Shuna is the story's protagonist. He is a prince of a poor country, fiercely devoted to his people. He would (and does) go to the ends of the earth for their sake. He is brave, selfless, athletic, strong and compassionate; he is troubled by all suffering, not only that of his clansmen. He has a good friend in his elk mount, Yakkur.

The traveller wanders into Shuna's valley kingdom near the point of death one day and tells Shuna the tale of the mystical golden grain, starting him on his quest. He, too, left his home in search of it to help his people, but he was sadly not successful.

Yakkur is Shuna's devoted elk mount, strongly reminiscent of Ashitaka's in Princess Mononoke. He is devoted to Shuna and wild under the hands of any but the prince or Téa herself. He helps Téa earn her way when she and her sister are separated from Shuna.

The Goors are a fearsome tribe of veiled cannibal women who aren't afraid to go after their prey.

Téa is a young woman rescued by Shuna from a slave citadel. She is hard working and sincere and her love for Shuna couldn't be purer. Her background is a little unclear; the slave handler who attempted to sell her to Shuna claimed her to be royalty, which she staunchly denied.

This girl is Téa's young nameless sister. She has a light heart and seems to have been less affected by her time as a slave than Téa.

The giants are gentle creatures who tend the grain in the god land. Their origins are unclear, but Shuna believes they may be slaves transformed by the god people.

The old woman takes Téa and her sister in after they have fled the slave handlers. She is somewhat greedy and impatient to have Téa married off so she may have another hand to work her plot of land.