| “ | Nor did the feasts prepared by skekAyuk the Gourmand and his teams of harassed slaves satisfy any appetite for long. Hot spices, sweet liquors, cream-rich sauces, were his delight; and he boasted he had a different menu for every feast. | „ |
| ~ The World of the Dark Crystal |
| “ | More food! More food! | „ |
| ~ SkekAyuk while eating. |
SkekAyuk is a major antagonist in The Dark Crystal franchise. He is the Skeksis half of the UrSkek AyukAmaj, and serves as the Gourmand at the castle's court. His Mystic (UrRu) equivalent is UrAmaj the Cook.
In the film, he was performed by Louise Gold, with Thick Wilson providing his voice. In the 2019 Netflix prequel series, he is voiced by Harvey Fierstein, who also played Merv Green in Death to Smoochy.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Like all the Skeksis, SkekAyuk wears a dark gold and brown elaborate robe with a white-laced collar. A large handkerchief is tucked in SkekAyuk's sleeve to dab his mouth. Often seen stuffing food into his cheeks, SkekAyuk is the fattest of the Skeksis.
Pre-production notes for the film, as shown in "The Making of the Dark Crystal", describe the SkekAyuk as follows:
| “ | A jowly, sweaty head with bushy eyebrows, and to be continuously involved with burping, spraying food and saliva as he talks, stuffing food into his cheeks, and lifting his head to swallow, like a pelican...Wine stains and bits of incrusted food cover his clothing. | „ |
Personality[]
He is described in the film's novelization as "too slovenly and slothful" to care for anything else but food.
Role[]
SkekAyuk commands a host of slaves to create complex meals for the Skeksis - including Roast Nebrie (a Skeksis favorite). Yet in spite of all this, the Skeksis' spiritual disjointment makes them leave each banquet still raging with hunger. In contrast, SkekAyuk's alter ego, the Mystic cook UrAmaj, prepares very simple and very satisfying meals by hand.
Biography[]
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance[]
Following the first essence draining of a castle guard Gelfling named Mira, the Skeksis had begun to round up the other Gelfling within the castle; SkekAyuk was among those capturing a guard before throwing him into a cage.
The Dark Crystal[]
During the movie, SkekAyuk only had a few sporadic appearances, much like the other Skeksis. The closest appearance to being prominent was the moment he and SkekEkt the Ornamentalist spotted SkekSil holding Kira captive before running away in fear and alerting SkekUng of the Chamberlain's presence within the castle. The Gourmand was later combined with his Mystic counterpart to form the UrSkek AyukAmaj.
Gallery[]
.png "SkekAyuk (The Dark Crystal).png (4.16 MB)")
Trivia[]
- As the Skeksis were each based on one of the Seven Deadly Sins, SkekAyuk clearly represents Gluttony. Ironically, in the prequel series, the Gourmand considered the Skeksis' taking of life from the Dark Crystal as "full gluttony".
External Links[]
- SkekAyuk on the The Dark Crystal Wiki.
- SkekAyuk on the Muppet Wiki.
[]
 Villains
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Skeksis Gelfling Others | ||
