document_title: List of The Neverending Story characters

question_text: who was the boy in the never ending story

question_tokens: who was the boy in the never ending story

text: List of The Neverending Story characters

text: Bastian Balthazar Bux[edit]

text:
Bastian Balthazar Bux

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Barret Oliver (1st film)
Jonathan Brandis (2nd film)
Jason James Richter (3rd film)
Christopher Bell
Mark Rendall

Information

Species
Human

Gender
Male

text: Bastian Balthazar Bux is a shy and bookish boy around 12 years old who is neglected by his father, who is still mourning the sudden death of his wife (she died of an unspecified illness). He is a dreamer, who is shunned by other children due to his immense imagination. 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.

text: Halfway through the book, Bastian becomes a character in The Neverending Story, in a world called Fantastica ("Fantasia" in the films, which is closer to the German original "Phantásien"). 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 and change him into a completely different person. Deluded by the witch Xayide, Bastian moves to the Ivory Tower and tries to have himself proclaimed Emperor. The ceremony is interrupted by Atreyu, who is nearly killed by Bastian.

text: Eventually, Bastian realizes that he is beginning to lose himself, and starts a desperate last-ditch quest for his one true desire. In the end he forgets even his name, but with the help of Falkor and Atreyu, who promise to finish the stories he started, he manages to return to the human world with the capability of loving, which was his deepest (and thereto unknown) desire, and bringing to his father the Water of Life, curing him of his melancholy. 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 benevolent Childlike Empress, and predicts Bastian will show others the way to Fantastica.

text: He has been portrayed by five different actors:

text:
1984: Barret Oliver in The NeverEnding Story.
1990: Jonathan Brandis in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter.(J. Michael Haney, Jr. as Young Bastian)
1994: Jason James Richter in The NeverEnding Story III.
1996: Christopher Bell provided the voice of the character in The Neverending Story animated series.
2001: Mark Rendall in Tales from the Neverending Story

text: Atreyu[edit]

text:
Atreyu

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Noah Hathaway (1st film)
Kenny Morrison (2nd film)
Dominic Zamprogna (Animated series)
Tyler Hynes (TV series)

Information

Species
Greenskin warrior

Gender
Male

text: Atreyu (German: Atréju) is the protagonist of the mysterious book that Bastian reads. To the readership, Atreyu is a metafictional character, existing fictionally and within the reality of the book itself. He is described as having green skin and blue hair.

text: He is a young warrior from the Grassy Plains (in German, "The Grassy Sea"). His parents were killed by a Purple Buffalo soon after he was born, and his entire village raised him; wherefore his name means "son of all" in his native language. He is summoned by the Childlike Empress to save the land of Fantasia by finding a cure for her illness, and given AURYN, an amulet that makes whoever wears it the Childlike Empress' herald. During the quest to find a cure, he meets Falkor the luckdragon, who becomes his steed after the death of his horse 'Artax'. Bastian, reading Atreyu's story in the real world, experiences everything Atreyu does; this proves Fantasia's solution and the Empress' cure, in bringing Bastian to Fantastica to give the Empress a new name.

text: Atreyu features largely in the second half of the novel, as Bastian travels Fantasia far and wide as its savior. They quickly become friends, but as Bastian continues to use AURYN, he becomes arrogant and gradually loses his memory. When Bastian has lost even his name, Atreyu and Falkor offer favorable testimony to the powers in AURYN, who allow Bastian's return to the human world. With their friendship restored, Atreyu promises to finish the stories Bastian has begun in Fantastica.

text: 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.[1] As such, his people were called the 'Plains People' instead of Greenskins.

text: The character also makes a return appearance in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, played by Kenny Morrison. In the 1995 animated show, Atreyu and his people are, as in the original novel, green-skinned; but this version of Atreyu has a younger sister named Saiya, and his outward appearance has been patterned after Noah Hathaway from the first movie.

text: In the 2001 Hallmark Channel mini-series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he is portrayed by Tyler Hynes and the character's people are called 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.

text: Atreyu in popular culture[edit]

text:
The American metalcore band, Atreyu, took its name from this character from The Neverending Story.
Atreyu and Artax inspired Listener's song "Failing is Not Just for Failures".
In Comedy Central's Workaholics season 5 episode 10 (Trivia Pursuits), Adam and Blake argue over who gets to be Atreyu when deciding on their costumes for an upcoming 1980s trivia contest against three Asian men who are also street racers.

text: Carl Conrad Coreander[edit]

text:
Carl Conrad Coreander

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Thomas Hill
John Dunn-Hill
Freddie Jones

Information

Species
Human

Gender
Male

Occupation
Book shop owner

text: Carl Conrad Coreander (Karl Konrad Koreander in German) is a cantankerous bookseller, and 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. While Coreander is distracted by a telephone call, Bastian steals it and takes it to school with him.

text: In the end, the novel makes it clear that Mr. Coreander is one of the few humans who has been to Fantastica and returned. He and Bastian come to a better understanding and 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.

text: Coreander is portrayed by Thomas Hill in the first film, and was the only actor who reprised his role in the second film; however, in the third film, he is played by Freddie Jones. In the television series, Tales from the Neverending Story, he functions in a double role as a wizard in Fantasia wherein he is called "the Curiosity".

text: The Childlike Empress[edit]

text:
Childlike Empress

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Tami Stronach
Alexandra Johnes
Julie Cox
Audrey Gardiner
Lisa Yamanaka

Information

Aliases
Moon Child, Golden-Eyed Commander of Wishes

Species
Fantastican

Gender
Female

Occupation
Goddess of Fantasy

text: The Childlike Empress (Die Kindliche Kaiserin in German) is the mysterious and benevolent monarch of Fantastica, who resides in the capital called Ivory Tower in the heart of the realm. Although she is nominally the ruler of Fantastica, she rarely interacts with the outside world. Should she die, Fantastica and all Fantasticans would cease to exist.

text: The amulet known as the 'AURYN' is her emblem, and those who wear it are her representatives. As explained by Morla the Aged One, her lifetime is not measured in years or in time ("she is much older than the oldest inhabitants of Fantastica, or rather, she is ageless"), but by names, which only the imagination of a human child can give her. 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' (Mondenkind in German), which restores Fantastica and begins the second half of the novel.

text: Her description is that of an indescribably beautiful young girl, appearing no older than ten, yet 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 title "Golden-Eyed Commander of Wishes" (Goldäugige Gebieterin der Wünsche in German).

text: 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 (apparently as an adolescent) in The NeverEnding Story III (1994). In the films, her hair is dark, rather than white, and in the first film, she is dressed like a bride.

text: In the 2001 television series Tales from the Neverending Story, the Empress, again depicted with dark hair, was played by Audrey Gardiner.

text: The Empress was also featured in an animated Neverending Story television series (episodes of which were edited into a film), in which she had golden hair and wore a green gown. Her voice was provided by Lisa Yamanaka.

text: Engywook and Urgl[edit]

text:
Engywook and Urgl

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Sydney Bromley (1st film)
Tony Robinson (3rd film)
Patricia Hayes (1st film)
Moya Brady (3rd film)

Information

Species
Fantasian Gnomes

Occupation
Engywook: Researcher of the Southern Oracle
Urgl: Housewife

text: Engywook (Engywuck in German) and his wife Urgl, called in German the "Zweisiedler" (neologism from "Einsiedler" hermit; roughly "doublitarian") are a quarrelsome pair of gnomes who live close to the Southern Oracle. Engywook is a research scientist who has studied the Southern Oracle and her three gates for most of his life, but has never entered any. His wife Urgl often gets in his way while brewing potions in a large cauldron, for healing wounded people. Engywook can observe the Riddle Gate, also known as the Sphinxes, from his telescope on a hilltop overlooking the first gate. In the book, Urgl removes poison from Atreyu and Engywook instructs him about the three gates that lead to the Southern Oracle. This scene is portrayed in the 1984 film, Engywook played by Sydney Bromley, and Urgl played by Patricia Hayes.

text: In the third film of the series, Engywook, played by Tony Robinson, and Urgl, played by Moya Brady, have moved to a forest and still argue continuously. The house is stepped on by Bastian during his return trip to Fantasia, although it is then completely destroyed by the Nasties. The two go with Bastian, Falkor, and Bark Troll to find the Empress for help, but are stranded on Earth and arrive in Alaska, where they mail themselves to the others and return home, their house rebuilt.

text: Falkor the Luckdragon[edit]

text:
Falkor

"Side view Falkor", an original prop used by Bavaria Film Studios

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Alan Oppenheimer (1st film)
Donald Arthur (2nd film)
William Hootkins (3rd film)

Information

Species
Luckdragon

Gender
Male

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

text: The original name "Fuchur" is derived from Japanese "Fukuryuu" (福竜 or 福龍, "lucky dragon").[citation needed] It was changed in the English translation because the pronunciation of the original name is similar to that of the agentive form of an English expletive. Personality wise, Falkor is optimistic, friendly, dignified, helpful and wise, trying to help Bastian remember to "never give up and good luck will find you."

text: Falkor has an elongated body with rudimentary paws and pink scales and hairs that appear white in dull light. His head is described less precisely, though his eyes are given the colour of rubies. In the illustrations of the German novel, he appears much like an oriental dragon or his appearance is of a dog (Goldendoodle); whereas a cover for the book by Dan Craig illustrated Falkor as lion-like; and in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, as well as its sequels, Falkor has canine features upon a white furred body and is pleased by affectionate scratchings behind his ear. Luckdragons possess neither an immense physical strength, nor great magical talents, though they can exhale fire, which is blue, as when Falkor fights Ygramul. Their only distinctive ability that sets them apart is incredible luck in everything they do, as shown when Falkor locates and rescues his companion after being lost in a violent, blinding storm. When in flight, a luckdragon is in constant motion. Luckdragons never stop drawing air and heat through their scales, which makes eating unnecessary and makes submersion in water deadly to them. Luckdragons are capable of sleeping while flying, and prefer to occupy as much open space as possible.

text: In the first film, Falkor is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer. In the second film, Falkor is voiced by an uncredited Donald Arthur. In the third film, Falkor is performed by Gord Robertson and voiced by William Hootkins. Bavaria Film Studios retains a "side view Falkor" which tourists can climb and ride. The prop is the last remaining version of Falkor from the original film, and was used for blue-screen side angle shots.

text: Gmork[edit]

text:
Gmork

Gmork, as he appears in the 1984 motion picture.

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Alan Oppenheimer (speaking;uncredited),
Frank Welker (growling effects;uncredited)
Edward Yankie (TV)
Don Francks (cartoon)

Information

Species
Wolf

text: Gmork is one of the main villains of the story. He is the servant of the power behind the Nothing. His appearance in the book is that of a large, wolf-like creature with night-black fur and capable of human speech; but the film gives him blue-black fur and luminous green cat-like eyes, as well as more fangs than an ordinary wolf would have. In Latin Spanish dubbing, Gmork is alternatively (and erroneously) known as "La Nada", "The Nothing".

text: Gmork's primary mission in the Neverending Story is to kill the young warrior Atreyu. He, and other dual-natured creatures like him, are able to travel between worlds, changing into a Fantastican or a human depending upon the world, in appearance only. Atreyu finally meets Gmork in Spook City, where he is chained, and Atreyu employs the name 'Nobody' to hide his identity in shame of his failure to complete his quest. 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 (reminiscent of Fenrir in Nordic mythology) and leapt into the Nothing, leaving him to starve. Gmork explains to Atreyu the nature of the Nothing, and that a Fantastican who enters it, must become a 'lie' in the human world. Eventually, Gmork reveals the name of the boy he is pursuing, and Atreyu reveals his identity, which causes Gmork to laugh until he finally succumbs to starvation. As Atreyu approaches the dead wolf, the carcass grabs Atreyu in its jaws, which, ironically, prevents Atreyu from succumbing to the overpowering urge exerted by the Nothing to throw himself into it. He is freed from Gmork's grip by Falkor, who escapes with him to the Ivory Tower.

text: In the film, Gmork almost manages to kill Atreyu in the Swamps of Sadness, but Atreyu is saved by Falkor. Their meeting in Spook City occurs in the film as well, where Gmork attacks Atreyu, impaling himself on an improvised stone knife held by the young warrior.

text: Grograman[edit]

text:
Grograman

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Gary Crawford (cartoon)

Information

Aliases
The Many Colored Death

Species
Lion

Occupation
Guardian of the Desert of Colors

text: Grograman, known as The Many Colored Death (Graógramán, der Bunte Tod in German), is the guardian of Goab, the Desert of Colors, which exists in a symbiosis with Perilin the Night Forest. He appears in the form of a huge lion, who changes colors to suit the color of sand under his feet, and changes all life around him into sand. Grograman turns into an obsidian statue at night to allow the growth of Perilin.

text: Grograman is the first creature Bastian meets upon his arrival in Fantastica (if the Childlike Empress is to be excluded); Bastian is protected from the effect of Grograman's death aura by AURYN, and is thus the first living being ever to make friends with him. Grograman is the first one who teaches Bastian something of the nature of Fantastica, and he gives Bastian his magic (and seemingly intelligent) sword, Sikanda. One night, Bastian is called away; he promises to return, but is ultimately unable to keep his promise (the story states, however, that one day someone would fulfill the promise in Bastian's name).

text: In the animated series, Grograman burns down Perilin to protect Fantastica from being overrun by its roots and branches. He is later captured by Xayide and freed by Bastian.

text: Morla[edit]

text:
Morla

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Robert Jadah (film)
Pam Hyatt (cartoon)

Information

Aliases
The Ancient One

Species
Giant Tortoise

text: Morla, known as The Ancient One (Die Uralte Morla in German), is a giant tortoise who, because of their size, is mistaken for a mountain. They live in the Swamps of Sadness, which might be either the cause or the result of their melancholy mindset: as the oldest living Fantastican (after the Childlike Empress and the Old Man of Wandering Mountain, who are both ageless) they have grown indifferent to the fate of Fantastica and their own survival. Reluctantly, they inform Atreyu that the Empress needs a new name and they point Atreyu to the Southern Oracle. Morla speaks in the 'royal we' or nosism.

text: In the film they have allergies to youth (Atreyu) and sneeze violently in its presence. Here, they know nothing about the illness of the Empress, but they send Atreyu directly to the Southern Oracle.

text: The Old Man of Wandering Mountain[edit]

text:
The Old Man of Wandering Mountain

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Information

Occupation
Chronicler

text: The Old Man of Wandering Mountain (Der Alte vom Wandernden Berge in German) is an elderly chronicler whose chronicle contains all events in Fantastica. He lives alone in an egg-shaped home on top of the Wandering Mountain, which can be found only by chance or fate.

text: The Old Man appears in the story when the Childlike Empress is forced to use drastic measures to make Bastian fulfill his part in the story. As she approaches his mountain, the Old Man tries to dissuade her from entering, to the point of insulting her. On her request, the Old Man reads from his chronicle (starting with Bastian entering the book shop). As he reads, all events happen again and as they happen again he writes them down again, beginning a vicious circle of eternal repetition which finally drives Bastian into calling out the Empress' new name.

text: The Old Man does not ultimately appear in the first film, and his appearance in the third film differs drastically from the book. He possesses the Great Book, which can seemingly write the future on its own accord. He dwells in a hidden crystal cave where he can see outside events using a "magic mirror". He is visited by the Childlike Empress and her guard Big Head, who remain with him until the end of the Nastie crisis. In this film, he grovels before the Empress and sees it as an honor that the monarch would visit him.

text: Pyornkrachzark and the other messengers[edit]

text:
Pyornkrachzark

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Information

Aliases
Rockbiter

Species
Rockbiter

Occupation
Messenger

text: The beginning of the novel as well as the film introduces a travelling party consisting of messengers: Gluckuk (Ückück in German), a tiny man (Winzling) riding a racing snail (in the film he is ultimately called Teeny Weeny and portrayed by Deep Roy), a Nighthob (Nachtalb) named Whooshwoozool (Wúschwusul) who rides on a bat, Pyornkrachzark (Pjörnrachzarck), a Rockbiter riding a stone vehicle, and Blubb, a will-o'-the-wisp. All four are sent by their respective people to the Ivory Tower to ask the Childlike Empress for help against the Nothing's destructive forces. In the film Blubb is ultimately not featured, and his actions are also given to the Rockbiter.

text: Among the messengers, Pyornkrachzark, more commonly known as "Rock Biter" (in German Felsenbeisser) is the most famous. He is a large creature made completely of stone. The Rockbiter species are named due to their diet of rocks and earth-based materials. The Rockbiter seen in the film particularly has a liking for limestone.

text: In the novel, the Rockbiter only appears early in the novel; whereas in the film he ultimately reappears, encountered by Atreyu. He has lost faith in himself after failing to save his travelling companions from the Nothing, and advises Atreyu to flee.

text: In the second and third films, Rock Biter's wife appears in the third film and his son appears in the second and third. Rock Biter Junior is the same size as a human, and is rather gluttonous and playful. He is sent to Earth during a wish overload caused by Bastian, Falkor, Bark Troll, Engywook, and Urgl; whereupon he is saved from falling to his death by Falkor and they are reunited with Bastian. Rock Biter and his wife nearly split due to the absence of their son and the further effects of the Nasties, who are in possession of the book and AURYN; but the family are reunited at the end of the film. Rock Biter also sings a rather corrupt version of Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf.

text: The Southern Oracle[edit]

text:
Southern Oracle

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Information

Aliases
Uyulala; The Voice of Still

Occupation
Oracle

text: The Southern Oracle, also named Uyulala (Uyulála in German), is a mysterious and all-knowing oracle guarded by three magical gates. She is depicted as a disembodied, continuous female voice who speaks in - and can only understand - rhymed speech and otherwise sings ceaselessly to maintain her existence.

text: The ancient, giant turtle Morla tells Atreyu that Uyulala is the only one who knows who can give the Childlike Empress a new name and prevent her from dying; and with the help of Ygramul's poison, Atreyu transports himself near the oracle instantly. There he learns from the gnome Engywook, that to speak with Uyulala he must pass through the three gates:

text:
The first gate is the Great Riddle Gate, which consists of two Sphinxes who face one another. Those caught between their gaze are frozen on the spot and doomed to remain until they solve every riddle in the world, or until they die.
The second gate is the Magic Mirror Gate, which is a large, circular, moon-like mirror, which reflects the absolute truest nature of the observer. This often frightens people into retreat or hysteria; but the observer, to pass this gate, must walk through its reflection.
The third gate is the No-Key Gate, which is a keyless door and physically indestructible, but responsive to a person's will. Only by losing the desire to enter may one get it to open.

text: Once past, Atreyu learns the reason why the Childlike Empress is ill, and what he must find in order to restore her health. Uyulala is then quiet and the Southern Oracle with its three gates is silently destroyed by the Nothing. Passing through the first two gates causes Atreyu to first lose all fear (the Great Riddle Gate), and then all memory of himself (the Magic Mirror Gate). This allows him to open the No-Key Gate, whereat Bastian's voice keeps the now empty-minded Atreyu from wandering.

text: The film version of the Southern Oracle shares the generalities; but the first gate judges whether the person attempting to pass through it "feels his own worth"; if the person is doubtful of its ability to pass through safely, the two Sphinxes incinerate the visitor. The second gate is a mirror much like the book's description, located in a snowy wilderness; and there is ultimately no third gate (which, as the third gate would have stood for the precise contrary of "felling one's own worth", somewhat turns the message to the contrary). The Oracle itself is ultimately two blue glowing Sphinxes exactly like the yellow sphinxes at the first gate, and also speaks in prose. As with the book, the Oracle crumbles and dies after revealing the cure for the Childlike Empress' condition.

text: 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.

text: In The Neverending Story cartoon series, the Southern Oracle is depicted as two sphinxes facing each other and are voiced by Ellen Ray Hennessy.

text: Xayide[edit]

text:
Xayide

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Clarissa Burt (film)
Victoria Sanchez (TV series)
Janet Laine-Green (cartoon)

Information

Aliases
Mistress of Horok Castle

Species
Fantastican

Gender
Female

Occupation
Sorceress

text: Xayide (Xayíde in German) is one of the main villains of the story. She is an evil sorceress who 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”, because its multitude of windows appear like human eyes. Xayide's most striking physical feature are her heterochromatic red and green eyes. She has the ability to control anything empty, and thus she employs as guards empty suits of plate armour.

text: She presents to Bastian a warm and worshipping exterior, in hope to herself replace the Childlike Empress as ruler of Fantastica. Realizing she cannot defeat Bastian by force, she persuades him to invade the Ivory Tower. After losing Bastian, she is crushed to death by her iron minions who resist her waning magic. The book's chapters follow an alphabetical order pattern of the first word; thus her name serves well for the difficult "X" word in Chapter 24, where she meets her demise.

text: 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. In the adaption, she is the personified avatar of an entity similar to the Nothing, called 'the Emptiness', which is born of the dying imagination of the collective human species. In both media she gives Bastian the belt Ghemmal, which turns its wearer invisible and was intended to spy on Atreyu. She meets her end in the film when Bastian uses his last wish to give her a sense of compassion, whereupon she destroys herself to amend the damage done by her.

text: In the miniseries Tales from the Neverending Story, Xayide is portrayed as the Childlike Empress' sister and the ruler of a 'Dark City'.

text: Ygramul[edit]

text:
Ygramul

First appearance
The Neverending Story

Created by
Michael Ende

Portrayed by
Marilyn Lightstone (cartoon)

Information

Aliases
The Many

Species
Insect Hive

text: Ygramul, or The Many (Ygramul, die Viele in German), is a creature that lives in the land of Dead Mountains.

text: 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 composed of many little hornet-like insects who share a single hive mind. Ygramul's poison is deadly and kills within one hour, but grants the victim the ability to teleport to any location within the land of Fantastica before succumbing to its effects.

text: 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.

text: In The Neverending Story cartoon series, Ygramul is shown in her spider form. In "To Save Falkor," Bastian encountered Ygramul in the Dead Mountains while looking for a cure for Falkor's illness.

text: Other characters[edit]

text:
Bastian's Dad - (portrayed by Gerald McRaney in the first film, John Wesley Shipp in the second film, and Kevin McNulty in the third film) Bastian's father is described to have grown distant from his son after the death of his wife, although this changes when he and Bastian are reunited at the end of the book. In the second film, Bastian's father is given the first name Barney Bux and follows Bastian's journey by reading the book and reunited with his son at the conclusion of the film. In the third film, he appears to have no memories of reading the book. He marries a woman named Jane and thus gains a new family, along with a daughter named Nicole who plays a main role in the third film.
Bark Troll - A walking tree making no appearance in the original book. He is loosely based on three characters of a species called bark trolls, that appeared briefly to advise Atreyu about the Nothing. In the third film he befriends Bastian and joins him against the Nasties, but lands on Earth, where he comes across a logging shipment and hitches a ride to Bastian's house, disguised as a log and a garden plant. He develops a difficult friendship with Rock Biter Junior in the process. In The Neverending Story cartoon, Bark Troll is a supporting character and a friend of Bastian.
Cairon (Caíron in German) - Herald of the Childlike Empress and in-between bearer of AURYN, who passed it to Atreyu. In the book he appears as a black elderly centaur (his lower half with the striped pattern of a zebra). In the first film, he ultimately appears as a humanoid Merman (performed by Moses Gunn). By his name and status of a centaur and physician, Cairon is an allusion to the mythological Greek Chiron.
Dame Eyola (Dame Aiuóla) - A plant taking the form of a motherly woman who lives in the House of Change, who cares for Bastian.
The Four Heroes - Four swordsmen who appear in the second half of the novel, said to be the bravest and strongest warriors in all of Fantastica, who participate in a tournament in the Silver City of Amarganth. One is identified as Hero Hynreck (or Huunreck), who is infatuated with Princess Oglamar; the other three, Hykrion, Hysbald and Hydorn, accompany Bastian on his journey and swear allegiance to him. They are often portrayed as cheerful beings, but when Bastian decides to make himself an emperor, they get drunk and become useless. They survive the battle against Atreyu's rebellion but lose track of Bastian, and go their separate ways to look for him. Note: The Four Swordsmen do not appear in any adaptation (film and television series) of the book, though the dragon Smerg (featured in the second film) is created by Bastian (in the novel) for Hynreck to slay. Although not apparently appearing in any adaptation of the novel, there is a scene in the first film, which shows a character with "close" resemblance to the Four Swordsmen; namely an unnamed knight who (unsuccessfully) tries to pass the ′′′Sphinx Gate′′′ (since this is a scene not present in the novel, one might suspect that this is an indirect "reference" to the Four Swordsmen).
Ilwan (Illuán) - A blue genie with a bird's beak in place of his nose and mouth. Ilwan became one of Bastian's closest servants, but was killed during the battle for the Ivory Tower.
Nimbly - A bird-like creature in the second film and does not exist as a character in the book. He is Xayide's spy, who encourages Bastian to use up his memories wishing, but later has a change of heart. In the book, there is a species called Nimblies, who are rabbit-like creatures with feathers instead of fur.
Querquobad, the Silver Sage (Quérquobad der Silbergreis) - The ruler of the silver ship city of Amarganth, which was built by the Acharis and swims on a lake made by their tears.
The Shadow Goblin - A character in the animated series who is a master thief of Fantasia along with his flying rat henchman Vermin. The Shadow Goblin and Vermin want nothing more than to become the richest people in Fantasia, although Vermin usually only cares about food. Vermin's job is to spy all over Fantasia for something worth stealing, and the Shadow Goblin is the one who steals it.
Shexper/Shakespeare - Mentioned in Chapter XVIII (18) when Hykrion, Hysbald, and Hydorn sing a song ("When that I was a little tiny boy, With Hey, Ho, the wind and the rain..."). They mention that that song was sung by one called "Shexper", which is a mispronunciation of the name "Shakespeare", which alludes to the possibility that the real Shakespeare once visited Fantasia the same way Bastian did.
Threehead: A three-headed knight who is Xayide's servant in the animated series. Each head represents a part Threehead's personality and pop up depending on his mood. The blue-haired head is his happiness and loyalty, the red-haired head is his sadness and fear, while the green-haired head is his anger and pure evil. This character is based on a figure from the novel named Four-Quarters Troll (Vier-Vierteltroll) or Temperamentling, who becomes a member of Bastian's entourage.
Yikka (Jicha) - A female mule who acts as Bastian's steed during the second half of the novel. She is quite faithful to him, but under Xayide's influence Bastian allows her to leave his side to start a family with an attractive male pegasus.
Yor - The picture miner of Yor's Minroud, a mine from which he excavates dream pictures (which make up the soil of Fantastica), who helps Bastian find his lost dream.

text: Fantasian creatures[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2012)

text: The following are a list of creatures featured in the different media appearances of "The Neverending Story":

text:
Acharis (Acharai) - The Acharis are a race of worm-like creatures so ashamed by their own ugliness that they hide underground and constantly cry. Their acidic tears eat away the soil around them, allowing them to mine Fantastican silver (the only element which is impervious to their tears), which they use to construct beautiful buildings. Bastian pities them and transforms them into the Shlamoofs (Schlamuffen): anarchist, clown-faced flying creatures who destroy all of the work they did as Acharis. They pursue Bastian and demand that he becomes their leader, but they are driven off by Atreyu and Falkor — unfortunately too late before their screaming destroys the fragile picture of his father that Bastian previously excavated from Yor's Minroud.
Four Winds Giants - Four giants who guard the winds of Fantastica. They constantly fight with each other, which causes the separation of Atreyu and Falkor in the novel. The four of them by name are: Lirr, the black North Wind, Sheerek (compare with sirocco), the sulfur-yellow South Wind, Baureo (compare with Boreas), the leaden-gray East Wind, and Mayestril (compare with mistral), the fiery-red West Wind. Uncharacteristically silenced by the power of the AURYN, it is through the Wind Giants that Atreyu learns that Fantastica has no boundary. In the film, they are ultimately replaced by the Nothing.
Greenskins (Grünhäute) - Also known as the Grass People (Grasleute), these are Atreyu's people, a folk of hunters and gatherers with a culture and lifestyle very similar to the North American Plain Indians. As their name implies, their skin is of an olive-green hue, and their hair is blueish-black. Their home is the Grassy Sea, a vast prairie in an undisclosed part of Fantastica bordered by the Silver Mountains range.
Iceheads (Eisbolde in German, a merging of the words "ice" and "kobold") - A race of creatures which reside in the Mountains of Fate, where the Childlike Empress encounters the Old Man of Wandering Mountain. They are described as giant humanoids covered in (or made of) ice who move so slow that a single footstep takes years to complete. As a result, they are fairly isolated even from their own kind, and more so from any other living creature in Fantastica.
Nighthobs (Nachtalb) - The Nighthobs are a race of nocturnal humanoids that live in the southern regions of Fantastica. They have sharp features, wild hair, and wear drab clothing. Nighthobs are known to employ large bats that they fly much like a hang glider. The most notable of the Nighthobs was Vooshvazool, who was sent on the mission to the Ivory Tower.
Rockbiters (Felsenbeißer) - The Rockbiters (or Rockchewers in the book) are large rock creatures that eat rocks and delight in different geological varieties. Rockbiters are often seen riding stone bicycles. Despite their gargantuan size and intimidating appearance, Rockbiters are generally kind and concerned with the well-being of Fantasticans smaller than themselves.
Sassafranians (Sassafranier) - A race of human-like people from the novel who are born elderly. Their physical age regresses as they advance in years, and they die when they reach infancy state.
Tinys (Winzlinge) - A race of tiny people that ride on Racing Snails. They are quite sophisticated, but due to their size they live in trees, erecting entire villages whose dwellings are connected by a huge number of ladders, slides and stairways.
Unlucky the Rabbit (Unlucky the Rabbit) - Large rabbits that are often victims of Rock Biter's bikes. These are original characters from the third film.
Yskálnari - A race of humanoid people living at the edge of a sea of mist, which can be navigated only by boats fashioned from special reeds, which are propelled by willpower (achieved by the Yskálnari through ritual singing). Commonly also called Mist Sailors, their name actually means The Conjoined Ones (Die Gemeinsamen). While Bastian joins them for a while during his quest for the Waters of Life, he discovers that the Yskálnari have no concept of individualism. In the animated series, the Yskálnari are depicted as identical-looking seal-like humanoids manning conventional wooden ships which can navigate the Mist Sea.

text: The following creatures appear in the first film in the Childlike Empress' throne room and are unnamed[2]:

text:
Big-Headed Rock Creatures - A race of creatures made of rock that have big heads that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Bird Humans - A race of bird-headed humans that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Elephant-Headed Creature - A humanoid elephant that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Four-Faced People - A race of humans who have four faces. They are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Monkey-Headed Creature - A creature with a monkey head that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Palm-Topped Creatures - A race of humanoids with palm tree-like growths on top of their heads that are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Three-Headed Creature - A creature that has an unspecified head, a wolf head, and a goat head that is present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.
Two-Faced People - A race of humans with two faces that have two noses, two mouths, and three eyes. They are present when Cairon mentions the Childlike Empress' illness.


document_title: Sarah Platt

question_text: who is sarah's baby's dad in corrie

question_tokens: who is sarah 's baby 's dad in corrie

root

text: Sarah Platt

text: Storylines[edit]

text: Sarah is born prematurely in February 1987 and questions are raised about her paternity, due to Gail's affair with Brian's cousin, Ian Latimer (Michael Loney) and Brian rejects Sarah, believing she was not his daughter; until a blood test reveals otherwise. Her birth reunited Gail and Brian after their divorce, however, Brian dies in February 1989 after being stabbed by a group of thugs. Gail then started a relationship with Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), they had David together on Christmas Day 1990 and later married. Brian's mother, Ivy Tilsley (Lynne Perrie), tried to fight against Martin adopting Nick and Sarah as their names would change from Tilsley to Platt. Despite trying to fight the adoption, Nick and Sarah were allowed to be adopted.

tag: p

text: Sarah befriends Candice Stowe (Nikki Sanderson). After her 13th birthday in February 2000, Sarah discovers she is five months pregnant. Her daughter Bethany Platt is born in June 2000. Bethany's father, Neil Fearns (Paul Holowaty), has no interest in Bethany but when Neil dies in a car crash in September 2003, Sarah takes Bethany to his funeral and makes friends with Neil's mother, Brenda Fearns (Julia Deakin), this nearly leads to Bethany's death, when Brenda tries to commit suicide with Bethany, fearing that Bethany is being raised in a house of sin; Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire), however, finds them and stops Brenda before harm is done.

text: Sarah becomes rebellious, splitting from her boyfriend Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) and moving on to Aiden Critchley (Dean Ashton), who takes her joyriding and crashes the car, leaving Sarah with severe head injuries. She survives and dumps Aiden, disgusted that he had left her for dead in the wreckage. Sarah reconciles with Todd and they move into the flat over the bookies, causing problems between Gail and Sarah, particularly when Sarah tells her that she is pregnant, in late 2003. She is unsure about having the baby but Todd convinces her to go ahead and they get engaged, despite their families' disapproval. However, Sarah is unaware that Todd is struggling with his emerging homosexual feelings and begins an affair with Karl Foster (Chris Finch). When Sarah finds out in May 2004, she dumps him and suffers a placental abruption shortly afterwards. She has to have an emergency caesarean and her baby son, Billy, dies soon in June 2004. Sarah blames Todd and refuses to allow him to attend their son's funeral but Todd ignores her and goes regardless.

text: Sarah dates Scooter Makuna (Sushil Chudasama) before embarking on a more serious relationship with Todd's brother, Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas), destroying his relationship with Violet Wilson (Jenny Platt). Sarah and Jason get engaged, but once again, their families oppose the marriage. Jason gets cold feet on their wedding day and jilts her at the altar; it takes Sarah time to forgive him but they eventually reconcile and the wedding is re-organized.

text: Sarah's relationship with David is strained, when Bethany takes an ecstasy pill that David had hidden in one of her dolls, and nearly dies and Sarah forbids David from attending her wedding while Gail kicks him out. The pair continue to bicker continuously at each other up until Sarah's wedding day in October 2007, when he attempts to "kill himself." The police interrupt the ceremony to inform the Platt family of the attempted suicide; Sarah marries Jason regardless knowing it's just a sick stunt to ruin her wedding. Shortly after, Gail's brother Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) visits and offers David a job in Milan. Jealous, Sarah sabotages this by planting drugs on him so Stephen withdraws the offer and offers it to Sarah instead. She accepts and she, Jason and Bethany leave for the airport to fly to Milan. However, at Manchester Piccadilly, Sarah tells Jason that she planted the drugs on David. Disgusted, he walks away, leaving Sarah to fly to Milan alone with Bethany in December 2007.[3]

text: Bethany (now played by Lucy Fallon) returns to Weatherfield in March 2015, without Sarah's permission.[4] A furious Sarah soon follows to take her back to Milan but Bethany refuses to leave and eventually, after losing her job, Sarah announces that they are moving back to Weatherfield. Sarah begins a relationship with Callum Logan (Sean Ward), a drug dealer who is in the middle of a custody battle with David over his son and David's stepson Max Turner (Harry McDermott). In August 2015, Sarah breaks up with Callum when she learns of his true colours following a gun being found in Max's bedroom. She tells the police about the gun but he isn't charged; Callum swears revenge on the Platt family. Callum later tells David and his wife and Max's mother Kylie Platt (Paula Lane) that in exchange for £20,000 he will be out of their lives forever. In September 2015, Callum turns up at the Platt house where he takes Sarah hostage and when she tries to escape he attacks and attempts to rape her but is stopped when Kylie arrives and hits him over the head, killing him. Sarah is left in shock and is forced to help cover up his murder.

text: Callum's murder leaves Sarah traumatised.[5] In December 2015, Sarah drunkenly stumbles into the street and is hit by a van. She is taken to hospital, where she discovers she is four months pregnant with Callum's baby.[6] She decides to have an abortion but Kylie later talks her out of it. In March 2016, Sarah later goes into labour five weeks early and gives birth to a son who she names Harry Platt. Sarah becomes paranoid, thinking Harry can sense Callum's presence. Following the discovery of Callum's body under the floor in the Platt household in May 2016, Sarah confesses to Todd that she knows how Callum died. Todd then comes up with a plan to blame Callum's murder on Jason's deceased father Tony Stewart (Terrance Maynard). Sarah later becomes increasingly disturbed, thinking Callum is still alive and planning to kill her. She is taken to a psychiatric unit in June 2016 and diagnosed with postpartum psychosis. In July 2016, Kylie dies after being stabbed by Clayton Hibbs (Callum Harrison) and David and Bethany visit Sarah to tell her what happened. Sarah is discharged from the psychiatric unit and returns home. At Kylie's funeral in August 2016, Todd confronts David, believing he is Callum's killer however Sarah admits that it was Kylie who killed him. Sarah begs Todd not to tell anyone and Todd agrees.  Sarah starts a relationship with Gary Windass (Mikey North) after he helps Bethany who is experiencing school bullying. In October 2016, Gary ends the relationship when he discovers David was behind a crash and street explosion which caused his mother Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) to suffer serious burn injures and that Sarah was covering for David. They get back together however Sarah ends it when she discovers Bethany has a crush on him. In December 2016, Bethany overdoses on exercise pills but recovers and encourages Sarah to get back together with Gary. Sarah discovers that Bethany is in a relationship with Nathan Curtis who is much older than her. Sarah doesn't approve of the relationship and takes a strong disliking to Nathan but accepts that it is Bethany's decision, taking her to the doctors for contraception. She later finds out Bethany is being groomed in May 2017 and Nathan is subsequently arrested with Bethany moving back in with Sarah.

text: In August 2017, Gary loses his job whilst Sarah wants them to move in together even though they don't have the money, however Gary tells her he has got a job in Hamburg with his father. Sarah later finds out he is lying and that he is actually going to Ukraine to help out in a security firm and putting himself at risk of being killed. Sarah breaks up with him before he leaves but after he returns they reconcile their relationship and finally look at putting a deposit on a brand new house as Gary starts earning a lot of money accepting the job he is doing. In December 2017, Sarah is left devastated when she hears Gary has been killed in an explosion in Ukraine. However, she is relieved when he returns days later alive and well and they get engaged, which then ends quickly when a furious Sarah throws out Gary having been told he had a one-night stand with Nicola Rubinstein (Nicola Thorp) and got her pregnant. In January 2018, Sarah is left reeling when she learns Bethany is a lapdancer. Sarah decides to get back with Gary in February 2018 after forgiving him for getting Nicola pregnant. In April 2018 Sarah is distraught when Gary is beaten up during the charity boxing match by David and ends up almost dead from a bleed on the brain. She is furious by his actions and disowns him. She gets engaged to Gary again in the aftermath when he awakes from his coma.

text: Creation and casting[edit]

text: The character of Sarah was created as the daughter of Brian and Gail Tilsley. The character was born on screen. Sarah was played by Lynsay King from 1987 to 1999. Lynsay's twin sister Leah, who died of cot death in 1987, alternated in the role of Sarah with Lynsay for a brief period until her death. Tina O'Brien was recast in the role in 1999. O'Brien was given the part when she was 16, playing the character who was still only 12 at the time. She left the role in 2007, but has said that she would consider returning to the role in the future.[7] O'Brien confirmed her return to the serial in October 2014, with her returning to filming in February 2015, and appearing on-screen from March 2015 onwards. Speaking about her character Sarah's future on the show with The Sun's TV Magazine in October 2015, O'Brien said: "I think there is so much more room for Sarah to develop, so I'm here for the foreseeable, as long as they want me."

text: In September 2017, two years before her 20th anniversary of first playing Sarah, O'Brien expressed her intentions to stay on the soap in the future.

text: Development[edit]

text: Teenage pregnancy[edit]

text: The character's teenage-pregnancy storyline was created to highlight the risks of teenage pregnancy. However, the storyline has been a highly controversial and discussed storyline because of the possibility that it glamorised the idea.[8] Despite this, it has been praised for its message.[9] Actress Tina O'Brien has revealed that she was "naive" over the plot at the time of filming, oblivious that it would create much controversy.[10] The storyline has been discussed in Television and criticism published by Intellect Books, which talked about the character and the storyline's impact.[11]

text: Internet grooming[edit]

text: In May 2001, it was revealed that Coronation Street would feature a storyline in which the issue of paedophiles "grooming" kids over the internet will be played out by Sarah. In the storyline, Sarah turns to the internet in her bedroom as a way of meeting people. While visiting chatrooms, she is befriended by a 16-year-old boy who shares her interests and sends her a photo of himself. It turns out however that it is a man posing as a 16-year-old, and when he persuades Sarah to meet him face-to-face, she finds herself in a very dangerous situation. A spokeswoman for Granada confirmed the writers would be talking to the Home Office regarding the story.[12] "We have been in touch with the Home Office," But it is very difficult at the moment with the election on and the government in purdah. We hope to work with it afterwards though." As for the reason behind the plot, the spokeswoman said they hoped to highlight the issue of internet crime, given recent publicity by the Tonight with Trevor MacDonald show and TV presenter Carol Vorderman. The show should also prove a far more effective measure in tackling concern over internet chatrooms than either the melodramatic outpourings of celebrities or the authoritarian and legislative approach of the government. "Sarah is hugely popular and a great role model for teenagers," the spokeswoman said. "No matter how many politicians talk about the problem, they will never beat a peer in getting the message across. Plus, we know that many parents and kids watch the show side by side. Hopefully, we will spark some debate and then we would have done a good public service." It's hard to argue with that logic. However, while the show should do more to make kids aware of the potential dangers of chatrooms, we remain concerned that it could also be used to kick up a storm that will see unnecessary and draconian legislation pushed through on a wave of public worry.[13]

text: Relationship with Todd Grimshaw[edit]

text: Sarah begins a relationship with Todd Grimshaw portrayed by Bruno Langley after he ends his relationship with Sarah's best friend Candice Stowe portrayed by Nikki Sanderson.[14] Sarah later ends their relationship because she wants to date Ade Critchley (Dean Ashton). O'Brien and Langley were in a relationship and she told Frances Traynor from the Daily Record that acting out their break-up was not strange.[15]

text: Todd then resumes his previous relationship with Candice.[16] But Sarah soon returns to Todd. She decides to sleep with Todd on her sixteenth birthday. The storyline was controversial and nine viewers contacted the Independent Television Commission. The organisation investigated the scenes and cleared Coronation Street of breaching guidelines. They praised them for building a relationship between the two characters and viewed it as a mature decision.[17] O'Brien told Steve Hendry from the Sunday Mail that Sarah is "a bit dependent on Todd".[18] In June 2003, Alex Tate from The People reported that Sarah-Louise would dump Todd. Sarah fears that she and Bethany are preventing Todd from succeeding at Oxford University.[19] But Sarah and Todd move into a flat together. Sarah's daughter Bethany Platt (Amy and Emily Walton) electrocutes herself and Todd finds her unconscious. The accident prompts Gail Platt (Helen Worth) to involve the social services.[18]

text: In March 2003, Polly Graham from the Sunday Mirror reported that executive producer Kieran Roberts wanted Todd to become the show's first gay character. The show confirmed that had discussed the possibility but nothing has been decided upon.[20] On 22 August 2003, it was reported that Todd would befriend Sarah's brother, Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickett) and kiss him. But he does not reciprocate. A show spokesperson said that the storyline was a "groundbreaking move" and predicted a varied and "huge reaction" from viewers.[21] Emily Smith from The Sun reported that Todd would kiss Karl Foster (Chris Finch) and begin an affair. A spokesperson added that it was the beginning of Todd's realisation about his sexuality. While kissing Karl; Todd sees Sarah approaching and is "mortified", but she fails to notice Todd and Karl's kiss.[22]

text: The storyline sparks a fight between Sarah's mum Gail and Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) Eileen and Gail. Gail brands Todd a "two-timing, twisted, lying pervert" and the two proceed to pull each other's hair out in the street.[23]

text: Relationship with Jason Grimshaw[edit]

text: In late 2005, Sarah began dating Jason Grimshaw portrayed by Ryan Thomas, they had an on off relationship and were due to marry in 2006. Speaking of the storyline Ryan Thomas said: "Jason was thinking about getting married in four years rather than four months. It was just a gesture, and that’s all he wanted it to be. He thought they would just get engaged and they didn’t have to get married for ages yet. It was more of a stepping stone for him. It has come round quickly for Jason, and he is sort of being pushed into it. He doesn’t want to lose Sarah so he is going along with it because he does actually love her." Asked if Jason would settle down Thomas also said: "He's had a bit of a past and he's a bit of a Jack The Lad around Charlie but on this occasion, for once, he's actually showing some grown-up qualities and, when faced with the prospect of losing Sarah, he chose to bite the bullet. There's no grey area with Jason because there's not that much grey matter! Everything's in black and white. It's either marry Sarah and keep her or don't marry Sarah and lose her forever." Speaking about if Jason will also be able to handle Bethany, Thomas said: "He certainly will – he pulls her to one side during the ceremony and makes her a pledge. He realises he can't have Sarah without Beth – they come as a package." The storyline resulted in Jason leaving Sarah and also resulted in Sarah leaving the street for a new life abroad with Beth.[24]

text: Departure[edit]

text: In April 2007, it was announced that Tina O'Brien had quit her role as Sarah.[25] Speaking of her reason for her quitting O'Brien said: "This has been an extremely difficult decision to make. I love playing Sarah and have had an amazing seven-and-a-half years in Coronation Street. But I feel that the time has come to see what else is out there for me as an actress". She also thanked the producers and the writers for giving her fantastic storylines during her stint on the show. She also revealed that she will miss everyone. Producer Steve Frost commented on her departure: "Tina is a fabulous actress and we will be sorry to see her go. However, we fully understand her ambition and desire to play other roles". O'Brien's final scenes aired on 30 December 2007.[26] Sarah's voice was heard on Jason's phone on episodes broadcast on 4 and 6 January 2008. In February 2011, O'Brien revealed that leaving Coronation Street was the right decision, she went on to say: "Leaving Corrie was the hardest decision I ever made, but it was the right one," she said. "I'm really glad I've had the opportunity to do different things. I still watch the show occasionally and get sucked in instantly".[1] O'Brien later reflected on her decision to leave, saying: "I was very young when I started. If I’d have stayed much longer I wouldn’t have had the confidence to ever go," she explained. "At Coronation Street, you are protected – it’s very much a bubble. That’s lovely, but I’d never been a jobbing actress and I really needed that."[27]

text: In March 2008, it was reported that O'Brien was "seriously" considering a return to the soap just three months after leaving as she "struggled" to find acting work since an appearance in a Christmas pantomime.[28] Ryan Thomas, who was O'Brien's boyfriend at the time, stated that he would "love" her to make a return to the soap so that they could work together again.[29] It was reported again in July 2009 that she was to return to the role of Sarah for an "explosive" Christmas storyline in December 2009, but O'Brien denied these rumors saying that she wasn't going to make a comeback "anytime soon".[30][31]

text: In November 2011, the Daily Star revealed that Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson was planning on bringing back O'Brien and Nikki Sanderson who played Candice Stowe between 1999 and 2005 in a bid to fill the gap left by the departures of Helen Flanagan who played Rosie Webster and Katherine Kelly who played Becky McDonald. A source told the paper: "He's aware that Sarah-Lou and Candice were hugely popular characters. He thinks it would be a ratings winner to bring them back. Losing Katherine and Helen is a big blow to the show so Phil wants to beef things up a bit with the return of a couple of big names."[2] O'Brien revealed in January 2012 that bosses had not approached her about a return to the soap.[32] O'Brien has since revealed that she is worried that another actress might take over the role of Sarah.[33] In December 2012, a reporter from The Sunday Mirror reported that O'Brien would reprise her role in 2013, but the actress later denied the report.[34]

text: Reintroduction[edit]

text: On 23 October 2014, it was announced that O'Brien had reprised her role and that Sarah would be returning to the show in Spring 2015. Speaking about her return, O'Brien said "I am delighted to be returning. Sarah has a lot of history and unfinished business on the street and I'm looking forward to finding out what she's been up to and why she's returned home." O'Brien returned to filming on 2 February 2015.[35] Helen Worth who plays Sarah's mum Gail Platt spoke of O'Brien's return on ITV breakfast show Good Morning Britain saying: "I am absolutely delighted. I found out yesterday for sure and I can't wait to welcome her back."[36]

text: Discussing in an interview with Digital Spy about how she felt about being back on the show, O'Brien said: "It's lovely. I thought I was going to walk in and feel very much like the new girl, but actually I did a scene in the Platts' the other day and it was strangely normal, almost like someone was going to pinch me and say, 'You've been in a coma for seven years!' It was really odd, but nice." Asked how the return came about, she replied: "Well, I had been to see [Coronation Street producer] Stuart [Blackburn] and we had some chats, but then I was in the process of having a baby so it was slightly put on hold. After I had Beau, it was then brought up again and I said, 'Oh yes, I'd love to'. It was nice actually, as it meant that I could have this really precious time with my little boy but I also knew that I was going back to something as well. There are things Sarah hasn't finished with David, Jason, her mum - and obviously now this whole new dynamic of Bethany. It's so exciting to be part of the Platts, so I jumped at the chance."[37] O'Brien revealed that she was nervous about returning after being away from the serial for several years: "I was really nervous as it has been so long, but the second the scripts came through, it was really quick. When I did the scenes with Jack [P Shepherd, who plays David] and Helen [Worth, who plays Gail] and everyone, it was really nice. Sarah has got a little bit older and wiser during her time away. She has mellowed, but she's still very outspoken. I think she thinks Weatherfield is a little bit beneath her. She struts back in, she's been working in fashion, she sees David and she is like, 'Oh my gosh, you are still living with your mum'. There is still a soft side of her and you see some really nice scenes with her daughter."

text: With the announcement of Sarah's return soon came the announcement of her daughter Bethany's return with Katie Redford being cast in the role. Speaking of the announcement Redford said: "Until I'm actually on set, I genuinely don't think it will sink in that I'm joining the cast of Coronation Street. I know it sounds clichéd but it really feels like a dream come true. Bethany Platt is going to be such a fun and witty character to play and I hope everyone enjoys her return as much as I'm going to!"[38] It was later revealed that Redford would be replaced in the role of Bethany with Lucy Fallon taking over the role. Speaking of her casting, Fallon commented: "Walking onto the set was surreal and nerve wracking, but everyone has been really welcoming and I am thrilled to have been given this great opportunity." Bethany made her return on screen on 20 March 2015, while Sarah made her return on 30 March 2015.[39]

text: The Platts vs Callum Logan[edit]

text: In February 2015, producer Stuart Blackburn revealed that Sarah would embark on a relationship with Callum Logan, portrayed by Sean Ward, who is the ex-boyfriend of David's wife, Kylie Platt, portrayed by Paula Lane, and an enemy of David's. "David's got massive problems, because over the weeks Callum's taken a real liking to Max and Max is actually his biological son," Blackburn told ITV. "And he's got almost as many rights to Max as David does. On the seemingly good news front is the return of Bethany and Sarah, but very quickly Callum takes a real liking to Sarah. It's a liking that is returned, so huge problems for David!"[40] Speaking to Digital Spy at the TRIC Awards, Ward said of the storyline: "It's quite exciting. That's the Coronation Street I remember with Sarah-Lou in it. For her to be back in it now and me to be dating her is a bit crazy for me, but very enjoyable. Tina is so professional. She said she was nervous for the first scene, and then it's like she's never been away. And I think that's because of the family that we are on Coronation Street, that I've been accepted into. It is just so easy to slip back into it." Asked whether Callum's interest in Sarah-Lou is really genuine, he replied: "Half and half. I mean there's the element that it's David's sister and that's going to help Callum's way on the street, but she's very feisty and he needs someone to match him, and I think Sarah-Lou is the girl to do that."[41] Speaking of the storyline in an interview O'Brien said: "I think it will be interesting to see a more daring side to Sarah. Because she had a baby quite young, she had to be more responsible back then. It's really nice to be working with Sean Ward. I'm sure people think it's funny that the second she walks in, she hooks up with the guy who will cause most problems with the family. "To begin with she isn't interested in Callum at all. It's only because David really gives her a hard time that it almost pushes her towards Callum. She even says, 'Don't tell me what to do or else I will do the opposite' because David is like 'You stay away'. She was going to stay away but David's attitude changes her mind!" Speaking of what Kylie's reaction to the Sarah and Callum relationship O'Brien said: "I don't know how Kylie is going to feel about the whole Callum situation. I think Sarah might be burning her bridges there. When Kylie comes back, they are an item. Can you imagine? 'Hi, happy maternity, I am with your ex!'"[42] O'Brien revealed that Sarah would continue to see Callum following their relationship being exposed, She said: "I think that's what she is hoping for! In her head she thinks they could play happy families - she's ten steps ahead! She's really torn. I don't think Sarah actually harbours bad feelings towards her brother anymore so it's difficult. She does say to Callum at one point that he's won and her brother has lost, so she does show Callum support. But I think she's trying to be neutral for David too."[43] Sarah and Callum later break up and Sarah is furious to discover that Bethany has been delivering drugs on Callum's behalf.[44] Sarah also later joins sides with David and Kylie following Callum threatening her and beating up her ex-boyfriend Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas).[45]

text: Callum's murder and cover-up[edit]

text: Coronation Street aired a special live episode to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of ITV. In the episode Callum and Sarah argue inside the Platt's home. Callum attacks Sarah, overpowers her and threatens her life. Kylie Platt (Paula Lane) walks in on the struggle and hits Callum over the head with a wrench.[46] Her actions left Callum bloody and dead on her kitchen floor. The live episode concluded with David returning home to the fatal scene. He decides to help Kylie and Sarah to conceal Callum's murder. He wraps the body up and puts him down a manhole in their garage.[46] The following episode features the trio plotting to dispose of Callum's body in a public space. An ongoing conversion of the garage in a bedroom extension poses a problem and they need to move quickly. But a series of events ruin their plans.[47] Kylie and David are physically sick when they first try to remove the body from the man hole. They are later interrupted by a visit from the police who investigate Callum's abandoned car. Gail then hires Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) to cover the manhole up with concrete, unaware Callum is concealed inside.[47]

text: The show planned a dramatic stunt which would lead to the discovery of Callum's corpse. The scene featured Carla Connor (Alison King) causing a car accident, colliding with Tyrone Dobbs' (Alan Halsall) truck which crashes into the Platts' home. This causes the floor to give way and a recovery team unearthing Callum's body.[48] Producers decided to conclude the story without Kylie being held accountable for the murder. Instead they used a character that had been recently killed-off, Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard), who had publicly feuded with Callum. When Sarah confesses the truth to Todd, he decides to frame Tony for the crime - a scheme which proved successful.[49]

text: Pregnancy and postpartum psychosis[edit]

text: On 15 October 2015, it was reported that there would be a shock twist in the recent Callum murder storyline with Sarah finding out she is pregnant with his baby. An ITV insider reportedly said: "It is a great twist by Corrie bosses. Sarah will be left with a heartbreaking dilemma about whether or not to keep evil Callum's baby. The decision threatens to tear the Platt family apart as they are already struggling to cope with keeping Callum's death a secret and now have this bombshell."[50] Speaking about discovering her character was pregnant with Callum's baby, O'Brien said: "I literally gasped. Then I shuddered at the thought of being 'pregnant' again, and when I was expecting my second child Beau, I was just massive and uncomfortable towards the end."[51]

text: Speaking of Sarah's reaction to the pregnancy O'Brien said: "She's absolutely stunned, "One she's been checked after being run over, the doctor tells her she’s absolutely fine – and so is her baby! She obviously knows that the baby is Callum's. Sarah's devastated and she feels so shocked and foolish. It's horrendous for her." O'Brien went on to say: "She's completely torn. Keeping the baby will mean having a reminder of Callum with her every day and having to live with what's happened even more than she already has to. Sarah would have to lie to her child for its entire life and she wonders whether she would be able to do that." David's wife, Kylie, later finds out about the pregnancy, and O'Brien said "Kylie finds out because Sarah is acting really shifty. She's making secret phone calls to the clinic because she's unsure about what to do. And that’s how Kylie finds out. Weirdly, it's Kylie who's been on Sarah's side more than David. So I think Kylie will prove to be a support network for Sarah."[52]

text: Following Sarah giving birth to a baby boy named Harry, it was revealed that Sarah would talk to Callum's dead body as her anxiety increases. Sarah attempts to seek help by confiding in Kylie that she can't bear to be in the same house as Callum's corpse and can't stop thinking about him. Sarah later carries Harry into the annexe where she talks to Callum's corpse. O'Brien responded to the criticisms that Coronation Street has been copying EastEnders with soap fans noting the similarities to Stacey Branning's (Lacey Turner) postpartum psychosis storyline. On the comparisons, she told the Daily Star Sunday: "It's a shame. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't. Lacey Turner is a fantastic actress. But this is very different. Stacey's got bipolar, whereas Sarah's psychosis is centred around Callum. There were thoughts about her having post-traumatic stress disorder. But because she's had a baby and because she's got the trauma of what's gone on with Callum, it will be classed as post-natal psychosis." O'Brien also noted that the storyline has been "the hardest thing I've ever done" and she's felt a huge responsibility to get it right.[53]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Sarah's underage pregnancy storyline was praised by the UK government, public health minister Yvette Cooper said the show should be applauded for raising the issue in front of a mass audience.[54]

text: For her portrayal of Sarah, O'Brien was nominated in the category of "Most Popular Newcomer" at the National Television Awards in 2000.[55] She was nominated for "Best Actress" at the 2005 British Soap Awards.[56] O'Brien was also nominated for "Best Actress" at the 2016 Inside Soap Awards. Her portrayal of Sarah in her psychosis storyline earned her the award for "Best Performance in a Continuing Drama" at the RTS North West Awards 2016.[57] O'Brien stated that she was "proud" to win the award, with her colleague Jane Danson, who was also nominated for the award, congratulating her on the win.[57]


document_title: Lens (anatomy)

question_text: how does the lens of the eye change shape

text: Lens (anatomy)

text: Structure[edit]

text: The lens is part of the anterior segment of the human eye. In front of the lens is the iris, which regulates the amount of light entering into the eye. The lens is suspended in place by the suspensory ligament of the lens, a ring of fibrous tissue that attaches to the lens at its equator[1][2] and connects it to the ciliary body. Posterior to the lens is the vitreous body, which, along with the aqueous humor on the anterior surface, bathes the lens. The lens has an ellipsoid, biconvex shape. The anterior surface is less curved than the posterior. In the adult, the lens is typically circa 10 mm in diameter and has an axial length of about 4 mm, though it is important to note that the size and shape can change due to accommodation and because the lens continues to grow throughout a person's lifetime.[3]

text: Histology[edit]

text: The lens has three main parts: the lens capsule, the lens epithelium, and the lens fibers. The lens capsule forms the outermost layer of the lens and the lens fibers form the bulk of the interior of the lens. The cells of the lens epithelium, located between the lens capsule and the outermost layer of lens fibers, are found only on the anterior side of the lens. The lens itself lacks nerves, blood vessels, or connective tissue.[4]

text: Lens capsule[edit]

text: The lens capsule is a smooth, transparent basement membrane that completely surrounds the lens. The capsule is elastic and is composed of collagen. It is synthesized by the lens epithelium and its main components are Type IV collagen and sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).[3] The capsule is very elastic and so allows the lens to assume a more globular shape when not under the tension of the zonular fibers, which connect the lens capsule to the ciliary body. The capsule varies from 2 to 28 micrometres in thickness, being thickest near the equator and thinnest near the posterior pole.[3]

text: Lens epithelium[edit]

text: The lens epithelium, located in the anterior portion of the lens between the lens capsule and the lens fibers, is a simple cuboidal epithelium.[3] The cells of the lens epithelium regulate most of the homeostatic functions of the lens.[5] As ions, nutrients, and liquid enter the lens from the aqueous humor, Na+/K+-ATPase pumps in the lens epithelial cells pump ions out of the lens to maintain appropriate lens osmotic concentration and volume, with equatorially positioned lens epithelium cells contributing most to this current. The activity of the Na+/K+-ATPases keeps water and current flowing through the lens from the poles and exiting through the equatorial regions.

text: The cells of the lens epithelium also serve as the progenitors for new lens fibers. It constantly lays down fibers in the embryo, fetus, infant, and adult, and continues to lay down fibers for lifelong growth.[6]

text: Lens fibers[edit]

text: The lens fibers form the bulk of the lens. They are long, thin, transparent cells, firmly packed, with diameters typically 4–7 micrometres and lengths of up to 12 mm long.[3] The lens fibers stretch lengthwise from the posterior to the anterior poles and, when cut horizontally, are arranged in concentric layers rather like the layers of an onion. If cut along the equator, it appears as a honeycomb. The middle of each fiber lies on the equator.[6] These tightly packed layers of lens fibers are referred to as laminae. The lens fibers are linked together via gap junctions and interdigitations of the cells that resemble "ball and socket" forms.

text: The lens is split into regions depending on the age of the lens fibers of a particular layer. Moving outwards from the central, oldest layer, the lens is split into an embryonic nucleus, the fetal nucleus, the adult nucleus, and the outer cortex. New lens fibers, generated from the lens epithelium, are added to the outer cortex. Mature lens fibers have no organelles or nuclei.

text: Development[edit]

text: Development of the human lens begins at the 4 mm embryonic stage. Unlike the rest of the eye, which is derived mostly from the neural ectoderm, the lens is derived from the surface ectoderm. The first stage of lens differentiation takes place when the optic vesicle, which is formed from outpocketings in the neural ectoderm, comes in proximity to the surface ectoderm. The optic vesicle induces nearby surface ectoderm to form the lens placode. At the 4 mm stage, the lens placode is a single monolayer of columnar cells.

text: As development progresses, the lens placode begins to deepen and invaginate. As the placode continues to deepen, the opening to the surface ectoderm constricts and the lens cells forms a structure known as the lens vesicle. By the 10 mm stage, the lens vesicle has completely separated from the surface ectoderm.

text: After the 10 mm stage, signals from the developing neural retina induces the cells closest to the posterior end of the lens vesicle begin to elongate toward the anterior end of the vesicle.[7] These signals also induce the synthesis of crystallins.[7] These elongating cells eventually fill in the lumen of the vesicle to form the primary fibers, which become the embryonic nucleus in the mature lens. The cells of the anterior portion of the lens vesicle give rise to the lens epithelium.

text: Additional secondary fibers are derived from lens epithelial cells located toward the equatorial region of the lens. These cells lengthen anteriorly and posteriorly to encircle the primary fibers. The new fibers grow longer than those of the primary layer, but as the lens gets larger, the ends of the newer fibers cannot reach the posterior or anterior poles of the lens. The lens fibers that do not reach the poles form tight, interdigitating seams with neighboring fibers. These seams are readily visible and are termed sutures. The suture patterns become more complex as more layers of lens fibers are added to the outer portion of the lens.

text: The lens continues to grow after birth, with the new secondary fibers being added as outer layers. New lens fibers are generated from the equatorial cells of the lens epithelium, in a region referred to as the germinative zone. The lens epithelial cells elongate, lose contact with the capsule and epithelium, synthesize crystallin, and then finally lose their nuclei (enucleate) as they become mature lens fibers. From development through early adulthood, the addition of secondary lens fibers results in the lens growing more ellipsoid in shape; after about age 20, however, the lens grows rounder with time and the iris is very important for this development[3]

text: Several proteins control the embryonic development of the lens: among these, primarily, PAX6, considered the master regulator gene of this organ[8]. Other effectors of proper lens development include the Wnt signaling components BCL9 and Pygo2.[9]

text: Variation[edit]

text: In many aquatic vertebrates, the lens is considerably thicker, almost spherical, to increase the refraction. This difference compensates for the smaller angle of refraction between the eye's cornea and the watery medium, as they have similar refractive indices.[10] Even among terrestrial animals, however, the lens of primates such as humans is unusually flat.[11]

text: In reptiles and birds, the ciliary body touches the lens with a number of pads on its inner surface, in addition to the zonular fibres. These pads compress and release the lens to modify its shape while focusing on objects at different distances; the zonular fibres perform this function in mammals. In fish and amphibians, the lens is fixed in shape, and focusing is instead achieved by moving the lens forwards or backwards within the eye.[11]

text: In cartilaginous fish, the zonular fibres are replaced by a membrane, including a small muscle at the underside of the lens. This muscle pulls the lens forward from its relaxed position when focusing on nearby objects. In teleosts, by contrast, a muscle projects from a vascular structure in the floor of the eye, called the falciform process, and serves to pull the lens backwards from the relaxed position to focus on distant objects. While amphibians move the lens forward, as do cartilaginous fish, the muscles involved are not homologous with those of either type of fish. In frogs, there are two muscles, one above and one below the lens, while other amphibians have only the lower muscle.[11]

text: In the most primitive vertebrates, the lampreys and hagfish, the lens is not attached to the outer surface of the eyeball at all. There is no aqueous humor in these fish, and the vitreous body simply presses the lens against the surface of the cornea. To focus its eyes, a lamprey flattens the cornea using muscles outside of the eye and pushes the lens backwards.[11]

text: Function[edit]

text: Accommodation[edit]

text: The lens is flexible and its curvature is controlled by ciliary muscles through the zonules. By changing the curvature of the lens, one can focus the eye on objects at different distances from it. This process is called accommodation. At short focal distance the ciliary muscle contracts, zonule fibers loosen, and the lens thickens, resulting in a rounder shape and thus high refractive power. Changing focus to an object at a greater distance requires the relaxation of the lens and thus increasing the focal distance.

text: The refractive index of human lens varies from approximately 1.406 in the central layers down to 1.386 in less dense layers of the lens.[12] This index gradient enhances the optical power of the lens.

text: Aquatic animals must rely entirely on their lens for both focusing and to provide almost the entire refractive power of the eye as the water-cornea interface does not have a large enough difference in indices of refraction to provide significant refractive power. As such, lenses in aquatic eyes tend to be much rounder and harder.

text: Crystallins and transparency[edit]

text: Crystallins are water-soluble proteins that compose over 90% of the protein within the lens.[13] The three main crystallin types found in the human eye are α-, β-, and γ-crystallins. Crystallins tend to form soluble, high-molecular weight aggregates that pack tightly in lens fibers, thus increasing the index of refraction of the lens while maintaining its transparency. β and γ crystallins are found primarily in the lens, while subunits of α -crystallin have been isolated from other parts of the eye and the body. α-crystallin proteins belong to a larger superfamily of molecular chaperone proteins, and so it is believed that the crystallin proteins were evolutionarily recruited from chaperone proteins for optical purposes.[14] The chaperone functions of α-crystallin may also help maintain the lens proteins, which must last a human for his/her entire lifetime.[14]

text: Another important factor in maintaining the transparency of the lens is the absence of light-scattering organelles such as the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria within the mature lens fibers. Lens fibers also have a very extensive cytoskeleton that maintains the precise shape and packing of the lens fibers; disruptions/mutations in certain cytoskeletal elements can lead to the loss of transparency.[15]

text: The lens blocks most ultraviolet light in the wavelength range of 300–400 nm; shorter wavelengths are blocked by the cornea. High intensity ultraviolet light can harm the retina, and artificial intraocular lenses are therefore manufactured to also block ultraviolet light.[16] People lacking a lens (a condition known as aphakia) perceive ultraviolet light as whitish blue or whitish-violet.[17][18]

text: Nourishment[edit]

text: The lens is metabolically active and requires nourishment in order to maintain its growth and transparency. Compared to other tissues in the eye, however, the lens has considerably lower energy demands.[19]

text: By nine weeks into human development, the lens is surrounded and nourished by a net of vessels, the tunica vasculosa lentis, which is derived from the hyaloid artery.[7] Beginning in the fourth month of development, the hyaloid artery and its related vasculature begin to atrophy and completely disappear by birth.[20] In the postnatal eye, Cloquet's canal marks the former location of the hyaloid artery.

text: After regression of the hyaloid artery, the lens receives all its nourishment from the aqueous humor. Nutrients diffuse in and waste diffuses out through a constant flow of fluid from the anterior/posterior poles of the lens and out of the equatorial regions, a dynamic that is maintained by the Na+/K+-ATPase] pumps located in the equatorially positioned cells of the lens epithelium.[5]

text: Glucose is the primary energy source for the lens. As mature lens fibers do not have mitochondria, approximately 80% of the glucose is metabolized via anaerobic metabolism.[21] The remaining fraction of glucose is shunted primarily down the pentose phosphate pathway.[21] The lack of aerobic respiration means that the lens consumes very little oxygen as well.[21]

text: Clinical significance[edit]

text:
Cataracts are opacities of the lens. While some are small and do not require any treatment, others may be large enough to block light and obstruct vision. Cataracts usually develop as the aging lens becomes more and more opaque, but cataracts can also form congenitally or after injury to the lens. Nuclear sclerosis is a type of age-related cataract. Diabetes is another risk factor for cataract. Cataract surgery involves the removal of the lens and insertion of an artificial intraocular lens.
Presbyopia is the age-related loss of accommodation, which is marked by the inability of the eye to focus on nearby objects. The exact mechanism is still unknown, but age-related changes in the hardness, shape, and size of the lens have all been linked to the condition.
Ectopia lentis is the displacement of the lens from its normal position.
Aphakia is the absence of the lens from the eye. Aphakia can be the result of surgery or injury, or it can be congenital.

tag: ul

text: Additional images[edit]

text:
MRI scan of human eye showing lens.

Interior of anterior chamber of eye.

The crystalline lens, hardened and divided.

Section through the margin of the lens, showing the transition of the epithelium into the lens fibers.

The structures of the eye labeled

Another view of the eye and the structures of the eye labeled

This svg file was configured so that the rays, diaphragm and crystalline lens are easily modified[22]


document_title: Blood and Iron (speech)

question_text: what was the meaning of bismarck blood and iron

text: Blood and Iron (speech)

text: Blood and Iron (German: Blut und Eisen) is the name given to a speech made by Otto von Bismarck given on 30 September 1862, at the time when he was Minister President of Prussia, about the unification of the German territories. It is also a transposed phrase that Bismarck uttered near the end of the speech that has become one of his most widely known quotations.

text: In September 1862, when the Prussian House of Representatives was refusing to approve an increase in military spending desired by King Wilhelm I, the monarch appointed Bismarck Minister President and Foreign Minister. A few days later, Bismarck appeared before the House's Budget Committee and stressed the need for military preparedness to solve the German Question. He concluded his speech with the following statement:[1] "The position of Prussia in Germany will not be determined by its liberalism but by its power [...] Prussia must concentrate its strength and hold it for the favorable moment, which has already come and gone several times. Since the treaties of Vienna, our frontiers have been ill-designed for a healthy body politic. Not through speeches and majority decisions will the great questions of the day be decided—that was the great mistake of 1848 and 1849—but by iron and blood (Eisen und Blut)." This phrase, relying on a patriotic poem written by Max von Schenkendorf during the Napoleonic Wars, was popularized as the more euphonious Blut und Eisen ("Blood and Iron"), and became symbolic of Bismarckian Machtpolitik ("Power politics").

text: Although Bismarck was an outstanding diplomat, the phrase "blood and iron" has become a popular description of his foreign policy partly because he did on occasion resort to war to further the unification of Germany and the expansion of its continental power. Therefore he became known as "the iron chancellor."


document_title: Ouachita River

question_text: who established the first colonial settlement along the ouachita river and what was it called

text: Ouachita River

text: Course[edit]

text: The Ouachita River begins in the Ouachita Mountains near Mena, Arkansas. It flows east into Lake Ouachita, a reservoir created by Blakely Mountain Dam. The North Fork and South Fork of the Ouachita flow into Lake Ouachita to join the main stream. Portions of the river in this region flow through the Ouachita National Forest. From the lake, the Ouachita flows south into Lake Hamilton, a reservoir created by Carpenter Dam, named after Flavius Josephus Carpenter. The city of Hot Springs lies on the north side of Lake Hamilton. Another reservoir, Lake Catherine, impounds the Ouachita just below Lake Hamilton. Below Lake Catherine, the river flows free through most of the rest of Arkansas.

text: Just below Lake Catherine, the river bends south near Malvern, and collects the Caddo River near Arkadelphia. Downstream, the Little Missouri River joins the Ouachita. After passing the city of Camden, shortly downstream from where dredging for navigational purposes begins, the river collects the waters of Smackover Creek and later the Ouachita's main tributary, the Saline River. South of the Saline, the Ouachita flows into Lake Jack Lee, a reservoir created by the Ouachita and Black River Project, just north of the Louisiana state line. The Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge encompasses the Ouachita from the Saline River to Lake Jack Lee's mouth.

text: Below Lake Jack Lee, the Ouachita continues south into Louisiana. The river flows generally south through the state, collecting the tributary waters of Bayou Bartholomew, Bayou de Loutre, Bayou d'Arbonne, the Boeuf River, and the Tensas River.

text: The Ouachita has five locks and dams along its length, located at Camden, Calion, and Felsenthal, Arkansas, and in Columbia and Jonesville, Louisiana.

text: Black River[edit]

text: The river below the junction of the Tensas is called the Black River 31°16′22″N 91°50′01″W / 31.27278°N 91.83361°W / 31.27278; -91.83361 and flows for 41.6 miles (66.9 km)[2] in Catahoula Parish and Concordia Parish until it joins the Red River, which flows into both the Atchafalaya River and the Mississippi River, via the Old River Control Structure.

text: History[edit]

text: The river is named for the Ouachita tribe, one of several historic tribes who lived along it. Others included the Caddo, Osage Nation, Tensa, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. Washita is an Indian word meaning "good hunting grounds" and "sparkling silver water."

text: Before the rise of the historic tribes, their indigenous ancestors lived along the river for thousands of years. In the Lower Mississippi Valley, they began building monumental earthwork mounds in the Middle Archaic period (6000-2000 BC in Louisiana). The earliest construction was Watson Brake, an 11-mound complex built about 3500 BC by hunter gatherers in present-day Louisiana. The discovery and dating of several such early sites in northern Louisiana has changed the traditional model, which associated mound building with sedentary, agricultural societies, but these cultures did not develop for thousands of years.

text: The largest such prehistoric mound was destroyed in the 20th century during construction of a bridge at Jonesville, Louisiana. Likely built by the Mississippian culture, which rose about 1000 AD on the Mississippi and its tributaries, this mound was reported in use as late as 1540 by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. On his expedition through this area, he encountered Indians occupying the site. A lightning strike destroyed the temple on the mound that year, which was seen as a bad omen by the tribe. They never rebuilt the temple, and were recorded as abandoning the site in 1736.

text: During the late 1700s, when the area was controlled by the Spanish and French, the river served as a route for early colonists, and for land speculators such as the self-styled Baron de Bastrop. The "Bastrop lands" later passed into the hands of another speculator, former Vice President Aaron Burr. He saw potential for big profits in the event of a war with Spain following the Louisiana Purchase. Burr and many of his associates were arrested for treason, before their band of armed settlers reached the Ouachita.

text: During the 1830s, the Ouachita River Valley attracted land speculators from New York and southeastern cities. Its rich soil and accessibility due to the country's elaborate river steamboat network made it desirable. Developers cultivated land for large cotton plantations; dependent on slave labor, cotton production supported new planter wealth in the ante-bellum years. Steamboats ran scheduled trips between Camden, Arkansas and New Orleans, for example. A person could travel from any eastern city to the Ouachita River without touching land, except to transfer from one steamboat to another.

text: One of the investors from the east was Meriwether Lewis Randolph, the youngest grandson of Thomas Jefferson. He was building a home on the Ouachita River in what is now Clark County, Arkansas, when he died of malaria in 1837. He had been appointed Secretary of the Arkansas Territory by President Andrew Jackson in 1835, and had relinquished his commission when Arkansas became a state in 1836.

text: Skirmishes took place near the Ouachita River during the American Civil War. On September 1, 1863, forces of the Seventeenth Wisconsin led by Brig. Gen. M.M. Crocker crossed from Natchez, Mississippi to Vidalia, the seat of Concordia Parish, and moved toward the lower Ouachita in the section called the Black River. That night the Confederate steamer Rinaldo was captured by Union forces after a short artillery duel and was destroyed. Crocker fought with the few troops stationed on the Black River and moved toward Harrisonburg, seat of Catahoula Parish.[3]

text: Navigation[edit]

text: A 337-mile long "Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project" began in 1902, to create a navigable waterway from Camden, Arkansas to Jonesville, Louisiana, and when completed in 1924 included six locks and dams that were 84 feet wide and 600 feet in length, having from 3 to 5 tainter gates. Including the Black River the total navigable length is 351 miles.[4]

text: Natural history[edit]

text: The river continues to be utilized for commercial navigation on a smaller scale than during its "steamboat" days. It is fed by numerous small creeks containing endemic native fish such as killifish. Fishing remains popular in the river for black bass, white bass, bream, freshwater drum, and gar. Concerns about airborne mercury contamination in some areas discourage consumption of the fish for food. Fishing for rainbow trout is popular in the tailwaters of Lakes Ouachita, Hamilton and Catherine in and around Hot Springs, Arkansas.

text: The river is commercially navigable from Camden, Arkansas, to its terminal point in Jonesville in Catahoula Parish in eastern Louisiana. Upstream of Camden, the river receives substantial recreational use.

text: The Ouachita is lined for most of its length with deep woods, including substantial wetlands. It has a scenic quality representative of the southwestern Arkansas and northern Louisiana region.

text: Lists[edit]

text: Major towns along the river are:

text:
Mena, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Malvern, Arkansas
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Camden, Arkansas
Crossett, Arkansas
Sterlington, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe, Louisiana
Columbia, Louisiana
Harrisonburg, Louisiana
Jonesville, Louisiana