| “ | In her time Nor Tigelaar had faced insurrectionists and collaborationists and war profiteers. She'd endured abduction and prison and self-mutilation. She'd sold herself in sex not for cash but for military information that might come in handy to the resistance, and in so doing she'd come across a rum variety of human types. | ” |
| — A description of Nor[src] | ||
Illianora (formerly known as Princess Nor Tigelaar) is character exclusive to the novels. She is the youngest child of Fiyero and Sarima and the half-sister of Liir. Throughout the novels, she has been a tribal princess of the Arjiki Clan in The Vinkus, a political prisoner of the Wizard, and a member of the company of the Clock of the Time Dragon, under the apprenticeship of Mister Boss.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of The West[]
At nine years old, Nor is still immature, needing her mother to read her a bedtime story, sucking her thumb, and speaking with a lisp. When Elphaba Thropp arrives at Kiamo Ko, Nor thinks the woman is a witch and affectionately refers to her as Auntie Witch. She bonds with Liir almost instantly and is apparently bullied by her older brother Manek, but is close to her other brother Irji; the two of them often have to work together to stand up to Manek. Nor enjoys snooping around Elphaba's room and possessions, and it is she who first makes Elphaba see that her broom is magical. She also takes a liking to Elphaba's pet snow monkey, Chistery.
Following Manek's death, she breaks her bond with Irji and finally starts to mature. When Emerald City soldiers arrive in the nearby town of Red Windmill, she seems to be attracted to them, and caters to their needs. She is, however, captured, along with all of her family, by Commander Cherrystone and is the sole survivor of the family after they are all presumably executed. She is later kept as a slave and prisoner by The Wizard, as he knows Elphaba will not harm him while he has the young girl in custody.
Son of a Witch[]
Nor is central to the plot of the novel, as throughout the book Liir is searching for her location. It was revealed that she had been sent to Southstairs prison following the Wizard's departure, but escaped inside of the carcass of a Hog. She is not seen in the book, but is responsible for the graffiti all over the Emerald City which reads "ELPHABA LIVES".
A Lion Among Men[]
Following her escape, Nor changes her name to “Illianora”, citing that the happy, carefree girl who once bore the name "Nor" is dead. She engages in resistance work, which leads her into unwanted sexual encounters. This, along with her previous experiences, leads her to sew her vagina shut with vinegar and thread, so that she can never bring a child into the world who could suffer like she did. After leaving her resistance work, she is employed as a nurse to an elderly man, but when she refuses his sexual advances, he locks her in a tower. Following his death, she escapes with the arrival of Mr. Boss and the crew of the Clock of the Time Dragon and joins them, becoming Boss’s apprentice. The crew later travels to the Cloister of Saint Glinda, seeking refuge, and Illianora meets Brrr. Following the departure of Yackle into the Grimmerie, she, along with Brrr and the crew leave to begin a new journey.
Out of Oz[]
By the time of the final novel, Illianora has informally married Brrr. While visiting Mockbeggar Hall during a performance of the Clock, she gives the Grimmerie to the Lady Glinda for safe-keeping. However, the book is soon returned to her, along with her niece, Rain, to take out of the country. Illianora and the crew then travel to the Chancel of the Ladyfish, where they meet up with Liir and his wife, Candle. Following their depature from there, she, Liir, Candle and their daughter, Rain build a home and live together for an unknown period of time, until a ransacking of their home causes them to split up again, with Illianora taking Rain to St. Prowd's, masquerading as her mother. She then goes back to Kiamo Ko with Candle and Liir, where Liir is captured by the Emperor's forces. Illianora soon becomes stressed from the situation, especially with Candle's overtures to have Rain returned to them or Liir found. She dies after falling off a cliff, though whether the death was accidental or an suicide is left unknown to the reader.