Worms of the Earth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the industrial band, see Worms of the Earth (band).

"Worms of the Earth" is a short story by American fantasy fiction writer Robert Ervin Howard. It was originally published in the magazine Weird Tales in November 1932, then again in 1975 in a collection of Howard's short stories, Worms of the Earth. [1]

[edit] Plot

Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts, vows revenge on the Roman governor Titus Sulla after witnessing the crucifixion of a fellow Pict. He seeks forbidden aid from the Worms of the Earth, a race of creatures who were once men but after generations of living underground have become monstrous and semi-reptilian. He secures their help after stealing a religious item of theirs from a barrow, trading it back in return for them delivering Sulla to him for a battle to the death. However, Sulla's mind is broken from his contact with the horrific Worms of the Earth and Bran Mak Morn slays him in mercy rather than vengeance, realising that some weapons are too foul to use, even against Rome.

[edit] Notes

Twice in Worms of the Earth mention is made of the black gods of R'lyeh, resting place of Cthulhu, creation of H.P.Lovecraft, a friend and correspondent of Howard. Also mentioned is a water monster 'Dagon', which is a real world Philistine god mentioned in a fictional context in several stories by Lovecraft. Both these references strongly imply that Bran Mak Morn inhabits the universe of the Cthulhu Mythos. The titular Worms of the Earth also correspond with the Children of the Night mentioned in the Howard story of the same, with the Worms seemingly the later development of the former.