ZHADORR
Real Name: Zhadorr
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial carnivorous semi-sentient plant (Hyborian Era)
Occupation: Not applicable
Group Membership: None
Affiliations:
None;
Enemies: Conan, Haak-Shi, Phandor, other men unnamed
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The Shar-al-Tjinin oasis and nearby areas, Zamora
First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#41 (August, 1974)
Powers/Abilities: Zhadorr was a carnivorous plant in the form of a tree draped with vines and situated in an oasis. It bore fruit that released resilient humanoids of female appearance and these acted as lures to bait men to the oasis. It could very quickly consume large animals like humans and horses, leaving only their bones. It was very susceptible to fire. The tree was semi-sentient, able to control its vines as feeders, while its woman-like lures were sentient, sensing their proximity to the oasis, and could speak the local language (see comments).
History:
(Conan the Barbarian I#41 (fb) - BTS) - The spore that became Zhadorr arrived on Earth and established itself as an oasis in the desert.
(Conan the Barbarian I#41) - Entering a village, Conan was met by the female called Zhadorr being pursued by a rabble of angry men. Conan came to rescue and stopped an entranced but maddened man called Phandor, who was nevertheless able to stab her although Conan could find no wound immediately afterward. The two escaped on horseback heading through the desert directed by Zhadorr to the Shar-al-Tjinin oasis two days' ride away. However, close to the oasis, they were set upon by Haak-Shi and his band of brigands. Despite a warning from one of his men that it was the forbidden oasis, Haak-Shi charged on. Reaching the oasis, Conan jumped into the pool and found skeletons, recalling that Shar-al-Tjinin translated from Zamorian as "the bones of fools." Initially believing the water to be poisoned, Zhadorr assured him otherwise as she sat next to a giant tree covered with vines. However, the two were soon overpowered and bound by Haak-Shi and his men.
That night, kept awake by her humming, Haak-Shi took her aside but was instead devoured. Meanwhile, Conan saw a giant fruit as he quietly cut his ropes. Freed, Conan rushed to reach Zhadorr, but found only the thief's bones and the lifeless woman body of Zhadorr. He quickly buried her under some loose rocks. Unseen by Conan, tendrils reached for him but he rushed to the screams of the other brigands, who were being crushed and fed to the gaping maw of the tree using its vines. Conan was also caught but managed to reach the campfire. He grabbed a burning branch and used it to fend off the vines, then threw it into the tree's mouth, igniting it and incinerating the carnivorous tree and the caught brigands.
Conan recovered to see a surviving fruit of the tree peel open to reveal another female humanoid just like the one he had rescued days before. Shocked and repulsed, Conan hacked repeatedly at the form with a nearby sword, leaving only an unmoving, lifeless and bloodless mass that no longer looked human. Conan then left the smouldering oasis on horseback.
(Conan the Barbarian I#42) - Conan recalled and shuddered at the thought of Zhadorr.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils) and Ernie Chua (inks).
The "female" form that lured Conan stated that she had no name, just that "I am Zhadorr," so this may have been the species' name.
Despite the cover (main image), the tree component of Zhadorr was never shown to eat its female parts.
The Zhadorr "female" spawns seemed to only lure men. Also, given their identical nature, were the "female" lures based on a template from an initial victim?
Roy Thomas later said that this story was inspired by a Weird Tales story from the 1930s called "Shambleau" by C.L. Moore.
The 3 smaller images in this profile are from the Dark Horse reprints of Marvel art that have been colored differently. Anyone's help in submitting original color Marvel images would be very much appreciated!
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Zhadorr has no known connections to:
Haak-Shi was the nasty leader of a band of brigands that pursued Conan and the female spawn of Zhadorr to the Shar-al-Tjinin oasis. Not realizing its true nature, he sought to sell the female-like form as a slave but was instead consumed by the carnivorous plant.
--Conan the Barbarian I#41
images:
(without ads)
Conan the Barbarian I#41, cover (main image)
Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#41-42 (August-September, 1974) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Ernie Chua (inks)
Last updated: 03/10/08
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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