Thark or Tharks are a fictional tribe of fierce
Green Martian warriors on the fictional planet of
Barsoom (based on
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
), created by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and first featured in the 1917 novel ''
A Princess of Mars
''A Princess of Mars'' is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine ''All-Story Magazine'' from February–July, 1912. Full of swordplay and dari ...
''.
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
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
,
Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' ''Barsoom'' series. A great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks), he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. In the ...
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
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
and
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
in the 1970s, and in comic strips by
John Coleman Burroughs
John Coleman Burroughs (28 February 1913 – 22 February 1979) was an American illustrator known for his illustrations of the works of his father, Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Life
John Burroughs was born in Chicago, the son of Edgar Rice Bu ...
(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 Tarkas, 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.
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
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character and princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium in Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Martian novels. She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (chieftain) of Lesser Helium, and the granddaughter of Tardo ...
.
Notable characters
*
Tars Tarkas
Tars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs' ''Barsoom'' series. A great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks), he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. In the ...
, warrior who found John Carter, and who eventually became Jeddak of Thark; he is also the father of Sola. Tars Tarkas is unusual among his savage race for his ability to love and form friendships, who is much affected by the loss of his lover while being away on a raid. He befriends John Carter and fights many battles at his side.
Carter helps him become Jeddak of the Green Martians and negotiates an alliance between the Green Martians and the city state of Helium which results in the destruction of their enemies the city of Zodanga at the end of the novel.
*
Dotar Sojat, Jed from
Jasoom; a name by which John Carter became known among Lorqas Ptomel's community of Tharks; it is a composite name which he inherited from two Tharks that he killed in separate combats
* Sola, daughter of Tars Tarkas and Gozava and a close friend of John Carter and
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character and princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium in Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of Martian novels. She is the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed (chieftain) of Lesser Helium, and the granddaughter of Tardo ...
* Sarkoja, elder woman of Thark,
* Lorqas Ptomel, leader of the community of Tharks who first encountered John Carter
* Tal Hajus, the bloated, cruel and corrupt Jeddak (king) of the Tharks; killed by Tars Tarkas, who replaces him as Jeddak of the Tharks.
* Sojat, a chieftain who was killed by John Carter after he struck Dejah Thoris
* Zad, a young warrior who tried unsuccessfully to kill John Carter and instead ended up dead.
Use by other authors
*Tharks are one of several fictional Martians who appear in
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are '' Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, '' The Mote in God's E ...
's 1999 short story collection ''
Rainbow Mars
''Rainbow Mars'' is a 1999 science fiction short story collection by American writer Larry Niven. It contains six stories of Hanville Svetz, five previously published and the longest, "Rainbow Mars", written for the collection. The setting of th ...
''.
*In
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
's ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II'' is a comic book limited series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, published under the America's Best Comics imprint of DC Comics in the United States and under Vertigo in t ...
'', Tharks are among the alliance of native Martians fighting to drive the
Mollusc Invaders off of Barsoom.
*In
Karl Schroeder
Karl Schroeder () (born September 4, 1962) is a Canadian science fiction author and a professional futurist. His novels present far-future speculations on topics such as nanotechnology, terraforming, augmented reality, and interstellar travel, a ...
's 2014 novel ''Lockstep'', set over 14,000 years in the future, Mars has been terraformed and is renamed Barsoom. It is mentioned that, in addition to the human settlers, there are genetically-engineered Tharks living on the world. A time period called the "second Thark Flowering" is also mentioned. In the 2018 sequel ''The Million'', the Tharks are briefly mentioned as the only civilization on Mars that does not periodically go into suspended animation.
References
External links
ERBzine 1390: 1. Thark GalleryJohn Carter of Mars Official Site from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., Tarzana, California
{{Barsoom
Literary characters introduced in 1912
Barsoom
Fictional Martians
Fictional warrior races