Princess Jehnna, later Queen Jehnna, is a fictional character in Conan the Destroyer, the 1984 film directed by action/fantasy veteran Richard Fleischer. The character was featured as one of the main protagonists of the film in a quest to find and retrieve a mystical horn that had the power to restore a deadly god of Shadizar.
She was portrayed by English actress Olivia d'Abo.
Early Life[]
Biography[]
Little is known about Jehnna's early life except the fact that at a young age, she was being cared for by her aunt, Queen Taramis of the kingdom of Shadizar. She would be told of her destined birthright: that she as a special child with a unique birthmark to find a special jewel that only she can touch and with it obtain the jeweled horn of the dreaming god, Dagoth. For the days of her life as a princess, she was given many riches and treasures that led her sustaining a comfortable life, although she was highly dependent on Bombaata, who was captain of the guards of Shadizar. She would sometimes have nightmares of the task waiting for her.
Physical description and Personality[]
Jehnna is a very pretty girl in her early- to mid-teens. With medium-long flowing blonde hair, fair skin, and brown eyes, her youthful beauty was a very seductive temptation to all men. Queen Taramis knew this, and told Bombaata, captain of the guard,s to protect both her and her innocence when it came time for her to begin her journey outside of the Castle walls. She usually dressed in slightly revealing attire, probably due to Shadizar's fashion appeal. She typically wore the traditional clothes of royal status.
She had a sheltered life as a princess. She was rather spoiled, arrogant, and uncouth when it came to listening to and respecting others; she felt they should obey her because of her royal lineage. However, she also had a compassionate side. This was shown when she convinced Conan to free Zula as she was being tortured by the local villagers.
The Beginning of the Journey[]
Jehnna's quest begins the moment she meets Conan and his companion, Malak. Queen Taramis tasks Bombaata to protect her niece and return her unharmed so that when she returns with her goal accomplished she would be ready to sacrifice the girl to awaken their god. Jehnna has no idea that her death is set to unleash a great horror on the ancient world. She is also unaware of Bombaata's task of killing Conan once their mission is done.
As they set out to begin their travels, Conan seeks the help of his friend, a wizard named Akiro whom he saves from a tribe of cannibals that were about to kill and consume him in order to absorb his magic power. En route they also meet Zula, a powerful warrior and a bandit whom Conan and Jehnna save from being tortured by a group of villagers she and other bandits tried to raid; she joins the quest indebted to Conan for saving her life.
The group find their way to the wizard Toth-Amon's icy castle upon a lake. When they camp, however, the dark wizard transforms into a bird of smoke and takes Jehnna. The travelers make their way into the castle and Conan is able to defeat the wizard, destroying the illusion and prompting a hasty escape from the castle. With the jewel now in hand, they start to make their way to where the horn is hidden.
That night, as the group rests, Jehnna expresses a romantic interest in Conan (having become drawn to him the moment she first laid eyes upon him), but he drunkenly rejects her for Valeria. This seems to irritate the young princess, so, to catch his attention, Jehnna asks Zula (who says everyone in her tribe are warriors) to teach her how to fight, since she figured that Conan only desired strong women.
The next day, they make their way to an ancient temple; using the power of the jewel, Jehnna is able to find and obtain the horn. Guardians of the horn attack the group and they manage to slip out a back entrance. Bombaata, having failed previously to kill Conan, instead blocks their exit and takes Jehnna. After the others escape, they make their way back to Shadizar and find their way inside due to a secret route Malak's sister's cousin's brother (or brother's cousin's sister as he then claims) used to previously escape captivity. Meanwhile, the princess is being prepared for the ceremony to awaken their god before the night ends. They confront Bombaata, and Conan bests him in combat, killing him in gruesome fashion. Meanwhile, the horn is placed upon the head of the Dagoth statue. Upon its first signs of life, they attempt to sacrifice Jehnna, but Zula intervenes and kills the priest first. Having received an improper sacrifice, the statue begins to twist and distort into a demonic visage. Still trying to allow the creature to take Jehnna's life, Queen Taramis is killed in the chaos, and Conan battles the beast, eventually killing it by removing the horn from its head and thrusting his sword into the monster's skull.
After the battle, the newly crowned Queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court. Zula becomes the new captain of the guard, because Jehnna does not see any reason why a woman can't do as good a job as any man. Akiro becomes her new court magician and advisor. Malak steps forward and nearly trips, almost over-qualifying him for position of the court jester. Continuing her strong feelings for the Cimmerian warrior, she offered a place to Conan at her side as her husband and ruler of Shadizar. Conan politely refused, stating that he wished to find his own kingdom and his own queen. Although clearly heartbroken, Queen Jehnna accepts his choice and kisses him goodbye, allowing him to leave to search for his own kingdom.
Powers and Abilities[]
Although having no actual magical talents, Jehnna does seem to be the only person who can retrieve a mystic horn to restore an ancient god of her homeland, Shadizar. As to her physical capabilities, she was given some minor training in sword fighting by a (drunken) Conan and spear handling by Zula. Because of her slender frame, she had some trouble learning how to hold and balance Conan's powerful sword.
Relationships[]
Conan[]
When first meeting the Cimmerian warrior, Jehnna was both intrigued and fascinated by him. She considered him to be very handsome and strong. However she also found him appealing to gaze upon and she quickly found herself attracted to him, despite his defiance when given orders by her commands. She admired his compassion for freeing Zula from village residents and his strength from fighting and defeating one of Queen Taramis's guards.
When he was attacked by Bombaata, the princess later came to his defense and commanded Bombaata cease his assault. Later that night, as the group rested, Jehnna began revealing her growing feelings for Conan, but she was rejected by his notion that he still loves another. When asked by her if there could ever be anyone else but that specific woman he could see himself with, he drunkenly affirms it. This annoyed her, and she went to Zula to ask her to teach her some fighting techniques to impress Conan, now believing that Conan preferred warrior women. She later asks Malak about the relationship of sex between a man and a woman, much to his discomfort.
When Jehnna was about to be killed to restore the entity Dagoth, Conan and his group of warriors managed to defeat Queen Taramis and her evil cohorts, along with killing the monstrous creature. After the battle, the newly crowned Queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court. With Zula, Malak, and Akiro as advisors, she was ready to truly start her new life as a young ruler, with Conan by her side as her husband and king. When Conan refused, she began to cry, realizing that, as much as she wanted him, he wanted to rule his own destiny. She kisses him goodbye and watches him leave as he prepares to go on another journey to find his own kingdom.
Bombaata[]
The captain of the guards and Queen Taramis's most trusted protector, Bombaata was tasks for being Jehnna's most powerful and stern bodyguard. Jehnna has known him for many years and knows how dedicated he is to protecting her as the Queen's niece. When told by the queen to protect both Jehnna and her virtues on the quest to find the mystic horn, throughout the trip he carefully always had his watchful eye on the young princess except when she was kidnapped by a powerful wizard. After she was found and rescued, he became more diligent in watching more closely to prevent any harm to come to her. He was very mindful of watching the interactions between Jehnna and Conan, making sure nothing could happen between the two. Unfortunately for Jehnna, she didn't see Bombaata for his planned betraying of Conan and his band of warriors. She had no idea of the conspiracy established between Queen Taramis and Bombaata but was saved before both parties could destroy her.
Queen Taramis[]
Princess Jehnna's aunt and ruler of Shadizar. She has looked after the young girl ever since early childhood though it's never explained what happened to her parents.
Gallery[]
