers (those who learn magic), and Wizards (pretenders with tricks). Locasta is a Sorceress —her power comes from study, ancient pacts, and a deep understanding of Oz’s elemental forces. She cannot create something from nothing (as Glinda later does with her Great Book of Records), but she can protect, guide, and charm.

Long live Locasta Tattypoo. The forgotten witch. The first guardian. The best of the North.

This conflation has persisted for nearly a century. Ask a random person: “Who is the Good Witch of the North?” They will answer, “Glinda.” But Baum’s first book is explicit. After Dorothy’s house crushes the Wicked Witch of the East, a small, elderly woman in a white gown approaches. She is not Glinda. She is Locasta Tattypoo , the ruler of the northern quadrant of Oz: the Gillikin Country.