Weena is a fictional character in the novel ''

The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively for ...

'', written by

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''

A.D. The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

using his time machine, to find that humans have evolved into two species: the

Eloi The Eloi are one of the two fictional post-human races, along with the Morlocks, in H. G. Wells' 1895 novel ''The Time Machine''. In H. G. Wells' ''The Time Machine'' By the year AD 802,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: th ...

, the leisure class; and the

Morlock Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel,''The Time Machine'', and are the main antagonists. Since their creation by H. G. Wells, the Morlocks have appeared in many other works such as sequels, films, televisio ...

s, the working class. He meets an Eloi girl named Weena, whom he takes on an expedition and loses in his battle against the Morlocks. Three films have been based upon the story, in 1960, 1978, and 2002, each portraying Weena differently.

In the 1895 novel

In the original novel, the Time Traveler encounters Weena in the year 802,701 A.D. He rescues her from drowning in a " shallow", while the other Eloi do nothing to help. The next day, she presents him a garland of flowers, which she has made especially for him. He takes her on his expedition and decides to take her to his own time, the Victorian Era, but Weena faints and is lost in a fire when he battles the Morlocks to retrieve his time machine. He returns to his own time with two strange white flowers, which Weena had put into his pocket.

In the 1960 film

In 1960,

George Pal George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; ; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer, principally associated with the fantasy and science-fiction genres. He became an American citizen after ...

directed the film ''The Time Machine'', with screenplay by David Duncan, largely based on the novel; however some significant changes were made. The name "George" (after the author,

Herbert George Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (sf-en ...

) was given to the time traveler in the film. Traveling through different times, George reaches the year 802,701 A.D. where he finds a girl drowning in a "shallow", to which her race, the Eloi, are indifferent. He rescues her and learns her name, Weena. Unlike the novel, George does not leave Weena dead. He rescues Weena and the Eloi, returns to his own time, and then to Weena's time to be reunited with her. Weena was played by

Yvette Mimieux Yvette Carmen Mimieux (January 8, 1942 – January 18, 2022) was an American film and television actress. Her breakout role was in '' The Time Machine'' (1960). She was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards during her acting career. Early li ...

In the 1978 television film

Sunn Classic Pictures Sunn Classic Pictures, also known as Sunn International Pictures, Schick Sunn Classic Pictures, and Taft International Pictures was an independent U.S.-based film distributor, founded in 1971. The company was notable for family films and document ...

produced the television film ''The Time Machine'' in 1978. Some major changes were made to the story. The time traveler is Dr. Neil Perry, a scientist from the 1970s. The story takes place in the United States instead of the United Kingdom. He travels to the far future and befriends Weena, who tells him the Morlocks take the Eloi for an unknown purpose. Perry visits the Morlocks to rescue Weena's brother. He also teaches the Eloi how to defend themselves. He returns to his own time after completing his mission and again goes to the future to reunite with Weena.

Priscilla Barnes Priscilla Anne Barnes (born December 7, 1952) is an American actress."Priscilla Barnes"
AllMovie.com; retr ...

played the role of Weena.

In the 2002 film

Another movie with the same name was produced by

Arnold Leibovit Arnold Leibovit (born June 18, 1950) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter of feature films and musical productions. An acting member of the Producers Guild of America, he has produced, directed, and written several feature films. ...

and directed by

Simon Wells Simon Finlay Wells (born 1961) is an English film director of animation and live-action films. He is the great-grandson of author H. G. Wells, and is best known for directing ''The Prince of Egypt'' with Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner. Ear ...

in 2002. Weena has been renamed Mara (played by

Samantha Mumba Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba (born 18 January 1983) is an Irish singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, fashion model and TV presenter. In 2000, at the age of 17, she shot to fame with the release of her debut single "Gotta Tell You", which ...

). Dr. Alexander Hartdegen is an inventor in 1899 at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

who devotes his life to making a time machine after the murder of his girlfriend Emma. He travels to the year 802,701 A.D., meets the Eloi, and is nursed back to health by Mara. He rescues Mara and starts a new life with her and the Eloi.

In popular culture

* Asteroid 283142 Weena, discovered by German amateur astronomers Erwin Schwab and Rainer Kling in 2008, was named after the fictional character. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 17 December 2013 (). * The

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

children's series ''

Wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wish ...

'', in which the title dog character recreates works of popular literature, had an episode entitled "Bark to the Future" in which Wishbone (voice of Larry Brantley) took on the role of the Time Traveler. Though heavily abridged and toned down, the tale was told effectively and the world of 802,701 A.D. was well-presented, with pink-clad and pink-haired Eloi and creepy, monkey-like Morlocks. Weena was played by series regular Lisa-Gabrielle Greene.

References

External links

''The Time Machine''
{{The Time Machine The Time Machine Literary characters introduced in 1895 Characters in written science fiction Characters in British novels of the 19th century