THOTH-AMON
Real Name: Thoth-Amon
Identity/Class: Human magic-user;
Hyborian era;
Stygian citizen
Occupation: Priest of Set, sorcerer;
former ruler of Aquilonia;
former wizard and royal
advisor to the King of Stygia
Group Membership: Sometimes leader of the Black Ring (a sect of sorcerers)
Affiliations: Set (his god and master), also invoked the Old Ones;
the Black Stranger (demon of the treasure of Tranicos),
Black Zarono (allies), King Ctesphon III (Neftha), Cult of the White Hand (Louhi), Damballah, Ee-Ch'ing, the Ghoul-Hyena of Chaos, Baron Maloric, Man-Serpents, Menkara, Nenaunir,
Ptor-Nubis, Scarlet Circle (Pra-Eun), Serpent Men, Shard and his band of
mercenaries, Count Valenso, Duke Villagro; a
monstrous ape, unidentified sorcerer (pawn/host)
formerly Kulan Gath (former
apprentice);
Enemies: Ascalante, Astriel,
Bêlit of Shem, Conan of Cimmeria, Conn (Conan) of Aquilonia, Deviatrix, Dion, Epimetreus the Sage, King Ferdrugo,
Hath-Horeb, Jandalinatjari, Karanthes, Kulan Gath, king Mentupherra, Morophla, Queen Nzinga I and II (daughter),
Taurus (son of Conan), Thulsa Doom, Thutothemes, Uathacht, Count Valenso,
Villagro, Yarralamundu, Zandra, Zula;
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: The Dark Man, Mage of the Black Ring, Master Sorcerer of the Black Ring, Thoth-Amon of the Black Ring (and a few others "of the Black Ring")
Base of Operations: Khajar, Kheshatta, and later Nebthu, Stygia (what is now Egypt) during the Hyborian era (see comments)
First
Appearance: (In Robert E. Howard's books): Weird Tales
December, 1932, "The Phoenix on the Sword"
(Marvel Universe; spirit/image only): Conan the Barbarian I#7 (July,
1971)
(fully seen) Conan Annual#2 (1976)-fully seen
Powers: Thoth-Amon was reputed to be the
most powerful sorcerer of the Hyborian era.
However, for a number
of reasons his powers waxed and waned. At times he has possessed
virtually limitless power, and at others he could only manage a
few simple tricks. Apparently, with time and preparation, he can
amass large amounts of power.
He has been shown to transfer his
mind into that of lesser creatures, project his essence across
great distances to contact others, project bolts of magical force
and form shields, levitate objects, animate inanimate objects,
mentally manipulate others, teleport, and summon and control
demonic creatures.
A large degree of his powers were dependent on his Serpent Ring, a power source apparently tied to Set.
He has used theCobra Crown
The Cobra Crown greatly amplified the mental abilities of its
wearer, granting a normal person powerful telepathic and
telekinetic powers. In the hands of Thoth-Amon, it presumably
would have given him the control over hundreds of people.
Nonetheless, in order to access its power, one had to at least
remain in direct contact, if not actually be wearing it. The
Cobra Crown was inferior to the Serpent Crown, in that it was
apparently destroyed by a single misuse. The Cobra Crown, while
its full origins are unknown, definitely had some connection to
the Serpent Crown.
Thoth-Amon used a Mystic Mirror to communicate with others across a distance.
He frequently commanded or was allied with either of both of the races of Serpent-Men and the Man-Serpents
Height: Unrevealed (approximately )
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately )
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Apparently bald (or shaved head); black eyebrows
History: When first seen, Thoth-Amon was allegedly already centuries old.
(Conan the Barbarian I#89 (fb) - BTS) <perhaps 20 years before the main story> - Thoth-Amon was the most promising of young sorcerers who traveled north to the Stygian capital, Luxur, from Kheshatta, the City of Magicians.
Recognizing the toddler Neftha, daughter of King
Ctesphon I, as someone of import, Thoth-Amon gave a serpent amulet to
Bekhet, apparently knowing that Neftha would become his servant and
intending for her to gain it. He apparently ensured that she heard the
incantation that would turn her into a snake.
(Savage Sword of Conan#55/2 - BTS) - Thoth-Amon at some point trained the sorcerer Kulan Gath, who was eventually forced to flee Stygia for practicing sorcery that even worshippers of Set found offensive (that's got to be some pretty nasty stuff!).
(Marvel Feature I#6 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Feature I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Thoth-Amon also drove other rival sorcerers from Stygia: Karanthes of Hanumar, priest of the Bird-God Ibis (who went North) to Nemedia.
(??) - Thoth-Amon drove Morophla and his sister Uathacht, on whom Thoth-Amon laid a blood curse, from Stygia. They re-established themselves in Zamora.
(Savage Sword of Conan#192(fb)) - Thoth-Amon
awakened the Sons of Set, aka the Man-Serpents, and the original
Serpent-Men, and took command of them.
(Conan the Barbarian I#7) - Thoth-Amon, in anonymity, sent a "gift" to the city of Numalia (in Nemedia), to his old foe, Karanthes. When Karanthes opened the gift, he was killed by the Man-Serpent within it. Conan sneaked into Karanthes temple to steal this gift, and was instead found by Karanthes body and blamed for his murder. Conan ultimately slew the Man-Serpent, but not before it could kill everyone else in the temple. Conan looked into the bowl that formerly held the Man-Serpent, and received a powerful vision of Thoth-Amon, which caused him to flee Numalia.
(Savage Sword of Conan#48 (fb)) - Thoth-Amon fled Stygia during the reign of King Mentupherra. He traveled to Kordava, where he remained even after Mentupherra's death.
(Conan the Barbarian I#68) - Thoth-Amon sent a sorcerer to steal back a page from the Book of Skelos from the back-to-life Karanthes. This sorcerer succeeded, but then encountered a time-displaced Kull and his castle. The sorcerer posed as Gonar, an advisor to Kull, and sought to lead him to conquer the world, that he himself might then take it over. Conan exposed the sorcerer, who revealed his intentions. Thoth-Amon had been observer from afar, and sent an image to let the sorcerer know he was now on his own. Conan slew the sorcerer, and Kull and his castle returned to their own era.
(Conan the Barbarian I#74 - BTS) - Thoth-Amon appeared to Conan in a
dream, warning him to abandon his quest to rescue Bêlit's father.
Conan refused, and an immense sea monster subsequently attacked
their ship. Conan, of course, slew the sea monster.
However, as revealed in Conan
the Barbarian I#115, it was actually Karanthes who sent the illusion of
Thoth-Amon.
(Savage Sword of Conan#48 (fb)) - Thoth-Amon was employed by Count Valenso of Kordava to slay an enemy of his. Thoth-Amon conjured up a fiend from the outer gulfs (the Black Stranger) to crush and slay Valenso's foe. After this was done, Valenso betrayed him, cheating him out of his money and denouncing him to Ferdrugo, the king of Zingara. As a result, Thoth-Amon was forced to flee to Stygia, in haste and stealth.
(Conan the Barbarian I#89 (fb) - BTS) - Having some
enmity with Hath-Horeb, the sorcerer serving King Ctesphon II,
Thoth-Amon departed his self-imposed exile in Kheshatta in order to be
in Luxur after Neftha claimed the throne.
(Conan the Barbarian I#90 - BTS) - Following the
deaths of both Hath-Horeb and Ctesphon II, Neftha became the new king
of Egypt as Ctesphon III (as the Stygian tradition was having a male
sit on the throne).
(Conan the Barbarian I#89 - BTS) - Thoth-Amon traveled to Luxur.
(Conan the Barbarian I#90 (fb) - BTS) - Thoth-Amon had his mystic mirror brought up with him.
(Conan the Barbarian I#89) - In Luxur, Thoth-Amon stopped
guards pursuing the fleeing Conan, Bêlit, and Zula, intending to slay
them via his own means as part of his efforts to get into Ctesphon
III's good graces.
Shattering the door to King
Ctesphon III's chambers, Thoth-Amon confronted her, discussed their
past involvement, and convinced her to accept him as her advisor.
(Conan the Barbarian I#89 - BTS) - From a distance,
he directed an unidentified Man-Serpent to attack Conan and his allies,
Bêlit and Zula.
While they slew the Man-Serpent, they were then
separated, and Conan was attacked by two Serpent Men posing as
Bêlit and Zula. Conan uncovered the deception and slew the
Serpent Men. A group of Serpent Men also posed as Bêlit's Black
Corsairs, there to rescue her, but Conan exposed their true natures,
and they fled.
(Conan the Barbarian I#90) - After Thoth-Amon noted his minions' failure to stop their targets, King Ctesphon noted that they must maintain Stygian power and presence. Thoth-Amon then contacted Ptor-Nubis, advisor to Bêlit's uncle, King Nim-Karrak of Asgalun, via his Mystic Mirror. Thoth-Amon informed Ptor-Nubis that Bêlit would be coming to try to take the throne that was rightfully hers. Thoth-Amon made sure that Ptor-Nubis knew that his life was at risk if he failed.
Ctesphon then shared with
Thoth-Amon her next plan, the total destruction of Harakht and the
slaughter of every man therein.
(Conan the Barbarian I#91 (fb) - BTS) - Forewarned by
Thoth-Amon, Ptor-Nubis discovered Bêlit's ally M'Gora when he
infiltrated Asgalun to gain intelligence for her; using his ability to
ensorcel others on contact, Ptor-Nubis then allowed M'Gora to seemingly
escape back to Bêlit, unaware that he was under Ptor-Nubis' influence.
(Conan the Barbarian I#91 - BTS) - Ptor-Nubis set a trap in Asgalun into which M'Gora unwittingly led Bêlit, Conan, and Zula. Ptor-Nubis subsequently touched Bêlit, Conan, and Zula, putting them under his command as well, and then -- as Thoth-Amon watched (presumably via his mystic mirror) and laughed remotely -- had them (as well as M'Gora) released so that they could fight to the death.
(Conan the Barbarian I#93 - BTS) - Thoth-Amon presumably witnessed as Zula overcame Ptor-Nubis' influence and slew him.
Thoth-Amon subsequently/apparently
had a raven watch the ensuing struggles in Asgalun. When it became
clear the Stygian forces were doomed to failure, it flew away,
presumably to Luxur to share the information with Thoth-Amon, who would
share it with King Ctesphon III.
(Savage Sword of Conan#74 (fb) ) - Thoth-Amon abducted Astriel, a goddess known as the Snow Queen, to try to force her to serve him. She resisted, and was rescued by her old ally Kendrick
(Savage Sword of Conan#74) - Astriel employed Conan to return her to her realm and protect her from the wizards of Thoth-Amon. Thoth-Amon appeared before Conan and Astriel and threatened them. Nonetheless, despite the power of the two sorcerers, and the legion of mercenaries assisting them, Conan successfully returned Astriel to her realm, where she regained her full power and destroyed what remained of their would-be captors.
(Savage Sword of Conan#191-193) - The ancient wizard Thulsa Doom,
now existing only as a disembodied skull, manipulated those
around him to being him to Stygia, where he could meet with
Thoth-Amon. Thulsa Doom proposed an alliance, but Thoth-Amon
recognized him for the threat that he was. Thoth-Amon could sense
that already Thulsa Doom had begun to exert his influence, taking
control of the Serpent Men, and attempting to do the same with
the Man-Serpents. Thulsa Doom had obtained an uneasy alliance
with Conan and others, who helped him to escape from Thoth-Amon's
attacks. Thoth-Amon, however, wished to keep an eye on Thulsa
Doom, so he transferred a portion of his essence into Ee-Ch'ing, a monkey-creature that was the pet of Kuchum (who was
the following Thulsa Doom's directions to a legendary fortune).
Conan threw a dagger at Thoth-Amon, but one of his Man-Serpents
intercepted the blade, dying in order to protect its master.
On back aboard Kuchum's ship, Thoth-Amon, in the form of
Ee-Ch'ing, confronted the skull of Thulsa Doom, and attempted to
throw it overboard. The skull bit down on Ee-Ch'ing's hand,
taking the monkey thing with them into the ocean. Conan dove into
the waters and saved them both, at the request of Kuchum.
Ee'Ch'ing lost a hand to the skull, and received a small hook, in
its place. Thulsa Doom, however, led them all into a trap where
they were captured by the Serpent Men, who impersonated Conan,
Kuchum, and his daughter Li-zya, and took over their ship.
Thulsa Doom led the ship to the island where the remains of his
body rested. Conan freed his allies and Ee-Ch'ing and they
escaped into the jungle, and Conan learned that Ee-Ch'ing was
Thoth-Amon. Conan and Thoth-Amon joined forces in an effort to
stop Thulsa Doom. They encountered Jandalinatjari, one of the
Snakes of Many Colors, and convinced her to transport them to
Doom. Doom had reattached his skull to his body, but required
further blood sacrifice to regain his full power. Doom's
Serpent-Men also had allied themselves with Yarralamundu, another
giant Snake of Many Colors, that attacked Jandalinatjari.
Thoth-Amon took over the mind of a Serpent Man and transformed it
into a replica of his own body, enabling him to access his powers
sufficiently to oppose Thulsa Doom. However, while neither Doom
nor Thoth-Amon possessed their full, Doom was powerful enough to
hold off both Conan and Thoth-Amon. Jandalinatjari managed to
overpower and slay Yarralamandu. Then, without further
distractions, banished both Thoth-Amon and Thulsa Doom from her
sacred island. She tore Thoth-Amon's mind from the Serpent Man it
inhabited and sent it back to its true body in Stygia.
(Savage Sword of Conan#205 (fb)) - Thoth-Amon presided over the Black Ring when Zula petitioned and was accepted for membership.
(Savage Sword of Conan#206) - After the Black Ring failed to fight off a group of invaders, Thoth-Amon returned to Kheshatta and retook control.
(Savage Sword of Conan#41-43) - Menkara (another Stygian sorcerer)
and Black Zarono sought to enlist the aid of Thoth-Amon to enable
Villagro, Duke of Kordava to topple the rule of King Ferdrugo. In
exchange, they would rid the city of the worship of Mitra, in
exchange for Set. 
Menkara sought to
impress Thoth-Amon by delivering to him a copy of the Book of
Skelos, but he was only annoyed with them, after realizing they
had missed an opportunity to gain the possession of the Cobra
Crown. Thoth-Amon magically located the Crown, and then
transported himself to the City of Gamburu, home of the Amazons.
Upon arriving, he blasted Queen Nzinga, took the Cobra Crown, and
transported himself to Zingara.
Using the power of the Cobra Crown, Thoth-Amon directed Ferdrugo
to abdicate the throne. However, instead of passing on the rule
to Villagro, Thoth-Amon had himself named as the new King of
Zingara. Thoth-Amon removed the Cobra Crown to accept the crown
of Zingara, but Villagro rushed forward and donned the Crown.
Thoth-Amon, with great effort (and assistance from Menkara),
managed to overpower and slay Villagro, who was unable to fully
tap into the Crown's power. In the process, however, Villagro
burnt out the Crown, rendering it useless. Thoth-Amon and Zarono
fled Zingara and escaped Conan and its soldiers, while Menkara
was killed in the ensuing battle.
(Savage Sword of Conan#48(fb)) - Two years after he had fled Kordava, Thoth-Amon learned of the death of Ferdrugo. News spread when he suddenly vanished again from Stygia. One night, Thoth-Amon appeared to Valenso in a vision. With Ferdrugo dead, Valenso had no king to protect him, and so he fled across the ocean to the Western Coast of the Hyborian continent.
(Savage Sword of Conan#47-48) - Thoth-Amon located Valenso and
traveled to his village aboard a boat of mystic blue flame.
Thoth-Amon slew several of the neighboring Picts
and framed
Valenso's men. Valenso was mortified upon hearing of the
appearance of the "dark man" and withdrew into terror.
Thoth-Amon appeared to him once more and promised to kill him
that night. True to his word, Thoth-Amon took the Black Stranger, who
had guarded the legendary Treasure of Tranicos, and materialized him
inside Valenso's residence. Valenso had already taken his own
life, but Conan slew the demon to protect some of Valenso's
family. Thoth-Amon was satisfied with his revenge on Valenso and
saw no need to encounter Conan.
(Conan Annual#2) - Thoth-Amon fell on hard times.
Dependent on the Serpent Ring
of Set for power, he lost everything when a thief stole
the ring. Thoth-Amon was forced to flee when the other sorcerers
of the Black Ring attempted to slay him. Thoth-Amon's life was
saved by Ascalante, a former Count of Thune. Ascalante saved
Thoth-Amon's life, but then enslaved the powerless wizard.
Ascalante whipped Thoth-Amon and forced him to serve as his
lackey, keeping him in line with threats that if any harm came to
Ascalante, one of his allies would inform the Stygians where
Thoth-Amon was hiding.
Ascalante plotted the murder of Conan, now King of Aquilonia,
hoping to ascend to the position himself. Thoth-Amon was forced
to serve as Ascalante's go-between, communicating with his
co-conspirators. While visiting one of these, a dullard named
Dion, Thoth-Amon found that this witless buffoon had come to
possess the Serpent Ring. Thoth-Amon slew Dion and retook the
Serpent Ring. He then summoned an immense ape-like creature and
sent it to slay Ascalante, his allies, and hopefully Conan, as
well. Ascalante and his allies fell before the monster, but Conan
had received aid from Epemitreus the Sage. Epimetrius had imbued
Conan's sword with mystical power to defend himself and Aquilonia
against the forces of Set, and the sword proved capable of
killing the monstrous ape.
(Savage Sword of Conan#227/4) - Conan figured the mastermind to be Dion, who never showed up for the assassination. He led a group of soldiers to Dion's palace and walked into another trap/spell set by Thoth-Amon. Thoth himself was there in spirit only, having already started his journey to find and kill Ascalante's friend, to prevent him from revealing his whereabouts to his enemies in Stygia. Thoth-Amon had designed the trap to kill Ascalante, should he escape the monster ape, but he was only too happy to allow it to take out Conan. Conan used up the last of Epimetreus' energy in his sword breaking out of Thoth-Amon's trap.
(Savage Sword of Conan#205/2-BTS?) - Rolok, a servant of Baron Enri, obtained one of the Serpent Rings of Set, worn by the wizards of the Black Ring. When Enri's daughter, Lady Evelena, rejected him, he gave her the ring, knowing that a demon would eventually come to slay any non-wizard wearing the ring. The Ring drove Evelena to attempt to kill her husband, Trocero. Trocero revealed his concerns to King Conan, who uncovered Rolok's plot, and placed the Ring on Rolok's hand. Rolok was slain by the demon, who took both he and the Ring to a netherworld.
(Savage Sword of Conan#10 - BTS) - The Stygian sorcerer Thutothemes, also a member of the Black Ring, sought the Heart of Ahriman to overthrow Thoth-Amon.
(King Conan#1) - Again leading the Black Ring,
Thoth-Amon allied himself with Louhi (Witch Queen of the
Hyperborean Cult of the White Hand), Nenaunir (High Priest of
Damballah), and Pra-Eun (Lord of the Scarlet Circle). Louhi
captured Conan's eldest son, Conn (also known as Conan the
second), and forced Conan to enter their trap. Thoth-Amon wished
to have Conan executed immediately, but the others didn't see
what he was afraid of. Louhi enjoyed holding this over him, and
sent one of her Witch Men to humble Conan. Conan slew the Witch
Man, and Louhi and Pra-Eun, as well. Thoth-Amon and Nenaunir
teleported away to safety.
(King Conan#2) - Thoth-Amon returned to Nebthu, Stygia to the side of the Black Ring. From there, he manipulated Duke Pantho to war on Conan's borders. As intended, Conan surmised Thoth-Amon's involvement and traveled to his base in Nebthu. Conan and a small number of his soldiers were confronted with the entire membership of the Black Ring, while Thoth-Amon sent an army of Stygians to occupy the rest of Conan's army. Conan, had not come unprepared, and brought with him the druid Deviatrix, armed with the powerful gem, the Heart of Ahriman. Using the gem, Deviatrix devastated the Black Ring. With his entire sect wiped out, and himself unable to stand up to the power of Deviatrix and the gem, Thoth-Amon released the Ghoul-Hyena of Chaos, an immense demon hyena-like creature, to destroy them. Conan led his warriors to flee the hyena, leading it into the center of the army of Stygia. As the hyena destroyed the army, Conan, Deviatrix, and his soldiers fled to safety. Now lacking the support of the Black Ring, Thoth-Amon fled to Zembabwe, seeking support from Nenaunir.
(King Conan#3) - Conan, Conn, and his army tracked Thoth-Amon to Zembabwe,
but were captured by Wyverns (flying lizard creatures) of
Nenaunir. Again Thoth-Amon's wishes to put Conan to a quick death
were thwarted by Nenaunir, who wished to sacrifice Conan to
Damballah at a certain time, in order to gain the Serpent God's
favor for himself. Damballah's Earthly manifestation proved to be
too much for the senior Conan, but Conn broke free and stabbed
and killed Nenaunir, disrupting the Serpent God's access to the
Earthly realm. Thoth-Amon saw Conn charge forth and could have
stopped him, but saw Nenaunir as a threat, and allowed him to
die. Thoth-Amon fled even further south, to the legendary Edge of
the World.
(King Conan#4) - At the "Edge of the World", Conan, Conn, and the others encountered and taken in by a civilization of beautiful women who turned to be the last of the Serpent Men. Thoth-Amon hung out back in the shadows until Conan passed out from too much drugged wine, and then he pulled Conan outside for a final confrontation. Conan held his own for awhile, but Thoth-Amon's power enabled him to push Conan's mind into a dream-world, allowing him to gain the upper hand. Thoth-Amon was triumphantly choking the life out of Conan, when Conn came running up and knifed him a sword that Deviatrix had empowered. Thoth-Amon fell to the ground and crumbled into dust. Conan took Thoth-Amon's Serpent Ring and hurled it into the ocean, where it would never be found again...
(Conan the King#27(fb)) - The Serpent Ring was swallowed by a fish, which was caught by a man named Nhaton. When Nhaton uncovered the Ring, its energies summoned Thoth-Amon's spirit back to Earth, and created a new body for him. Thoth-Amon took some time to regain his own power before going out in search of his Ring. He came to work for the Baron Maloric, and assisted him in his plot that nearly slew Conan's eldest son, Conn.
(Conan the King#20-BTS?) - Thoth-Amon
was likely involved in enhancing the abilities of the frenzied
warriors who attacked Conan's soldiers and nearly slew Conn. Conn
was believed to be dead for a long period of time.
(Conan the King#22) - Thoth-Amon assisted Maloric in a plot to wipe out Conan's elite fighting squadron, the Black Dragons. He summoned or created a swamp creature to attack them. While it slew a good number of the squad, one of them managed to set fire to it and destroy it.
(Conan the King#23) - Thoth-Amon enjoyed observing the heartache and anguish of Conan from afar.
(Conan the King#26) - Baron Maloric had hired a group of assassins in a failed attempt to slay Conan. Thoth-Amon confronted Maloric and warned him against further attempts, claiming the right to slay Conan for himself.
(Conan the King#27) - Thoth-Amon found Nhaton and his wife, already dead, with only their young son left, and the Ring apparently stolen by their murderer. Thoth-Amon summoned a spirit from the depths of the sea to learn who had the ring, and it told him it was taken by "one of his own kind." He traveled back to Nebthu where he found and annihilated every member of the reformed Black Ring, to no avail. The Serpent Ring was in the hands of the "son" of Nhaton, actually a demonic creature.
(Conan the King#50) - Thoth-Amon left Aquilonia to seek out his Serpent Ring
(Conan the King#53) - Thoth-Amon
tracked the demon posing as the son of Nhaton to Aquilonia, where
it had been unwittingly befriended by Taurus, the younger son of
Conan. After seeing the Serpent Ring on the demon, Taurus
realized his mistake and attempted to warn the others. Because of
his history, no one believed him, including Conan, who left the
city in search of Conn. Thoth-Amon arrived, slew the demon, and
retook his Serpent Ring. Thoth-Amon was reborn, with even greater
power than before, and his own set of real horns.
(Conan the King#54) - With Conan absent from Aquilonia, Thoth-Amon took over the castle of Aquilonia and made the soldiers his own. He attempted to persuade Taurus to become his apprentice. Taurus refused and fought back against Thoth, even skewering him with a sword. Thoth-Amon was minimally harmed by this, and then threatened to slay Taurus' mother and sister, as well as the rest of Aquilonia unless Taurus agreed. Taurus reluctantly agreed.
(Conan the King#55) - For nearly nine months, Taurus acted as Thoth-Amon's apprentice/servant, all the while secretly stealing from his store of mystical power. During that time, Thoth-Amon reformed the Black Ring (or the Black Circle, as it was referred to in this issue). Conan and Conn returned and assaulted Thoth-Amon, but were helpless against his power (one of those "no weapon forged by mortal man can harm me" things). However, Conn had been given the Sword of the Elder Gods by the goddess Solaise. Using the power Conn had stolen from Thoth-Amon, channeled through the Sword, and directed by the sorceress Zandra, they succeeded in snuffing the flame in which Thoth-Amon had stored most of his power. Conan cut off Thoth-Amon's right hand, depriving him of the power of the Serpent ring, as well. As Thoth-Amon attempted to regain the Ring, Conan grabbed him and snapped his spine, apparently killing him for good this time.
In Marvel Two-in-One#66...image or a "memory" of Thoth-Amon was summoned by Hugh Jones using the Serpent Crown. This is believed to not have been the actual spirit of Thoth-Amon.
Comments: Created by Robert E. Howard. Adapted by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith (just Barry Smith, back then).
As a disclaimer, I don't have the Conan issues
indexed, nor have I ever read the original Robert E. Howard stories. This
entry deals solely with the characters as they have appeared in
the Marvel Universe. If you've got additional background info,
please let me know, and I'll add it to the comments. The stories
in Conan jump around to different ages in his life, and you need
a guide to follow them. They've got a good one, adapted from Roy
Thomas, at the Conan
Website chronology page. Thanks a
boatload to Wayne
Lenihan, who gave me a complete
chronology on Thoth-Amon, as well as a few others I'll get to
eventually. Additional thanks to Cyborg Caveman
for identifying Thoth-Amon's first REH appearances, dates, etc.
Anyway, I've got all the issues, so please let me know if I
missed any, and I'll add them.
In case it's not clear, Conan's activity in the Hyborian era was around 10, 000 BC.
While Thoth-Amon's first appearance was in
"The Phoenix on the Sword," chronologically, that is
one of the last of REH's Conan's stories. "The God in the
Bowl," which was adapted in Conan the Barbarian#7, was
published 20 years later, in 1952, after REH's death. However, it
occurs much early in Conan's career, and represents Thoth-Amon's
first chronological appearance.
The Phoenix on the Sword, which was adapted in Conan Annual#2,
apparently was originally intended to be a Kull story, but REH
re-wrote it b/c his publisher didn't care for the Kull stories as
much. Check out Kull the Destroyer#11, "By this Axe I
Rule," for an adaptation of the original story...and note
the similarities.
Although it's not apparent from my synopses, Conan's encounters with Thoth-Amon stretched out over a period of 30-40 years. His powers saw great highs and lows. The lowest was when he served Ascalante --completely powerless without his Serpent Ring. Coincidentally, the highest was also without his Ring, when he slaughtered the members of the Black Ring, in Conan the King#27.
In addition, I think the closest Conan and Thoth-Amon were to have gotten to a direct confrontation, in REH's stories, was in the "Phoenix on the Sword." They were always supposed to have been on the periphery, and never to have really met...but I'm not the Conan expert, so I could be wrong. As far as I can tell, their first chronological face to face meeting was in Savage Sword of Conan#191, but in Savage Sword of Conan#43 temporally. Their first actual direct battle was in King Conan#1.
Further supplemental information by John McDonagh: "Actually, an odd connection exist between
Thoth-Amon and Thulsa Doom. You see, when Oliver Stone (yes, THAT
Oliver Stone) co-wrote the screenplay to the first Conan movie,
he was the one who made Thulsa Doom the villain of the movie
(although in Stone's original version it would have been set in
the future).
--Thoth-Amon also appears in What If? I#39, in an alternate reality.
In Savage Sword of Conan#192, one of the Khitains (ancestor's of the Chinese, I believe), invoked Shou-Lao...connection to Shou-Lao the Undying, from the origin of Iron Fist? I don't know.
In modern times, an image of Thoth-Amon was
summoned by Hugh Jones, who created images of all who had
previously worn the Serpent Crown.
Thoth-Amon is only known to have worn the Cobra Crown, but as a
worshipper of Set, he may well have worn the Serpent Crown at some
point.
Definitely check out the Cobra Crown profile for the full deal on it, the Serpent Crown, and lots, lots, more.
Thanks to Darc_Light for pointing out the difference between Hyenas and Dogs.
Clarifications:
Thoth-Amon
Stygia and the Stygians of the Hyborian era refer to the natives
and the land that eventually became Egypt...or something like
that.
There is no known connection to:
Taurus, the son of Conan, King Conan#??, has no known connection to any of the many characters named Taurus of the various incarnations of Zodiac, or any one else from the modern era.
Thoth-Amon's Mystic Mirror allowed him to communicate with others -- at
least other sorcerers -- across distances of at least hundreds of
miles. Presumably the recepient also used a mirror.  (Conan the Barbarian I#90) - After Thoth-Amon noted his minions' failure to stop their targets, King Ctesphon III noted that they must maintain Stygian power and presence. Thoth-Amon then contacted Ptor-Nubis, advisor to
Bêlit's uncle, King Nimkarrak of Asgalun, via his Mystic Mirror. Thoth-Amon informed
Ptor-Nubis that Bêlit would be coming to try to take the throne
that was rightfully hers. Thoth-Amon made sure that Ptor-Nubis knew that his life was at risk if he failed, and he informed Ctesphon of this fact. (Conan the Barbarian I#91 - BTS) - Ptor-Nubis subsequently touched Bêlit, Conan, and Zula, putting them under his command as well, and then -- as Thoth-Amon watched (presumably via his mystic mirror) and laughed remotely -- had them (as well as M'Gora) released so that they could fight to the death. --Conan the Barbarian I#90 |
Conan the Barbarian I#89, pg. 6, panel 5 (shattering door);
pg. 7, panel 2 (face);
#90, pg. 3, panel 4 (with Mystic Mirror);
pg. 4, panel 1 (Ptor-Nubis in Mystic Mirror)
Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#7 (July, 1971)
- Roy Thomas (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (pencils), Sal Buscema &
Dan Adkins (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#10 (February, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), The Tribe (inks)
Conan Annual#2 (1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema & Vicente Alcazar (pencils), Yong Montano (inks)
Conan the Barbarian I#68 (November, 1976) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (artist)
Conan the Barbarian I#74 (May, 1977) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks)
Conan the Barbarian I#89-91 (August-September, 1978) - Roy Thomas
(writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Jim Shooter
(editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#93 (December, 1978) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John
Buscema (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker), Jim Shooter (consulting editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#41-43 (June-August, 1979) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan#47 (December, 1979) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor),
Gil Kane & John Buscema (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan#48 (January, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks)
Savage Sword of Conan#55/2 (August, 1980)
Savage Sword of Conan#74 (March, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Val Mayerik (artist), Louise Jones (editor)
King Conan#1-2 (March, June, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks)
Marvel Two-in-One#66 (August, 1980) - Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio
& Steven Grant (writers), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Gene Day (inks),
Jim Salicrup (editor)
King Conan#3-4 (September, December, 1980) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks)
Conan the King#20 (January, 1984) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Marc
Silvestri (pencils), Marie Severin, Mike Gustovich, Dave Simons,
Charles Vess, Joe Rubinstein, Judith Marcos, Jack Abel, Harry
Candelario, Ron Fontes, Marc Silvestri & Ned Sonntag (inks), Jim
Owsley (editor)
Conan the King#22 (May, 1984) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Geof Isherwood (artist)
Conan the King#23 (July, 1984) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Geof Isherwood (inks)
Conan the King#26-27 (January, March, 1985) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Marc Silvestri (pencils), Geof Isherwood (inks)
Conan the King#50 (January, 1989) - James Christopher Owsley (writer), Geof Isherwood (writer/artist)
Conan the King#53-55 (July, September, November, 1989) - James Christopher Owsley (writer), Geof Isherwood (artist)
Savage Sword of Conan#191-193 (November, 1991 - January, 1992) - Dann
& Roy Thomas (writers), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan &
Tony DeZuniga (#191) (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#205 (January, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), John
Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#206 (February, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), John
Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chan (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#227 (November, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), Fred Harper (artist), Richard Ashford (editor)
First Posted: 01/28/2002
Last updated: 11/26/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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