The Mummy’s Hand (1940) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Kharis was a prince in ancient Egypt who secretly loved Princess Ananka. When Ananka died, Kharis stole sacred tana leaves from the temple to revive her. He was discovered before he could use them, and his punishment was to be buried alive with his tongue removed. The priests later recovered him and used tana leaf fluid to keep him alive as the eternal guardian of Ananka's tomb.

Foreshadowing: The opening legend establishes Kharis's tragic love for Ananka, which explains his role as protector.

• kharis mummy
• prince kharis
• princess ananka
• tana leaves
• ancient egypt
• mummy origin

The tana leaves have different effects depending on how many are used. A three-leaf brew must be administered during each full moon to keep Kharis alive. A larger nine-leaf brew can revive him fully to defend the tomb when it's threatened. However, any amount exceeding nine leaves makes him completely uncontrollable.

Foreshadowing: The legend explains the precise rules that later govern Kharis's actions during the expedition.

• tana leaves
• kharis
• three leaves
• nine leaves
• mummy serum
• full moon

Andoheb is the High Priest who has secretly maintained Kharis as the tomb's guardian for centuries. He opposes the expedition because he wants to keep Princess Ananka's tomb and its treasures hidden. He sabotages the vase and attempts to mislead Banning to protect the tomb's secrets.

Foreshadowing: Andoheb's immediate opposition to the vase discovery hints at his deeper stake in keeping the tomb hidden.

• andoheb
• high priest
• karnak
• archaeologist expedition
• tomb secrets

Andoheb plans to inject himself and Marta Solvani with a concentrated tana leaf fluid to achieve eternal life. He intends to use the power of the tana leaves, the same substance that keeps Kharis alive, to make himself immortal.

Foreshadowing: His obsession with the tana leaves throughout the film hints at this larger personal goal.

• andoheb
• immortality
• tana fluid
• injection
• marta solvani
• eternal life

Kharis abducts Marta on Andoheb's orders. Andoheb needs Marta alive because he plans to use her as part of his immortality experiment, injecting her with tana fluid alongside himself. She is not harmed initially because her life force is essential to his plan.

Foreshadowing: Andoheb's earlier interest in Marta as a potential investor in the expedition masks his true intention.

• kharis
• marta solvani
• abduction
• andoheb
• kidnapping
• tana fluid

Andoheb enters the mummy's cave where Dr. Petrie is being held and forces him to feel Kharis's living pulse, demonstrating the creature is still alive. He then administers the nine-leaf tana brew, which fully revives Kharis and enables him to escape through a secret passage to attack the expedition camp.

Foreshadowing: The opening legend's description of the nine-leaf brew foreshadows its use as a weapon.

• kharis
• andoheb
• revive
• nine-leaf brew
• mummy
• full moon

Dr. Petrie is captured by Andoheb in the mummy cave, where he is forced to feel Kharis's living pulse to confirm the mummy is alive. He is killed during the events when the nine-leaf brew is administered and Kharis escapes, though the exact manner of his death is not fully detailed in the summary.

Foreshadowing: His support of Banning's expedition directly puts him at odds with Andoheb.

• dr petrie
• death
• andoheb
• mummy cave
• cairo museum

Kharis is essentially a supernatural creature sustained by the tana leaves, making him nearly impervious to conventional weapons. When Jenson shoots the mummy, the bullets have no effect, demonstrating that only the tana fluid itself or fire can destroy him.

Foreshadowing: The legend establishes Kharis as an unstoppable force when fully revived.

• kharis
• bullets
• invincible
• mummy
• fire
• immortal

Marta warns that Kharis must not drink any more tana fluid. When the mummy raises the container to its lips, Jenson shoots it away, spilling the liquid. Kharis drops to the floor and tries to consume the spilled fluid, giving Banning time to overturn a brazier. The fire engulfs and destroys the mummy.

Foreshadowing: Marta's knowledge of the tana leaves' power comes from overhearing Andoheb's immortality plan.

• kharis
• fire
• brazier
• destroyed
• tana fluid
• jenson
• shoot

Despite the danger, the expedition successfully retrieves Princess Ananka's mummy and the diamonds from her tomb. They return to the United States with these treasures, essentially bringing home both the mummy and the valuable diamonds as the spoils of their successful expedition.

Foreshadowing: The lack of Ananka's tomb earlier in the search makes its discovery at the end a satisfying payoff.

• princess ananka
• mummy
• diamonds
• tomb
• treasure
• expedition
• return home