KATUMANKATUMAN
Real Name: Katuman
Identity/Class: Human (Hyborian Era) magic user; Stygian
Occupation: Prince
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Set (god); Khoraja;
formerly King Irruk and the people of Yamman, Natohk/Thugra Khotan, Shu-Onoru and Helgor
Enemies: King Irruk and the
people of Yamman;
formerly Almaric of Nemedia, Conan, Red
Sonja, Zula, and the forces of Khoraja
Known Relatives: Yasmela (wife)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Royal Palace of Khoraja; formerly Stygia; Hyborian Era
First Appearance: Weird Tales Volume 21,
Number 6, Black Colossus (June, 1933);
Savage Sword of Conan#2 (October, 1974)
Powers/Abilities:
None. He is quite large and strong, but not superhumanly so. He
is a competent swordsman and hand-to-hand combatant. Katuman
formerly used the Sword that Conquers All, a blade whose origins
precede that of Stygia (which had its origins before 13, 000 BC).
The Sword came into possession of Shu-Onoru with the aid of the
demon Helgor.
This sword can shatter or melt virtually any substance on contact. It also released a trail of energy, the wake of which proved able to subdue those it contacted.
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#3 (fb)-BTS) - Katuman was a prince of
Stygia, but he was exiled from his native lands for acts of
rebellion unspecified.
(Conan the Barbarian I#247 (fb)-BTS) - Katuman led his followers across Shem to join the forces of Natohk, the Veiled One. Along the way, he became allied with the sorceror Shu-Onoru. Katuman and his allies stopped in Yamman, where they rested, and used his own force of arms to take control of King Irruk. Katuman allowed Irruk to remain on the throne of Yamman to keep his Shemite people from revolting. Shu-Onoru prophesized that a delegation from Khoraja would come to try to convince Katuman to fight for them, against Natohk. Katuman and Shu-Onoru thus prepared a trap for that delegation.
(Conan the Barbarian I#247-248) -
Conan, Red Sonja, Zula, and the rest of the Khorajan fell into
the trap set in Yamman, and were brought before Katuman. Irruk
tried to maintain his authority, but Katuman put him in his
place. He refused the offer to fight for Khoraja, and defeated
Conan and his allies--with the aid of Shu-Onoru and Helgor--when
they briefly broke free.
Katuman then took Red Sonja hostage, and forced Conan and Zula to
fight to the death. Zula, however, used his magical skills to
make it appear as he had been beheaded, but then Conan hurled
Zula's head (actually just a skull from the gladiatorial arena)
at Katuman. The enraged Stygian leapt into the arena himself and
attacked Conan, again getting the better of him with the Sword
that Conquers All. As he raised the sword to slay Conan, he was
shocked by the headless body of Zula approaching him. Conan
punched the stunned Katuman, who dropped his sword and fled,
wanting nothing to do with that bad juju. Conan used the Sword
that Conquers All to destroy the Helgor. Zula's illusion was soon
exposed, but Conan and his allies were able to escape. Zula
beaned Katuman with another skull before they left.
(Savage Sword of Conan#2/Conan the Barbarian I#249 - BTS) - Katuman, having joined up with Natohk's forces, encountered Conan again during the final confrontation against the forces of Khoraja. After Conan had been knocked off his horse by a hurled mace, Katuman rushed forward to try to brain him with a rock. Conan managed to take only a glancing blow, and then stuck his knife into Katuman's side.
(Conan the Barbarian I#250) - Katuman, a prisoner, was brought into Khoraja. He was quite indignant that he had to ride in a cart next to a corpse. Conan told Katuman that if he were in his position, he'd long since have memorized Khoraja's Oath of Allegiance.
(Savage Sword of Conan#3) - Apparently having taken Conan's advice to heart, Katuman did swear allegiance to Khoraja, and his royalty granted his freedom within the castle of Khoraja. When Conan left to free Khossus, the rightful king of Khoraja, Katuman entertained Princess Yasmela with tales of his native Stygia. In a short time period, the two became engaged. Despite Conan's saving her nation and freeing its King, her brother, Yasmela chose Katuman over him--for his royalty.
Comments: Created by Robert E. Howard. Adapted by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.
Red Sonja and Zula were ret-conned into the struggle against the forces of Thugra Khotan in the Conan the Barbarian issues.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
King Irruk
The Shemite ruler of Yamman, his authority was usurped by Katuman, who dominated him by fear, but allowed him to maintain the illusion of leadership, to keep the Shemites who followed him in line. Irruk finally strapped a pair on, tripping and then mocking Katuman as he fled from the seemingly headless form of Zula. Irruk then rallied his people against Katuman, forcing him out of Yamman.
--Conan the Barbarian I#247 (248
Appearances:
Savage Sword of Conan#2 (October, 1974) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Alfredo Alcala (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan#3 (November, 1974) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks)
Conan the Barbarian I#247 (August, 1991) - Roy Thomas (writer), Gary Hartle (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#248-250 (September-November, 1991) - Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Docherty (pencils), Ernie Chan & Gerry Talaoc (#248) (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Last updated: 12/01/02
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