The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog
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| The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog | |
|---|---|
| Format | Action-Adventure, Tokusatsu |
| Starring | Lochlainn O'Mearain Lisa Dwan Vincent Walsh Justin Pierre Kelly Campbell Charlotte Bradley Ned Dennehy Peadar Lamb Stephen Brennan Ben Palmer Shaun Elebert Enda Kilroy |
| Country of origin | United States/Ireland |
| No. of episodes | 50 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | September 1, 1998 – May 7, 1999 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog was a television series set in a fantasy version of ancient Ireland, created by Saban Entertainment of Power Rangers fame. It was loosely based on actual Irish mythology. The name derives from Tír na nÓg, one of the Otherworlds of Irish mythology. It was Saban's first fantasy series to involve knights, dragons, and wizards. It aired on the Fox Network from September 1, 1998 and ending on May 7, 1999. It was an attempt in doing an original non-Japanese special-effects series rather than adapting from actual Japanese tokusatsu.
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[edit] Plot
Queen Maeve of Temra wants to rule the land of her birth, the peaceful kingdom of Kells. She therefore calls upon the dark fairy Mider, who gives her a crystal that allows Maeve to use sorcery, most often to summon mystical, dangerous creatures like ogres and evil giants, whom she sends to destroy Kells. King Conchobar of Kells hears of Maeve's evil plan and seeks a way to protect his kingdom and peoples. Rohan, a druid's apprentice discovers an ancient scroll telling of a legendary warrior called Draganta who would save that kingdom. Because Rohan's birthmark matched a prominent sign on the scroll, the King sends Rohan on the quest to find Draganta, with his friend the reformed thief Angus.
The two are joined by the foreign Prince Ivar, and the king's daughter, Princess Deirdre, follows them. They are drawn to the realm of Tir Na Nog, ruled by the fairy King, Fin Varra. Fin Varra puts the group through various tests to determine their worthiness, which they pass. King Fin Varra gives them another section of the ancient scroll, and mystical weapons which give control of the Classical Elements Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. The four young warriors battle the four Sentinels of Temra, who guard elemental armor, and defeat them, earning the title Mystic Knights (Rohan becomes the Mystic Knight of Fire, Angus Earth, Ivar Water, and Dierdre Air).
Each Knight can call upon their mystical element for powers unique to it. Aideen, a small, winged fairy, continues to offer periodic assistance to the young heroes as they battle Queen Maeve. Eventually, Rohan manages to tame Pyre, the Dragon of Dare. This feat, and Pyre's later assistance as an oracle, reveals Rohan as the legendary hero Draganta. Later in the series, another Mystic Knight emerges; Garrett, the Mystic Knight of Forest. He begins as an adversary under the control of Queen Maeve, but frees himself from her influence, throwing his lot in with the Mystic Knights. Garrett and Rohan develop a rivalry for Princess Dierdre's affections.
Eventually Queen Maeve summons a new monster named Lugad that is more powerful then any previous creation. Lugad is revealed to have a birthmark similar to Rohan's, which is explained when it is revealed that Rohan and Lugad are in fact half-brothers, whose mother is Queen Maeve.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Mystic Knights
- Rohan: An orphan raised by the druid Cathbad. Rohan is noble, courageous, and steadfast, but sometimes allows his emotions to take control of him. His weapon is the Sword of Kells, which can emit fire. He also has possession of the Dragon's Breath Dagger, which he uses to summon Pyre, the Dragon of Dare. To win his red and gold Mystic Armor, he must defeat the Ice Lord of Temra. To don his armor, he shouts "Fire within me!". Later in the series, Rohan obtains the ability to become more powerful by shouting "Battle Fury!". His Battle Fury armor is crimson and gold.
- Deirdre: The princess of Kells. Her weapon is the Whirlwind Crossbow. which shoots a burst of air. To win her white and gold Mystic Armor, she must defeat the Lightning Bat of Temra. To don her armor, she shouts "Air above me!". Deirdre is the most logical-minded of the Mystic Knights, and is therefore sometimes frustrated by her companions' foibles.
- Ivar: A prince from a distant land, Ivar came to Kells in search of his country's sacred chalice. It was later revealed the chalice was stolen by Torc, Maeve's general. His weapon is the Barbed Trident which shoots blue bolts of electricity. To obtain his blue and gold Armor, he had to defeat the Sea Serpent of Temra. To don his armor, he shouts "Water around me!". Ivar is loyal to his friends, but can be distracted by his search for the stolen chalice, often to his own detriment.
- Angus: Angus is Rohan's best friend and a well-known, boastful thief, who often gets into trouble. His weapon is the Terra Sling Mace which throws giant boulders and can cause earthquake. To obtain his silver and gold Mystic Armor, he had to defeat the Rock Wolf of Temra. To don his armor, he shouts "Earth beneath me!".
- Garrett: Garrett is the prince of Reged, an ally of Kells. Garrett and Deirdre were promised in marriage; therefore Garrett first came to Kells to claim his bride. Garrett has the unique ability to command any animal by locking eyes with it. His weapons are the Twin Timber Axes which shoot a beam of energy. To obtain his brown and gold Mystic Armor, he had to defeat a giant spider. To don his armor, he shouts "Forest before me!". In exchange for returning Princess Lynette to her homeland, Garrett was given the Dragon Bow vehicle, and he returned with it when the Mystic Knights were facing Lugad.
[edit] Villains
- Queen Maeve: Maeve is the queen of Temra. She believes that being the ruler of Kells is her birthright, so she recruits the help of the dark fairy Mider. She is later revealed as Rohan's mother and that of Lugad. At the end of the season, she is defeated and banished by her own son.
- Torc: Maeve's general. He stole a silver chalice from Ivar's kingdom, which Maeve frequently uses to perform dark magic. He was a former general in Kells before he betrayed them.
- Mider: A dark fairy who helps Maeve with dark magic. He uses the silver chalice from Ivar's kingdom to increase his magical power. After Maeve's defeat and banishment, he aligned himself with the sorceress Nemain.
- The Four Sentinels of Temra: These are the four beings that the Knights had to fight in order to gain their Mystic Armor. They later fell under the control of Maeve, having formerly served Mider. The Four Sentinels are:
- Rath Kohan, the Ice Lord of Temra: A skeletal being; one of Queen Maeve's main generals. Rohan fought him in order to gain his Mystic Armor. Wields a curved "Black Ice Sword".
- Sonarus Skye, the Lightning Bat of Temra: A bat-headed member of the Four Sentinels. Diedre fought him in order to gain her Mystic Armor. He wields a bat-shaped boomerang.
- Forgal mac Roig, the Sea Serpent of Temra: A reptilian member of the Four Sentinels. Ivar fought him in order to gain his Mystic Armor. Wields a sharp, deadly whip, whose strike extends beyond its corporeal length.
- Bane Morfane, the Rock Wolf of Temra: A wolf-headed member of the Four Sentinels. Angus fought him in order to gain his armor. He wields a set of claws on his forearm and a sword. He can also shoot laser-like beams from his eyes.
- Tyrune: Tyrune is the three-headed hydra of Temra. This giant flying creature sometimes attacks without any warning. Often fights Pyre, as they are rival dragons. His heads can separate from its body and can attack independently.
- Lugad: Lugad was brought in near the end of the season. He is half human and half demon, due to mutations wrought in him by the sorceress Nemain. Lugad is the son of Maeve and the brother of Rohan. Lugad eventually turns against Maeve and leaves Kells.
- Nemain: The former ruler of Temra until Maeve took it over by force. Since then, she plotted to overthrow Maeve and now and then aided the Mystic Knights. When Maeve is defeated, she makes a contract with Mider, which ended the series in a cliffhanger.
[edit] Allies
- King Conchobar: Conchobar is the king of Kells and the father of Deirdre. With Maeve using dark magic to try to help her win the war between their kingdoms, he is in desperate need of the Mystic Knights help.
- Cathbad: A druid and advisor to King Conchobar. He also raised Rohan when he was an orphan. A father figure who did his best to raise Rohan as an apprentice. Opposed to Rohan's hanging around with Angus because Angus, being a thief, tends to cause trouble. He can foresee the future and mentors the Mystic Knights. His powers can rival Maeve's, but are limited largely to extra-sensory perception.
- King Fin Varra: The King of Tir Na Nog. A Dwarf with great power who gives the Mystic Knights their weapons, as well as occasional advice. He is the rival of the dark fairy, Mider.
- Aideen: A sprite who assists the Mystic Knights. She has affection for Rohan and is consequently jealous of Diedre.
- Pyre: An ancient Dragon associated with the Mystic Knight of Fire. At first unwilling to tolerate any human presence, he soon comes to admire Rohan, and later recognizes the Knight as Draganta, the legendary hero. Fiercely the rival of Tyrune the Hydra. Pyre wears a gemmed cuirass, through which he presumably makes contact with his rider's Dragon's Breath Dagger. His likeness is worked into the Mystic Armor.
- The Drageen: The son of Pyre.
[edit] Monsters
These are some of the many monsters summoned by Maeve:
- Tash Hound of Temra - When Rohan fell into Maeve's trap, he ended up fighting the Tash Hound of Temra. It was a two-headed dog (similar to Orthrus of Greek Mythology) that can disappear into the shadows. Once Diedre had obtained her armor, she helped Rohan defeat the Tash Hound of Temra.
- Cyclops of Temra - A Cyclops-like monster with Satyr-like legs and a lizard-like tail. Maeve sent it to attack a village. Very stupid, but nearly invulnerable. Once Ivar got his armor, the Knights defeated this monster.
- Bull of Temra - After Angus was rescued, Maeve summoned this minotaur-like monster to fight the knights. It has two sets of horns: one set was composed of small stubby horns, and the other ram-like horns. It can shoot electrical-like beams from its small horns. Once Angus got his armor, the monster was defeated.
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[edit] Cast List
- Lochlainn O'Mearain - Rohan/Mystic Knight of Fire
- Lisa Dwan - Deirdre/Mystic Knight of Air
- Vincent Walsh - Angus/Mystic Knight of Earth
- Justin Pierre - Ivar/Mystic Knight of Water
- Kelly Campbell - Aideen
- Charlotte Bradley - Queen Maeve
- Ned Dennehy - Mider, Voices of The Lightning Bat of Temra and The Rock Wolf of Temra
- Peadar Lamb - Fin Varra
- Stephen Brennan - King Conchobar
- Ben Palmer - Garrett/Mystic Knight of Forest (Eps 21-27, 39, 48-50)
- Shaun Elebert - Voice of The Ice Lord of Temra
- Enda Kilroy - Voice of The Sea Serpent of Temra
[edit] Trivia
- Some suits from Beetleborgs were used in the series in repainted form. They include Scorpix, Shellator, Emily The Seed of Evil, Fangula Bat Monster, and 3 B-Fighter Kabuto monsters (an anemone monster, an ant monster, and a porcupine/stingray monster) that weren't used in Beetleborgs Metallix.
- Mystic Knights was created and written by the writers from Beetleborgs, including Louis J. Zivot and Joel Barkow.
- Mystic Knights was the last Saban series to have been produced by veteran crew member Robert Hughes.
- Mystic Knights was to have a second season called Mystic Knights Battle Thunder, but it was never produced. This could be because Justin Pierre left the show to join ITV's Burnside.
[edit] VHS & DVD Release
In the US 1 VHS video was released. In Germany 2 DVDs were released with 2 episodes on each DVD. The original English audio is not included on the DVDs.
[edit] See also
- The Ulster Cycle, the Irish legends concerning the actual Conchobar, Cathbad, Deirdre, and Maeve.
[edit] External links
- The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog at the Internet Movie Database
- TVShowsOnDVD.com, vote for Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog to be released onto DVD.
- Toku Central, a fansite for American, Japanese and other Toku related shows.
- Henshin! Talk, a message board to discuss Superhero shows.
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