Leja

Created by helen anderson, The Pitch 2012

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Description

Leja is a girl who lives in her ideal world with her ideal friend Ebi..... She wants to always be with him, she has not known a time without him. Leja can not bare the thought of being separated. Her world is ruled by balance and peace. The oppressive powers in the valley are a threat... the rules of their world are to devour and destroy. To try and stop the threat Ebi trades precious nectar but the problem is demand is more than supply. Leja fears that Ebi will get sucked into the valley she wants him to stop trading but Ebi can see no other way out. When the toxic river explodes Leja's life is torn apart. When she meets the wise queen bee her life takes on a new direction. Leja has to dig deep to find bravery - she looses close friends who sacrifice there all but becomes a hero as she overcomes the enemies she confronts......

Biblical Connection

Leja is based on the character and story of Jael in Deborah's song Judges 5. Jael is better known for her actions than her name, she kills the enemy Sisera - taking a hammer and driving a tent peg through his head. Yuk gruesome! But this unknown women's boldness bought freedom to a nation. Her husband Heber had a peace treaty with the enemy and there is nothing to say why, how or what. But researching the story suggests it was a trade treaty.... maybe!!. This is a fascinating story with lots of unanswered gaps. So Leja's story has been created in those gaps with a bit of additional creative licence. The place Jael lived was a refuge town so should have been neutral! This is why the enemy Sisera would run away from battle there seeking refuge. Deborah has wisdom to judge a nation her name means bee 'in the sense of orderly motion' and to speak or command. So the idea was developed to use bee's and wasps as characters in the animation. Can murder ever be right? One thing for sure is that Jael was brave and took actions that the warriors of the time feared to take!.....