GHUNTHARGHUNTHAR
Real Name: Ghunthar
Identity/Class: Human (werewolf); possibly magic-user;
Hyborian era
Occupation: Sorcerer
Group Membership: Apparently Werewolves of Earth
Affiliations: Possibly his mother's assistant;
Red Sonja (on some level)
Enemies: Unidentified werewolf who bit him;
locals feared him, including the unidentified family (father, mother, son);
(werewolf form) Red Sonja, himself, his unidentified mother;
Known Relatives: Unidentified mother (deceased)
Aliases: Second son of Darkwood Castle, "wolf-thing" (from Red Sonja)
Base of Operations: Castle Darkwood, Darkwood Forest, on Nemedia's eastern border
First Appearance: Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (July, 1975)
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Powers/Abilities: Ghunthar had unspecified occult knowledge and possibly abilities. Afflicted as a werewolf (see comments), Ghunthar shifted between human
and werewolf form, apparently only becoming werewolf during a full moon
(or perhaps becoming most dangerous during the full moon). Unlike many werewolves, he retained human-level intelligence and speech. However,
his werewolf form seemed to lack knowledge of his true identity,
apparently believing himself to be Ghunthar's brother. In his werewolf
form, at least, Ghunthar could "throw his voice," making it seem to
come from another, nearby source. As a werewolf, he presumably possessed low-level superhuman ("enhanced human") strength, speed, durability, agility, reflexes, stamina, and senses. As a werewolf, he was immune to a steel blade (and
likely other conventional weaponry), but he was weakened by silver, which
left him vulnerable to steel weapons, at least. He may have been vulnerable other magical assaults, and possibly to wolfsbane, etc. His bites and scratches presumably could have transformed other into werewolves. Ghunthar wore a full mask (with small eye holes),
gloves, and clothing that covered his whole body to disguise his
werewolf nature. Height: Unrevealed (he was close in height to Red Sonja, who was around 6'; see the comments in the Solomon Kane profile) Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 210 lbs.) Eyes: Unrevealed (black and white story; Hair: Unrevealed (black and white story; light, possibly blond, white, gray, light red, etc.) |  |  |
History:
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (fb) - BTS) -
Ghunthar lived in Darkwood castle with his mother, whom he loved more than life itself, and he was feared by
the locals in Darkwood forest and beyond.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (fb) - BTS) <A few weeks before the main story> - In his pursuit of his dark arts, Ghunthar was bitten by a werewolf (see comments).
Knowing he would turn ravenous at the next full
moon and try to slay his beloved mother, Ghunthar conceived of a plot
to arrange his own death. He began gathering silver dust within a brass casket. However, by the time he could gather
enough silver, which was scarce in the region, he feared he would not have enough
time to reach the castle before turning into a werewolf.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (fb) - BTS) - Traveling through Darkwood forest, Red Sonja glimpsed and was intrigued by Ghunthar's family castle.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 - BTS) - Encountering a family in the forest, Sonja asked them about the castle, causing them to express their superstitious terror.
Overhearing this conversation and Sonja's desire
for lodging, Ghunthar resolved to have Sonja bring the casket to his
mother.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - Ghunthar appeared before Sonja and the family, who then fled, preferring to gamble with the devil than to remain. Ghunthar then met with Sonja, telling her that he was not truly known to the locals, who feared him as a wizard. Having heard her telling the family of her need for lodging, Ghunthar offered her a place in his castle if she would deliver the brass casket he gave her to the lady of the castle. Considering the task, Sonja asked the lady's name, but found Ghunthar had already vanished.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 - BTS) - Seconds later, Sonja heard the howl of a hunting wolf.
Apparently maddened by his
transformation, Ghunthar came to believe that he and the werewolf were
brothers.
(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - As Sonja
headed to the castle, she was confronted by a masked man (secretly the now lyncanthropic Ghunthar), claiming he
wore the mask as a result of a vow he had made and that he meant no
harm. The masked man asked her about the casket she carried, but when
she refused to tell him and threatened him with her sword if he
approached her, the masked man bade her good evening and departed.
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(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (fb) - BTS) - Ghunthar apparently returned to his castle and slew his mother, after which he left her seated in a chair. (Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 - BTS) - Sonja soon arrived at the castle and entered through its open gate. She glimpsed a servant, who swiftly hid behind a locked door. Sonja then scaled the spire's stairs. (Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - As Sonja approached the shadowed lady of the castle at the top of the staircase, Ghunthar threw his voice, making it seem to come from his mother, and he told Sonja to place the box in her hands. As Sonja did so, however, the box fell from the woman's lifeless hands, and Sonja appreciated that the woman was dead of a slashed throat.(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - Sonja then discovered the masked man's presence, and she realized he had thrown his voice. Naming him as the woman's killer, Sonja swung her sword into the man, only to watch it pass harmlessly though him. Removing one of his leathern gloves and then tearing off his mask, the man was revealed as a wolf-man as he proclaimed himself the second son of Darkwood Castle. Although Sonja moved to the attack, the wolf-man demanded his mother's casket and tore it from her hands. As he opened it, the wolf-man was sprayed with its silver dust. | 
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(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - Sonja then discovered the masked man's presence, and she realized he had thrown his voice. Naming him as the woman's killer, Sonja swung her sword into the man, only to watch it pass harmlessly though him. Removing one of his leathern gloves and then
tearing off his mask, the man was revealed as a wolf-man as he
proclaimed himself the second son of Darkwood Castle. Although Sonja
moved to the attack, the wolf-man demanded his mother's casket and tore
it from her hands. As he opened it, the wolf-man was sprayed with its
silver dust. As he growled and backed toward a window, Sonja slashed him in the throat with her sword. Rendered vulnerable by the silver, wolf-man fell out the window, his savage cry turning to a whine before ceasing abruptly as he struck the ground. | 
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After Sonja descended the stairs and exited the castle, confirming the wolf-man's death, she encountered the servant who had hidden from her during her entrance. The servant then revealed that the wolf-man was not a brother but Ghunthar himself. This was confirmed as Ghunthar reverted to his human form in death. The assistant planned to bury Ghunthar and his mother next to each other. |
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Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin.
The plot seemed overly
complicated, and when I examine it closely, it just doesn't quite make
sense. But, I guess if we just consider that Ghunthar went crazy, it
works well enough. It was convenient that Ghunthar carried a mask and
costume to conceal his werewolf nature and to apparently distinguish
himself as a separate person from his human self.
I don't think we know exactly when
the Caretakers created the modern incarnation of Werewolves. We know it
was after the Great Cataclysm of 18,000 BC but, at least centuries
before 8,000 BC. As Sonja was active around 10,000 BC, as far as I
recall, we don't know for certain whether this was before or after the
Werewolf's creation. If this is before the Werewolves' creation, than
Ghunthar would have been transformed into a wolf-man by the Wolf Men of
Valusia. If after the Werewolves' creation, Ghunthar would more likely
have been a true werewolf. By the way, even though Ghunthar was
described as having been bitten by a werewolf, "werewolf" simply means
man-wolf, so the use of the term does not confirm anything.
Roy Thomas is credited as writer, and Howard Chaykin is credited as artist, but it reads more like a Chaykin story to me.
In the Hyborian era,
Nemedia was bordered on the west by Aquilonia, the east by Brythunia,
the north by the "Border Kingdom," and the south by Ophir (west) and
Corinthia (north). Following the cataclysm that ended the Hyborian era
circa 8000 BC,
the Nemedians became the Nemedians of Irish legendry. Google "Nemedians
Ireland" and/or "Nemedians Conan" based on your interest.
The Conan handbook map shows Aquilonia to be on
Nemedia's west. The entry on Nemedia, however, noted Aquilonia to be
east of Nemedia, and Darkwood to be in Nemedia's northwest. I think
both references in the Nemedia entry are errata.
This profile was completed 01/24/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ghunthar should be distinguished from:
 | aka the Mistress of the Castle Her name unrevealed, this elderly woman dwelled with her son, Ghunthar, in Darkwood castle, and she had a servant/assistant. After Ghunthar was bitten by a werewolf, he correctly feared he would kill his mother once becoming ravenous under the full moon. The mother and her assistant were apparently aware of this danger, but she instructed her assistant not to reveal this secret and to stay indoors on the night of the full moon. To prevent this matricide, he gathered silver dust in a brass casket, but knowing he wouldn't have time to deliver the casket before becoming a werewolf, he enlisted Red Sonja to deliver the casket to his mother. However, after transforming into a werewolf, Ghunthar beat Sonja to the castle and slew his mother. Apparently unaware of his true identity but wishing to gain the casket for himself despite being unaware of its contents, the werewolf Ghunthar waited in the shadows and threw his voice, leading Sonja to place the casket in his mother's hands. When the casket fell from her lifeless hands, the woman's head fell back, and Sonja realized she was dead from a slashed throat, after which Sonja spied Ghunthar. After Ghunthar's death, the assistant planned to bury Ghunthar and his mother next to each other. --Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 | 
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| Bitten by a werewolf and correcting
fearing he would kill
his mother once becoming ravenous under the full moon Ghunthar gathered
silver dust in a brass casket with the intent of delivering it to his
mother, presumably so she could use the silver to ward off the werewolf. Knowing that by the time he could gather enough silver, which was scarce in the region, he might not have enough time to reach the castle before turning into a werewolf, Ghunthar resolved to deliver the casket to another who could bring it to the castle in his place. (Kull and the Barbarians#2/3) - Gunther delivered the casket to Red Sonja, instructing her to deliver it to the lady of the castle in exchange for lodging and then vanishing before she could ask further questions. Having transformed into a werewolf and donned clothing and a mask that concealed his monstrous nature and his identity, Ghunthar then confronted Sonja and asked about the casket; when she threatened to kill him if he tried to take it from her, Ghunthar departed. After returning to the castle and slaying his mother, Ghunthar hid in the shadows and threw his voice to make it appear as if his mother was speaking, instructing the arriving Red Sonja to place the casket in her hands. . When the casket fell from her lifeless hands, the woman's head fell back, and Sonja realized she was dead from a slashed throat, after which Sonja spied Ghunthar. Though Sonja retrieved the casket, Ghunthar unmasked, revealing his lupine nature, and he tore the casket from her hands. When he opened the casket, he was covered in silver dust, which rendered him vulnerable to Shanna's sword, after which she slashed his throat and he fell out a window, dying on the ground below. --Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 |  |
 | Ghunthar and his mother lived in Castle Darkwood along with her assistant. After being bitten by a werewolf, Ghunthar gathered silver in a casket. Realizing he would not have time to return to the castle before transforming, Ghunthar delivered the casket to Red Sonja -- who had glimpsed and was intrigued by the castle's spire -- and instructed to deliver the casket to the lady of the castle in exchange for lodging. After returning to the castle and slaying his mother, Ghunthar hid in the shadows and attempted to trick Sonja into leaving the castle with his mother, who was propped into a somewhat shadowed sitting position. Sonja found the castle's gate open, which the servant fled behind a locked door upon her approach. Ultimately realizing the deception, Sonja was confronted by Ghunthar, whose lycanthropic resistance to conventional steel was neutralized the silver in the casket, after which Sonja slashed his throat with his sword. Falling back out of the window, Ghunthar perished upon striking the ground. --Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 |  |
 | Assistant
to Ghunthar's mother, he apparently lived with the two in Darkwood
Castle. Instructed by his mistress to stay indoors on the night of the
full moon, he apparently left the castle's gate down (presumably
because he knew Ghunthar would be returning), but when Red Sonja arrived
with the casket at Ghunthar's bidding, he silently rushed and hid
behind a locked door. He was aware of Ghunthar's lycanthropic nature, but he presumably was under orders from his mistress not to reveal this. After the lycanthropic Ghunthar perished at the hands of Sonja (with aid from the human Ghunthar's silver-filled casket), the assistant went out to the ground where Ghunthar had fallen. There he was spied by Sonja, who ordered him to stop hiding in the shadows and to come out and talk to her. After Sonja told the assistant of his mistress' death, he was free to reveal the truth about Ghunthar. He bade Sonja depart while he would take care of burying Ghunthar and his mother next to each other. --Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 |  |
An unidentified mother, father (whom Sonja called "greybeard"), and son
lived in some proximity to Darkwood Forest on Nemedia's eastern border.
Their cow barely provided enough milk "to keep body and soul together.
They knew Darkwood Castle and its resident Ghunthar to be involved in
mystic doings, which they considered evil. Traveling through the forest
with their cow, the family was confronted by Red Sonja who asked a word
from them. The father told her they had nothing to steal, but but Sonja
only asked a for a swig (of water or wine) from their gourd before
asking about the castle, since dusk was approaching and there were no
inns nearby. Terrified by the notion and refusing to speak of the forbidden castle, the father made hex symbols to protect himself and then urged flight as he noted the presence of a night wind , and the son voiced his concerns that it was the hour when the bat or the wolf would come forth. When Sonja grabbed the father to prevent his flight, he asked his son for help, but as the son approached with his raised staff, Sonja swung and kicked him in the mid-section. The mother begged Sonja not to hurt her husband or her son, noting that they were poor souls, only. When Sonja demanded to know of the castle, the father told her he dared not as it was forbidden, at which point the conversation was interrupted by Ghunthar himself. Screaming, "by all the gods there are -- run your blade thru my ribs if you will, woman -- but sooner than stay here, I'd roll bones with the devil himself!" The wife added, "And ye'll do well to flee yourself, hussy -- unless you're here to couple with him, when the full moon rises...!" --Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 |  |
son
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mother
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(Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (fb) - BTS) <A few weeks before the main story> - In his pursuit of his dark arts, Ghunthar was bitten by a werewolf (see comments).
Kull and the Barbarians#2/3, pg. 1, panel 2 (unrelated family, distant);
pg. 2, panel 5 (family, father (foreground), son (back);
pg. 3, panel 1 (son and mother faces);
pg. 4, panel 1 (Ghunthar, mostly full);
panel 2 (face)
pg. 5, panel 3 (Ghunthar masked/costumed, mostly full profile);
panel 4 (Ghunthar masked face);
pg. 6, panel 2 (Darkwood castle, spire);
panel 7 (staircase);
pg. 7, panel 2 (casket in mother's hands);
panel 3 (mother, deceased, seated);
panel 6 (mother, face, throat slashed);
panel 9 (costumed, full);
pg. 8, panel 2 (werewolf face);
panel 6 (opening casket, sprayed with silver dust);
pg. 9, panel 1 (sword slash to neck);
panel 2 (falling out window);
panel 6 (werewolf face, dead in grass);
panel 8 (mother's assistant, full);
pg. 10, panel 1 (assistant, face, profile);
(Ghunthar's human face, dead)
Appearances:
Kull and the Barbarians#2/3 (July, 1975) - Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Howie Chaykin (artist), Marv
Wolfman, Len Wein, Archie Goodwin (consulting editors)
First posted: 09/05/2021
Last updated: 09/04/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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