A. I think there are some similarities, in depiction at least.
- Utu, whose name means "Sun" was " the god of the Sun and of Justice". The namesake character is a guardian and protector against grave robbers like Conan.
- Utu "is usually depicted as wearing a horned helmet and carrying a saw-edged weapon not unlike a pruning saw, which it is thought he used to cut through the side of a mountain from which he emerges, symbolising the dawn. He may also carry a mace and stand with one foot on the mountain." The namesake character has two prominent horns in his armored mask and his main source of energy comes from the side of mountain. Though he carries no weaponry.
- "Marduk is spelled AMAR.UTU in Sumerian, literally, "the calf of Utu" or "the young bull of the Sun". " The namesake character is identified as a Hyborian-era worshipper of Marduk.
B. The character has a further connection to Mesopotamian mythology, through his identification as coming from Mashu. "Mashu, as described in the Epic of Gilgamesh of Mesopotamian mythology, is a great mountain through which the hero-king Gilgamesh passes via a tunnel on his journey after leaving the Cedar Forest, a forest of ten thousand leagues span. The corresponding location in reality has been the topic of speculation, as no confirming evidence has been found. One theory is that the only location suitable for being called a "cedar land" was the great forest covering Lebanon and western parts of Syria and, in consequence, "Mashu" is the whole of the parallel Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges, with the narrow gap between these mountains constituting the tunnel. The word "Mashu" itself may translate as "two mountains", from Babylonian twins."
C. Ninaxakuddu, the unseen character who brought Utu to the City of Shadows, does not seem to have a basis in actual mythology. Searching for the name I could only find references to the so-called Simon Necronomicon, a grimoire dating to at least 1977. "The book is largely based on Sumerian mythology and its introduction attempts to identify the Great Old Ones and other creatures from Lovecraft's Mythos with gods and demons from the Sumerian myths. The myths presented in the book are a blend of Mesopotamian myths (not only Sumerian, but Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian as well), and a storyline of unknown authenticity about a man known as the "Mad Arab."
D. Utu the deity is a son of Nanna, the Moon God (whose name literally means "illuminator") and Ningal, Goddess of Reeds (whose name means Great Lady). They are also identified as parents of Inanna/Ishtar and Ishkur/Adad who already have profiles at the Appendix.
Profile
by Spidermay. CLARIFICATIONS: The
Jewels of Abu Dhaak were two titanic
crystal-like stones that had been carved into the cliff side of a
mountain on the
Vilayet Sea. Their
height could be measured in tens of meters, and great was
their weight and
value. They were stores of eldritch energy which could be accessed
using a circular pedestal, a
golden platform built between the two massive jewels and which
triggered the transfer of sorcerous
power from the jewels into the being on the platform. The
monolithic jewels
were well-known in all the Hyborian regions to be in
the City of
Shadows, an ancient necropolis, although nobody alive had truly seen
them.
When Conan the Barbarian found them, he
understood that he couldn't take them all for himself. He was not
able to carve
out a single piece using his sword. After the destruction
provoked by Utu's explosion, nothing of them remained on the cliff side. --Conan
the Barbarian I#217 The
crypt lizard was a huge
crocodile-like reptile, so big
that its head was as great as a Cimmerian. The
great crypt lizard lived in the
subterranean river flowing in the great royal hall of the City of
Shadows.
It felt
the presence of Conan and assaulted him. A spear stabbed in its skin
didn't
weaken it, and only Utu's arrival distracted the reptile from his
tough prey.
Although their fight was interrupted by the ceiling
collapsing, the big saurian
kept pursuing Utu. It found the Guardian after he had regained his
full power
and was killed by one of his energy beams. --Conan
the Barbarian I#217 The
giant carnivorous birds found in the ancient city were
remnants of another era,
probably when the City of Shadows was a real city and not just a
necropolis. They did not fly but ran. They were twice as tall
as a man,
and
seemed
hungry and dangerous, capable of killing a
normal man using their beaks or claws. --Conan
the Barbarian I#217 The
giant spider was as big as a
man and capable of capturing
a small member of the giant birds in a matter
of seconds.
It would poison its victims and
shoot a
sticky web to entangle them. It
lurked in the catacombs beneath the City
of Shadows. After having poisoned and wrapped a bird, it tried to kill
Conan. It
continued to fight even after Conan cut two of
its legs off, but died when the
barbarian hit it with a good slash from his sword. --Conan
the Barbarian I#217 images:
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updated:
05/22/08 Any
Additions/Corrections? please let me know. Non-Marvel Copyright info Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
In page 70 of the text you can find the verse "This is the book of Ninaxakuddu, The Queen, Mistress of the Incantations". The book already has a minor influence in the Marvel Universe. Page 104 identifies one "Marduk Kurios" as "Brightest Star among the Stars, Strongest God among the Gods, Son of Magick and the Sword, Child of Wisdom and the Word, Knower of the Secret Name, Knower of the Secret Number, Knower of the Secret Shape". Where Marduk Kurios is another name for Marduk, not an individual demon.
Utu has no known connections to
Conan the Barbarian I#217, p3, pan2 (Utu, main image)
Conan the Barbarian I#217 (April, 1989) - Charles Santino & Val
Semeiks (writer/plot/penciler), Alfredo Alcala (inks), Don Daley
(editor)
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™
and
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