Katla (dragon)
Encyclopedia
Katla is a fiction
al female
dragon
from the Swedish
children's book The Brothers Lionheart
, written by Astrid Lindgren
.
Katla is a huge ancient monster in the land of Nangijala, with the ability to spray flames
from her mouth, just like its namesake volcano in Iceland. And if a victim of the flames survives, the victim is paralyzed. Katla is controlled and will obey only a lur
, which is owned by the evil warlord
Tengil
, who uses Katla to terrorize Nangijala. The scale of Katla is so strong that no weapon can damage her or even leave a scratch. When the citizens of Cherry Valley rises up against Tengil, he uses Katla to stop them, but loses the lur to a Jonathan Lionheart, one of the protagonist
s. Jonathan uses the lur to make Katla kill Tengil, but Katla later burns Jonathan, mortally wounding him. Before dying, Jonathan manages to push a large rock onto Katla, making her fall into a river. In the river she battles another great beast, Karm the lindworm
, and the two monsters kill each other.
In the 1977 film adaptation of the novel
, Katla was played by a model, four meters tall and eight meters long, created by Pinewood Studios
. The model contained three people; one in each front leg, and one at a small control panel. Costing 100,000 Swedish kronor to produce, it could blink, spit fire, and whip its tail. The model has not been used since, and is currently located in Trollywood
.
Katla is not killed by Karm in the movie. Instead she drowns after being hit by the rock.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
from the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
children's book The Brothers Lionheart
The Brothers Lionheart
The Brothers Lionheart is a children's fantasy novel written by Astrid Lindgren. It was published in the fall of 1973 and has been translated into 46 languages. Many of its themes are unusually dark and heavy for the children's book genre. Disease, death, tyranny, betrayal and rebellion are some...
, written by Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
.
Katla is a huge ancient monster in the land of Nangijala, with the ability to spray flames
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
from her mouth, just like its namesake volcano in Iceland. And if a victim of the flames survives, the victim is paralyzed. Katla is controlled and will obey only a lur
Lur
A lur is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes that is played by embouchure. Lurs can be straight or curved in various shapes. The purpose of the curves was to make long instruments easier to carry A lur is a long natural blowing horn without finger holes that is played by embouchure....
, which is owned by the evil warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
Tengil
Tengil
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...
, who uses Katla to terrorize Nangijala. The scale of Katla is so strong that no weapon can damage her or even leave a scratch. When the citizens of Cherry Valley rises up against Tengil, he uses Katla to stop them, but loses the lur to a Jonathan Lionheart, one of the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s. Jonathan uses the lur to make Katla kill Tengil, but Katla later burns Jonathan, mortally wounding him. Before dying, Jonathan manages to push a large rock onto Katla, making her fall into a river. In the river she battles another great beast, Karm the lindworm
Lindworm
Lindworm in British heraldry, is a technical term for a wingless bipedal dragon often with a venomous bite.-Etymology:In modern Scandinavian languages, the cognate lindorm can refer to any 'serpent' or monstrous...
, and the two monsters kill each other.
In the 1977 film adaptation of the novel
The Brothers Lionheart (film)
The Brothers Lionheart is a 1977 Swedish fantasy film directed by Olle Hellbom and based on the book The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren...
, Katla was played by a model, four meters tall and eight meters long, created by Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
. The model contained three people; one in each front leg, and one at a small control panel. Costing 100,000 Swedish kronor to produce, it could blink, spit fire, and whip its tail. The model has not been used since, and is currently located in Trollywood
Trollywood
Trollywood is the informal name for a film production facility in Trollhättan Municipality, Sweden. Movies shot there include Fucking Åmål, Dancer in the Dark and Dogville...
.
Katla is not killed by Karm in the movie. Instead she drowns after being hit by the rock.