Aughra is one of the major characters in Jim Henson's 1982 dark fantasy adventure film The Dark Crystal and the deuteragonist of Netflix's dark fantasy adventure series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Background[]
Official Description[]
- “Wizened, three-and-a-half feet tall, ram-horned, three-eyed, ornery, capricious, and maternal. Aughra has one working detachable eye and two blind eyes. She is the embodiment of Thra, similar to a nature god. Aughra is inscrutable and gruff.”
- ―The Dark Crystal website
Personality[]
Aughra is mean and cantankerous and prone to mood swings. An example of this is described in the novel: When Jen reaches for something out of curiosity in Aughra's observatory, she angrily holds his hand to the table and growls at him not to touch anything. She then proceeds to behave as if nothing had happened.
She is shown saying dramatically that the Great Conjunction is the "end of the world", and then adding, in a different tone of voice, "or the beginning! Hmf!" before dismissively remarking that ends and beginnings are "all the same" (each being a form of change). She seems well-acquainted with what most of Thra's inhabitants would view with awe, but is herself overawed when the urSkeks assume their true forms. When she asks Jen the location of his urRu mentor, and hears that the latter is dead, she becomes wary and says "Could be anywhere, then".
Aughra shows no fear of the Skeksis or the Garthim, calling them "fools", the Garthim "stupid" and stating, "Lords? Not for long! What about the prophecy, that a Gelfling will end Skeksis power? He'll come! Make you crawl, like the worms you are!" This is even explored in several episodes of the prequel series, where she angrily calls out the Skeksis on their abuse of the Crystal.
In spite of her personality, the show, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, reveals a softer side to her. She displays a motherly affection and compassion for all life on Thra, such as willingly give up her essense to save SkekMal for several captured gelflings' freedom, including Brea, one of the show's protagonist, and taking care of an Arathim that tried to control her. Despite Seladon's misguided intentions and when the Arathim Ascendancy went astray, she acted more like a mother disappointed with her children, and even cried when the Skeksis assaulted Seladon. Astronomer, wise woman, hermit
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Aughra can be compared to the Greek goddess, Gaia, as both are mother to all things of their respective planets. In fact Aughra has been called "Mother Aughra" just as Gaia has been called "Mother Nature.'
