| Tengil | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | The Brothers Lionheart |
| Created by | Astrid Lindgren |
| Portrayed by | Georg Årlin |
| Information | |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Dictator |
| Title | Leader of Törnrosdalen |
Tengil is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Brothers Lionheart, a Swedish children's novel by Astrid Lindgren.
Tengil is the evil ruler of the paradise-like "Valley of the Roses Thorn" in Nangijala. He resides in his own land of Karmanjaka, from which he oppresses the people and force them to build him a fortress. Tengil's power relies on the army of soldiers he commands, the Black Riders and well as Katla the dragon, which he controls with a magical lur. His soldiers execute anyone seen resisting Tengil's rule, but there's a resistance forming in the "Valley of the Roses Thorn". At the end, Jonathan Lionheart, one of the protagonists, steals the lur of Katla and Tengil, now without her control, is killed.
In the 1977 film adaptation of the novel, Tengil is played by actor Georg Årlin. He wears a black cape and helmet with a purple plume, and has a red flame symbol on his chest. Swedish critics have compared Årlin's portrayal of Tengil to contemporary figures such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Augusto Pinochet, Richard Nixon and Saddam Hussein.[1]