Tharks

Thark or Tharks are a fictional tribe of fierce Green Martian warriors on the fictional planet of Barsoom (based on Mars), created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first featured in the 1917 novel A Princess of Mars.

General description

In the books, Green Martians are around 15 feet tall, with tusks protruding from their mouths, green skin, and with double torso, each with its own set of arms. In A Princess of Mars, with the help of the newly arrived John Carter from Earth, Tars Tarkas becomes a Jeddak (king) of the Tharks. The Tharks and Tars Tarkas are featured in many of the ten Martian novels written by Burroughs, in toys (as recently as the 1990s), in John Carter, Warlord of Mars comics published by both DC Comics and Marvel Comics in the 1970s, and in comic strips by John Coleman Burroughs (son of Edgar Rice Burroughs).

Thark is a Green Martian tribe and kingdom, whose name comes from the deserted city they have occupied as their capital. Thark was originally one of the many cities left behind by the Orovars, and apparently one of the more important of the Orovar cities, but when the Orovar died out, a large coalition of Green hordes took it over and used the name for their coalition.

Sociologically, the Tharks are an interesting study in contradictions. On the one hand, they, like all Greens, are warlike and cruel, and under the reign of Tal Hajus, there were serious considerations about the effectiveness of rape as a tactic for demoralizing female captives. On the other hand, they have a strong code of honor to which even Jeddaks must adhere. After Tal Hajus was killed by Tars Tarkus, and with the advice of the Earthman John Carter, the Tharks entered a new age in which base cruelty took a back seat to more diplomatic means for gaining resources.[1]

The Tharks have long been at war with the Warhoons, whose savagery is unparalleled even among the Green hordes. Tharks also possess a great hatred for Zodanga, as Jeddak Than Kosis made some very serious efforts to wipe the Tharks out by attacking their incubators.

It was among the Tharks that John Carter earned his earliest honors and met the princess Dejah Thoris.

Notable Tharks

Use by other authors

References

  1. Edgar Rice Burroughs

External links

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