King Jhil

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King Jhil is a fictional character in Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, a Science Fiction manga and anime created by Hayao Miyazaki. Jhil is the chieftain of Kazenotani, The Valley of the Wind, a very small nation with fewer than 500 inhabitants (and steadily declining in population). At the start of the story, he is paralyzed on his deathbed, and he passes away before the narrative is over. Knowing he will soon die, he has transferred his duties to his daughter, the Princess Nausicaa. She is Jhil's eleventh child. The first ten children of the king and queen died in childhood. The king has never stopped regretting that he did not have a son who lived to adulthood, but he knows that Nausicaa is fully capable of assuming the chieftainship. Bedridden, he can no longer train her in flying and the martial arts, but he passes on his wisdom, such as:

  • "In this harsh world of ours, the sparrow must live like a hawk if he is to fly at all."
  • "No matter what happens, there is no excuse for a chieftain to lose control. If their leader is in a panic, the people will be alarmed and shaken."