Thoth-Amon

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Thoth-Amon is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is an evil wizard in The Phoenix on the Sword, the first of the Conan the Cimmerian stories. He is often used as Conan's arch enemy in derivative works but the two characters never actually meet in any of Howard's original stories.

[edit] Character

Howard most likely derived the character's name from the Egyptian deities Thoth and Amon. Thoth-Amon was the foremost sorcerer of the Stygian culture, which Howard set up as the ancestors of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Thoth-Amon was a worshipper of a god he referred to as Father Set. While this must derive from the Egyptian deity Set, Howard transforms him into a serpent god. There is some intimation that Father Set may be one of the Great Old Ones that H. P. Lovecraft created. Howard and Lovecraft were friends and correspondents who often drew inspiration from each other's work.

In his first, and only, appearance, Howard describes Thoth as "a somber giant, whose dusky skin revealed his Stygian blood."

The character is one of Howard's most memorable villains and has been used by other authors, notably L. Sprague de Camp. Thoth-Amon was a recurring villain in Marvel Comics' various Conan titles. Several of the sorcerer's acoutrements, The Scroll of Thoth and The Serpent Ring of Set, have also shown up in other stories by Richard Tierney and others. Though the villain in the film Conan the Barbarian is named Thulsa Doom, after an evil wizard in Howard's Kull stories, he more closely resembled Thoth-Amon.

The enduring popularity of Thoth-Amon may be because of his unusual characterization. Though a villain, the sorcerer has many heroic qualities. He is brave, physically strong, intelligent, and devoted to the advancement of his people. He is perhaps the best example of the noble villains .

Robert E. Howard was strongly influenced by social Darwinism and by the racial climate of the time. In his stories black and white skinned characters are assumed to be natural enemies because one race can thrive only at the expense of the other. Despite this attitude, Howard seems to have had a fascination with heroic black characters and often portrayed them so positively that they are often more sympathetic to modern readers than the putative heroes of the stories. In addition to Thoth-Amon the villains of the short stories The Hyena and Black Vulmea's Vengeance are good examples of this.

[edit] Appearances in Howard's works

Thoth-Amon only ever appeared directly in one on Robert E. Howard's stories - The Phoenix on the Sword, which was also the first appearance of Conan. In this story he is temporarily powerless and the slave of an Aquilonian outlaw called Ascalante. It is revealed that he used to be the greatest wizard of Stygia until the Serpent Ring of Set was stolen and his power was broken. It is described as "of a metal like copper, and was made in the form of a scaled serpent, coiled in three loops, with its tail in its mouth. Its eyes were yellow gems which glittered balefully." Thoth-Amon regains the ring and his power during the course of the story. His attack on Conan during the story is accidental, when he sends a demon to kill Ascalante and his conspirators who are at that time attempting to assassinate the Cimmerian.

Thoth-Amon is mentioned in two further Conan stories. First in The God in the Bowl (earlier in Conan's career than the first story) and then in The Hour of the Dragon (later than the first story). In both he is feared as a major Stygian wizard. The God in the Bowl is the only one of the two in which his actions threaten Conan, although indirectly as in The Phoenix on the Sword. In The Hour of the Dragon Conan's actions actually aid Thoth when he destroys a cabal plotting to use the Heart of Ahriman, which Conan needs for his own ends, against Thoth.

Howard made one more reference to the character, in a non-Conan story. Set in the modern 1930s, Thoth's Serpent Ring of Set again appears in the John Kirowan story The Haunter of the Ring. This was one of Howard's direct contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos, which was created by his correspondent H. P. Lovecraft.

The ring is at first described physically: "Oh, a fantastic thing--copper, made like a scaly snake coiled three times, with its tail in its mouth and yellow jewels for eyes. I gather he picked it up somewhere in Hungary." Later in the story it is directly named as the "accursed ring of Thoth-amon, handed down by foul cults of sorcerers since the days of forgotten Stygia."

[edit] The Book of Thoth (Dark Horse Comics)

In Dark Horse's new comic series, Thoth-Amon was finally given an origin. Thoth-Amon, the dark wizard began life as young Thoth, a street thief of Memphia, stealing for his father to barely earn a living with perpetual beatings the only sign of affection his father gave. The only person Thoth cared for was his sister, whom he vowed to take away from the cruel city one day. As fate would have it, Thoth's only true friend, a street urchin named Amon saved the life of Kharandus, priest of Ibis, the feathered god, by calling out a warning of assassins about to assault the priest's litter. Amon was given a boon by the priest and asked to train at the temple of Ibis, though believing himself unworthy to look the holy man in the eye, he kept his head down. That evening, Thoth's private trove of coins was discovered by thieves who beat Thoth and stole his money when Amon arrived to tell him the news.

Thoth proceeded to murder his friend and take his name, realizing Kharandus would be unable to tell the difference. Thoth became a priest of Ibis, studying alongside Kharandus's son Kalanthes, until he began to lust after more power. Deciding to harness the power of ancient Acheron, Thoth set off on a journey where he entered an ancient tomb and was bitten nearly to death by snakes. There, the God Set came to him and sealed his fate with a dark bargain. Thoth returned to Memphia and began to murder members of Ibis's temple in sickening clandestine rituals, as well as engineering the death of the King and all his heirs to make certain his and Kalanthes's friend, young Cstephon would inherit the throne. Thoth's activities were discovered by Kharandus and the two engaged in battle.

Thoth defeated the old priest and forced him under mind control to confess to worship of Set, a great crime then. Kharandus was, through the magic of Ibis, robbed of his mind and kept by Thoth as a servant. Now puppet master of the throne, Thoth set up a vicious dictatorship that beget numerous rebels, including the barbarian hero Akkad of the Danu. Kalanthes soon realized what was happening and with the remainders of Ibis's priesthood set out to kill Thoth. Thoth's power proved greater than they realized and they were bested. In response, Thoth convinced Cstephon to banish worship of Ibis and turned Memphia to the worship of the arch-demon serpent god Set. The people, disenchanted with Ibis by the apparent lack of help the feathered god provided them, welcomed it.

Thoth intended to have the assassins all killed, but Cstephon decided instead to banish them. Furious, Thoth exposed Cstephon to dark magic in secret, destroying the young king's mind and making him a thrall. Kalanthes was crucified and left to die in the desert where he was rescued by Akkad of the Danu.

In an encounter with his past, Thoth recognized a thief brought before him as one man who had stolen his treasure horde so many years ago and demanded in return for his release eighteen coins, the exact amount that had been taken from Thoth. The thief was one short and so Thoth had him blinded and imprisoned for life. Thoth suddenly recalled his promise to his sister long ago and sent a servant to find his family and bring them before him. Thoth began to suffer voices in his head, whispering to him, trying to dissuade him of the path he had chosen. He attempted to ignore them to no avail.

Thoth, attempting to unearth Acheron's secrets accidentally resurrected the ancient sorcerer Xaltoun who brought about the fearsome serpent men on Stygia. Akkad, Kalanthes and their forces arrived to aid Thoth in battling Xaltoun and his men back to oblivion, but Akkad fell in the battle. The battle won, Thoth intended to establish his power even further as Stygia's savior, whereupon Kalanthes sarcastically asked Thoth if he was to go back to the tree now to be crucified again.

To Kalanthes's fury, Thoth took a moment to think of the question and Kalanthes delivered a savage blow that hurled Thoth to the ground, snarling "The question was not serious, liar priest, but I am sickened you had to think of the answer. I will take my poor father and leave the city. Perhaps you will learn something. Perhaps not."

Thoth-Amon was left shivering in a corner, his own weakness exposed.

Shortly thereafter, Thoth's servant arrived with news his family had perished from a grain plague Thoth himself had unleashed upon the lands. Thoth, no longer caring, decided to use the plague to convert the rest of the populace to the worship of Set, despite the pleas of the voices in his head, asking if he even cared any longer that he had been responsible for his once beloved sister's death.

The source of the voices was truly Amon, who had been the first of many to die for Thoth-Amon's ambitions. Sadly, Thoth no longer paid him heed, not for many years. Amon, however, still had hope, even for one lost in darkness as his once most beloved friend.

What became of Thoth-Amon, no tales can truly tell, though he and Kalanthes remained great enemies for many, many years. Some claim he quietly faded into legend, far from fact, some tales claim that he was finally defeated in a savage battle with King Conan himself.

Whatever the truth, many ages after Conan's empire had faded into legend, the chronicles of the Barbarian King were uncovered by a prince and his Wazir...a mysterious Wazir dressed in Stygian clothing, with emerald, serpent-like eyes who was noticeably uncomfortable about the mention of Conan and was heard to remark "Always Barbarians, everywhere I turn...is there no end to them?"

[edit] Thoth-Amon in Conan the Destroyer

A similarly named wizard, Toth-Amon, appears in the film Conan the Destroyer. However, the name is the only link to the original character. Toth-Amon does not appear, in terms of character, clothing or setting, to be Stygian/Egyptian nor do his actions resemble anything in Howards stories. The monster Conan faces in the Toth-Amon scenes, an ape-like creature in a red cloak, resembles Thak from the short story Rogues in the House (which does not include Thoth-Amon).

[edit] Thoth-Amon in Conan the Adventurer

In Conan the Adventurer, the central villain Wrath-Amon is likely based on Thoth-Amon. However, unlike Thoth-Amon, Wrath-Amon is a Serpent Man who took the Black Ring and became Set's New High Priest, although he used to serve Ram-Amon. Ram-Amon also suspiciously resembled Thoth-Amon, suggesting a possible split of the character. Alternatively, the Howard story, The Phoenix on the Sword, includes the line "Men spoke of Thoth­-Amon as they spoke of Rammon". The similar name of another feared Stygian wizard may have been the inspiration for Ram-Amon instead.

[edit] Thoth-Amon and King Hiss

The character King Hiss, as seen in He-Man/Masters of the Universe setting, has some similarities with Thoth-Amon. King Hiss is, however, a Snake Man, more similar to the character of Wrath-Amon in the Conan the Adventurer animated series. He is also a worshipper of the snake god Serpos (Set) and the leader of the ancient Snake Men.

Persistent rumours suggest the He-Man range were originally intended as a Conan toy line, which would further strengthen the link. The He-Man character Skeletor has similarities with the character Thulsa Doom, written by Howard as a Kull villain but whose name was used for the villain in the first Conan film.