The Wicked Witch of the South ruled the Quadling Country just before the arrival of the Wizard in the Land of Oz. She had conquered the Quadlings, but was overthrown by Glinda, who went on to replace her as the Ruler of the South. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz)
In The Wicked Witch of Oz[]
According to one account, Singra was the Wicked Witch of the South, cousin of the Wicked Witches of the East and West. At some point, she saved a Water Nymph's life and in exchange the Nymph made her impervious to water, which killed her cousin. She was defeated by Glinda and put into a 100-year sleep, with the Hundred-Year Alarm Clock to wake her at the end of that time.
When she awakened, she used her Magic Snuffbox, her most common magic tool, to discover what had become of her cousins. When she found out they had both been killed by Dorothy Gale, she set out for revenge. She infiltrated Glinda's palace to steal magical equipment, imprisoned the Scarecrow there, and made her way to the Emerald City where she mistakenly enchanted Trot instead of Dorothy. Trot was turned to a piece of green cheese, and Dorothy and Percy set out to pursue.
When the party found her hut, Singra turned Dorothy to a stone statue and sent a ransom note to Ozma, saying she would release the two girls if she was made Ruler of the Quadling Country again. However, by the time this note was received, both had been recovered by other means, and Ozma forced Singra to disenchant Trot and then to drink from the Water of Oblivion. She was then put to sleep for another 100 years. (The Wicked Witch of Oz)
Background[]
The Wicked Witch of the South in the Marvel Comic Oz series.
L. Frank Baum only mentioned a "Wicked Witch of the South" in passing; because she was referred to as a Wicked Witch and dwelled in a hidden area of Quadling Country, it was theorised by some that Blinkie was in fact the erstwhile Wicked Witch of the South, reduced to lesser means after Glinda deposed her. Some post-canonical works identify Blinkie as the Wicked Witch of the South.
However, other post-Baum authors have attempted to make a new character out of the Witch of the South. Given the name of Singra, she is the titular character of The Wicked Witch of Oz, written by Rachel Cosgrove Payes; as she is considered a Royal Historian of Oz by the inheritors of the Baum license, this is the closest thing to a canonical depiction of the Wicked Witch of the South as a character independent of Blinkie. The Wicked Witch of Oz is considered canon, however, by The International Wizard of Oz Club, as well as in the Sovereign Sixty and Supreme Seventy-Five numbering systems created by Joe Bongiorno, designed to be an updated version of the now largely outdated Famous Forty numbering system.
In The Wicked Witch of Oz, Rachel Cosgrove specified that the Wicked Witches of the East and West were her cousins. L. Frank Baum did not imply any familial relations between the wicked witches, but did state that the Witches of the East and West joined forces with Mombi and the Wicked Witch of the South to conquer Oz and divide it among themselves.
In Eric Shanower's first published Oz story The Enchanted Apples of Oz (1986), an unnamed Wicked Witch of the South is the primary antagonist.
In The Magic Book of Oz, another post-canonical but canon-compliant Oz book, her name is instead given as Kragmagda, and she has no relationship to the other Wicked Witches save for their temporary alliance to depose Oz Boznick, Ozma's grandfather and the Rightful Ruler of Oz before Oz Pastoria.
She also made an appearance in the Marvel Comics series.