Biralla is an old evil witch who features as the central antagonist in the Ruby-Spears Dragon's Lair animated series episode "The Pool of Youth." She seeks the location of the magical "Pool of Youth" in hopes of strengthening her dwindling magical abilities through regaining her youth. Seeking to coerce its location out of Mayor Rukh’s daughter Gelda, Biralla troubles the town of Avalon by turning all of its residents into stone. After Gelda refuses her demand, Biralla puts a sleeping spell upon the girl and instructs her canine henchmen Shadmocks to imprison Gelda in the chamber of sleep.
As Dirk the Daring, Princess Daphne, Timothy, and Bertram journey to Avalon after encountering the enchanted Rukh, the heroes are pursued by Living Rocks and Trees, which they identify as animated through Biralla’s magic. The heroes are then confronted by Biralla herself, who attempts to turn them to stone with a blast of her magic, but it proves futile due to her magic being weakened by advanced age. She flees back to her castle lair, leaving the heroes to pursue her.
Biralla uses her Telescope to spy on the heroes, and learns that they plan to rescue Gelda. Biralla instructs her Shadmock Commander to permit the rescue (though not to make it look obvious), so that she might follow the heroes to the Pool of Youth. As the heroes split up to achieve distinct objections, Biralla drives her mule cart toward the Pool’s location. Dirk carelessly splashes Daphne and Bertram with the pool’s water, reverting them all to child-like versions of themselves, which confirms the pool's magic in Biralla's mind. Biralla fully immerses herself in the water and emerges out of the pool with her youth restored and her tattered red cloack and hood transformed into a form-fitting purple and black outfit with a symbol of a pentagram inside a triangle upon her chest.
Timothy and Gelda arrive with The Sandman, who restores Dirk and Daphne to their proper ages, and Dirk battles Biralla and her Shadmocks. Using Daphne's mirror, Dirk is able to deflect Biralla's powerful magical attacks. The Sandman aids Dirk by reverting Biralla back to her advanced age. After Dirk reflects another one of her magical attacks, the witch is herself transformed into a stone frog. The heroes take the petrified witch back to Avalon to be used as a statue.
Trivia[]
- After learning of Biralla's wicked oppression against the villagers of Avalon, Dirk refers to her as "the wicked banshee", an obvious insult but also a reference to the female spirits of Celtic mythology.
- Biralla as a stone frog wears the pointed hat of her younger version instead of instead of the hood her older self wore at the moment of her transformation.
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