Tehanu, better known as Teru in Japanese or Therru in English, is the tritagonist of the 2006 Studio Ghibli's film Tales from Earthsea. She is also a Dragon-Lady (a woman who can take the form of a dragon).
She was voiced by Aoi Teshima in the Japanese version, and by Blaire Restaneo in the English dubbed version.
Personality[]
Therru, a burn victim, is approximately the same age as Prince Arren. She was abused and abandoned by her birth parents until Tenar took her in. She originally thought of Arren as a monster after he saved her from Hare, because he seemed to lack any respect for life, but came to fall in love with him when she saw his compassion.
Biography[]
Two dragons battle above the clouds, with one of the battles ending in death, as a war galley navigates through a storm. Dragons, according to the king's wizard Root of the kingdom of Enlad, are an indication that the world is out of balance. The sickness that is ravaging his realm and the disappearance of Prince Arren, the king's son, are both issues. Arren kills his father, takes his sword, and leaves the castle.
The archmage Sparrowhawk saves Arren from wolves as he walks through the desert. They journey to Hort Town as a group. Arren discovers the village on his own and saves a young girl named Therru from slavers. However, the same slave owner, Hare, subsequently kidnaps Arren. His weapon is cast into the water. Arren is rescued by Sparrowhawk from the slave caravan, and he then transports him to Tenar's farm, which Tenar runs with Therru. Lord Cob, a strong warlock and the owner of Hort Town, is enraged at Sparrowhawk's action against Hare's slave caravan and demands to have the archmage taken to the castle. As he continues his hunt in Hort Town, Sparrowhawk informs Arren that he is looking for a solution to restore the unsettled balance. While there, he learns about Cob's castle, purchases Arren's sword from a vendor's stall, and avoids Hare's captivity.
Therru learns from Arren that he murdered his father and that he is being followed by an unidentified force. Arren departs the farm as a result, but is confronted by a presence that is a mirror version of himself. In his attempt to escape the sight, Arren stumbles into a swamp and loses consciousness. In order to manage Arren, Cob tricks him into telling everyone his "true name" is Prince Lebannen when they arrive at the palace. As Therru serves as a courier, Hare uses Tenar's captivity as bait to entice Sparrowhawk into the castle. As soon as she is free, she runs into Sparrowhawk, who offers her Arren's sword for Arren.
To save Tenar, Sparrowhawk enters the castle and faces Cob. Sparrowhawk discovers that Cob is attempting to attain perpetual life by opening the gateway between life and death, which is upsetting the delicate balance of the universe. Cob sends Arren out to kill Sparrowhawk as he tries to warn him about the risks of disrupting the balance. After delivering the prince from Cob's grip, Sparrowhawk is weakened and taken prisoner by Hare.
The copy of Arren is seen by Therru, who then pursues him to the castle where he reveals that he is the light inside Arren and gives Therru information about his true identity. Therru enters the castle and finds out about the dawn execution of Sparrowhawk and Tenar. Arren is found by her, guilty and without hope, and she gives him hope by addressing him by his real name and confiding in him using her own name, Tehanu. They move quickly to save Tenar and Sparrowhawk. Cob attempts to kill Arren as Arren confronts him. He fights back and ultimately takes his magically sealed sword out of its sheath. Cob's hand carrying his staff is severed by Arren.
Cob ages quickly as he is unable to use any of his magical abilities. With Arren pursuing him, he takes Therru and escapes to the castle's tallest tower. Arren corners Cob and attempts to tell him what he learned about life and death from Therru and Sparrowhawk, but the withering Dark Lord won't hear him and strangles Therru with the rest of his magic. Instead of passing away, she reveals her actual identity as an immortal dragon. Cob is put to death by Therru's fire breath as Arren is saved from the crumbling tower.
Therru and Arren land in a field where Therru transforms back into a human, while Sparrowhawk and Tenar depart from the castle. Arren informs Therru that he will depart for home to atone for his wrongdoing but will return to see her in the future. He and Therru spend time with Sparrowhawk, Tenar, and themselves after their reunion. After saying goodbye to Therru and Tenar, Arren and Sparrowhawk head for Enlad. When Therru glances up, she notices that her other dragons have taken flight, signaling that the world's balance has been restored.