Characters of The Neverending Story

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This article lists character information from the book The Neverending Story and the movie adaptations of the same name.

Contents

[edit] Bastian Balthazar Bux

Bastian Balthazar Bux
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Barret Oliver
Jonathan Brandis
Jason James Richter
Christopher Bell
Mark Rendall
Information

Bastian Balthazar Bux is the main protagonist of the story. Bastian is a shy, bookish boy who is mourning the recent death of his mother. During a visit to an antique bookstore, he steals a curious-looking book titled The Neverending Story, and upon reading it he finds himself literally drawn into the story.

Halfway through the book, Bastian becomes a character in The Neverending Story, in a world called Fantastica ("Fantasia" in the movies). He is bestowed the magical amulet Auryn, which allows his wishes to be granted. As the story progresses, Bastian slowly loses his memories of the real world as his wishes carry him throughout Fantastica. Deluded by the witch Xayide, he betrays the Empress and attacks the Ivory Tower, nearly killing Atreyu and forgetting everything about his true identity. With the help of Falkor and Atreyu, he returns to reality a better person; capable of loving, which was his deepest desire, and bringing to his father tears: the Water of Life. Bastian and Coreander exchange tales of their adventures in Fantastica, and Coreander reveals that a person can return to Fantastica as many times as they can think of new names for the Childlike Empress, and predicts Bastian will show others the way to Fantastica.

He has been portrayed by five different actors:

[edit] Carl Conrad Coreander

Carl Conrad Coreander
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Thomas Hill
Information

Carl Conrad Coreander (Karl Konrad Koriander in German) is a seemingly grumpy shopkeeper who meets Bastian early on in the narrative. The name of his bookstore makes for the first words in the novel, the heading of the prologue being "skooB dlO srednaeroC darnoC lraC", the store name when viewed through the window from the inside outwards. Bastian finds The Neverending Story in his store, a book Coreander was in the middle of reading. While distracted with a telephone call, Bastian steals it and takes it to school with him. The novel makes it clear that Mr. Coreander is one of the few humans who has been to Fantastica. Towards the end of the novel, he and Bastian share telling the stories of their adventures to one another. Both he and Bastian share the oddity of triple letter initials, an insight into their mutual connection to Fantastica.

In the first film, the character's name is spelled Koreander.[1] In the television series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he is a more kindly figure who functions in a double role as a wizard in Fantastica, where he is called "the Curiosity". Coreander is portrayed by Thomas Hill in the first movie, and was the only actor who reprised his role in the second movie.

[edit] Atreyu

Atreyu
Noah Hathaway as Atreyu
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Noah Hathaway
Kenny Morrison
Tyler Hynes
Information

Atreyu (Atréju in German) is a secondary protagonist to the story, being the protagonist of the mysterious book that Bastian reads. To the audience, he is a metafictional character, existing fictionally and within the reality of the book itself.

He is a young Greenskin warrior from the Grassy Plains. His parents were killed by a purple buffalo soon after he was born, so his entire village raised him, thus his name means "son of all" in his native language. He is summoned by the Childlike Empress to embark on a "Great Quest" to save the land of Fantastica by finding a cure for her illness. He is given the Auryn, an amulet that makes whoever wears it the Childlike Empress' herald, and he sets out on his mission with his horse, Artax. During the long events of the quest to find a cure, his travels lead him across all corners of Fantastica. He meets many creatures, including Falkor the luckdragon, who helps him on his quest by carrying him on his back. Bastian, all the while reading Atreyu's story in the real world, experiences everything Atreyu does and begins to sympathize with him. In the end this proves to have been Fantastica's solution and the Empress' cure, bringing Bastian to Fantastica to give the Empress a new name. Atreyu features largely in the second half of the novel, as Bastian travels Fantastica far and wide as its savior.

In the 1984 film version, the character of Atreyu is played by Noah Hathaway. His skin is not olive green as described in the book, though it was attempted to do this through makeup, it never made it to the final production[2]. As such, his people were called the 'Plains People' instead of Greenskins. The character also makes a return appearance in The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, played by Kenny Morrison. In the 2001 Hallmark mini-series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he is portrayed by Tyler Hynes and the character's people are referred to as the Woodland People. He is shown to have a romantic relationship with a young aviatrix called "Fly Girl", and to be something of a village innocent.


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The American rock band, Atreyu, took it's name from this character from The Neverending Story.

Contrary to popular belief, Noah Hathaway did not reprise the role of Atreyu via voice acting in the short-lived Neverending Story animated series. The voice of Atreyu in the animated series was provided by Dominic Zamprogna.

Atreyu appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Dragon Nuts" voiced by Seth Green. When he and Falkor are bored, they throw a "Neverending Party" and get chips and liquor for it.

Atreyu is mentioned in the song "Shakin'", by Rooney.

Atreyu is also mentioned in the song "Jugular Vein", by Mr. Lif.

[edit] The Childlike Empress

Childlike Empress
Moonchild
Tami Stronach as the Childlike Empress in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Tami Stronach
Information
Aliases Moonchild
Occupation Empress
Title Childlike Empress

The Childlike Empress (Die Kindliche Kaiserin in German) is the monarch of Fantastica, who resides in the Ivory Tower palace in the heart of the realm. Although she is formally the ruler of Fantastica, she does not command a political system and in fact rarely actually interferes with that world. She does not judge between beautiful and ugly or good and evil, being the embodiment of Fantastica itself, which is why all Fantasticans respect and acknowledge her presence and authority. Should she die, Fantastica and all Fantasticans would cease to exist. The amulet known as 'AURYN' is her emblem, and those who wear it are her messengers and representatives. As explained by Morla the Aged One, her lifetime is not measured in years or in time, but by names. She continuously needs new names, which only a human can give to her by coming to Fantastica. When she begins to need a new name, she begins to fade away, causing the Nothing to appear in Fantastica. She sends Atreyu on the Great Quest, which brings Bastian Balthazar Bux to Fantastica, and Bastian gives her the name of 'Moon Child,' which restores Fantastica and begins the second half of the novel.

Her description is that of an indescribably beautiful young girl, possibly no older than ten, yet known to be much older than the oldest Fantasticans. Her hair is snow-white, as is her gown, and her eyes are the color of gold, earning her the official title Golden-eyed Commander of Wishes.

The role was portrayed by Tami Stronach in Wolfgang Petersen's 1984 adaptation, by Alexandra Johnes in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) and by Julie Cox in The NeverEnding Story III (1994). In the movies, her hair is dark, rather than white, and in the first movie, she is dressed like a bride.

[edit] Falkor the luckdragon

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Falkor

The "life-size" reproduction of Falkor used by Bavaria Film Studios
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Alan Oppenheimer (voice of Falkor)
Information
Species Luckdragons

Falkor (Fuchur in German) is a luckdragon, and a friend of Atreyu. He is the only luckdragon to appear, although five others are mentioned in passing. He helps Atreyu in his quest to find a cure for the Empress after escaping the web of Ygramul the Many.

Falkor has an elongated, wingless body with many white scales, and only rudimentary paws. The form of his head is described less precisely, though his eyes are mentioned as being the color of rubies. A cover for the book by Dan Craig illutrated Falkor as lion-like, while in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, as well as its sequels, Falkor has distinctive canine features. Additionally, in both the first and second movies, Falkor asks to be scratched behind his ear, accenting his dog-like appearance, which led to confusion among those who have not read the book.

Unlike most of their dragon kin, luckdragons possess neither an immense physical strength, nor great magical talents, though they can still breath fire, as shown when Falkor fights Ygramul. Their only distinctive ability that sets them apart is their incredible luck in everything they do, as shown at one point in the novel when Falkor manages to locate and rescue his companion despite being lost in a violent, blinding storm and having absolutely no idea where to look for him. A luckdragon's typical answer to how it is going to accomplish a nearly impossible feat is always "With luck!" Despite such carelessness, it seems their luck truly never fails and is a valuable asset for their companions.

Another special trait of luckdragons is the ability to fly despite the fact that they have no wings. It is explained in the book that luckdragons are beings made from fire and air, and never stop breathing air and heat through their scales, which makes water deadly to them, although in the both film and the book Falkor retrieves the AURYN from under water on the arm of a coral reef. Luckdragons are capable of sleeping while flying, and prefer to have as much open space as possible rather than be cooped up in a building, regardless of how spacious it may be.

[edit] Other appearances

[edit] Trivia

  • In the first film, Falkor is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voiced Mighty Mouse and Skeletor.
  • Bavaria Film Studios in Munich has a "life-size" reproduction of Falkor which tourists can climb on and ride.

[edit] Gmork

Gmork
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Alan Oppenheimer
Information
Species Werewolf

Gmork is one of the villains, being "a servant to the power behind the Nothing". In the motion picture, the name is spelled G'mork.

His physical appearance is that of a large, wolf-like creature, capable of speech. The film shows him as having short, dark, blue-black fur and luminous green eyes, as well as more fangs than those of an ordinary wolf.

Gmork's primary mission in the Neverending Story is to track down and kill the young warrior Atreyu. In the book, he never manages to catch up with Atreyu, because the latter uses the magical powers of the monster Ygramul's poisonous bite to wish himself to the Southern Oracle. In the movie, Gmork almost manages to kill Atreyu in the Swamps of Sadness, but Atreyu is rescued by Falkor the luckdragon.

In the book, Atreyu finally meets Gmork in Spook City, where he is chained, and Atreyu employs the name 'Nobody' to hide his identity. Gmork confesses that he has been hunting a boy sent on a quest by the Childlike Empress to find her a new name, but lost him early on. He then met the Princess of Darkness, Gaya, who upon hearing of his mission to help the Nothing, chained Gmork with an unbreakable chain and leapt into the Nothing. Gmork explains to Atreyu the nature of the Nothing, and that if a Fantastican enters it, they become a 'lie' in the human world. When asked why he is so evil, Gmork explains that it is because he, and other creatures like him, do not possess a world of their own like Fantasticans and humans do. Instead, he is able to travel between worlds, changing into a Fantastican or a human depending upon the world, but in appearance only. His knowledge of Fantastica interests the Manipulators, which is why they give him his mission.

Gmork reveals the name of the boy he is pursuing, and Atreyu reveals his identity, which causes Gmork to laugh cacophonously until he dies, satisfied by seeing the futility of Atreyu's quest. This meeting occurs in the movie as well; Gmork, however, is not depicted as tied, and does not name "Manipulators" as the power behind the Nothing. He attacks Atreyu, impaling himself on an improvised stone knife held by the young warrior.

In the book, Gmork's evil lives on after he dies; his body lashes out and grabs Atreyu in its jaws when he comes near. Being held by Gmork, however, prevents Atreyu from being able to give in to the overpowering urge exerted by the Nothing to throw himself into it.

[edit] Notes

  • In the end credits of the film, Alan Oppenheimer is not credited for voicing the G'mork.
  • The closed captions for Gmork's dialogue are colored green, not white as standard captions are.

[edit] The Southern Oracle

Southern Oracle
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Information
Aliases Uyulala
Species None
Occupation Oracle

The Southern Oracle, also called Uyulala in the novel, is a mysterious oracle.

In the book, the ancient, gigantic tortoise Morla tells Atreyu that Uyulala, the Southern Oracle, is the one who knows the reason why the Childlike Empress is dying. Only with the help of Ygramul is Atreyu capable of putting himself near the Southern Oracle.

There, Atreyu learns from the gnome Engywook, a scholar of the Southern Oracle, that in order to speak with Uyulala, he must pass through three gates:

  • The first gate is the Great Riddle Gate, which consists of two Sphinxes who face one another. The Sphinxes randomly allow people to pass by closing their eyes, and those who cannot are condemned to be stricken by their gazes, which freezes them on the spot and sends forth all the world's riddles. There they are doomed to remain until they solve all riddles in the world, or until they die. This is relevant to Greek mythology, as the Sphinx presents riddles and punishes those who cannot guess them.
  • The second gate is the Magic Mirror Gate, which is a large round mirror that reflects the absolute true personality of the observer, often scaring those who can't accept the truth into running away or driving them mad.
  • The third gate is the No-Key Gate, which is a keyless door made of a strange metal called Fantastican selenium that is indestructible and reacts to people's desires. Only those who forget everything and do not desire to enter may do so.

When Atreyu passes through the three doors, he discovers that Uyulala is only a disembodied voice that speaks in verse which exists in the Palace of Deep Mystery. What's more is that Uyulala only hears sentences spoken in verse and rhyme. In a poetic conversation between Atreyu and Uyulala, Atreyu learns the reason why the Childlike Empress is ill, and what he must find in order to restore her health. After this conversation with Atreyu, Uyulala disappears and the Southern Oracle with its three gates is sucked into the Nothing.

The movie version of the Southern Oracle is similar to the book's, but with some drastic modifications. The first gate judges whether the person attempting to pass through it "feels his own worth"; if the person is doubtful of their ability to pass through safely, the two sphinxes open their eyes and unleash laser bolts that fry and incinerate the person inside and outside instantly (even steel armor offers no protection). The second gate is a mirror much like the book's description, located in a snowy wilderness. There is no third gate in the film. The Oracle itself is two blue glowing sphinxes facing one another, exactly like the yellow glowing sphinxes at the first gate. It speaks in prose. As with the book, the Oracle crumbles and dies after revealing the cure for the Childlike Empress' condition.

In Tales from the Neverending Story, a hero must pass through the Riddle Gate, which tests his confidence in himself. He must then answer a riddle and pass through a mirror that displays the necessary thing he needs. In the case of Atreyu, he lands in a library owned by the wizard nicknamed "the Curiosity", who teaches him to read. Thereafter he passes through a glass door on which the name Uyulala is inscribed, to find the Oracle much as she is described in the book.

[edit] Xayide

Xayide
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Portrayed by Clarissa Burt
Information
Aliases Mistress of Horok Castle
Species Fantastican
Occupation Sorceress

Xayide is an evil sorceress. She appears later in the book after Bastian enters the world of Fantastica. Xayide lives in a castle shaped like a hand, called Horok, the Seeing Hand. Her hollow metallic guards stand watch at the many windows, appearing like hundreds of eyes.

While at her core she is cold and calculating, she presents to Bastian a warm and worshipping exterior, which fools him easily. Her vain wishes are to replace the Childlike Empress as ruler of Fantastica and bring sharp order to the realm of fantasy. To this end, she uses Bastian, convincing him to invade the Ivory Tower with the power of his wishes to become Childlike Emperor. After losing Bastian, she is crushed to death by her minions who rage against her waning magic. This occurs in the opening of chapter 24. The book's chapters follow an alphabetical order pattern of the first word, thus her name serves well for the difficult "X" word.

Xayide is portrayed by actress and model Clarissa Burt in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, which is loosely based upon the second half of the novel with key differences. In the adaption, Xayide's ability to control hollow things, such as her guards, is taken to another level: control of an entity similar to the Nothing called 'the Emptiness' which plagues Fantastica and threatens the Empress. Xayide is depicted in the movie very much akin to the book's description, cunning enough to manipulate Bastian into delusion, planning to usurp the Childlike Empress and bring order to Fantastica. In both media she gives Bastian the belt Ghemmal, which turns its wearer invisible and was intended for the same purpose: to spy on Atreyu. She meets her end when Bastian uses his last wish for her to have a heart, causing her to no longer be empty.

[edit] Ygramul

Ygramul
First appearance The Neverending Story
Created by Michael Ende
Information
Aliases Ygramul, the Many
Species Shapeshifter

Ygramul, the Many is a monster that lives in the land of Dead Mountains.

Ygramul is portrayed as a shapeshifter, who often takes form of a large spider and builds webs to catch its prey. The creature is actually comprised of many little insects who share a single hive mind. Ygramul's poison is deadly, but grants the victim the ability to transport to any location within the land of Fantastica before succumbing to its effects.

In the book, this poison is the means by which Atreyu travels to the home of Engywook and Urgl, near the Southern Oracle. At this point in the story Falkor the luckdragon is introduced; he is caught in Ygramul's web, and also uses the power of Ygramul's poison to follow Atreyu. The lingering effects of the poison are nursed out of the two by Urgl, while Engywook, a scholar of the Southern Oracle, instructs Atreyu on the challenges he is to encounter within the Oracle's demesne.

[edit] Minor characters

  • Dame Eyola – A living plant taking the form of a motherly woman who lives in the House of Change, who waited for Bastian to find her so she could take care of him and help him on his path to find his last wish.
  • Grograman, the Many-colored Death – Lord of the Desert of Colors, that keeps Perilin the Night Forest in check, and the first Fantastican that Bastian meets. He gives Bastian Sikanda, a magic sword.
  • Querquobad, the Silver Sage – The ruler of the city of Amarganth.
  • Yor – The picture miner of Yor's Minroud who helps Bastian find his lost dream.
  • Morla the Ancient One – Possibly the second-oldest living Fantastican (after the Childlike Empress), a turtle in the Swamps of Sadness who is so large, she is mistaken for a mountain, which is called "Shell Mountain". She claims to not know what can save the Empress and Fantastica, but points him to the Southern Oracle.

[edit] External links

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The Neverending Story by Michael Ende and its adaptations
Book
Films
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See also
Characters of The Neverending Story
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