Elora Danan, formally styled as Her Royal Highness the Sacred Princess Elora Danan, is the tritagonist of Willow. She was a female Daikini. A gifted child born with a certain mark, she was prophecized to become empress of Tir Asleen, Galladoorn, Nockmaar, and Cashmere.
Biography[]
Early Years[]
Tir Asleen, Galladoorn, Nockmaar and Cashmere have legends and prophecies about a powerful child that would unite and govern them. Knowing this, Queen Bavmorda ordered the capture of pregnant women throughout her domain, penning them in the dungeons of Nockmaar Castle, where they are tended to by midwives.
Elora Danan indeed was born in those pens, and the birthmark on her arm signified that she is the child of prophecy, the daughter of the Sun and Moon, and future empress of all kingdoms who would become queen—this is in place of an evil empress who intended to perform a ritual that would banish her spirit into oblivion. Upon this discovery, Danan's mother cried in despair, futilely requesting Bavmorda's men not to take away her newborn daughter. Amidst the excitement, the midwife Ethna smuggled the baby away from Bavmorda's guards and Death Dogs, just as the queen herself came down to the dungeons. Discovering that the baby was gone, Bavmorda ordered Danan's mother to be executed and demanded her men to find the baby.[1]
Ethna took the baby far from Nockmaar Castle, under the pursuit of Bavmorda's Death Dogs. A pair of the dogs eventually traced Ethna to the River Freen, where the midwife hurriedly placed the infant on a makeshift basket and sent it safely adrift downstream.[1]
Elora survived the journey down the river to arrive safely on the banks of Ufgood Reach, where she was found by the children of Nelwyn Willow Ufgood. They took care of the Daikini child, but when Death Dogs raided their festival, Willow knew the child needed to be taken before the village elders.
The High Aldwin recognized the great power in Elora and tasked Willow to take her beyond the reaches of the valley, to the Daikini crossroads. Willow first attempted to give the child to Madmartigan, a rogue swordsman who quickly lost her to thieving Brownies. The Brownie Franjean flying on the eagle Canterfree stole Elora to take her to Cherlindrea, the high fey. The Brownies reunited Willow with Elora, and brought both of them before Cherlindrea, who explained the prophecy to him. Willow was to bring the child to Tir Asleen.
Tir Asleen was found to be cursed by Bavmorda, and her Nockmaar soldiers managed to captured Elora despite the defenses of Madmartigan and arrival of Galladoorn knights. The infant was taken to Bavmorda's citadel, where she begun the Ritual of Obliteration. Willow and Fin Raziel interrupted the ceremony, and Willow with a simple stagetrick pretended that he teleported Elora somewhere else.
The Queen's momentary shock distracted her from the arcane storm she was summoning, and was consumed by her own uncontrollable powers. Her dark reign came to an end, and Elora was reunited with Willow. The curse was lifted off Tir Asleen, and Elora was cared for by rejuvenated leaders of the city.
Later Years[]
Elora grew up in the kingdom of Tir Asleen, known to all as "Brunhilde”. Even she did not know her true identity. She worked as a baker, known for her buttery muffins, in the castle. Elora grew up modest and humble. However, she caught the eye of Prince Airk. They started a romantic relationship in secret. Airk told “Brunhilde” whom he called "Dove" that he would change for her. After Airk was kidnapped, Dove/Elora snuck out of the castle to join the group set out to find him.
Once she joined the group and met Willow, he recognized and revealed that she was in fact Elora Danon and that she was the only one who could save them from the dark forces that were coming their way. Elora was shocked to hear this- thinking she was only a simple baker. Since she did not learn magic throughout her childhood, she wasn't able to practice. Willow agreed to teach her and to help her. She practiced again and again, with no success, until she finally grew a plant with a magic spell.
However, The Crone became aware that her presence was in the kingdom and set off his men to find her. Ballantine, once a commander for the kingdom of Tir Asleen but who became infected by The Lich, kidnapped her. He started to take her to The Crone so he could banish her once and for all- however, Elora managed to get away with the help of Willow and the group.
After Graydon gets infected by The Lich, Elora tries to help Willow save him. He tells her she can use her magic to suck the darkness out of him. Eventually, she saves him.[6]
Elora and the others continue on, fighting whomever and whatever obstacles are in their way. Eventually, they reach the end of the Shattered Sea and most of the group want to turn around. Elora, however, is intent on finding Airk and completing their mission. She and Kit jump off a waterfull and finds themselves in the Immemorial City. Airk is waiting for them and brings them to The Crone. Elora fights The Crone and defeats her.
At the end of the season, Graydon wakes up on a battlefield and sees Elora. She tells him she needs him to help her lead the world into the light in the new age of time.
Personality and traits[]
Elora is a kind, modest person, believing that she was a simple baker for most of her life. Elora is a romantic and believes in true love.
Powers and abilities[]
Behind the scenes[]
In Willow, Elora Danan was portrayed by twins Ruth and Kate Greenfield, who were only six months old at the time of filming. Because the script called for Elora to have a full head of hair, a tiny wig was made for the twins. Since ordinary adhesives would have been too harsh for the babies' skin, the wig was attached with food syrup. For the intense action sequences, such as the wagon chase, Elora was portrayed by a 13-pound radio-controlled model of a baby (called "Moto-baby") that was able to turn its head left or right, nod up and down, and open its mouth. All the shots of Elora reacting to her environment were done during a two-week period after principal photography concluded. The filmmakers made a list of all the reactions they needed for the whole movie, and spent time obtaining them.[7]
In Willow, Elora was played by Ellie Bamber. In the episode The High Aldwin, 5 year old Elora was protrayed by Alayna Jacobs.
In one of its season 2 episodes, the Star Wars-themed animated TV series Star Wars Rebels featured an infant character called "Alora." Both the name and appearance of that baby were inspired by Elora Danan.
Alternate history[]
In the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, after Bavmorda was defeated and the curse on Tir Asleen lifted, Elora was known as Her Royal Highness the Sacred Princess and taken care of by Madmartigan and Sorsha. Willow failed to visit her after that, even though he had pledged to be her protector. Over a year later, he was brought to her in a dream and managed to offer a toy bear he made for her. However soon after Tir Asleen was utterly consumed by a tremendous blast, part of a Cataclysm that destroyed some locations across the Mother World. For over a decade, Willow wandered the world searching for clues behind the devastation.
Twelve years later, he found Elora alive in the land of Angwyn, on the other side of the world. She had been revered as a Sacred Princess, and had grown to become a kind-hearted but spoiled teenager. Willow, now traveling under the name of Thorn Drumheller, was distressed to find evidence of sickness surrounding young Elora.
An intense Shadow War rages, spearheaded by the evil Mohdri and his dread Black Rose commando assassins to capture Elora and Thorn. They start a perilous journey to a land undisturbed since the dawn of time that will end at the unbreachable citadel of the dragon, where a chilling betrayal changed the fate of Elora, Thorn, and the Thirteen Realms forever.
Elora Danan slew the dragons that were the embodiment of the soul of Creation to save the dragons from the Deceiver, who would have used them to rule the Realms. To protect the eggs, Elora spellbinds herself to Thorn and Khory Bannefin, the long-dead woman warrior whose body is inhabited by a demon's offspring. It is a dire spell that ensures none of them will betray their cause...even at the cost of their lives. And if one of them dies, the magic of the eggs is lost forever.
Pursued through a land of shadow predators by the dreaded Black Rose, Elora and her allies went to the free city-state of Sandeni. There they met the brownies Franjean and Rool, the eagles Anele and Bastian, and the young warrior-scribe Luc-Jon. While on the island of Madaket Elora worked undercover at Black-Eyed Susan's tavern with Pilar.
But Sandeni is besieged by mighty armies fueled by the Deceiver's sorcery, warrior wizards, and engines of evil magic. With defeat all but certain, Elora convinced the Sandeni people to continue the fight. What she doesn't tell them is that the greatest enemy lies within the Deciever. For the Deceiver is the evil empress's dark twin. a potential future of unimaginable evil...an evil that lies dormant in The deciever's soul. And the only way Elora can stop the evil future is to befriend an enemy whose insatiable appetite for destruction could destroy all of Creation.
Appearances[]
- Willow (First appearance)
- Willow: A Novel
- Willow (junior novel)
- Willow: The Picture Storybook
- Willow: The Storybook Based on the Movie
- Willow Finds A Baby
- Willow 1
- Willow 2
- Willow 3
- Willow NES
- Willow – "The Gales"
- Willow – "The High Aldwin"
- Willow – "The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb"
- Willow – "The Whispers of Nockmaar"
- Willow – "Wildwood"
- Willow – "Prisoners of Skellin"
- Willow – "Beyond the Shattered Sea"
- Willow – "Children of the Wyrm"