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Glinda the Good Witch is an important character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is first introduced in Baum's classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). She also reappears in the series of sequel Oz books. Glinda is the official Good Witch of the South who rules Oz's southern quadrant called Quadling Country as the most wisest, powerful and respected sorceress in Oz. She is also believed to be very old in age, but somehow knows how to keep herself beautiful despite the many centuries she has lived. Glinda ultimately becomes the motherly and benevolent protector to the true heir of Oz's imperial throne, the child Queen Princess Ozma. ==The Classic Oz Books== Baum's 1900 novel strictly refers to Glinda as the Good Witch of the South.〔Baum, L. Frank, ''Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), Ch. 18〕 In the iconic 1939 MGM musical movie, Glinda's character is combined with that of the Good Witch of the North's character, (the good witch of the south and the good witch of the north are not the same figures in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' nor in its sequels). In the 1995 mature Oz novel by author Gregory Maguire titled ''Wicked: the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', Glinda was closely based on MGM's character compared to her counterpart in Baum's book. Maguire portrays his version of Glinda (correctly spelled "Galinda" but later shortened to Glinda) as a privileged Gillikin (a native of Oz's northern quadrant called Gillikin Country). Disney's 2013 semi-prequel film to the 1939 movie ''Oz the Great & Powerful'', stayed faithful to Baum's material by keeping Glinda as Oz's southern ruler. Interestingly, in the Oz book series she is often called a "sorceress" rather than a "witch",〔Michael O. Riley, ''Oz and Beyond: The Fantasy World of L. Frank Baum'', p 104, ISBN 0-7006-0832-X〕 though Baum's writings make clear that he did not view witches as inherently wicked or in league with the devil. Glinda is not mentioned nor seen in Baum's original story until late in its development, appearing in the last few chapters of the book. After the humbug Wizard leaves Oz in his hot air balloon, unintentionally failing to keep his promise to the book's main protagonist Dorothy Gale, she, her pet dog Toto, and their companions the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Cowardly Lion all travel south to the land of the Quadlings to ask Glinda for her advice about Dorothy finding her way back home to Kansas. Upon arriving at her kingdom, Glinda kindly reveals that the charmed Silver Shoes the little girl wears have the ability to teleport the current wearer wherever they wish to go by simply knocking the heels together three times. Glinda is depicted by Baum as a very beautiful and statuesque young woman in appearance; her hair is long, and of a rich golden red colour that falls in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. Her frank, smiling eyes are deep blue, like sparkling sapphire. Her lips are enticing like a rosebud, her cheekbones are the envy of peaches and her skin is fair, and softer than the petal of a flower. She wears a pure white gown of silk and is rarely adorned with jewelry, for even the most precious gems in all the world would deeply shame her natural beauty. However, she is much older than her physical 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'', as said by the Soldier with the Green Whiskers. This hints that she is hundreds, even possibly thousands of years old in age despite her breathtaking youthfulness. She has ruled the Quadling Country ever since she vanquished the Wicked Witch of the South during the period when Ozma's grandfather was king of Oz. Glinda lives in an immaculate Quadling palace studded with precious rubies, as well as the throne she sits on. Her home is attended by fifty beautiful adolescent maidens from each of the four vast quadrants in Oz. She also employed a large army of female soldiers who are said to be roughly around Dorithy's age who is hinted to be no older than twelve-years-old. Apparently, boys and men are not prominent in Glinda's court. Glinda's female army is notable for taking on General Jinjur's all female Army of Revolt, who had briefly conquered the Emerald City in the second Oz book ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' (1904). Glinda's palace also happens to stand on the edge of the Deadly Desert which surrounds the entire continent of Oz, as first revealed by the Soldier with the Green Whiskers in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''— "''Glinda is the Good Witch of the South. She is the most powerful of all the Witches, and rules over the Quadlings. Besides, her palace stands on the edge of the desert, so she may know a way to cross it.''". The plants and landscaping where she rules is mostly red as well. Glinda even had several rose bushes planted all around her property. In the Oz books, Glinda plays the most active role in finding and restoring the long-lost Princess Ozma. The search for whom takes place in ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'', although Glinda had been searching for Ozma ever since the princess mysteriously disappeared as an infant soon after her father, the mortal King Pastoria was overthrown when the Wizard arrived and took the throne. 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 did not want to interfere with Oz's prophecy, wanting all of Oz to be unified and cleansed under its rightful ruler first. However, when Dorothy arrived she unintentionally killed both the Wicked Witches, riding Oz of its baddies just the same. After Ozma's ascent to the throne, Glinda continues to help Ozma reshape the future of Oz as a whole, no longer confining her powers to only guarding her Quadling Kingdom in the south; true to her character, Glinda does not interfere in other people's affairs unless absolutely necessary or when 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 sixth Oz book ''The Emerald City of Oz'' (1910), 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'' (1909), she trains the formerly humbug Wizard in magic; he becomes a formidable practitioner, but acknowledges that she is more powerful yet. 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. In the ''The Emerald City of Oz'', when Ozma goes to consult Glinda about the security of her Ozian citizens, the Sorceress seals off all of Oz from the Great Outside World, making Oz invisible to the eyes of mortals flying overhead in airplanes and such. However, unlike Ozma, Glinda is willing to ignore strife and oppression in remote corners of Oz like Jinxland and the Skeezer territory as long as it does not threaten the Emerald City or innocent outsiders. The readers are left with the sense that Glinda is experienced and seasoned to the point of knowing that there is not a magic cure for everything, and that certain things cannot be changed or perhaps should not be changed for better or for worse. One of the more obscure facts about Glinda is that she created the Forbidden Fountain with the Waters of Oblivion, at the center of Oz, whose waters redeemed a former King of Oz who was exceptionally cruel. This happened "many centuries ago" according to Ozma (again alluding to Glinda's advanced age), and it is this fountain that saves Oz from the invading Nome King and his allies in ''The Emerald City of Oz'', by making them forget their nefarious intentions. Glinda clearly made the Fountain at a point in Oz's history when the land was unified under one of the members of the Royal Family of Oz, albeit a tyrannical king in this isolated incident, and so she was able to intervene in a way that she could not when the country was divided between the Wizard and the Wicked Witches of the East and West et al., prior to Dorothy's arrival. Most intriguingly, in ''The Emerald City of Oz'', when the Nome King considers invading Oz, he is told by a minion, General Guph, that Glinda the Good's castle is located "at the north of the Emerald City," when it has been established that Glinda rules the South. Guph may have gotten his facts muddled, as none of the Nomes had been to Oz at that time, but it portends the depiction of Glinda as the Good Witch of the North rather than the South in the 1939 MGM film (which is the most widely known version of Oz to date). General Guph also tells the Nome King that Glinda "commands the spirits of the air,". As mentioned above, he is not an expert on Oz, but this statement made by Guph once again foreshadows a much later cinematic rendition of Glinda, in the film version of the Broadway musical ''The Wiz'' (1978), in which Glinda (played by Lena Horne) is responsible for the twister that brings Dorothy's house to Oz and sets all subsequent events into motion. Of all the characters in L. Frank Baum's Oz, Glinda is the most enigmatic. Despite being titled "Glinda the Good," she is not a one-dimensional caricature whose sole purpose is to embody and generate all that is generically considered "good," as indicated above. She ultimately becomes the adult anchor in the Oz books, because she is never distracted or swayed, and always maintains absolute firmness of purpose - something that cannot be said for the other adult characters in the series such as the Wizard and the Shaggy Man or even the Good Witch of the North. They all fall short of Glinda's wisdom and resoluteness. In the fourteenth Oz book which was the final Oz book Baum wrote, ''Glinda of Oz'' (1920), we learn that Glinda resides in a castle with one hundred of the most beautiful women in Oz at her beck and call. In Alexandr Volkov's Magic Land series, the witch is called Stella and appears very rarely. However, she is often referred to by the author and the characters and always offers people help or refuge during hard times. She is described as a golden-haired eternally young beauty in a pink dress. She rules the Pink Country which is inhabited by the tribe of Chatterboxes. She seems to be a good friend of the Winged Monkeys ever since releasing them. In Philip Jose Farmer's novel A Barnstormer in Oz, Glinda is portrayed as young and beautiful enough to attract the protagonist. But the interest is not mutual. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Glinda the Good Witch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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