The Dark Crystal Books by Matthew Dow Smith, Joshua Dysart, and Brian Froud - Learn about But when Kensho arrives at the Crystal Castle, the Gelfling look to him to take the place of Jen and Kira as leader of Thra. ON SALE 1/8/
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Naia pushed the self-conscious thoughts out of mind. It was only a matter of time, her mother had told her: Coming of age is a journey, not a destination. The Great Sun had long been at full height, its red brother peeking just along the border of the visible sky and warming the glen and shining on the pensive faces of the Drenchen scattered across the walkways and rope bridges. Unlike the sturdy Drenchen, the visitor was as skinny as a stick, with a narrow face and high, soft cheekbones.
She spoke with an accent, shaping the word a bit sharper and shorter. Despite her weariness, she stood and did a quick, formal bow, holding the carved, unamoth-shaped brooch at the neck of her cloak. Naia tongued her teeth and took on a relaxed posture while still holding her chin up, a pose that was well practiced. You may speak with me in her place. Was that what outsiders thought of the Drenchen? Bellanji was stout and heavy, with the locs of his great beard wound with string and beads, a spear held loosely in his hand as a formality that might befit the role of husband to the maudra.
I thought I asked you to clean your catches before bringing them to the supper table! How many of them are there now? I was hoping I might ask the inconvenience of your hospitality, that I might witness all you have here for myself. Resolved, at least for now, she gave her father a decisive nod. His smile returned, and he stomped the butt of his spear on the boardwalk before striding away.
After a bath and some rest, the Vapran visitor looked more noble than weary. On each cart were tiered trays stacked with wide wood-and-leaf bowls filled past the brim with squirming delicacies: Naia took her helpings by the handful as the carts passed, piling them on the wide leaf in front of her as the drum singers played and sang from the balcony overlooking the bustling hall. Tavra shook her head, looking paler than usual as Naia slurped a wriggling white blindfish whisker. After a few carts had passed, hunger finally got the better of her, and she reached for one of the leafier dishes as it passed, only to find it was seasoned with crawling, furry algae.
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He gave a little chirp and darted out to catch a leaf hopper that had hopped too far from the table, munching on it lazily while Naia wove between the cart servers and the gregarious group of feasting Gelfling. All sorts of creatures from the swamp heard the music, and even now were creeping in through the carved windows and between the feet of the chairs and tables, hoping to catch a delicious bite that had fallen to the floor.
Naia gathered a platter of greens and a blindfish that she carefully cut into bite-size fillets. She returned with it and set it before Tavra with a glass of Nebrie milk. Concerned about their guest, Naia forced a grin to set the other Gelfling at ease. Smell, taste, sight, and touch. She watched Tavra eat with rising enthusiasm and smiled to herself. From down the table, she saw her parents watching, and they were smiling, too.
When you stand near the swamp, the water and the earth are one. At the ocean, you can stand on the earth where the water begins, and then it goes toward the horizon as far as the eye can see. In Sog, there were always things to see nearby, and far away, in all directions. Even looking into the night sky, there were countless stars and the three glowing white faces of the Sister Moons.
Imagining that any one thing might go on farther than she could see sounded boring—or maybe, she realized with a shiver, overwhelming. Naia looked down at Neech, who was lazily looped across her shoulders like a scarf. Muskis are trained for hunting—once you hit your target, you never know where it will fall, and losing your quarry or bola is a big waste.
Tavra jerked her hand back and apologized. Naia shushed him, smoothing down his spines. When Gurjin last had made time to visit, all he had done was talk about the castle and the world beyond Sog. It was always about him, and the elaborate celebrations and the visitors from all corners of Thra. What did this traveler know about rivalry?
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Gurjin and I have the same skills, the same interests. Naia let the old soreness fade before brushing it aside completely. Something barreled into them from behind. Naia let out an ooph as she tumbled into Tavra, knocking them both out of their seats and to the ground. Naia leaped to her feet, shouting after the two roughhousing Drenchen boys as they darted from behind to upon the table, upsetting wicker platters and bowls and drinking pods before racing through the hall, laughing the whole way. She stooped and offered her hand to Tavra, who was lying on her back, the breast of her recently cleaned robes now soiled with the food that had previously been contained by her plate.
Her otherwise gentle face held a hint of hardness: The voice of Mayrin, the Gelfling All-Maudra. The fights with her mother when she was denied permission to go along as well. Accepting her duties to become maudra , and learning healing vliyaya , history, and how to settle disputes among the people of their clan. When the touch was broken, the visions ended.
When Tavra grasped her palm this time, there was no dreamfast — no sharing of memories. With warm cheeks, Naia helped Tavra douse her ruined garment with some water. Tavra said nothing the whole time, though Naia was sure she was thinking about what had happened.
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When she was gone, Laesid beckoned. Chagrined, Naia stood near her mother and rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. Bellanji, apparently having overheard, leaned in. They nodded to each other in agreement. Finish your supper for now, but after, meet us promptly in my chamber. It was a relief when the carts stopped coming out of the kitchen and the clanfolk left for the evening, saying their post-meal thanks and prayers with a slap of hands over their heads and a deep bow before ambling away to their dwellings within Great Smerth and the surrounding apeknots.
When the nightly rain came, the dishes would be washed clean, any scraps or sauce leavings brought to the swamp floor, a midnight snack for the creatures dwelling there. It would have been dark within, so deep inside Smerth and so late at night, but the rounded walls of the circular chamber were lined with glowing cave moss that gave the room a gentle blue-green glow.
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Tapestries strung with beads, feathers, scales, and carved ivory decorated the otherwise bare walls, painted and dyed with protective figures and incantations. The words were dark, as if burned, in rich black and red that had not faded no matter the time that passed. Dream-etching was a rare skill indeed, and the talismans were held in particularly high regard. Overhead, a single wide chute was bored through the wood to the outside. When the Blue Moon—the largest of the Sisters—was full and passed directly over the tunnel, it marked the beginning of a new unum.
Maudra Laesid was reclining in a hammock chair, swinging herself gently with her single foot while her husband filled and lit a pipe made of a hollowed Nebrie tusk. Seated on a floor cushion, back straight, was Tavra, hands formally resting on her pointed knees while she suffered the inescapable gaze of the Drenchen wise woman. She had many times been the subject of such a stare, and she did not envy Tavra one bit.
She glanced at Naia, not so much with accusation but only with knowing. Her dreamfasting is stronger than most her age. The Vapra hesitated, drawing her fingers in toward her palms, resolute. When called to trial, instead of facing justice, they fled. Neither have been seen since. I was going to tell you on the morning, after formalities. The castle had been entrusted to the Skeksis since the beginning of time, and in turn they shared the ancient task of protecting it with the Gelfling.
It was all part of the great Song of Thra, the endless harmony of all things existing as they should. To fall out of tune was only possible through powerful darkness and corruption. Gurjin may have been arrogant about his duty at times, but he took it seriously—it was impossible, Naia wanted to shout, that he might betray the Skeksis, the castle, and the Heart of Thra that resided there.
Naia pressed her tongue firmly against the roof of her mouth, forcing herself to be still and let her mother lead. If she felt the same defensive surprise as Naia, she hid it well, leaning back in her hammock and tapping her forefinger against her lips. You came here to see if Gurjin the treasonist came home to hide? Not even the Lords skekLach and skekOk have seen him, and they have been taking the census these past unum. Counted every Gelfling south of the Black River, and no sign—Rian and Gurjin have fled like snow in summer.
If I do not find them, I am under orders to bring back one each of their closest kin to stand trial on their behalf. Naia looked between her parents again. Neither seemed anything but stoic, so she put on the same face, but still the news was harsh and the timeline harsher. It took almost a full unum merely to send word to the All-Maudra by the fleetest messenger swoothu; how were they to find a missing someone and make it to trial in the same time? Within one turn of the Sisters?
And what happens to his kin, should Gurjin not appear? They discover that they have a telepathic connection, which Kira calls "dreamfasting", and share memories of being forced from their homes. They stay for a night with the Podlings , who raised Kira after the death of her parents. The Garthim raid the village, capturing most of the Podlings, but the two Gelflings and Fizzgig flee when the Chamberlain stops the Garthim from attacking them, intent on winning their trust.
Jen and Kira discover a ruined Gelfling city with ancient writing describing a prophecy: They are interrupted by the Chamberlain, who claims that the Skeksis want to make peace and wants the Gelflings to return to the castle with him, but they distrust him and refuse. Riding on Landstriders , the Gelflings arrive at the Skeksis' castle and intercept the Garthim that attacked Kira's village. While trying to free the captured Podlings, Kira, Jen, and Fizzgig descend to the bottom of the castle's dry moat and use a lower-level entrance to gain access.
They are followed by the Chamberlain, who repeats his peace offer; when the Gelflings refuse again, he buries Jen in a cave-in and takes Kira to the castle. The General reinstates him to his former position, and the Skeksis' Scientist tries to drain Kira's life essence for the General to drink so that he can regain his youth. Aughra, imprisoned in the Scientist's laboratory, tells Kira to call for help from the animals held captive; they break free in response, releasing Kira and causing the Scientist to fall to his death.
His Mystic counterpart simultaneously vanishes. Aughra also escapes, and later rescues Fizzgig. The three suns begin to align as the Gelflings reach the Crystal's chamber and the Skeksis gather for the ritual that will grant them immortality. Jen leaps onto the Crystal but drops the shard, and Kira throws it back to him but is mortally impaled by the Skeksis' high priest and dies.
Jen inserts the shard into the Crystal, fulfilling the prophecy just as the Mystics enter the Crystal chamber. The castle's dark walls crumble away to reveal a structure of bright crystal and before Jen's eyes, the Mystics and Skeksis merge into tall glowing beings, known as urSkeks. The leader of the urSkeks explains that they had mistakenly shattered the Crystal long ago, splitting them into two races and decimating Thra, and that Jen, in fulfilling the prophecy, has restored them. The urSkeks revive Kira in gratitude for Jen's heroism, and then ascend to a higher level of existence, leaving the Crystal to the Gelflings on the now-rejuvenated Thra.
Henson's inspiration for the visual aspects of the film came around , [6] after he saw an illustration by Leonard B. Henson formulated his ideas into a page story he entitled The Crystal , which he wrote whilst snowed in at an airport hotel. The original plot involved a malevolent race called the Reptus group, which took power in a coup against the peaceful Eunaze, led by Malcolm the Wise.
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The last survivor of the Eunaze was Malcolm's son Brian, who was adopted by the Bada, Mithra's mystical wizards. This draft contained elements in the final product, including the three races, the two funerals, the quest, a female secondary character, the crystal, and the reunification of the two races during the Great Conjunction. Most of the philosophical undertones of the film were inspired from Jane Roberts ' " Seth Material ". Henson kept multiple copies of the book Seth Speaks , and insisted that Froud and screenwriter David Odell read it prior to collaborating for the film.
Odell later wrote that Aughra's line "He could be anywhere then," upon being told by Jen that his Master was dead, couldn't have been written without having first read Roberts' material. The Bada were renamed "Ooo-urrrs," which Henson would pronounce "very slowly and with a deep resonant voice. The word "Skeksis" was initially meant to be the plural, with "Skesis" being singular, though this was dropped early in the filming process. Originally, Henson wanted the Skeksis to speak their own constructed language , with the dialogue subtitled in English.
Accounts differ as to who constructed the language, and what it was based on. Gary Kurtz stated that the Skeksis language was conceived by author Alan Garner , who based it on Ancient Egyptian , [11] while Odell stated it was he who created it, and that it was formed from Indo-European roots. This idea was dropped after test screening audiences found the captions too distracting, but the original effect can be observed in selected scenes on the various DVD releases.
Brian Froud was chosen as concept artist after Henson saw one of his paintings in the book Once upon a time. Before its release, The Dark Crystal was billed as the first live-action film without any human beings on screen, and "a showcase for cutting-edge animatronics". The hands and facial features of the groundbreaking animatronic puppets in the film were controlled with relatively primitive rods and cables, although radio control later took over many of the subtler movements.
When conceptualizing the Skeksis, Henson had in mind the Seven Deadly Sins , though because there were 10 Skeksis, some sins had to be invented or used twice. Another performer would operate the Skeksis' right arm. The Skeksis performers compensated for their lack of vision by having a monitor tied to their chests. In designing the Mystics, Froud portrayed them as being more connected to the natural world than their Skeksis counterparts. Henson intended to convey the idea that they were purged of all materialistic urges, yet were incapable of acting in the real world.
Froud also incorporated geometric symbolism throughout the film in order to hint at the implied unity of the two races. Henson himself could hold a position in a Mystic costume for only 5—10 seconds. The Gelflings were designed and sculpted by Wendy Midener. They were difficult to perform, as they were meant to be the most human creatures in the film, and thus their movements, particularly their gait, had to be as realistic as possible. During scenes when the Gelflings' legs were off-camera, the performers walked on their knees in order to make the character's movements more lifelike.
Aughra was originally envisioned as a "busy, curious little creature" called Habeetabat, though the name was rejected by Froud, who found the name too similar to Habitat , a retailer he despised. The character was re-envisioned as a seer or prophetess, and renamed Aughra. In selecting a voice actor for Aughra, Henson was inspired by Zero Mostel 's performance as a "kind of insane bird trying to overcome Tourettes syndrome " on Watership Down. Although the character was originally voiced by Frank Oz, Henson wanted a female voice, and subsequently selected Billie Whitelaw.
The character Fizzgig was invented by Frank Oz, who wanted a character who served the same function as the Muppet poodle Foo-Foo, feeling that, like Miss Piggy , the character Kira needed an outlet for her caring, nurturing side. The Podlings were envisioned as people in complete harmony with their natural surroundings, thus Froud based their design on that of potatoes. In designing the Garthim, Froud took inspiration from the discarded carapaces of his and Henson's lobster dinners. Each costume weighed around 70lbs 32kg , thus Garthim performers still in costume had to frequently be suspended on racks in order to recuperate.
He shot all the footage with a 'light flex', a unit placed in front of the camera which gave a faint colour tint to each scene in order to give the film a more fairy tale atmosphere similar to Froud's original paintings. The film's soundtrack was composed by Trevor Jones , who became involved before shooting had started.