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Thra was a planet located in the Uni-Verse orbited by three suns and three moons. It was nourished by the Crystal, and was home to Aughra and numerous sentient races, including the Gelfling and Podlings.

Description[]

Thra & Mithra

A Fireling model of Thra's surface and subterranean worlds linked by the Crystal

Thra was orbited by the Three Brothers (the Rose Sun, the Dying Sun and the Great Sun) and the Three Sisters. From space, Thra appeared to be spherical,[1] though J. J. Llewellyn, in his annotated translation of the Book of Aughra, hypothesized that Thra may have actually been triangular in shape, in line with the indigenous inhabitants' patterns of thought. However, this did not explain the planet's lack of glaciated regions, which would have theoretically formed at the triangle's apexes, and it was largely unknown if Thra even rotated.[2] The Firelings visualized Thra as a flat disc.[3] It had a seasonal climate which included autumn,[4] winter,[4] and spring periods.[5]

The planet was kept alive by the Crystal of Truth, which nourished itself with the rays of the Three Brothers[1] and distributed their vitalizing energies throughout the planet via a network of Crystal veins.[6] This energy translated into essence, which gave life to the planet's inhabitants, and would be reclaimed upon their death to start the cycle anew and keep the world in balance.[7] Preventing the Crystal from nourishing itself, as the Skeksis did, would cause Thra to develop an infection known as the Darkening, which devastated plant life and briefly drove animals insane before killing them. Even when the Crystal was well nourished, blocking its refracted rays could still cause Darkening outbreaks.[8]

Thra was a sentient planet, able to communicate directly with supplicants through the Crystal[7] and indirectly through Aughra, an entity created by the planet to act as the guardian of the Crystal[1] and warden of Thra's inhabitants.[9]

Triadic symmetry

Diagram illustrating the triadic symmetry typical to Thra's native life

Thra's surface world was dominated by a large landmass surrounded by the Silver Sea.[10] The landmass consisted mostly of the Skarith region, which sported a wide variety of environments, including desert, alpine, temperate and tropical. Little was known of regions outside of Skarith, though the Field of Fire was stated to have been volcanic in nature and largely uninhabitable to all but the strongest of creatures.[11] Beneath Thra was a vast network of underground caverns and tunnels, among which was the realm of Mithra.

Thra's indigenous life was highly variable, teeming with plant and animal life, though the boundary between the two in some species was remarkably fluid.[10] Such taxonomic ambiguities included Seedles, Thrushpogs and Vindles. As with all aspects of the planet, the bodies of Thra's creatures displayed a triadic symmetry.[12]

Native inhabitants[]

Hup and Barfinnious

The Gelfling (left) and Podlings (right) were the most ubiquitous of Thra's surface-dwelling inhabitants

Thra was home to numerous sentient species of varying degrees of technological advancement. The Gelfling, native to Skarith, were the most widespread race and established numerous settlements throughout the known world,[13] including the port cities of Cera-Na and Ha'rar, and landlocked villages like Sami Thicket and Stone-in-the-Wood. They were the closest creatures to Thra, being particularly rich in essence,[1] and, while culturally diverse, were linked by common values such as respecting nature.[13] Throughout the later stages of their history, they developed a rivalry with the Arathim, a race of intelligent arthropods that the Gelfling had displaced from their homeland of Grot. By the late Age of Division, the Arathim lived in scattered bands throughout Thra, with some occupying the Endless Forest[14] and others eking out an existence in the intestinal tract of the Mondo Levidian.[15]

The Podlings were another prominent species on Skarith, who lived primarily in the Endless Forest[16] and Spriton Plains.[17] They were almost exclusively agriculturalists, with no set religious or political systems, and had a natural affinity with animals.[18] The Boblings, a subspecies of Podling, evolved within the Mondo Levidian and established a monarchical system of government.[19]

Thra's underground cave networks were originally home to the Makraks, a race of proud miners, though they were forced to relocate to the Field of Fire after an earthquake destroyed their subterranean domains.[11] Their former territories were later settled by the Firelings, descendants of Gelfling exiles, who established the realm of Mithra, which was ruled by a triumvirate of Ember Queens. Mirroring the hostility between Gelfling and Arathim, the Firelings developed an enmity with the Fragors, a race of sentient insects.[20]

The Gruenaks were once the most technologically advanced race on Thra, before being driven to extinction by the Skeksis.[21]

History[]

CrystalOfTruth

Thra during the Age of Innocence

Age of Innocence[]

Main article: Age of Innocence

Thra was given life when the Uni-Verse sang it into existence, after the formation of the Three Brothers. According to the Covenants of Thra by Fellen the Elder, the new planet initially fell into chaos, with ceaseless warring between flora, fauna, water, land and sky. In response, Thra created Aughra to mediate between the combatants and assign each one its respective task and domain. Aughra then turned her attention to the young Gelfling race, teaching its members the nature of the Crystal of Truth underground, as well as how to survive and establish a culture and language.[9]

Some time later, a living meteorite collided on Thra and was reshaped by Aughra into Raunip, a creature of both Thra and the stars. This prompted Aughra to take a greater interest in the cosmos,[11] and erected the Standing Stones to chart the movements of the Three Brothers.[9] The Gelfling, meanwhile, colonized the Crystal Desert and began to forge the first weapons in response to Arduff attacks.[22]

Age of Harmony[]

Main article: Age of Harmony

A thousand trine after its formation, Thra was visited by the Fallen urSkeks, who arrived on Thra through the Crystal during the first Great Conjunction. For the next millennium, they assisted both Aughra and the Gelfling in their technological development, allowing the former to study the movements of astral bodies, and the latter to cross oceans and colonize much of the planet.[9]

During this time, the Gelfling made first contact with the Podlings in the Endless Forest,[16] and the Gruenaks created a technologically advanced civilization.[21]

Age of Division[]

Main article: Age of Division
Thra in the Late Age of Division

When the time came for the urSkeks to return home, the darker halves of their natures prevented them from entering the Crystal. Instead, they were split into two new races; the cruel Skeksis and gentle urRu.[23] The Skeksis took control of the Castle, while the urRu took refuge in the Valley of the Standing Stones. The Skeksis cracked the Crystal, chipping off a shard[23] and thus infecting the world with the Darkening.[24]

The Skeksis and the Gelflings formed the Alliance of the Crystal, though the aging Skeksis eventually began to capture Gelflings for their essence. When the Gelfling elders prophesised that one of their own would heal the Crystal and reverse the Division, the Skeksis initiated the Garthim War, aiming to exterminate them all. The species was ultimately cut down to a mere two individuals; Jen and Kira.

Castle of the Crystal - Pure

The Castle, after the healing of the Crystal.

Jen's quest to restore the shard to the Crystal began after the death of his urRu master urSu, who instructed him to find Aughra before the Three Suns met again. Jen took the shard from Aughra, and encountered Kira. Together, they rendered the Crystal whole again, and the urSkeks departed to their homeworld, leaving Thra green and verdant again.[25]

Age of Power[]

Main article: Age of Power

Jen and Kira's rule as caretakers of the Crystal saw the re-emergence of the Gelfling, though their keeping of Skeksis artifacts and abuse of the Crystal maintained scattered pockets of the Darkening in some areas. Their accumulating of offerings to the Crystal prevented its light from nourishing Mithra's Mother Sun, causing the Great Dim which nearly resulted in the extinction of the Firelings.

Second Age of Harmony[]

When Jen and Kira finished their task as guardians of the Crystal and left with the urSkeks, the Crystal was left in the hands of the remaining Gelfling, with Kensho watching directly over it. Mithra and Thra were at peace with one another, continuing to grow and understand one another even with the threat of the Skeksis' corrupt influence.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Age of resistance logo Age of Resistance – "End. Begin. All the Same.". Netflix. August 30, 2019
  2. Froud, B. (2003). The World of the Dark Crystal. Pavilion Books. p. 14. ISBN 1-86205-624-2
  3. Smith, A., Beneath the Dark Crystal, #1, Archaia, USA, July 2018
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 43, ISBN 0593095596
  5. Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 192, ISBN 0593095596
  6. Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 95, ISBN 0593095596
  7. 7.0 7.1 Age of resistance logo Age of Resistance – "What Was Sundered and Undone". Netflix. August 30, 2019
  8. Spurrier, S. & Kennedy Johnson, P., The Power of the Dark Crystal, #12, Archaia, USA, March 2018
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Froud, B., Holguin , B., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2011). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. I. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-936393-80-0
  10. 10.0 10.1 Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 8, ISBN 1683838211
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Froud, B., Dow Smith, M., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2015). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. III. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-60886-435-5.
  12. Froud, B. (2003). The World of the Dark Crystal. Pavilion Books. p. 65. ISBN 1-86205-624-2
  13. 13.0 13.1 Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 13, ISBN 1683838211
  14. Age of resistance logo Age of Resistance – "Nothing Is Simple Anymore". Netflix. August 30, 2019
  15. Age of resistance logo – Erman, Matthew., Age of Resistance – The Journey into the Mondo Levidian, #11, Archaia, USA, September 2020
  16. 16.0 16.1 Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 66, ISBN 1683838211
  17. Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 36, ISBN 0593095596
  18. Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, pp. 64-65, ISBN 1683838211
  19. Age of resistance logo – Erman, Matthew., Age of Resistance – The Journey into the Mondo Levidian, #10, Archaia, USA, August 2020
  20. Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 151, ISBN 1683838211
  21. 21.0 21.1 Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 74, ISBN 1683838211
  22. Cesare, A. & Compiet, I. (2020), The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Insight Editions, p. 157, ISBN 1683838211
  23. 23.0 23.1 Froud, B., Dysart, J., Sheikman, A. & John, L. (2012). The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Vol. II. Archaia. ISBN 978-1-936393-80-0
  24. "Time to Make...My Move" The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Netflix. August 30, 2019
  25. Henson, J. & Oz, F. (dir.); Henson, J., Kurtz, G. & Lazer, D. (prod.); Henson, J. & Odell, D. (writ.) (December 17, 1982). The Dark Crystal (Motion picture). New York City, NY: Jim Henson Productions.

External Links[]

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