- "DIRK!! Kidnapped!? My Daphne kidnapped again? Idiot! Dummkopf! You better find my daughter, OR ELSE!"
- —The Mother-in-Law, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp
The Mother-in-Law is a character in the Dragon's Lair series, who is the mother of Princess Daphne
and serves as the initial antagonist Dirk the Daring must evade in Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp.
Appearance and Development[]
Identified only as "The Mother-in-Law" in the official character model sheets[1], Don Bluth's early story pitch for the game named her as "Hilda."[2]
As Daphne's mother, she is also presumably King Ethelred's wife and Dirk the Daring's mother-in-law. Although a member of the royal family, she does not dress or act regally or lady-like. She is a bellicose, stocky, middle-aged woman with a viking helmet and armed with a rolling pin. She is dressed like a stereotypical Valkyrie (as may be seen in Wagner's opera) and is short-tempered and prone to aggressive behavior.
On Cardsmiths’ Dragon's Lair Series One trading card checklist, the character was preliminarily identified as “Helga" and also referred to as "Brawn Hilda."[3] The official release of card #6 replaced the “Helga” name in favor of “BRAWN HILDA” and includes the description: “Monsters aren’t the only menace that Dirk faces. He must also deal with his Mother-in-Law, Brawn Hilda. She’s got some very strong opinions on her daughter’s marriage, and she’s an ace with a rolling pin.”[4]
Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp[]
At the start of the game, she is angry with Dirk because Daphne was kidnapped again and chases Dirk back to Singe's Castle riding upon a bull. Dirk escapes her by finding the Time Machine and traveling through time after Mordroc. She is left angry and clobbers McCob the Cobra, a Scottish snake, telling him to shut up after calling her a thief.
She appears again at the end of the game, watching over the children at Dirk ‘s cottage, and overjoyed to see Daphne returned safely home.
Trivia[]
- The early story outline that names her “Hilda” is likely a play on the “Brunhilda” character-archetype of German heroic mythology, further emphasizing the Wagnerian operatic themes of the game, which include the Death Ring.
- Early drafts for a Dragon's Lair feature film introduced Daphne's "Teutonic Aunt Brunhilde" who would have protected her from a young age from the evil wizard "Mordrock".[5]
- Dirk's royal nanny “Hilde” seen in the animated pitch presentation for Dragon's Lair: The Movie visually resembles the Mother-in-Law’s design.
- In most versions of Time Warp, the game begins with Dirk running for his life from Daphne’s rampaging mother and concludes with a final stage in which he must evade the transformed Banshee-Daphne’s relentless efforts to kill him; Dirk married into a dangerous family!
- In another possible symmetry in visual design, the Mother-in-Law’s horned helmet foreshadows the twin horns that protrude from the Banshee’s head at the culmination point of Daphne’s metamorphosis.
- Daphne's mother chases Dirk all the way to the castle, making her the driving force behind the first level, which ultimately leads Dirk to discover the Time Machine in the remnants of Singe's lair. Ironically, the Mother-in-Law's interference proved the necessary impetus to Dirk’s rescue of Daphne, despite initial appearances to the contrary.
- Furthermore, the curious fact that the game opens with Dirk solemnly eating from a bowl at the family table implies he might have needed the proper motivation to pursue Mordroc and Daphne.
- In addition to being featured on the sixth card of Cardsmiths' Dragon's Lair Series One, the Mother-in-Law also features prominently on cards CS07 (Culture Shokz™ "BRAWN HILDA") and #10 (“CHIPS OFF THE OL’ BLOCK”) with description, “she uses her rolling pin for more than just rolling out dough but doling out punishment on Dirk.”
Gallery[]
See also[]
Minor characters in Dragon's Lair II
References[]
- ↑ "Mother-In-Law character model" SCAD Libraries Digital Collection
- ↑ Worthpoint.com sourced "RARE DON BLUTH DRAGON'S LAIR 2 STORY OUTLINE AND POMEROY DRAGON SKETCH NOT CEL"
- ↑ "DRAGONS LAIR TRADING CARDS SERIES 1" Cardsmiths.com
- ↑ ”BRAWN HILDA” #6 Cardsmiths Dragons Lair Trading Cards Series 1
- ↑ John Cawley, The Animated Films of Don Bluth, (1991), page 81