Ena, also known as Aunt Ena, is the mother of Faline and Gobo.
Background[]
Ena, also known as Aunt Ena, is either the sister or cousin of Bambi's mother. She is the mother of at least four children. Only the names of two, Faline and Gobo are known, but she mentioned to Bambi's mother that she had children before Faline and Gobo, thereby implying that she must have had at least four children in total. Whether or not all of her children have the same father is unknown, with there only existing information about Faline and Gobo's father.
Gobo was always weak and sickly as a child, and he disappeared during his first winter during an attack by Man, who shot and killed Bambi's mother during the same attack. Gobo returned sometime later as a healthy, full-grown adult, which caused great joy for Ena. She began to admire and love her son more than before, believing all that he had to say about the kindness and compassion of Man. Unfortunately, he was shot and killed by Man not long afterwards.
What happened to Ena after the death of her son is unknown.
Relationships[]
- Faline - Daughter
- Gobo - Son (deceased)
- Rolla - Sister (possibly)
- Boso - Nephew (possibly)
- Lana - Niece (possibly)
- Bambi's Great-Grandmother - Grandmother (presumably)
- Bambi's mother - Sister or Cousin (deceased)
- The Great Prince of the Forest - Cousin/Brother-in-law
- Bambi - Nephew/Son-in-law
- Geno - Grandson
- Gurri - Granddaughter
- Ferto - Grandson
Behind the Scenes[]
Ena first appeared in Bambi: A Life in the Woods in 1922, where she was explicitly stated to be Bambi's aunt, Bambi's mother's sister, and the mother of Faline and Gobo. She was an important secondary character in the novel and had many lines.
Excerpt from Grosset Dunlap's 1931 reprinting of Bambi: A Life in the Woods which portrays Ena as Bambi's mother's cousin.
Interestingly, a 1931 reprinting of Whittaker Chambers' translation of Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Grosset Dunlap portrays as Ena as Bambi's mother's cousin instead of the usual sister.
When she would later appear in the novel's cinematic adaptation, Bambi, she was given a much smaller role as she only appeared briefly and had only a couple of lines. Her name was not even mentioned in the film, let alone her relationship with Bambi's mother.
In the film's comic strip adaptation, she was referred to as "Aunt Ena" once again, though as to whether she was Bambi's biological aunt or an honorary aunt of sorts was not made clear. This strip might be one of the few sources from the Walt Disney Company to confirm that her name, even in Disney's version, is in fact "Aunt Ena". Despite being named once again, Ena's role was diminished even further in the comic strip, with her not even receiving one line.