Good Witch Of The North

Inspiration

remember the captivating feeling I had when I first read L. Frank Baum’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. A similar feeling enveloped me every time I would enter through the tall French-doors of Tía (aunt) Alida’s portico. It was as if I was being transported to the Land of Oz, and Tía Alida became the good Witch of the North.

Tía Alida was really my grandaunt, but we would always call her aunt. She was the sister of my mom’s father, thus my mom’s aunt. And her house was filled with unusual things, cats, and magical spaces. There was something very special in the air, but I could never put my finger on it, until the day when I read the Wonderful Wizard of Oz book for the first time.

I had just finished chapter II, The Council with the Munchkins, and I could not figure out how Baum could have described Tía Alida to a T, without knowing her! “Her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly.” Indeed, Tía Alida’s hair was like a puff of snow, made of short ringlets carefully arranged around her face, as sweet as cotton-candy. Her fair skin had seen many suns and many moons. And Tía Alida always walked with a cane. So finally, it all made sense. Tía Alida was the good Witch of the North, who somehow, had peeled herself off the pages of my book to become my aunt. And the entryway of my aunt’s house was the portal to the Land of Oz!

Just like the Good Witch of the North, my aunt had a very “sweet voice.” She had blue eyes like the sky, and her eyes were filled with hope and tenderness. Looking into her eyes, was as if you were looking into her imagination. And imagination she had plenty to spare. My good Witch of the North, Tía Alida, would make the most fascinating rag dolls you could ever imagine. They were sewn all by hand. She had several cats, although I wouldn’t call her a cat-lady. But she would teach her cats to climb on the toilet to do their business. And she had the most fascinating cupboard in the kitchen. The cupboard was filled with all sorts of China that did not match, but all together made a beautiful bouquet of cups and saucers. I’m sure this cupboard was not expensive, but for me, it was magical.

So, I dedicate this good Witch of the North figurine to my dear Tía Alida, honoring the wonderful times I spent roaming through the magical spaces of her home, while absorbing her imagination, gentleness, and the bluish sky of her eyes.

Good Witch of the North Ornament Design Process

The good Witch of The North is one of the first characters Dorothy encounters after crashing in the Land of Oz. Baum describes the good Witch of The North to great extent. The good Witch of the North “wore a white gown that hung in pleats from her shoulders. Over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds.” So, I chose white cotton fabric to make her dress, and hand-embroidered it with star sequins. For some of the dresses I used white sequins, for others light pink, and for others pearlescent white. To complete her dress, I added a large sash at the waist, which I tied in a large bow at the back. The sash, coordinates with the color of the stars on her dress.

Just like the Munchkins, the good Witch of The North wore a Munchkin hat, although hers was white instead of blue. So, I made her hat from white felt. Like the other Munchkin hats, her hat had “little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved” as we can see in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book’s illustrations. To create this effect, I hand-embroidered the edge of the hats with glass beads that dangle from the brim. One of the illustrations in the book shows the good Witch of the North wearing a hat with a band around it. I chose a light blue ribbon for the band. It seemed quite appropriate, as I think of her dress as an extension of the star-dotted sky.

Inspired by Tía Alida’s blue eyes, I painted her eyes light blue as the sky. And I covered her face with wrinkles just like the ones of my very own good Witch of the North. As the ruler of the lands of the North, she is shown on the illustrations holding a staff with the letter “N”, for North. So, to complete the figurine, I gave her a staff with a star at the top, that has the letter “N” painted on. The staff also represents my Tía Alida’s cane, which faithfully helped her walk through the magical passages of her home.

Unlike Dorothy, Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodman, Scarecrow and Toto, who are standing on a yellow base representing the yellow-brick-road, the good Witch of the North’s base is brown. I wanted to make the distinction between the characters who had journeyed to Oz from the rest of the characters.