Overview:
Tarzan the Terrible begins two months after Tarzan learns from a dead German captain’s diary that his wife, Lady Jane, is still alive. He follows a trail leading to a land that is possibly uncharted and filled with strange creatures. Tarzan encounters a hairless, white-skinned man with a tail and an almost superhuman strength, and they quickly become allies. They are soon joined by a hairy black man who becomes Tarzan’s other companion.
Tarzan learns of a city called A-lur, the City of Light, and a king named Ko-tan who rules the land. He learns that his friend, the white-skinned man, was sent away by the king to fight a tribe that refused to pay tribute, but returned victorious. However, the king offered the man a position as a priest, which he refused, and the king was not pleased. The man flees A-lur, and Tarzan and his companions follow him. They encounter more bizarre creatures and continue on their journey.
Key Findings:
- Tarzan’s encounter with the hairy black men, known as Waz-don, who live in the mountains and differ from the hairless white men, called Ho-don, who live in the cities.
- The existence of giant creatures like the GRYF, a type of triceratops, and the Tor-o-don, a beastlike man.
- The role of priests in Pal-ul-don and the Ho-don’s practice of human sacrifice.
- The existence of a forbidden garden within the city of A-lur, where secrets are kept.
- The king’s desire to marry a woman of a different race, believing she is of a divine lineage, leading to conflict with the high priest.
Learning:
- The concept of “tailless men” and “hairy black men” – Tarzan encounters both, leading to a discussion about different species of ape-men. The white men see themselves as superior and are the civilization builders, while the black men are primitive and are exploited as slaves.
- The role of religion in primitive societies – The Ho-don people have a complex religious system with a hierarchy of priests and sacrificial rituals. Their belief system is based on fear and violence, and they see their god Jad-ben-Otho as a powerful force to be feared.
- The importance of alliances – Tarzan encounters both good and evil creatures in Pal-ul-don. He forms alliances with various creatures and uses his strength and cunning to survive and protect himself and his friends.
- The use of animalistic instincts – Tarzan is adept at navigating the jungle and using his senses to track and hunt. He also uses animal-like tactics to fight and survive.
Historical Context:
The text was published in 1914, at the height of the colonial period and the beginning of World War I. Tarzan, a white man, is presented as the embodiment of strength and intelligence, conquering a primitive society. This reflects the dominant colonial attitude of the time and the perceived superiority of Western civilization.
Facts:
- Tailed men exist in Pal-ul-don. – These creatures have a prehensile tail, monkey-like thumbs, and big toes. They are more primitive than the hairless white men and are often exploited for their labor and as slaves.
- There is a giant triceratops-like creature called a GRYF in Pal-ul-don. – The GRYF is an omnivore and is known to attack and eat humans.
- The GRYF is said to be virtually odorless. – Tarzan uses this to his advantage to sneak up on the creature and control it.
- The Tor-o-don is a beastlike man with an advanced intelligence. – They use a spoken and written language and control the GRYF as beasts of burden.
- There is a city called A-lur, the City of Light, where the king, Ko-tan, resides. – The city is built within natural limestone hills and is surrounded by walls.
- The Ho-don people practice human sacrifice. – They offer victims to their god, Jad-ben-Otho, upon an altar stained with blood.
- A god named Jad-ben-Otho is worshiped in Pal-ul-don. – He is a tailless god and the Ho-don see him as a powerful and fearsome deity.
- A-lur has a Forbidden Garden. – This garden is off-limits to most people, even those within the palace, and contains secrets.
- There is a tribe called Waz-don who live in the mountains and are often exploited as slaves by the Ho-don. – They are hairy black men with a prehensile tail and monkey-like thumbs.
- The Waz-don and Ho-don fight each other frequently. – They are bitter enemies and their wars are bloody.
- The Ho-don have a complex temple system and priesthood. – The priests control the worship of Jad-ben-Otho and have considerable power.
- There are large, open areas between the buildings in A-lur. – These areas are filled with trees and grass.
- There is a valley called the Valley of Jad-ben-Otho. – This valley is filled with trees, streams, and lakes and is home to both the Ho-don and Waz-don.
- There are many caves in Pal-ul-don. – Some are used as dwellings, others as places of worship, and others are abandoned.
- The Ho-don have developed a system of creating staircases up cliffs using pegs. – These staircases are used to escape from danger and to move around the cliffs.
- There are numerous rivers and lakes in Pal-ul-don. – These provide water for drinking, bathing, and travel.
- The Ho-don cultivate some crops. – They use spears and crude implements to farm the land.
Statistics:
- Seven moons have passed since Ta-den left A-lur. – Each moon is approximately 28 days long.
- There are 12 different Waz-don kings, each with their own tribe. – This leads to constant conflict between the tribes.
- The Ho-don often attack the Waz-don villages to take slaves. – This shows the power imbalance between the two races.
- It takes 2 hours to cross the morass. – This highlights how challenging the journey is.
- Tarzan is attacked by 20 Waz-don warriors. – This shows the strength of the Waz-don and Tarzan’s incredible skill and strength.
- There are 40-50 Kor-ul-lul warriors pursuing An-un and his two sons. – This emphasizes the size of the opposing force.
- Es-sat sent out 3 spies to watch the Kor-ul-lul. – This shows how distrustful the Waz-don tribes are of each other.
- A total of 100 warriors go after Pan-at-lee. – This highlights the importance of the woman in the story.
- There are 2 gryfs waiting for Tarzan and Pan-at-lee. – The gryfs are powerful creatures that Tarzan must overcome.
- The Ho-don raid a Waz-don village and capture 6 prisoners. – This shows the ruthless tactics of the Ho-don.
- The Kor-ul-JA attack the Kor-ul-lul with 100 warriors. – This highlights the scale of the battle.
- Tarzan kills 20 Waz-don warriors in a battle. – This shows his incredible fighting prowess.
- Es-sat is attacked by a saber-tooth lion. – This illustrates the dangers of the wild.
- Tarzan kills a saber-tooth lion with a single knife thrust to the heart. – This emphasizes his skill as a hunter and fighter.
- Tarzan and his companions are attacked by 40-50 Kor-ul-lul warriors. – This highlights the dangers of Tarzan’s journey.
- The Kor-ul-JA win the battle against the Kor-ul-lul, and capture 6 prisoners. – This shows the effectiveness of their attack and their willingness to take prisoners.
- There are 20 Tor-o-don warriors. – This illustrates the potential danger to Tarzan and his friends.
- The GRYF is about 75 feet long. – This shows the size and power of the creature.
- The Tor-o-don beats the GRYF with a stick. – This highlights the authority and power the Tor-o-don has over the gryfs.
Terms:
- Ho-don – The white, hairless men of Pal-ul-don.
- Waz-don – The black, hairy men of Pal-ul-don.
- Waz-ho-don – A mixed race of black and white men.
- Gund – Chief
- Gund-bar – Chief battle
- Jad-ben-Otho – The Great God
- Jad-guru-don – The terrible man
- Pal-ul-don – The land of man
- Kor – Gorge
- A-lur – The City of Light
- Tu-lur – The bright city
- Ja-lur – The lion city
- Tor-o-don – Beastlike man
- GRYF – A prehistoric triceratops-like creature
Examples:
- Ta-den’s story – Ta-den tells Tarzan of his love for the king’s daughter, O-lo-a. However, the king forbids their marriage and sends Ta-den to fight another tribe. Ta-den returns victorious, but the king offers him a position as a priest instead of marrying his daughter. Ta-den refuses and flees the city.
- The battle with the saber-tooth lion – Tarzan, Om-at, and Ta-den are attacked by a striped saber-tooth lion. Tarzan saves Om-at from being killed, and he and the black man work together to defeat the beast.
- The encounter with the Tor-o-don – Tarzan and Pan-at-lee are attacked by a Tor-o-don, but Tarzan defeats the beast in a fierce battle.
- Tarzan’s encounter with the GRYF – Tarzan hunts a deer in the Kor-ul-GRYF. He is suddenly attacked by a GRYF, which he escapes by climbing a tree. He then discovers that the Tor-o-don control the gryfs and can ride them.
- Pan-at-lee’s escape from Es-sat – Pan-at-lee is attacked by Es-sat, the chief of her tribe. She escapes by using her tail to climb up a cliff face, using a series of pegs.
- The battle at Kor-ul-JA – Om-at returns to his tribe and kills Es-sat, taking over as chief. He forms an alliance with Tarzan and Ta-den, and they fight off an attack by the Kor-ul-lul.
- Tarzan’s escape from the Kor-ul-lul – Tarzan is captured by the Kor-ul-lul, but he escapes by killing his guard and climbing down the cliff face.
- Tarzan’s encounter with the lizard in the swamp – Tarzan is swimming through the morass to escape from captivity, when he is attacked by a large lizard. He dives underneath the beast and stabs it in the belly.
- Tarzan rides the GRYF into A-lur – Tarzan uses his cunning to control the GRYF, and rides it into the City of Light. He is discovered by the Ho-don, and the beast chases them, but Tarzan controls the creature and continues into the city.
- Tarzan’s imprisonment in the temple – Tarzan is captured by the priests of A-lur, and imprisoned in a chamber beneath the temple. He escapes by using a rope to climb out of the cell, but is captured again.
- The battle in A-lur – Ja-don attacks A-lur, but is defeated by Lu-don and his allies. Tarzan is imprisoned again, and Ja-don is captured.
- Tarzan’s escape from the sacrificial altar – Tarzan is on the altar, ready to be sacrificed by Obergatz, when a new character arrives with a weapon that shoots bolts of lightning. The high priest, the pretender Mo-sar, and Obergatz are killed. Tarzan is freed and Ja-don is freed as well.
Conclusion:
Tarzan the Terrible is an exciting adventure story that explores the themes of courage, friendship, and survival in a primitive and dangerous world. Tarzan, a man of both immense physical strength and intelligence, faces challenges that test his limits, but he is always victorious. He uses his skills as a hunter and fighter, as well as his cunning and resourcefulness, to overcome the forces that oppose him. He also finds a love that is strong enough to motivate him to continue his journey.
The story highlights the differences between civilized and uncivilized people, and the power of primitive instincts in a savage environment. Tarzan is a symbol of the natural world, and his adventures expose the hypocrisy and cruelty of the Ho-don civilization. The story also shows the importance of forming alliances and facing challenges with courage and determination. Finally, Tarzan’s journey through Pal-ul-don reminds us of the strength of love and the hope that even in the darkest of times, good can triumph over evil.