Queen Lurline is a fictional character in the Oz books by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

Raylyn Moore, ''Wonderful Wizard, Marvelous Land'', Bowling Green, OH, Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1974; p. 117. and other authors. The name "Lurline" is a variant of

Loreley The Lorelei ( ; ), spelled Loreley in German, is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. ...

, the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

nymph; the name has been used for ships, and has other associations.

Lurline in L. Frank Baum's books

Descriptions in the Oz books

In the Oz mythos, Lurline is first mentioned in ''

The Tin Woodman of Oz ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. She is the ethereal

Queen of the Fairies In folklore and literature, the Fairy Queen or Queen of the Fairies is a female ruler of the fairies, sometimes but not always paired with a king. Depending on the work, she may be named or unnamed; Titania and Mab are two frequently used nam ...

and their creator. She is credited with enchanting the

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, the Gillikin Country in the north, Quadli ...

centuries ago so that it became a fairy country. Prior to this, Oz was just an ordinary country shut off from the rest of the world by four impassable deserts. After enchanting the country, Lurline left

Princess Ozma Princess Ozma is a fictional character from the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the Oz series except the first, '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). She is the rightful ruler of Oz, and Baum ...

to rule the country together with King

Pastoria King Pastoria is a fictional character mentioned in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. He was the rightful ruler and King of the undiscovered Land of Oz, but was mysteriously removed from his position when the Wizard of Oz unexpect ...

. Lurline is therefore a fundamental ingredient in the

backstory A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative o ...

or foundation myth of Oz; and as such she recurs in various subsequent Oz books — as in

Edward Einhorn Edward Einhorn (born September 6, 1970) is an American playwright, theater director, and novelist, noted for the comic absurdism of his drama and the imaginative richness of his literary works. A native of Westfield, New Jersey, Einhorn graduated ...

's ''

Paradox in Oz ''Paradox in Oz'' is a 1999 novel written by Edward Einhorn. As its title indicates, the book is an entry in the series of books about the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and a host of successors. The book ''Paradox in Oz'' was published by ...

'' — and is at least mentioned in others — from Baum's''

Glinda of Oz ''Glinda of Oz'' is the fourteenth Land of Oz book written by children's author L. Frank Baum, published on July 10, 1920. It is the last book of the original Oz series, which was later continued by other authors. Like most of the Oz books, the p ...

'' to Dave Hardenbrook's ''

The Unknown Witches of Oz ''The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts'' is a 2000 novel written by Dave Hardenbrook, with illustrations by Kerry Rouleau. The publication of ''The Unknown Witches of Oz'' was timed to coincide with the centennial of the orig ...

''.

Possible references in other series

In Baum's book, ''

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting Plot As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World ...

'', the Queen of the Fairies is unnamed, and the Queen of the Wood Nymphs is named Zurline. Some debate exists among fans of

the Oz books The Oz books form a book series that begins with ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900) and relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books. All of Baum's ...

as to whether the unnamed Fairy Queen and Lurline are the same person. ''

Queen Zixi of Ix ''Queen Zixi of Ix, or The Story of the Magic Cloak'', is a children's book written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Frederick Richardson. It was originally serialized in the early 20th-century American children's magazine ''St. Nicholas'' f ...

'' depicts another Fairy Queen named Lulea, who is based in the

Forest of Burzee ''The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus'' is a 1902 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by Mary Cowles Clark. Setting Plot As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World ...

, just as The Fairy Queen and Queen Zurline of the Wood Nymphs are.

Lurline in Gregory Maguire's books

Lurline also appears in ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'',

Gregory Maguire Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', '' Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many ...

's 1995 revisionist novel set in Oz; she is sometimes called "Lurlina".

Maguire Maguire ( , also spelled MacGuire or McGuire) is an Irish surname from the Gaelic , which is "son of Odhar" meaning "dun", "dark one". According to legend, this relates to the eleventh descendant of Colla da Chrich, great-grandson of Cormac ma ...

's version of Lurline is depicted as the central figure in a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

religion in Oz. Although faith in the fairy queen Lurline is described as out of fashion, Oz celebrates a winter holiday dedicated to her, known as Lurlinemas. Lurline's followers are sometimes persecuted by believers in one of Oz's other major religion, Unionism, which worships "The Unnamed God."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lurline, Queen Oz (franchise) characters Fictional fairies and sprites Fictional queens Fairy Queens Literary characters introduced in 1918 Oz (franchise) characters who use magic Female characters in literature