URSLA

Real Name: Ursla

Identity/Class: Uncertain. Human(?) (Hyborian Era) magic-user

Occupation: Priestess

Group Membership: Priestesses of the Wild

Affiliations: Conan (former ally and lover); Kratos and Bia (pets); other Priestesses of the Wild (including Lupalina)

Enemies: Vammatar and her undead warriors, Witch-Men of Hyperborea

Known Relatives: Conobar (son)

Aliases: Priestess of the Northern Snows, Priestess of the Wild

Base of Operations: the snow-covered mountains of Cimmeria, Hyborian Era

First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#48 (March, 1975)

Powers: Ursla ages very slowly, or perhaps not at all. She has the ability to communicate directly with and control polar bears, as well as other creatures of the northern wild.

History: Ursla's exact origins are unknown. She has undergone rituals which ordained her as a Priestess of the Wild, and granted her an extended lifespan. These same rituals have been undergone by other women, her "sisters," who live in other, far-flung remote places of the world. Ursla stationed herself in the frozen mountains of Cimmeria, and developed an attachment to the bears that live there.

From time to time, men would come to her, too...

(Conan#48) - A young Conan, just turned fifteen years, explored the mountains of Cimmeria and met the Priestess of the Northern Snows. She brought to her dwelling and shared a drink with him, explaining her true nature to him. When she told him that men came to her, too, the naive young Conan asked, "Why?" And so she showed him.

BTS - Ursla gave birth to Conobar, the son of Conan. Due to Ursla's magic, Conobar grew to adulthood in half the normal time.

(Conan the Barbarian I#49) Conan encountered Lupalina, a sister sorceress to Ursla. Ursla appeared to Conan in a vision, telling him of how she had magically communicated with Lupalina.

(Conan#258(fb)) - About eleven years later, Ursla observed the rain of fire (of Vammatar), which destroyed Conan's old village, the Snowhawk tribe. Seeing it as none of her concern, she did not investigate.

(Conan#258) - Weeks later, Conan was knocked from a flying steed while headed for Mount Crom to oppose the sorceress Vammatar. Ursla had some large snowhawks slow his descent and guide him to a soft snowdrift. Ursla brought him back to her dwelling and nursed him back to recovery. She verified that she was indeed Conobar's mother. Conan doubted her and headed off to continue his quest to Mount Crom. However, Vammatar's undead legions had tracked him to Ursla's cottage and attacked them. Conan and Ursla's bears destroyed the warriors, but the one bear, Kratos, was slain in the process.
Conan initially blamed her for failing to fight Vammatar and her legions after first learning of her, when his people needed her aid. However, he withdrew his words and left her, never planning to return.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.
Portions of Conan#48 were "freely adapted" from the Belmont Novel Kothar and the Conjurer's Curse by Gardner F. Fox. I'm uncertain whether Ursla came from that tale as well.

Ursla has the distinction of training the young Conan in the Arts Carnal.

Conan met his son by Ursla, Conobar, in Conan the Barbarian I#145. It was not a particularly happy reunion.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connections to:

• Ursa the Man-Bear, a warrior of the late 19th Century, @ Red Wolf#4
• Ursa Major, Mikhail Ursus, the Russian mutant, @ Incredible Hulk II#258
  --both of whom are presumably named after Ursa Major, the Great Bear, which is the Greek name for the constellation also known as the Big Dipper. I forget the back story.
• Bear Brother, one of the Tribe of the Moon, @ 8000 BC, @ Alpha Flight I#83
  --although, they are all separated by time and there is no reason that Ursla could not be the ancestor of some or all of these.
• Ursula, the costumed Swiss delegate to the Pan-European Conference on Super-Human Affairs, @ Alpha Flight I#108

Kratos and Bia's names are derived from the Greek Gods by the same name, but they have no other connection to:

• Kratos and Bia, aka Force and Might, the Olympian Gods, @ Avengers I#50
  --the stories in the Hyborian era would predate those of the Greek Gods by at least several thousand years.

KRATOS and BIA

Kratos and Bia were a pair of polar bears, male and female, who served as servitors, allies, and companions to Ursla. Kratos was killed defending Ursla from Vammatar's undead legions.
A pair of bears were seen, but not named, in Conan I#48. These may or may not be the same bears, who were named as Kratos and Bia, in Conan#258.

Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#48-49 (March-April, 1975) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Dick Giordano, Terry Austin & Dan Adkins (#48) (inks)
Conan the Barbarian I#258 (July, 1992) - Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Docherty (pencils), Ricardo Villagran (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)

Last updated: 09/04/11

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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