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| + | [[File:Podlings.jpg|thumb|250px|The Podlings of [[Kira]]'s village.]]The '''Podlings''', also known as '''Pod People''',<ref name="WDC">Froud, B. & Llewellyn, J. J., ''[[The World of the Dark Crystal (book)|The World of the Dark Crystal]]''. Pavilion Books. ISBN 1-86205-624-2</ref><ref name="DCN">Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). ''[[The Dark Crystal (novelization)|The Dark Crystal]]''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . ISBN 0030624363</ref> were a sentient race native to the [[Endless Forest]]. In [[Podling language|their own language]], they referred to themselves as ''apopiapoiopidiappididiapipob'', which translated as "master gardeners who live in bulging plants."<ref name="WDC" /> They were a rural and hedonistic race, who lived only to sing, dance and tend to their plants. |
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| − | {{species2 |
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| − | | name = Podling |
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| − | | image = Podlings.jpg |
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| − | | caption = |
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| − | | puppeteer = |
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| − | | voice = |
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| − | | designer = [[Brian Froud]] |
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| − | | builder = [[Sherry Amott]], [[Polly Smith]], [[Barbara Davis]], and [[Ellis Duncan]] |
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| − | }} |
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| + | ==Description== |
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| − | Podlings are a kindly and simple people. They build their tools out of gourds and wood. They have the ability to communicate with animals and live in relative peace. The Podlings were kind enough to adopt Kira after her parents were killed in the Skeksis attack on their people. |
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| + | The Podlings were a diminutive people, who were a full head shorter than [[Gelfling]], with potato-shaped heads.<ref name="DCN" /> Their hands and feet were tridactyle, and they lacked teeth and external ears. |
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| + | Their voices were alto in their natural state, though [[skekTek]] the Scientist experimented on captured Pod slaves over hundreds of [[trine]] in order to create baritones for the Pod choir.<ref name="DCN" /> |
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| − | Their only fear is being captured by the Garthim and taken into slavery of the Skeksis. |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Culture== |
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| + | The Podlings were an agrarian people who grew many different kinds of crops, especially the Pod plants, from whose giant seeds they made their homes.<ref name="WDC" /> Like the Gelfling, their society was clan-based, though gender was not a factor in deciding leadership.<ref name="CM2" /> They had a currency system and brewed intoxicating beverages.<ref name="aor5">{{AoRC|Author = Cesare, Adam|Issue # = 5|Alt Title = The Ballad of Hup and Barfinnious|Published = January 2020|Alt # = 5}}</ref> The Podlings had domesticated the [[Nebrie]], from which they collected milk. When a Nebrie died, its skin was used for making drums, and the fur around its ears and face was used to fashion clothes for young Podlings.<ref name="DCN" /> They had also domesticated the [[Fizzgig (species)|Fizzgig]], which served to guard the Podlings' plant tendrils.<ref name="WDC" /> Their ease with taming animals stemmed from their skill in [[Animal Soul Speaking]].<ref name="CM2">Froud, B., Dysart, J., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2012). ''The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. II''. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-936393-80-0</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | They were pacifists by nature, and would not kill anything other than [[Crystal Bat]]s, which they dispatched with bolas.<ref name="DCN" /> Unlike the Gelfling, the Podlings left no records of their own, as they had no system of writing.<ref name="WDC" /> Their concept of time was so deeply rooted to the immutable cycle of the seasons that they found change, and the hunger for it, to be incomprehensible.<ref name="DCN" /> Thus, unlike the Gelfling, their way of life changed little during the rule of the Skeksis. Their rural lifestyle made them revel in their lack of cleanliness, and had minimal concern for their personal hygiene.<ref name="S01EP03">{{Age of resistance|Netflix = August 30, 2019|Title = What Was Sundered and Undone}}</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | The Podlings were skilled musicians, who used a variety of different instruments, including reed pipes and gourd drums. Being a jovial race, the Podlings frequently held banquets and celebrations, even outside important events.<ref name="DCN" /> |
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| + | |||
| + | According to Podling folklore, the [[Three Suns]] were brothers who once fought over the daughter of the moon. When she drowned herself out of grief, the three brothers would [[Great Conjunction|do battle]] every thousand trine.<ref name="DCN" /> |
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| + | |||
| + | ==History== |
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| + | The Podlings first appeared during the [[Age of Harmony]]<ref name="CM2">Froud, B., Dysart, J., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2012). ''The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. II''. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-936393-80-0</ref> and lived in peace with the Gelfling for centuries, with both races knowing each other's languages.<ref name="DCN" /> Aside from the destruction of [[Noy]],<ref name="CM2" /> the Podlings were initially unaffected by the rule of the Skeksis, and continued with their idyllic lives,<ref name="WDC" /> with some being taken into the [[Castle of the Crystal]] as servants. |
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| + | |||
| + | During the late [[Age of Division]], Podlings were seen as uncivilized and uncultured by the Gelfling, particularly the [[Vapra Clan]], who considered them the filthiest creatures of Thra. In some areas, there was a tolerance for Podlings but it often came from a sense of pity, particularly in the eyes of the [[Order of Lesser Service]] who used the act of cleaning Podlings as an act of atonement.<ref name="S01EP03">{{Age of resistance|Netflix = August 30, 2019|Title = What Was Sundered and Undone}}</ref> By the end of the [[Garthim War]], Podlings became the main targets of [[Garthim]] raids, being taken to the Castle to be drained of their essence and turned into slaves. After exposure to the rays of [[the Crystal]], the lively Podlings became feeble, listless and obedient. |
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| + | |||
| + | During the [[Age of Power]], the Podlings began speaking the [[Modern Gelfling|Gelfling language]] and were frequent pilgrims to the Castle.<ref name="btdc1">Smith, A., ''Beneath the Dark Crystal'', #1, Archaia, USA, July 2018</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Notable Podlings== |
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| + | *[[Caretaker]] |
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| + | *[[Hakmeena]] |
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| + | *[[Hup]] |
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| + | *[[Kotha]] |
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| + | *[[Ydra]] |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Behind the scenes== |
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| + | The Podlings first appeared in [[Jim Henson]]'s ''[[The Mithra Treatment]]'', where they were portrayed as servants to the Skeksis, though subsequent revisions made them take increasingly more prominent roles in the film's plot. Initially conceived as anthropomorphic potatoes, [[Brian Froud]]'s original Podling designs had multiple eyes positioned randomly on their faces, though the concept was scrapped.<ref name="gaines108">C. Gaines, ''The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History'', Titan Books, 2017, pp. 108-109, [[Special:BookSources/1-78565-592-2|ISBN 1-78565-592-2]].</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | Their clothes were hand sewn by costume designers Polly Smith and Ellis Flyte, who used a large amount of Indian cottons and raw silks, which were aged artificially. Flyte designed the clothing of the Podling slaves, giving it a tattered and soiled look evocative of their Skeksis masters.<ref name="gaines108" /> |
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| + | |||
| + | The Podlings were portrayed via rod puppets, with some being mechanized for more complex actions.<ref name="gaines108" /> |
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| + | |||
| + | In an interview with ''The Verge'', ''[[The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance]]'''s executive producer [[Jeffrey Addiss]] revealed how the performances of the Podling puppets were meant to be more comical than realistic: |
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| + | |||
| + | {{Quote|[A] Podling can run in, scream, fall down, jump up, be drunk, and run out the door, and you’re having a great time. A Gelfling doing that doesn’t feel right; a Skeksis doing that doesn’t feel right. So Podlings are really fun and freeing because they’re just physical comedy.|Jeffrey Addis<ref name="theverge">L. Shannon Miller, [https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/29/20838469/dark-crystal-age-of-resistance-netflix-behind-the-scenes-interview-technology-puppetry-muppets THE CREATORS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE JUST LOVED THROWING PUPPETS], ''Theverge.com'', August 29, 2019</ref>}} |
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| + | |||
| + | ==References== |
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| + | <references /> |
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| + | |||
| + | ==External Links== |
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| + | *{{Muppets}} |
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[[Category:Species]] |
[[Category:Species]] |
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| + | [[Category:Podlings]] |
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| + | [[Category:Native Thra species]] |
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| + | [[Category:The Dark Crystal characters]] |
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| + | [[Category:The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance characters]] |
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| + | [[Category:The Power of the Dark Crystal characters]] |
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Revision as of 22:16, 26 February 2020
The Podlings of Kira's village.
The Podlings, also known as Pod People,[1][2] were a sentient race native to the Endless Forest. In their own language, they referred to themselves as apopiapoiopidiappididiapipob, which translated as "master gardeners who live in bulging plants."[1] They were a rural and hedonistic race, who lived only to sing, dance and tend to their plants.
Description
The Podlings were a diminutive people, who were a full head shorter than Gelfling, with potato-shaped heads.[2] Their hands and feet were tridactyle, and they lacked teeth and external ears.
Their voices were alto in their natural state, though skekTek the Scientist experimented on captured Pod slaves over hundreds of trine in order to create baritones for the Pod choir.[2]
Culture
The Podlings were an agrarian people who grew many different kinds of crops, especially the Pod plants, from whose giant seeds they made their homes.[1] Like the Gelfling, their society was clan-based, though gender was not a factor in deciding leadership.[3] They had a currency system and brewed intoxicating beverages.[4] The Podlings had domesticated the Nebrie, from which they collected milk. When a Nebrie died, its skin was used for making drums, and the fur around its ears and face was used to fashion clothes for young Podlings.[2] They had also domesticated the Fizzgig, which served to guard the Podlings' plant tendrils.[1] Their ease with taming animals stemmed from their skill in Animal Soul Speaking.[3]
They were pacifists by nature, and would not kill anything other than Crystal Bats, which they dispatched with bolas.[2] Unlike the Gelfling, the Podlings left no records of their own, as they had no system of writing.[1] Their concept of time was so deeply rooted to the immutable cycle of the seasons that they found change, and the hunger for it, to be incomprehensible.[2] Thus, unlike the Gelfling, their way of life changed little during the rule of the Skeksis. Their rural lifestyle made them revel in their lack of cleanliness, and had minimal concern for their personal hygiene.[5]
The Podlings were skilled musicians, who used a variety of different instruments, including reed pipes and gourd drums. Being a jovial race, the Podlings frequently held banquets and celebrations, even outside important events.[2]
According to Podling folklore, the Three Suns were brothers who once fought over the daughter of the moon. When she drowned herself out of grief, the three brothers would do battle every thousand trine.[2]
History
The Podlings first appeared during the Age of Harmony[3] and lived in peace with the Gelfling for centuries, with both races knowing each other's languages.[2] Aside from the destruction of Noy,[3] the Podlings were initially unaffected by the rule of the Skeksis, and continued with their idyllic lives,[1] with some being taken into the Castle of the Crystal as servants.
During the late Age of Division, Podlings were seen as uncivilized and uncultured by the Gelfling, particularly the Vapra Clan, who considered them the filthiest creatures of Thra. In some areas, there was a tolerance for Podlings but it often came from a sense of pity, particularly in the eyes of the Order of Lesser Service who used the act of cleaning Podlings as an act of atonement.[5] By the end of the Garthim War, Podlings became the main targets of Garthim raids, being taken to the Castle to be drained of their essence and turned into slaves. After exposure to the rays of the Crystal, the lively Podlings became feeble, listless and obedient.
During the Age of Power, the Podlings began speaking the Gelfling language and were frequent pilgrims to the Castle.[6]
Notable Podlings
Behind the scenes
The Podlings first appeared in Jim Henson's The Mithra Treatment, where they were portrayed as servants to the Skeksis, though subsequent revisions made them take increasingly more prominent roles in the film's plot. Initially conceived as anthropomorphic potatoes, Brian Froud's original Podling designs had multiple eyes positioned randomly on their faces, though the concept was scrapped.[7]
Their clothes were hand sewn by costume designers Polly Smith and Ellis Flyte, who used a large amount of Indian cottons and raw silks, which were aged artificially. Flyte designed the clothing of the Podling slaves, giving it a tattered and soiled look evocative of their Skeksis masters.[7]
The Podlings were portrayed via rod puppets, with some being mechanized for more complex actions.[7]
In an interview with The Verge, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance's executive producer Jeffrey Addiss revealed how the performances of the Podling puppets were meant to be more comical than realistic:
[A] Podling can run in, scream, fall down, jump up, be drunk, and run out the door, and you’re having a great time. A Gelfling doing that doesn’t feel right; a Skeksis doing that doesn’t feel right. So Podlings are really fun and freeing because they’re just physical comedy.
Jeffrey Addis[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Froud, B. & Llewellyn, J. J., The World of the Dark Crystal. Pavilion Books. ISBN 1-86205-624-2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Smith, A. C. H., & Odell, D. (1982). The Dark Crystal. Holt, Rinehart and Winston . ISBN 0030624363
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Froud, B., Dysart, J., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2012). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. II. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-936393-80-0
- ↑
– Cesare, Adam., Age of Resistance – The Ballad of Hup and Barfinnious, #5, Archaia, USA, January 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Age of Resistance – "What Was Sundered and Undone". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Smith, A., Beneath the Dark Crystal, #1, Archaia, USA, July 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 C. Gaines, The Dark Crystal: The Ultimate Visual History, Titan Books, 2017, pp. 108-109, ISBN 1-78565-592-2.
- ↑ L. Shannon Miller, THE CREATORS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE JUST LOVED THROWING PUPPETS, Theverge.com, August 29, 2019
External Links
Podling on the Muppet Wiki
