Quadlings

The Quadlings are the people who inhabit the southern quadrant of the Land of Oz, a region known as the Quadling Country. They are a peaceful, prosperous, and good-natured folk, living in a land of rich farmland and well-kept roads, under the benevolent rule of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Their country is described as rich and happy, with field upon field of ripening grain, well-paved roads, and pretty rippling brooks crossed by strong bridges. The Quadlings themselves are short and fat, looking chubby and good-natured, and they are dressed all in red, a color that shows bright against the green grass and the yellowing grain. The fences, houses, and bridges in their country are all painted bright red, just as blue is the favorite color in the Munchkin Country and yellow in the Winkie Country. The Quadlings are first mentioned by a Munchkin who tells Dorothy that the South is the country of the Quadlings, and that a great desert lies at its edge, making it impossible to cross. Later, when Dorothy and her companions seek a way home, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers tells them that Glinda, the Witch of the South, rules over the Quadlings and is the most powerful of all the Witches. He notes that the Quadlings think she is good, and that she is kind to everyone. The travelers eventually reach the Quadling Country, where they are given a good dinner by a farmer's wife, and then proceed to Glinda's castle, where the Good Witch grants Dorothy's wish to return to Kansas. The Quadlings are thus a symbol of the peaceful, orderly, and benevolent society that exists in the southern part of Oz, a land of abundance and kindness under the rule of a good witch.