The characters from the 1982
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
fantasy film
Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...
''
The Dark Crystal
''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The J ...
'' series were created by puppeteer
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
and concept artist
Brian Froud
Brian Froud (born 1947) is an English fantasy illustrator and conceptual designer. He is most widely known for his 1978 book ''Faeries (book), Faeries'' with Alan Lee (illustrator), Alan Lee, and as the conceptual designer of the Jim Henson fil ...
, most of the information about specific characters and species names that were not mentioned in the film come from supplementary materials such as Froud's book ''
The World of the Dark Crystal''. The series expanded into books, comics, artwork,
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
, and the 2019 prequel series ''
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''.
Overview
* A dark grey cell indicates that the character did not appear or that the character's presence has yet to be announced.
* A indicates a role as a younger version of character portrayed by another actor.
* A indicates an uncredited role.
* A indicates a cameo role.
* A indicates a voice-only role.
* An indicates an appearance through archival footage or stills.
* An indicates the actor was part of the main cast for the season.
Major characters
Gelfling
![Gelfling clan symbols](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Gelfling_clan_symbols.svg)
The Gelfling are the central protagonists of ''The Dark Crystal'' franchise. They are slender,
elvish humanoid
A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and ''-oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. The earliest recorded use of the term, in 1870, referred to indigenous peoples in areas colonized by Europeans. By the 20t ...
s with protracted facial structures who originally populated most of Thra, having three long fingers and a thumb on each hand. Female Gelfling have
fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
-like wings that can be folded to fit easily under their clothing, allowing them to safely glide down from high places, even with the added weight of a second Gelfling holding onto them. The
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
adaptation of the film states that in the past, females could fly, but the wings have become vestigial. Gelfling also possess an ability called "''dreamfasting"'' that allows them to psychically share thoughts, memories, and emotions through touch. The name "Gelfling" is a transliteration of ''Ghel-lflainnk'', which means "those who live without knowledge of the future". This is due to their innocence and naïvety.
The Gelfling once had a flourishing civilization with a writing system similar to hieroglyphics, having relied on Aughra during the Age of Innocence before the urSkeks' arrival, which hastened their development while they venerated the
aliens
Alien primarily refers to:
* Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country
** Enemy alien, the above in times of war
* Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth
** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
for their advancement. Initially, the Gelfling coexisted with the Skeksis before learning of their malevolent actions in using the Dark Crystal to drain the surrounding lands of their life essence to prolong their lives while using the extracted essence of their enslaved kinsmen for rejuvenation purposes.
This started the events of ''
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', which reveals that the Gelfling were organized as seven
matriarchal
Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property.
While those definitions apply in general E ...
clans who made their homes in areas of Thra consisting of the Stonewood Clan, the Spriton Clan, the Vapra Clan, the Grottan Clan, the Drenchen Clan, the Sifa Clan, and the Dousan Clan. Each of the Gelfling Clans is led by a leader called a "Maudra" and the ruler of all the clans is named "All-Maudra". Eventually, the Gelfling learned that one among them was destined to find the Shard and restore the Crystal to its natural state alongside the urSkeks during an upcoming Great Conjunction. When the Skeksis learned of this, they attempted using fabrications to deter the Gelfling before resorting to genocide with the newly-created Garthim. By time of the events of the first film, only
Jen and
Kira
Kira may refer to:
People
* Kira clan, a Japanese clan, descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880)
* Kira (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Kira Chikazane (1563–1588), Japanese retainer
* Kira (German singer) (Janine ...
had survived one such massacre as the former seeks to fulfill the prophecy. At the end of the first film, the two are entrusted with the Crystal by the urSkeks.
In the original film, it required four puppeteers to operate the Gelfling. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', the Gelfling puppets require only two puppeteers thus permitting greater freedom of movement. Also, while the animatronic components of the original film's Gelfling puppets were controlled via cables, the mechanical parts of the new Gelfling were remotely operated via a modified
Wii
The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
controller.
Jen
Jen is a young male Gelfling and the protagonist of the film, having been raised by the urRu Master urSu from infancy when his family was slaughtered by the Garthim. His upbringing by the lax urRu made him both deliberate and impatient. Jen wears a pale, cream-colored tunic. His skin has a brown complexion and his hair is dark with fair (almost silver) streaks, and grows to shoulder-length. He carries a flute around his neck, which he is shown playing at intervals, and an urRu token known as a ''firca''.
His creature and costume design were provided by Brian Froud and his designer and fabrication supervisor was Wendy Midener.
Kira
Having escaped the slaughter of her people when hidden by her mother in a hollow tree trunk, Kira ended up wandering into a Podling village and was adopted by them. Taught by the Podlings, Kira learned to converse with wild animals and is given to wandering the swamps outside the Podling village, accompanied by Fizzgig. She is soft-spoken and gentle as a rule. Kira wears a golden-brown dress and a brown cloak. She has a fair complexion; her hair is long and fair, almost white; and she is always barefoot. As a female Gelfling, Kira has segmented
fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
or
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
-like wings that unfold from her shoulders on command: a physical feature not shared by male Gelflings. Although not shown in flight, she is twice seen using these wings to slow a fall.
Kira was designed by Wendy Froud (Nee Midener) and her design and fabrication supervisor was also Wendy Midener.
Vapra Clan
The Vapra Clan are a Gelfling clan that reside in the city of Ha'rar within the snowy high
mountains
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...
and appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', having ruled the other Gelfling tribes for ages. The Vapra Clan are experts on camouflage where they can blend into the background. Among the known members are:
* Brea (performed by
Alice Dinnean
Alice Catherine Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as ''The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street ...
, voiced by
Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy ( ; born 16 April 1996) is an actress. She has won several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2021, she was featu ...
) - Princess of the Vapra Clan, Maudra Mayrin's youngest (third-born) daughter, and a key protagonist of ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''.
* All-Maudra Mayrin (performed by
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
, voiced by
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in blockbusters and independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received various awards and nominations, including a British Academy Film Award a ...
) - Queen of the Vapra Clan and mother of Brea, Seladon, and Tavra. When Mayrin confronts the Skeksis about their lies she is killed by skekVar.
* Seladon (performed by Helena Smee, voiced by
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw (; born 21 April 1983) is a British actress who is known for her performances on stage and screen. In 2017 she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama ...
) - First-born daughter of Maudra Mayrin, she succeeds her mother as All-Maudra of the Gelfling. Seladon denied any Skeksis wrongdoing, until she learned the truth herself.
* Tavra (performed by Neil Sterenberg, voiced by
Caitriona Balfe) - Born Katavra, she is a Vapra Paladin who is Maudra Mayrin's second-born daughter. After stabbing skekVar, Tavra is fatally stabbed by skekSil and dies in the presence of her sisters.
*
Librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
(performed by
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
, voiced by
Toby Jones
Tobias Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. Jones made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama ''Orlando'' in 1992. He ...
) - Overseer of the Vapra Citadel library.
* Mira (performed by Helena Smee, voiced by
Alicia Vikander
Alicia Amanda Vikander (, ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, as well as receiving nominations for ...
) - Crystal guard who was in a relationship with Rian until she was killed for her essence by Skek-Tek.
* Daudran (performed by Olly Taylor, voiced by
Dustin Demri Burns) - Overseer of the Order of Lesser Services.
Stonewood Clan
The Stonewood clan are a Gelfling clan that reside in the village of Stone-in-the-Wood within the Dark Wood and appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. They are strong and proud and most of them are employed as Crystal Guards at the Castle of the Crystal. The Stonewood Clan are also expert cobblers and farmers. Originally they were called the
Woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
Clan or Woodland Folk. Among the known members are:
* Rian (performed by
Neil Sterenberg
Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...
, voiced by
Taron Egerton
Taron Egerton ( ; born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. He is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, and has received nominations for a Grammy Award and two British Academy Film Awards.
Born in Birkenhead, England, Egerton began acting at a ...
) - A member of the Stonewood Clan and one of the main protagonists of ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' who was part of the Crystal guard until he witnessed his girlfriend Mira murdered by the Skeksis' hands to drained her essences to cheat death. This leads to him ultimately uniting the Gelfling people against the Skeksis.
* Maudra Fara/The Rock Singer (performed by
Alice Dinnean
Alice Catherine Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as ''The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street ...
, voiced by
Lena Headey
Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she re ...
) - The leader of the Stonewood Clan at the beginning of ''Age of Resistance''. At first, she was reluctant to hear Rian's claim of what the Skeksis are planning until word of mouth reached Stone-in-the-Wood. After Mayrin was killed by skekVar, Fara and Laesid would not accept Seladon as the All-Maudra as Fara challenged her for the title in a trial by air. In a Skeksis-inspired outfit, Seladon defeated Fara who left with Laesid while the other Maudras bowed to Seladon. She dies during her people's first battle with the Skeksis where she threw herself in front of skekOk's blade to protect Seladon.
* Ordon (performed by
Dave Chapman, voiced by
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...
) - A member of the Stonewood Clan, captain of the Crystal Guard, and Rian's father. The Skeksis later sent Ordon to retrieve Rian. When he learns the truth, he helps Rian even when skekMal attacks. Ordin sacrifices himself in an attempt to save his son from skekMal by knocking him into the Gobbles.
Grottan Clan
The Grottan Clan, named after the Caves of Grot, are a secretive Gelfling clan that reside in the
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
of Obscurity, their tribe long thought to be extinct due to their isolation from most of Thra. The Grottan Clan have large ears and big eyes to help them move around in the dark, but are sensitive to sunlight causing them to wear special blindfolds to filter the light. They appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. Among the known members are:
* Deet (performed by
Beccy Henderson, voiced by
Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel (born 2 March 1989) is an English actress. Emmanuel began her acting career appearing in theatre in the late 1990s, acquiring roles in various West End productions such as the musical ''The Lion King''. In 2006, she be ...
) - One of the main protagonists of ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. Born Deethra, she is the animal carer of the Grottan Clan who learned of the Darkening from Vliste-Staba and helped in the rebellion's formation.
* Maudra Argot the Shadow Bender (performed and voiced by
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
) - The leader of the Grottan Clan. After sending Deet on her quest, Argot was the only Maudra that didn't accept Seladon's invitation to her coronation.
* Mitjan (performed by
Victor Yerrid
Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...
, voiced by
Charlie Condou
Charlie Condou, (born 8 January 1973) is a British actor, columnist and LGBT rights activist. Condou secured a series of television movie roles during his teenage years in the 1980s. He later had guest roles in British television series during th ...
) - The father of Deet, partner of Lath'N, and member of the Grottan Clan.
* Lath'N (performed by
Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Warrick Brownlow-Pike (born 28 January 1985) is a British puppeteer. He is best known for performing the character "Gonger" on ''Sesame Street'' and its spinoff series '' The Furchester Hotel'' and Dodge the Dog on the CBeebies Channel.
CBBC ...
, voiced by
James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus (born 9 October 1968) is an English actor most notable for roles on television sitcoms ''The Thin Blue Line (British TV series), The Thin Blue Line'' as Constable Kevin Goody, and ''Gimme Gimme Gimme (TV series), Gimme Gimme Gimme ...
) - The father of Deet, partner of Mitjan, and member of the Grottan Clan.
* Bobb'N (performed by
Alice Dinnean
Alice Catherine Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as ''The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street ...
, voiced by Beccy Henderson) - The brother of Deet and member of the Grottan Clan.
Drenchen Clan
The Drenchen Clan are an amphibious Gelfling Clan that live in the
Swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s of Sog. They appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' where their town of Great Smerth is named after the enormous tree that is in the center. The Drenchen Clan have gills that enable them to survive underwater and the females use their wings like fish fins to swim. They are also powerful in combat and take pride in it. The Skeksis could not keep track of the Drenchen Clan's location in their consensus. Among the known members are:
* Maudra Laesid (performed by
Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Warrick Brownlow-Pike (born 28 January 1985) is a British puppeteer. He is best known for performing the character "Gonger" on ''Sesame Street'' and its spinoff series '' The Furchester Hotel'' and Dodge the Dog on the CBeebies Channel.
CBBC ...
, voiced by
Nimmy March
Lady Naomi Anna Gordon-Lennox (born March 1962), known as Nimmy March, is an English actress.
Background
March's biological parents were a black South African father from Lesotho and a white English mother. As an illegitimate child, she was ab ...
) - The leader of the Drenchen Clan and the mother of Gurjin and Naia. Following Mayrin's death, she and Fara would not accept Seladon as the All-Maudra.
* Gurjin (performed by
Dave Chapman, voiced by
Harris Dickinson
Harris Dickinson (born 24 June 1996) is an English actor. He began his career with a starring role in the drama ''Beach Rats'' (2017), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead. He has since played John Paul ...
) - A Crystal guard who is Rian's best friend.
* Naia (performed by Beccy Henderson, voiced by
Hannah John-Kamen
Hannah Dominique E. John-Kamen (born 7 September 1989) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yalena "Dutch" Yardeen in the Syfy television series ''Killjoys'' (2015–2019), Ornela in the sixth season of the HBO series ''Game of ...
) - The daughter of Laesid and Gurjin's twin sister who is next in line to become Maudra. She and Kylan were originally hunting Rian until he persuaded them to hear him out and dreamfast with him. Naia later frees Gurjin from his imprisonment.
Sifa Clan
The Sifa Clan are a
sea
The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...
-faring Gelfling Clan that appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. They reside in coastal villages along the Silver Sea where they work as
fishermen
A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish.
Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreat ...
and
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
s. Among the known members are:
* Maudra Ethri (performed by
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
, voiced by
Beccy Henderson) - The leader of the Sifa Clan.
* Cadia (performed by
Olly Taylor, voiced by
Eddie Izzard
Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime.
Izzard's stand- ...
) - The most well-respected soothsayer of the Sifa Clan. He tried to erase the memory of Brea with tea spiked with Nulroot when she came asking for information about a symbol, only for Brea to switch the cup, causing him to lose his memory. Seladon tried to work to regain Cadia's memory.
* Onica (performed by
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
, voiced by
Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer (born 11 February 1982)[Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Warrick Brownlow-Pike (born 28 January 1985) is a British puppeteer. He is best known for performing the character "Gonger" on ''Sesame Street'' and its spinoff series '' The Furchester Hotel'' and Dodge the Dog on the CBeebies Channel.
CBBC ...](_blank)
) - A Gelfling Paladin who was responsible for telling the Crystal Guards the truth about what happened to Mira after Dreamfasting with Rian.
Dousan Clan
The Dousan Clan are an elusive Gelfling Clan that reside on the Crystal Sea
desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
. They appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. The Dousan Clan navigate the sands of the Crystal Sea by riding Crystal Skimmers, gather at an
oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.”
The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
in the Crystal Sea called the Wellspring, and hold ancient rituals that involve music. Dousan shamans are known to eat hallucinogenic berries in order to glimpse into the future and talk to Thra. Among the known members are:
* Maudra Seethi the Skin Painter (performed by Beccy Henderson, voiced by Kemi-Bo Jacobs) - The leader of the Dousan Clan.
* Rek'yr (performed by
Olly Taylor, voiced by
Theo James
Theo is a given name and a hypocorism.
Greek origin
Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example:
*Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
) - A member of the Dousan Clan.
Spriton Clan
The Spriton Clan are a war-like Gelfling clan that appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. They are a farming community that live on the southern
plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...
s of Thra and are a rival of the Stonewood Clan. The Spriton Clan reside in Sami Thicket, but mostly are in other parts of Thra trading items with its other inhabitants. Agriculture and creature husbandry are also part of their lives. Among the known members are:
* Maudra Mera (performed by
Neil Sterenberg
Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...
, voiced by
Nina Sosanya
Oluwakemi Nina Sosanya (born 6 June 1969) is an English stage, television, film, radio actress and narrator. She is most notable for her roles in ''Teachers'', ''W1A'' and ''Last Tango in Halifax''.
Early life and education
Sosanya was born in ...
) - The leader of the Spriton Clan.
* Kylan (performed by
Victor Yerrid
Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...
, voiced by
Shazad Latif
Shazad Latif (born Iqbal Amin; 8 July 1988) is a British actor, who starred as Tariq Masood in the BBC TV series '' Spooks'', Clem Fandango on '' Toast of London'', and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in ''Penny Dreadful''. In 2017, he was cast as Chi ...
) - The song teller of the Spriton Clan. He and Naia were originally hunting Rian until he persuaded them to hear him out and dreamfast with him.
* Jul - A member of the Spriton Clan.
* Tolyn (voiced by Jack Myers) - Second-in-command of the Crystal Guard and a member of the Spriton Clan. He is Rian's arch-rival and the only guard who hates him. Tolyn was the one who told the Skeksis of the Crystal Guard's uprising, though they drained his essence anyway.
Fizzgig
Described as "a friendly
monster
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
" in the initial draft of the screenplay, the character of Fizzgig is the pet of Kira: resembling a
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
in voice and manners, but unlike a dog in that his facial features are tiny and his entire body is represented by a brown/red/gray ball of fur. Fizzgig moves by rolling, though he does appear to have at least two legs. His mouth, when open, appears to encompass most of his size and possesses two sets of sharp teeth. He is fiercely loyal to Kira, has an aggressive temper, and is wary of unfamiliar things. Fizzgig is at first wary of Jen, but becomes his friend.
Fizzgig later made a cameo in the ''
Fraggle Rock
''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's musical fantasy comedy puppet television series about interconnected societies of Muppet creatures, created by Jim H ...
'' episode "Gobo's Discovery", as one of the background cave creatures.
Fizzgig was designed by Brian Froud and his design and fabrication supervisor was
Rollie Krewson Rollie Krewson (sometimes credited as "Rollin Krewson") is a puppet designer and builder known for her work on various Muppet productions. She interned with Jim Henson's company in the mid-1970s. Although she now works primarily as a designer/build ...
.
In relating media and prequels, Fizzgig is the name of the species as well. As why Kira's pet Fizzgig does not have an individual name is unknown. Fizzgig is the only major character represented in the film by a puppet with immobile eyes. ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' featured a named Fizzgig.
* Baffi (performed by Dave Goelz) - An eyepatch-wearing Fizzgig that is owned by Maudra Fara.
Aughra
Aughra, Keeper of Secrets and revered by the Gelflings as Mother Aughra, is an
oracle
An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.
Description
The word '' ...
who is actually an emanation of the planet Thra created long ago with the task of observing for the planet until she is reabsorbed back into it, having the ability to command plants and remove her eyes for an extended view of her surroundings. Aughra served in guiding the early Gelflings before the first Great Conjunction. While intersexed, Aughra is mostly female as her masculine side was burned along with her right eye as the result of directly witnessing the Great Conjunction up close. But she was saved from death by the
urSkeks
The characters from the 1982 cult fantasy film ''The Dark Crystal'' series were created by puppeteer Jim Henson and concept artist Brian Froud, most of the information about specific characters and species names that were not mentioned in the film ...
with their member TekTih teaching her of the inner workings of the universe while creating her observatory home on top of a mountain known as High Hill, Aughra providing information on Thra in return. Present at the second Great Conjunction that splintered the urSkeks, Aughra attempted to calm down the nascent Skeksis before they cracked the Crystal of Truth and tricked her into entering a deep slumber to see the universe before she reawakens during the events of ''Age of Resistance''. Upon learning what the Skeksis have done, Aughra regrets leaving Thra to them as she allies herself with the Gelflings during their rebellion. In the aftermath of the Garthim War, Aughra keeps the Shard safe in her observatory until Jen arrived to obtain it, but the Garthim destroy Aughra's home while attempting to capture Jen, bringing her to the Castle where she rebukes the Skeksis before being locked away in skekTek's Chamber of Life until she is freed and witnesses the urSkeks' restoration. Aughra makes a return appearance in the comic book sequel to ''The Dark Crystal'', titled ''
The Power of the Dark Crystal''.
In the film, Aughra is portrayed primarily by
Frank Oz
Frank Oz (born Frank Richard Oznowicz; May 25, 1944) is an American actor, puppeteer, and filmmaker.
He began his career as a puppeteer, performing the Muppet characters of Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle in ''The Muppet Show ...
in costume. Oz also voiced Aughra originally (similar to a combination of
Fozzie Bear
Fozzie Bear is a Muppet character best known as the insecure and comedically fruitless stand-up comic on ''The Muppet Show.'' Fozzie is an orange-brown bear who often wears a brown pork pie hat and a pink and white polka dot necktie. The charac ...
,
Yoda
Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until ...
, and
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is one of the Muppet characters known for her breakout role in Jim Henson's ''The Muppet Show''. Since her debut in 1976, Miss Piggy has been notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, tendency to use French phrases in ...
); but her lines were redubbed by
Billie Whitelaw
Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was al ...
.
Aughra appears in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. She awakens from her journey to find that the Skeksis have corrupted Thra. She gave up her life essence to help the Skeksis heal skekMal. When urVa jumps to his death, skekMal dies and Aughra is reconstituted.
Her designer was Brian Froud and her design and fabrication supervisor was Lyle Conway. The fabrication team for Aughra included:
David Barclay, Jeremy Hunt, Paul Jiggins, Graeme Galvin, and Steve Court.
Skeksis
![2015 Dark Crystal cosplay of Skeksis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/2015_Dark_Crystal_cosplay_of_Skeksis.jpg)
The Skeksis are the central antagonists of ''The Dark Crystal'' franchise: the ten dark versions of the ten "good" urRu/Mystics (see below). The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular pronounced and the plural . They are described by concept artist Brian Froud as "part
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
, part
vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
, part
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
". Like their urRu counterparts, they have four arms; but in the Skeksis the two lower arms have become weak and atrophied, and are rarely seen. The Skeksis have kept themselves from dying of old age by draining the vitality from other beings. In the film, the Skeksis are represented by full-bodied puppets engineered under the direction of Jim Henson. Henson has said that in the development of the Skeksis, the creators drew inspiration from the
Seven deadly sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
, in that each Skeksis represents a different kind of evil, such as cruelty, selfishness, greed, unchecked ambition, treachery, and wrath. The Skeksis were full-bodied puppets operated in a very similar way to
Big Bird
Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the long-running children's television show ''Sesame Street''. An eight-foot two-inch (249 cm) tall bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skat ...
. The puppeteer's secondary arm was in the arm of the Skeksis and the puppeteer's primary arm was held up over the puppeteer's head and the hand operates the jaw. A monitor inside the suit allowed the puppeteer to see.
* skekSo the
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
(performed by Jim Henson in the film,
Dave Chapman in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', voiced by
Jerry Nelson
Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...
in the film,
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor.
Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), C ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - The arrogant, greedy, maniacal, and cold leader of the Skeksis. He dies and rots as a result of too much exposure to the Darkening.
* skekZok the Ritual-Master (performed by Jim Henson in the film,
Victor Yerrid
Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his wor ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', voiced by Jerry Nelson in the film,
Keegan-Michael Key
Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
in ''The Dark Crysal: Age of Resistance'') - The pompous and gruff
high priest
The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...
of the Ceremony of the Sun and second to the Emperor in power, governing the others through prophecies and rites invented by himself.
* skekUng the Garthim-Master (performed by
Dave Goelz
David Charles Goelz (; born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer and puppet builder known for his work with the Muppets. As part of the Muppets' performing cast, Goelz performs Gonzo the Great, as well as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf (after ...
in the film, assisted by Rollie Krewson in the film, voiced by
Michael Kilgarriff
Michael Kilgarriff (born 16 June 1937) is an English actor, author and pianist from Brighton. As an actor, he is well known for his rich voice and height. His film and television roles include ''The Dark Crystal'' (1982) as the General, and ...
in the film) - The strong, aggressive and power-hungry
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
who succeeds skekSo as Emperor and commands the Garthim. He represents the Deadly Sin of Wrath.
* skekSil the
Chamberlain
Chamberlain may refer to:
Profession
*Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure
People
*Chamberlain (surname)
**Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...
(performed by Frank Oz in the film,
Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Warrick Brownlow-Pike (born 28 January 1985) is a British puppeteer. He is best known for performing the character "Gonger" on ''Sesame Street'' and its spinoff series '' The Furchester Hotel'' and Dodge the Dog on the CBeebies Channel.
CBBC ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', stunt performed by
Kiran Shah
Kiran Shah (born 28 September 1956) is a Kenyan-Indian actor and a stunt double.
Shah was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He lived in Kenya until he was twelve years old, when he moved to India with his family. While living in India, he became intere ...
in the film, voiced by
Barry Dennen
Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. He played Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''.
Life and career
Dennen was born in Chicag ...
in the film,
Simon Pegg
Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - A Skeksis who was to be the next in line to the throne. Exiled after skekUng successfully challenged his claim to the throne. skekSil was later reinstated after he captures Kira. He is sly and speaks in a wheedling voice that the other Skeksis find annoying, especially skekUng who calls him a "whimpering worm." He represents the Deadly Sin of Envy.
* skekTek the
Scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
(performed by
Steve Whitmire
Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on ''The Muppets'' and ''Sesame Street''. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kerm ...
in the film,
Olly Taylor in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', voiced by Steve Whitmire in the film,
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - A
scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...
performing unspecified deadly experiments on animals, and deriving essence from Gelflings and Podlings to rejuvenate his compatriots. He sports a telescopic eye as a result of having his eye being eaten by a Peeper Beetle after being framed by skekSil for letting Rian escape with Mira's essence, a prosthetic arm and leg, a transparent tube replacing one of his jugular veins so he can study his own blood circulation, and can occasionally be seen leaning on a cane. He fell into the fiery pit to his demise by his prisoners at the behest of Kira and Aughra organizing an animal
rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
. Despite performing experiments on animals, he had one small bird-like creature he genuinely loved.
* skekAyuk the
Gourmand
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively; this usage is now rare. ...
(performed by
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
in the film and ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', voiced by Thick Wilson in the film,
Harvey Fierstein
Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in ''Torch Song Trilogy'' and ''Hairspray'' and movie roles in ''Mrs. Doubtfire'', '' Independence Day'', and ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - Commander of slaves where he has them create complex meals for the Skeksis while also organizing the Skeksis banquets. He represents the Deadly Sin of Gluttony.
* skekNa the Slave-Master (performed by
Mike Quinn
Michael Patrick Quinn (born April 15, 1974) is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. ...
in the film, voiced by
David Buck
David Keith Rodney Buck (17 October 1933 – 27 January 1989) was an English actor.
Buck was born in London, the son of Joseph Buck and Enid Marguerite (née Webb). He starred in many television productions from 1959 until 1989. One of his ea ...
in the film) - The abusive and cold hearted Slave-Master who oversees the enslaved Podlings at the Castle. He has a hook for a left hand and an eyepatch over his right eye. Later books retconned skekNa's history with him having been a Spy-Master before becoming the Slave-Master.
* skekOk the Scroll-Keeper (performed by
Bob Payne in the film, Neil Sterenberg in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', voiced by John Baddeley in the film, Neil Sterenberg in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - The smallest and weakest of the Skeksis, who preserves inaccurate records of their history while working as their
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
.
* skekShod the
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury o ...
(performed by
Tim Rose
Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002) (unofficial website by long-term correspondent of Rose's) was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in E ...
in the film, voiced by
Charles Collingwood in the film) - The court treasurer whose vocabulary is so limited, the only way he got his ways was extravagant bribery. He represents the Deadly Sin of Greed.
* skekEkt the Ornamentalist (performed by Brian Muehl in the film,
Alice Dinnean
Alice Catherine Dinnean (born May 23, 1969) is an American puppeteer, voice actress and creative writer who works at The Jim Henson Company. Dinnean has performed on many children's television shows such as ''The Puzzle Place'', ''Sesame Street ...
in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'') - One of the vainest Skeksis who
designs and makes their garments. He is also in charge of selecting Podlings for the choir. skekEkt represents the Deadly Sin of Vanity.
The series prequel ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' introduced new Skeksis characters who appeared in other media.
* skekLach the Collector (performed by Helena Smee, voiced by
Awkwafina
Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper, and comedian who rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, ''Yellow Ran ...
) - A sickly-looking Skeksis who serves as census taker before being killed prior to the Garthim War, having been portrayed in the ''Legends of the Dark Crystal'' manga as a schemer taking Gelfling essence behind skekSo's back and extorting skekTek to keep his silence. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', he accompanied skekOk to Ha'rar to claim tribute from the Vapra Clan. His death is further detailed where Deet redirects the Darkening unleashed by skekSo which caused skekLach to explode.
* skekVar the General (performed by
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
and Katherine Smee, voiced by
Benedict Wong
Benedict Wong (born 3 July 1971) is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Kublai Khan in Netflix's ''Marco Polo'' (2014–2016), Bruce Ng in '' The Martian'' (2015), and Wong in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since ''Doctor Strange'' (2 ...
) - A Skeksis who serves as skekUng's predecessor in military matters before he was slain by skekSil, having first appeared in the ''Legends of the Dark Crystal'' manga. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', skekVar and skekSil competed for skekSo's favor. skekVar's death is further detailed where skekSil sets up skekVar to fall in battle against Rian which disappointed skekSo. When skekSil checks up on a wounded skekVar, he kills him. Following a retreat from Stone-in-the-Wood, skekSil states to skekSo that he died from his injuries when skekSo asks where he is.
* skekMal the
Hunter
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
(performed by
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
, in-suit performed by
Nick Kellington
Nick Kellington is a British actor and musician. He is best known for his roles in children's television series, the new ''Star Wars'' films and '' The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. His television acting career began in 2007, when he portraye ...
, voiced by
Ralph Ineson
Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in '' Game of Thrones'', Amycus Ca ...
) - A wild and bloodthirsty Skeksis with retractable arms who debuted in the ''Dark Crystal Author Quest'' novel. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', skekMal is summoned by skekSil to hunt down Rian. He survives Ordon's sacrificial attempt to stop him with ravenous Gobbles. During the Gelflings' search for the Dual Glave, skekMal ambushes them and is mortally wounded by urVa. Aughra offers her lifeforce in order to save skekMal's life. During the next fight with the Gelflings in the Stone-in-the-Wood, skekMal awakens, makes his way to Stone-in-the-Wood, and fights Rian where he breaks the Dual Glaive that Rian was wielding. He is killed when urVa jumps off the Circle of Suns causing Aughra to be reconstituted.
* skekGra the Heretic (performed by Damian Farrell, voiced by
Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2005 ...
) - Formerly skekGra the
Conqueror, he was the Skeksis who defeated the other races for the Skeksis and first appeared in the ''Dark Crystal Author Quest'' novel. After having a vision of Thra and realizing the error of the Skeksis' ways, skekGra was banished and came to live with his urRu counterpart urGoh the Wanderer. The pair of them took it upon themselves to find and safeguard the Shard until it could be properly used. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,'' skekGra and urGoh gave the Shard to the Gelflings.
In Archaia Comics ''the Dark Crystal: Creation Myths'' 2, two Skeksis are seen:
* skekHak the Machinist and skekYi the Deceased - They were two Skeksis seen at the end of Volume 2 of The Dark Crystal Creation Myths who died immediately after the botch division of the urSkeks. When one of the Skeksis goes rogue in the Crystal Chamber, it proceeds to kill two urRu: one is choked to death, while the other is thrown into the fire Shaft under the Crystal, leading to the deaths of their Skeksis counterparts. skekHak came from the urSkek Architect HakHom, while skekYi came from the urSkek YiYa, whose position is unknown.
In the ''Dark Crystal Author Quest'' novels, two more Skeksis appeared. Both were referenced in the ninth episode of ''Age of Resistance'':
* skekSa the Mariner - Also known as the Captain; appears as a major character in the J.M. Lee novel Tides of the Dark Crystal, and is described as female, despite the fact the urSkeks (and therefore the Mystics and the Skeksis) are gender-less creatures. "She" was mentioned by skekZok as being good in a fight.
* skekLi the Satirist - The Skeksis who wrote satire stories for the enjoyment of the Skeksis and was the main antagonist of the J.M. Lee novel Song of the Dark Crystal. skekOk inquired as to his whereabouts in ''Age of Resistance''.
In Tokyopop's OEL manga ''Legends of the Dark Crystal'' vol. 1 and 2, two more Skeksis are introduced. Since later novels and the TV series, these characters are no longer canon:
* skekEer the
Spy-Master - He is an ally of skekVar, along with the Mariner. Due to being removed from canon, his position is revealed to have been skekNa's before the Skeksis needed slaves.
* skekCru the
Mariner
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
- He is an ally of skerVar and skekEer the Spy-Master. Due to the novels, the Mariner has been retconned as female and renamed SkekSa.
urRu/Mystics
More commonly known as the "Mystics", the urRu are benign counterparts of the
Skeksis
The Skeksis are a fictional species that serves as the main antagonists in the 1982 film ''The Dark Crystal'' and its related franchise. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular being pronounc ...
and embody the urSkeks' redeeming qualities yet are mostly indifferent and rarely act. After two of their own are killed by a rogue Skeksis, they learn that they are still linked with their counterparts, and most of the urRu take refuge in the Valley of the Standing Stones, leaving the Skeksis to their devices. While initially lean and fairly agile creatures, nearly identical to the Skeksis, the urRu aged differently from their counterparts as they began using walking sticks to move around while gradually losing their memories. During the course of the film, after urSu allowed himself to die to place the remaining nine Skeksis into disarray, urZah leads the urRu towards the Castle to fulfill the prophecy and merge with their Skeksis counterparts back into the urSkeks. The urRu have four arms, elongated heads, white hair, and tails, in a manner that concept artist Brian Froud described as being "... between a
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
and a
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
".
* urSu the Master (performed by
Brian Muehl
Brian Giuseppe Meehl (also known as Brian Muehl; born August 24, 1952), is an American puppeteer and writer.
Biography
Meehl was born in Canandaigua, New York and grew up mostly in Iowa City, Iowa.
Meehl worked on the last six shows of '' The M ...
) - The leader of the urRu, Jen's mentor, and fatherly figure. He allows himself to die of old age by vanishing, after charging Jen with the task of healing the Dark Crystal. By dying, he causes the death of the Skeksis Emperor, weakening the Skeksis by the ensuing struggle for the throne.
* urZah the Ritual-Guardian (performed by Brian Muehl, voiced by
Sean Barrett) - He is the Mystics' ritualist and would make the sand paintings of prophecy for the Mystics by pouring out the colored sands while the others chanted. He would comb and brush the sands of amethyst, opal, agate, onyx, and chalcedony to build the forms of spiral energy. He speaks more freely than the other urRu, but in riddles. Deep meditation leaves spirals in all his body, not just in his face.
* urIm the Healer (performed by David Greenaway) - He is the Mystic
Healer and became the new leader of the Mystics as the consequence of the ascension of his counterpart skekUng to the throne.
* urSol the Chanter (performed by Simon Williamson) - He is described as capable of two voices: one deep and the other light, whereof each can alter reality. He is the counterpart of skekSil the Chamberlain, considered by Aughra as a rogue and impatient by urRu standards. Compared to the other Mystics, urSol takes a more active role in the comic book sequel ''
The Power of the Dark Crystal'' as he secretly gifted Aughra with a means of summoning a creature from the urSkeks' homeworld to aid the Gefling against the Skeksis. He subsequently died when skekSil was destroyed by the Crystal reforming itself as the Prism, with both their spirits residing within it.
* urTih the
Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...
(performed by
Toby Philpott) - He was described as a manipulator of states of matter. urTih spontaneously combusts when his Skeksis counterpart skekTek falls to his death in a fiery pit.
* urAmaj the
Cook
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
(performed by Hugh Spight) - The cook of the urRu.
* urNol the
Herbalist
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...
(performed by Swee Lim) - urAmaj's companion and a master of using herbs.
* urAc the
Scribe
A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing.
The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...
(performed by Hus Levant) - He is a chronicler of the "simpler thoughts" of his compatriots.
* urYod the Numerologist (performed by Robbie Barnett) - He is the
timekeeper
A timekeeper is an instrument or person that measures the passage of time.
Person
A timekeeper is a person who measures time with the assistance of a clock or a stopwatch. In addition, a timekeeper records time, time taken, or time remaining duri ...
and
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
among the urRu. He was shown teaching Jen.
* urUtt the
Weaver (performed by John Pierre Amiel) - The maker of the urRu's robes.
* urVa the Archer (performed by
Olly Taylor, voiced by
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (born 13 March 1973) is an Icelandic-American actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for ''Children'', '' Trapped'', '' The Deep'', ''Lady Dynamite'', and ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty''.
Early life
Ólafur ...
) - A skilled master of
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
including
archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
, and the counterpart of skekMal the Hunter who appears in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. He helps Aughra regain her connection to Thra. urVa later sacrificed himself to stop skekMal from murdering more Gelflings by jumping from the Circle of Suns where he faded away before hitting the ground.
* urGoh the Wanderer (performed by Olly Taylor, voiced by
Bill Hader
William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (2018 ...
) - A slow-talking Mystic who once traveled around the world and is skekGra the Heretic's counterpart. He is depicted in Volume 3 of Creation Myths to save Podling leader Kotha after her village was attacked by creatures that came from the deep caverns of Thra and guide Raunip and a girl Gelfling, Thall, to the Valley of the Mystics. He provides help to find a new home for the underground beasts in the land of fire. Appearing in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', urGoh lives with skekGra in self-imposed exile in the Crystal Desert as the two desire to merge back into GraGoh and gave the Gelflings the Shard.
* urMa the Peacemaker - A Mystic who was skilled in Diplomacy and skekVar's counterpart. Killed as a result of skekVar's murder by skekSil.
* urSen the
Monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
- A Mystic and skekLach's counterpart who died when skekLach was destroyed by the Darkening that Deet redirected at him. First appeared in Tokyopop's OEL manga ''Legends of the Dark Crystal'' as its narrator.
In Archaia Comics ''The Dark Crystal: Creation Myth Volumes 2 and 3'', four new Mystics were introduced:
* urHom the Carpenter and urYa the Departed - They were two urRu that appeared at the end of volume 2 of Dark Crystal Creation Myths, and were killed by a rogue Skeksis after the botched division. One was choked while the other thrown into the fire Shaft under the Crystal, killing their Skeksis counterparts in the process. urHom came from the urSkek Architect HakHom, while urYa came from the urSkek YiYa, whose position is unknown. Their deaths helped establish to Aughra the connection that existed between the Skeksis and Mystics.
In the ''Dark Crystal Author Quest'' series by J.M. Lee, three new canonical urRu are introduced and one appearing in the Netflix series ''The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance''.
[The Gelfling Gathering - Author's Resource]
* urSan the Swimmer - A skilled Swimmer and counterpart to skekSa the Mariner.
* urLii the
Storyteller - An urRu skill in storytelling, and was the counterpart of skekLi the Satirist.
urSkeks
The urSkeks are the beings from which the urRu and the
Skeksis
The Skeksis are a fictional species that serves as the main antagonists in the 1982 film ''The Dark Crystal'' and its related franchise. The word "Skeksis" serves as both singular and plural form for this species, with the singular being pronounc ...
are derived, depicted as tall, luminescent beings of vaguely
Gelfling
The characters from the 1982 cult fantasy film ''The Dark Crystal'' series were created by puppeteer Jim Henson and concept artist Brian Froud, most of the information about specific characters and species names that were not mentioned in the fil ...
-like shape. They sported large craniums and slim bodies. As revealed in ''The World of the Dark Crystal'', their people considering both their moral imperfections and attempt of manipulating their homeworld's Crystal intolerable, the eighteen urSkeks were banished to Thra through the Crystal of Truth until they have learned to master their dark aspects. Once on Thra, presenting themselves as "light bringers", the urSkeks spend the next thousand years hastening the development of the planet's people while exploiting Aughra's interest in the universe to acquire the Crystal of Truth from her. By the time of the second Great Conjunction, the urSkeks created a mirror network around the Great Crystal to trap the light of the next Great Conjunction for their use in returning to their world while purging their imperfections. But the attempt failed and resulted in the Crystal of Truth becoming the Dark Crystal and splintered the urSkeks into the urRu and the Skeksis, each member being spiritually linked to his counterpart. If any member of either species is wounded or killed, an equivalent suffers the same in the other. By the events of the film, the others having died of various causes, only eight of the urSkeks are reformed before they depart Thra soon after. In between TokyoPop's ''Legends of the Dark Crystal'', Archaia Comics ''The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths'' and ''Dark Crystal Author Quest'', various Skeksis and Mystics were introduced which provides the identities of some of the deceased urSkeks (Skeksis/urRu), but thanks to ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', alongside the J.M. Lee novels, these are the canon 18 UrSkeks:
* UngIm (voiced by
Joseph O'Conor
Joseph O'Conor (14 February 1916 – 21 January 2001) was an Irish actor and playwright.
Early years
O'Conor was born in DublinAlan Strachan ''The Independent'', 2 February 2001Stephen GilbertObituary ''The Guardian'', 25 January 2001 on ...
) - The original form of the Garthim-Master skekUng and the Healer urIm, the leader of the urSkeks and their representative.
* SoSu - The original form of the Emperor skekSo and the Master urSu, he is the leader of the urSkeks. He is among the urSkeks not to be restored as the result of his divided selves dying of old age.
* TekTih - The original form of the Scientist skekTek and the Alchemist urTih, Aughra's mentor who helped built her observatory and taught her to understand the stars while she provided him with knowledge of Thra's minerals and metals. He is among the urSkeks not to be restored as the result of skekTek falling to his death to the fiery pits deep beneath the Dark Crystal which also resulted in urTih bursting into flames while reaching the Crystal Castle.
* SilSol - The original form of the Chamberlain skekSil and the Chanter urSol.
* ZokZah - The original form of the Ritual-Master skekZok and the Ritual-Guardian urZah.
* AyukAmaj - The original form of the Gourmand skekAyuk and the Cook urAmaj.
* NaNol - The original form of the Slave-Master skekNa and the Herbalist urNol.
* OkAc - The original form of the Scroll-Keeper skekOk and the Scribe urAc.
* ShodYod - The original form of the Treasurer skekShod and the Numerologist urYod.
* EktUtt - The original form of the Ornamentalist skekEkt and the Weaver urUtt.
* VarMa - The original form of the General skekVar and the Peacemaker urMa. He is among the urSkeks not to be restored as the result of skekVar being murdered by skekSil years before the events of the film.
* LachSen - The original form of the Collector skekLach and the Monk urSen. He is among the urSkeks not to be restored as the result of skekLach being obliterated by Deet years before the events of the film.
* MalVa - The original form of the Hunter skekMal and the Archer urVa. He is among the urSkeks not to be restored as the result of urVa committing suicide to end skekMal's rampage years before the events of the film.
* GraGoh - The original form of the Conqueror skekGra and the Wanderer urGoh, the two seeking to be rejoined into their true self.
* LiLii - The original form of the Satirist skekLi and the Storyteller urLii.
* SaSan - The original form of the Mariner skekSa and the Swimmer urSan.
* YiYa - The original form of skekYi and urYa. His position is unknown and right after the division, his split personas were the first to be killed by a rogue Skeksis who strangled urYa.
* HakHom - The original form of skekHak and urHom. His position was an Architect and right after the division, his split personas were the second pair to die by a rogue Skeksis who threw urHom down the Shaft.
Podlings/Pod People
The Podlings, also known as the Pod People, are a species of gentle "earth-people" native to Thra and affiliated with the Gelflings, named for the giant seed-pods in which they live.
In their own language, they referred to themselves as ''apopiapoiopidiappididiapipob'', which translated as "master gardeners who live in bulging plants." The Podlings are
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
-like in stature yet with very rounded, circular-shaped, bulbous potato-like heads and small round eyes. They have a love of music and parties. In tune with nature, they can speak to Thra's wildlife and Kira was taught this skill by her adoptive mother Ydra. With ''The World of the Dark Crystal'' revealing that many were initially lured to the Castle, the Podlings were abducted from their homes by the Garthim so that skeTek can extract their vital essence for a youth serum reserved for the Emperor. While the serum's effects are temporary compared to the essence extracted from Gelflings, the process turns the Podlings into aged and mindless slaves who submit to the Skeksis' commands. At the end of the film, the enslaved Podlings are restored to their original selves.
The unnamed Podlings in the film are performed by Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, and Frank Oz and voiced by
Barry Dennen
Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and writer. He played Pontius Pilate on the original recording and later in the film of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''.
Life and career
Dennen was born in Chicag ...
, Patrick Monckton, and Sue Weatherby.
The creature and costume designs for the Podlings were done by Brian Froud and the design and fabrication supervisor was Sherry Amont. The design and fabrication team for the Podlings consisted of
Bob Payne, Amy Van Gilder,
Mike Quinn
Michael Patrick Quinn (born April 15, 1974) is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. ...
,
Cheryl Henson
Cheryl Lee Henson (born August 7, 1961) has served as the President of the Jim Henson Foundation since 1992. She is a philanthropist and supporter of puppetry arts and artists, and serves as a board member of The Jim Henson Company. She was hono ...
, Marianne Harms, Nick Forder, Sarah Monzani, Peter Saunders, and Debbie Coda. Polly Smith, Barbara Davis, and Ellis Duncan were associate costume designers.
There have been some named Podlings:
* Hup (performed by Victor Yerrid) - A Podling in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' who carries a large wooden spoon like a sword and aspires to be a Paladin, becoming Deet's friend and joining her quest. The comic book side story reveals Hup was previously a cook in at a Spriton inn before he was driven from Sami Thicket for striking the visiting skekShod for repeatedly complaining about the swamp water soup's quality.
* Ydra - A Podling who raised Kira.
''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' also features some unnamed Podling servants (performed by
Warrick Brownlow-Pike
Warrick Brownlow-Pike (born 28 January 1985) is a British puppeteer. He is best known for performing the character "Gonger" on ''Sesame Street'' and its spinoff series '' The Furchester Hotel'' and Dodge the Dog on the CBeebies Channel.
CBBC ...
and
Louise Gold
Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End.
Gold was raised ...
) that work for the Skeksis.
Garthim
The Garthim are
crustacean
Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group ...
-like creatures that skekTek animated with the Dark Crystal to serve the Skeksis as their enforcers following the Gelfings' war declaration, each pieced together from the corpses of the
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
-like Arathim and the humanoid Gruenaks in a form resembling
sea creatures native to the urSkeks' world. The creation of the Garthim, as depicted in the first-season finale of ''Age of Resistance'', led to the massacre of the Gelflings in the event referred to as the Garthim War. In the film, some are sent to capture Jen and end up bringing Aughra instead. The Garthim are instantly destroyed when Jen restored the Crystal, causing them to crumble along with the Skeksis architecture covering the Castle.
In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', their origins are shown at the end of the first season as skekTek reveals the first Garthim (performed by Daniel Dewhirst) following the fight at Stone-in-the-Wood.
The conceptual designer for the Garthim was Brian Froud, who claimed to have had a fascination with
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
s, and Fred Nihda as the design and fabrication supervisor. As the suits were so heavy and prone to overheating, special harnesses were constructed to lift the performers in the Garthim suits and give them time to recover in between takes.
Raunip
Known as the "Son of Aughra", Raunip was born from the organic material of a meteorite that landed on Thra which Aughra brought to life. Unlike the more reserved Aughra, Raunip is more outgoing and with an adventurous curiosity, allowing him befriend Gelfings and other members of Thra's races. But Raunip earned the urSkeks' ire, his distrust of them playing a factor in the events that splintered the urSkeks into the Skeksis and the urRu/Mystics. Helping Aughra search for the lost shard, fruitlessly gathering similar shards, Raunip learned the Skeksis have enlisted the Gelflings to repel the invading Makrak horde in his absence.
Raunip attempted to convince the Gelfling elder Carn of not trusting the Skeksis, only to be rebuffed and accused of abandoning the Gelflings in their time of need. Raunip left Carn's village with her daughter Thall, who shared his suspicion over the Skeksis' motives. Taken to Valley of the urRu by urGoh where he is reunited with Kotha, Raunip tried convincing the urRu to stop the Skeksis from taking the Gelfling to war. When the Makraks reached the Valley the following day, Kotha's translation of their language allows Raunip to understand that Makraks were forced from their underground home with the destruction they caused motivated by fear of the surface world. While the urRu convinced the Skeksis to not exterminate the Makraks, Raunip participated in the peace talks and suggested their relocation to the region known as the Field of Fire. Raunip offered himself to guide the Makraks, knowing that he would never return or survive the journey despite receiving protective clothing and amulets from Thall. After bidding farewell to Aughra, who wept silently after he left, Raunip succeeds in his mission despite half of his face burnt and on the verge of death. He was last seen with a Fizzgig whom he recounting his tale to, resolving to live as long as he can while hoping to be remembered by those he left behind.
U-mun/Firelings
The Firelings, also known as the U-Mun, are an offshoot of the Gelfling race that reside in the underground region of Mithra where they are ruled by a council of three Ember Queens. Descended from Gelfling exiles that came to Mithra during the Age of Division, resembling Gelflings enveloped in flame, the Firelings adapted to their environment with their physiology altered to the point that they are unable to survive on Thra's surface without assistance and with exposure to water weakening them. While they resemble Gelflings, the female Firelings lack wings and the older members of the race had fin-like ears and sported a pair of antennae on their foreheads. Firelings also possess an ability similar to dreamfasting called "firefasting", that enabled them to learn of events and emotions from the past through flame.
Thurma
Thurma was a female Fireling who lived during the Age of Power. She was the heir of one of Mithra's Ember Queens and the first Fireling to leave her homeland since the race's creation, heading to Thra's surface world in a misguided quest to retrieve a shard from the Crystal in order to stop the Great Dim. Her efforts resulted in a brief return of the Skeksis and Mystics while learning her race's true origins through her relationship with the Gelfling Kensho.
Her return home after the crisis saw her confront Nita, a rival claimant to her position as Ember Queen, though the two eventually joined forces in order to stop the Fire That Stays from finishing what the Great Dim had started. She subsequently ruled Mithra jointly with Nita and Fiola.
Myth-Speaker
The Myth-Speaker (voiced by
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
) is the narrator of ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''.
Vliste-Staba
Vliste-Staba (voiced by Theo Ogundipe) is a Sanctuary Tree that appears in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'' and makes it home in Grot, being one of the many Great Trees that held the Darkening at bay for a millennia before it became too strong for them to subdue thanks to the Skeksis' experiments with the Dark Crystal. When the tree's death occurs, Vliste-Staba gives Deet the ability to absorb the Darkening into herself to purify the infected.
Lore
Lore (performed by Damian Farrell) is a sentient rock construct created by skekGra and urGoh. Debuting in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', skekGra and urGoh placed him in a chamber beneath the Vapra Clan's throne room to await the Gefling that would revive him. Lore is awakened by Brea in "The First Thing I Remember is Fire," playing skekGra's recording to explain himself as her guide and protector in her journey to Circle of the Suns. Once Lore accomplishes his mission, Lore is deactivated by skekGra and remains in the Circle of the Suns for the duration of the first season.
Arathim
The Arathim are a
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
-like race that appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', all connected by a hivemind known as the Ascendency. The Arathim initially lived in the Caves of Grot until the Skeksis drove them into the wilds for refusing to submit and fought the Gelflings in many conflicts. The Arathim eventually become the Gelflings' allies in their rebellion against the Skeksis, who respond by having skekTek graft some Arathim corpses with the remains of one of his Gruenak slaves to create the first Garthim.
Minor species
Crystal Bats
The Crystal
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
s are winged bat-like creatures with stick-like bodies which serve as spies for the Skeksis. Two are seen spying on Jen and Kira.
According to ''
The World of the Dark Crystal'' by Brian Froud, the Crystal Bats were bred by the Skeksis to carry lenses of artificial Crystal that relay whatever they see to the Dark Crystal.
Landstriders
Landstriders are quadrupeds native to the forests of Thra, having white skin, vaguely
anteater
Anteater is a common name for the four extant mammal species of the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue") commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with ...
-like faces, long
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
ear-like appendages, and extremely long and powerful limbs with which they move very fast over vast distances. They are ridden by Jen and Kira in the film, and identified by Froud as regular mounts of Gelflings. Landstriders are very tough and their limbs can be used as formidable weapons as seen when they, Jen, Kira, and Fizzgig are attacked by the Garthim. One Landstrider is taken down while another falls off the cliff with a Garthim. As a result, Landstriders are perhaps the only natives of Thra able to oppose the Garthim. A dead Landstrider's flesh is highly prized for the Skeksis.
In the production of ''The Dark Crystal'', the Landstriders were performed by professional stiltwalkers operating on four stilts like Robbie Barnett, Swee Lim, and Hugh Spight. A digitally-erased safety wire, pulley system, and the associated crane were used to help perform the Landstriders so that the performer will not accidentally fall and hurt their necks. ''The World of The Dark Crystal'' revealed that Robbie Barnett helped to conceive the Landstriders due to him being an expert at stiltwalking as well as the safety information that Jim Henson revealed to make sure the Landstrider performers do not get hurt.
The Landstriders appear in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. Ordon and some Crystal Guard members rode some Landstriders when escorting skekOk and skekLach to Ha'rar. The Landstriders also took the brunt of the Darkening.
Nebrie
The Nebrie are large
amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
s apparent in marshes and swamps. Although they appear menacing, the Nebries are not especially aggressive and appear to be
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
. A Nebrie infant is seen roasted on the dining table of the Skeksis in the Castle of the Crystal, and the novel depicts Nebries as the Skeksis' food of choice.
The Nebrie was designed by Brian Froud and the design and fabrication supervisors were Tim Miller and John Coppinger.
Gruenaks
The Gruenaks are a race of Gelfling-size brutes with superhuman strength and mechanical minds that have been driven to near extinction. In the first season of ''Age of Resistance'', skekSil provided two known Gruenak survivors (performed by
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
and
Neil Sterenberg
Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...
) with stitched mouths to assist skekTek in repairing his essence extraction machine and improve on it. The two Gruenaks were also manipulated by skekSil with the promise of their freedom, openly rebelling when skekSil revealed to them he had no intention of setting them free in the immediate future. This resulted with the Gruenaks being killed by skekTek, who threw one down the Crystal Shaft and then used the other's corpse after beating him to death in the creation of the Garthim.
Other life forms
Both the film and ''Age of Resistance'' depict the wildlife of Thra. Among these creatures are
plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...
s able to fly; flowers able to retract their petals; thick tree-like stalks that expand and compress; mobile vine-like or grass-like creatures;
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...
-like animals; and
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s with a large
horn
Horn most often refers to:
*Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound
** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments
*Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...
instead of a
beak
The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food ...
.
* Armaligs -
Pillbug
Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of some other woodlice families, members of this family can roll into a ball, an ability they share with the outwardly similar but unre ...
-like creatures that the Skeksis use as the wheels of their carriages.
* Crystal Skimmers - Large flying
stingray
Stingrays are a group of sea rays, which are cartilaginous fish related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae ( ...
-like creatures that serve as the Dousan Clan's mode of transportation across the Crystal Sea.
* Gobbles - An assortment of carnivorous plants that will gobble up whoever falls into them and drag them below the liquidy surface that they stick out of. Some Gobbles surround a gigantic ambush predator which snares prey that wander into its mouth.
* Locksnake - The Locksnake is a type of small golden snake that is used to lock doors as seen in ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance''. skekTek used a Locksnake to lock up a vial containing Mira's essence in a cabinet for safekeeping. The Locksnake was later eaten by skekSil.
* Nurloc -
Worm
Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always).
Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...
-like creatures native to the Caves of Grot.
* Peeper Beetles - The Peeper Beetles are a type of Thra beetle native to the Crystal Desert which feed on soft flesh, preferring eyes. In ''The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'', one Peeper Beetle is kept and starved by the Skeksis for use in their disciplinary actions with skekTek losing his right eye during one such occasion.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Characters And Races Of The Dark Crystal
Fantasy creatures
Speculative fiction film characters lists
The Dark Crystal