QUEEN ZARTRA
Real Name: Zartra
Identity/Class: Human (Pre-Cataclsym era)
Occupation: Queen of Atlantis;
former queen of
Lemuria
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Kamuu, King Kamuu, Ocar, Zapal
Enemies: Deviants, Byron Hyatt, Lemurians, Nolem, Muvians, Katherine Reynolds, Son of Satan (Daimon Hellstrom), Zhered-Na
Known Relatives: Kamuu (husband, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Atlantis, circa 18,000 B.C.
First Appearance: Sub-Mariner I#62 (June, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: As a human, Zartra was a powerful
warrior, wielding a sword.
As a spirit, she has demonstrated the ability to see in the past or future, and interact with others in her astral form.
History: (Sub-Mariner I#63/2 (fb) - BTS) - Zartra grew
up in Lemuria, and while still a young person, she spent her life in
battle, surrounded by death.
(Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23/7 (fb) - BTS) - Zartra
became the queen of Lemuria.
(Namor: The First Mutant#3 (fb) - BTS) - During her reign,
Zartra acquired knowledge about the hidden, underwater City of the
Aqueos, made of black stone buildings, and inhabited by vampires. She
called that place "The Seventh World of the Ancients" and
R'Llyeh, also called "The cellar of the Earth, the First Atlantis."
The same place was described in the Lemurian witch-scrolls.
(Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23/7 (fb) - BTS)
- When Lemuria was conquered by the Deviants, Zartra fled to
Atlantis, which soon became the last human outpost to stand against the
Deviant Empire. Zartra fell in love with Atlantis' King Kamuu, and
married him.
(Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#33 (fb)) - The Dweller-in-Darkness
witnessed the war between man and deviant; its continuous spread
produced much fear that fed him.
(Adventure Into Fear#15 (fb) / Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#33 (fb)) - Zartra was present in King Kamuu's court as he exiled the sorceress Zhered-Na from Atlantis for her prophecies of a coming doom.
(Marvel Spotlight I#17) - Zartra was present as Kamuu interrogated the Son of Satan, Byron Hyatt and Katherine Reynolds, who had traveled from the future to seek out Zhered-Na. Kamuu informed them that Zhered-Na had been exiled, and Zartra advised Kamuu to get rid of them. Before Kamuu could have them set adrift, the Son of Satan destroyed their bonds and escaped with his friends, departing Atlantis.
(Sub-Mariner I#62/2) - As Atlantis faced siege from the air force of the Lemurians and the naval force of the Muvians, Kamuu prepared Atlantis for combat. A band of Lemurian mercenaries broke into Atlantis, and confronted Kamuu and Zartra. The king and queen swiftly defeated their attackers, but other Lemurians had begun to drill into Atlantis' dome with machinery. Believing he had no other choice, Kamuu opened the Serpents' Heads, which heated Atlantis with magma. The lava which flowed from the serpents slew all of the Lemurians, but the scientist Zapal informed them that Atlantis had begun to sink.
(Sub-Mariner I#63/2) - With Atlantis doomed to
destruction, Kamuu told the members of his court to spend their final
moments with the people they cherished, then sealed himself and Zartra
within their palace. Kamuu and Zartra intended to spend their final
moments dwelling on their love for each other, but Nolem, a mercenary
who had hidden during the fight, emerged from his hiding place and
stabbed Zartra in the back. Kamuu killed Nolem, then turned to Zartra,
who gave him a jewel she had hidden in her eye socket, and placed on his
sword's
hilt, making "the Eye
of Zartra...evermore one with Kamuu..." Zartra died from
her injury, and Kamuu soon followed as Atlantis was destroyed.
(Sub-Mariner I#66/2) - In 6,000 B.C., the spirits of Kamuu and Zartra appeared to a young Homo Mermani also named Kamuu, who had taken up the Sword of Kamuu after finding it in the ruins of Atlantis. Kamuu and Zartra used the Sphere of the Ages to show the young Kamuu the history of Atlantis, and its future, informing him that he would help his people achieve this destiny. After they departed, young Kamuu decided that his people should make Atlantis their new home.
Comments: Created by Steve Gerber, Howard Chaykin and Joe Sinnott.
Sub-Mariner I#62, 63 and 66 colored all of the human Atlanteans and Lemurians with blue skin. The same coloration was in the Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#33 flashback. This was corrected in their other appearances.
The Great Cataclysm happened in 18000 B.C. Read it.
Learn it. Live it.
Sub-Mariner I#64/2 states that Kamuu found the sword of his
predecessor 5000 years after the Great Cataclysm, which would put it
at 13,000 BC.
In Saga of the Sub-Mariner I#1, Namor says that the Homo Mermani
appeared about 10000 years after the sunk of Atlantis, which would put
it at 8,000 BC.
In the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition#1:
Atlantis, the appearance of Homo Mermani is dated as ten thousand
years ago, or 8,000 B.C. Further, it states that they wandered as
nomads for millennia, until 8,000 year ago, or 6,000 BC. It also
correctly states this as being 12,000 years since the Great Cataclysm.
Kamuu's founding of the undersea city of Atlantis occurred at this
time.
In this case, we have to go with fact repeated fairly consistently
over decades over the original story. Earlier on, the timing of the
Great Cataclysm and the founding of undersea Atlantis was less well
defined, so I'm going with it being founded @ 6,000 BC. --Snood
Profile by Prime Eternal.
Namor the First mutant addition by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Zartra should not be confused with:
The Muvians who opposed Atlantis are probably not related to:
Nolem was a human from Lemuria who had been a subject of Zartra, and was a willing servant of the Deviants. He joined with the other human mercenaries sent by the Deviants to attack Atlantis, but hid while his allies were slain. After Kamuu had unleashed the Serpents' Heads, Nolem emerged from hiding and stabbed Zartra in the back. He then tried to kill Kamuu, but Kamuu stabbed him in the stomach, killing him.
--Sub-Mariner I#63/2, Amazing Spider-Man Annual#23/7
Images taken from:
Sub-Mariner I#62, page 26, panel 3 (Zartra fighting)
Marvel Spotlight I#17, page 5, panel 5 (Zartra, head shot)
Sub-Mariner I#62, page 22, panel 2 (Zartra and Kamuu, rear view)
Sub-Mariner I#63/2, page 4, panel 5 (Nolem)
Appearances, appearances
behind-the-scenes:
Sub-Mariner I#62/2-63/2 (June-July, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer),
Howard Chaykin (plot/pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Adventure Into Fear#15 (August, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Val
Mayerik (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Sub-Mariner I#66/2 (October, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Jim Mooney
(pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Spotlight I#17 (September, 1974) - Steve Gerber (writer), Jim
Mooney (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual#22/7 (1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Ron Lim
(pencils), Tony DeZuniga (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme#33 (September, 1991) - Roy Thomas &
Jean Marc Lofficier (writers), Larry Alexander (pencils), Tim Dzon
(inks), George Roussos (colors)
Namor: The First Mutant#3 (December, 2012)
- Stuart Moore (writer), Ariel Olivetti & Fernando Blanco
(artists), Ariel Olivetti and A. Crossley (colorists), Jeanine
Schaefer (editor)
First Posted: 07/06/2005
Last updated: 05/11/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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