List of The Neverending Story Characters - Morla

Morla, also known as The Ancient One (Die Uralte Morla in German), is a giant turtle who, because of her size, is mistaken for a mountain. She lives amidst the Swamps of Sadness, which might be either the cause or the result of her melancholy mindset: as the oldest living Fantastican (after the Childlike Empress and the Old Man of Wandering Mountain who are both ageless) she has grown to be totally indifferent to the fate of Fantastica and her own survival. Reluctantly, she eventually informs Atreyu that the Empress needs to be given a new name and that no Fantastican can do that. Unknowing who can provide a new name, she points Atreyu to the Southern Oracle.

In the movie she has allergies to youth (Atreyu) and sneezes violently when they are visibly aggravated. Unlike in the book she knows nothing about the illness of the Empress, but sends Atreyu directly to the Southern Oracle.