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Tana juice
Tana leaves
Type: Plant
Continuity: Universal Monsters
Aliases: Tanna leaves
Availability: Uncommon item
Owners: Andoheb
Mehemet Bey
Yousef Bey
1st appearance: The Mummy's Hand

Tana Leaves are a fictional form of plant featured in the Universal Monsters' "Mummy" series of films. They first appeared in The Mummy's Hand in 1940.

Description[]

Tana leaves are derived from a low bush that grew in Central Africa and has long been extinct. During the time of Ancient Egypt, the Tana bush was considered a sacred plant. A volume of dried Tana leaves was kept in a copper box, which was secreted inside the base of a statue in the Temple of Isis.

The Tana leaves had mystical properties, which was known to the High Priest of Arkam and his followers. Brewing three Tana leaves during the cycle of the full moon would distill a liquid that, when administered to a mummified corpse, could revive it, and get its once dead heart to beat again. Brewing nine tana leaves however, would animate the mummy. Consuming more than nine leaves would send them into a berserker rage.

Three-thousand years ago, the princess Ananka of Karnak passed away. Her lover was the prince Kharis, who refused to let her spirit depart this plane of existence. He broke into the Temple of Isis bent on stealing the Tana leaves to resurrect his beloved, but was captured. The Pharaoh's soldiers mummified Kharis and buried him alive in the desert, along with a box of Tana leaves. The High Priest of Arkham - loyal to Kharis, had his body disinterred, along with the Tana leaves, and relocated to the Hill of the Seven Jackals, where he could serve as guardian to the tomb of Princess Ananka. The priests of Arkam created a curse, stating that whosoever should desecrate the Tomb of Princess Ananka would suffer the wrath of Kharis.

Andoheb and Yousef Bey

Andoheb shows Yousef Bey how to brew Tana leaves in The Mummy's Ghost.

In the year 1940, the aging High Priest of Arkam passed along the secret of the Tana leaves to his successor Andoheb. He told Andoheb the story of Kharis and Ananka and charged him with protecting the tomb. An out-of-work archaeologist named Steve Banning and his partner Babe Jenson managed to finance an expedition to locate the Tomb of Princess Ananka. Upon doing so, Andoheb waited until the night of the full moon to brew nine Tana leaves to resurrect Kharis. He then sent Kharis out to destroy the members of the expedition, though only a professor named Doctor Petrie and a few aides died at this time.

The curse of Kharis endured for decades, and extended to the family members of those who violated the tomb. Andoheb passed his duties down to a new High Priest, Mehemet Bey, who used the Tana leaves to revive Kharis once again. Relocating to the United States, he sent Kharis out to kill the surviving members of the expedition.

Mehemet's successor, Yousef Bey, believed that a woman from Mapleton, Massachusetts named Amina Mansouri was the reincarnation of Princess Ananka. He sent Kharis out to retrieve and attempted to use the Tana leaf fluid on Amina. Kharis and Amina drowned in a nearby swamp.

Twenty-five years later, the body of Amina Mansouri awakened, albeit with amnesia. When her memories did begin to return however, they were the memories of Ananka. Another servant of Arkam, Doctor Ilzor Zardad used three Tana leaves to revive Kharis once again. After brewing nine leaves, he sent him out to recover Princess Ananka and to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Notes & Trivia[]

  • Tanna leaves, Tana leaf, Tana tree, and Tana bush all redirect to this page.
  • The Mummy's Ghost states that Tana leaves were derived from a bush, but The Mummy's Ghost establishes that they come from a tree. Who is to say which detail is accurate?
  • According to Alexa, "Tanna" leaves are a fictional item used alongside the Scroll of Thoth to summon the Egyptian god Anubis.
  • Tana leaves also appeared in the "Grief" episode of the Gargoyles cartoon series. They were used along with the Scroll of Thoth to summon Anubis. The Emir referred to the Tana leaves as “sacred.” Their origin is unknown but Coyote had to leave the Sphinx to get them. The leaves gave Hyena hay fever.

Unanswered questions[]

  • Why were Tana leaves considered sacred?
  • Why did the Pharaoh keep Tana leaves hidden in the Temple of Isis?
  • If Kharis was condemned for stealing Tana leaves, why was a box of them buried with him?
  • Do Tana leaves serve a purpose other than reviving mummies?
  • Are there any Tana leaves still around? The last recorded evidence of their existence was in 1995.
  • Are Tana leaves high in caffeine? What's the steeping temperature for Tana tea? Go here if you really want to know the answer to that one!

Appearances[]

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References[]

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