Queen Lurline
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Queen Lurline is a fictional character in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum and other authors. Lurline is first mentioned in The Tin Woodman of Oz. She is the Queen of the Fairies and is credited with enchanting the Land of Oz 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 to rule the country together with King Pastoria.
In Baum's book, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, the Queen of the Fairies is named Zurline. Some debate exists among fans of the Oz books as to whether Zurline and Lurline are in fact the same person.
In Wicked, Gregory Maguire's 1995 revisionist novel set in Oz, Lurline is depicted as the central figure in a pagan faith. Oz celebrates a winter holiday dedicated to her, known as Lurlinemas, although faith in the fairy queen is described as out of fashion. Lurline's followers are sometimes persecuted by believers in one of Oz's other major religions, Unionism, which worships "The Unnamed God".
