kull

Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. Kull shares the same creator as Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn and Red Sonja. His first published appearance was The Shadow Kingdom, featured in Weird Tales during August, 1929.

Life account

Life in Atlantis

Kull was born in Pre-cataclysmic Atlantis c. 18,000 BC. At the time Atlantis was ruled by barbarian tribes. East of Atlantis lay the ancient continent of Thuria, divided among several civilized kingdoms. Most powerful among these was Valusia. East of Thuria were located the islands of Lemuria. Kull was native to a tribe settled in the Tiger Valley of Atlantis. However, the valley and his tribe were destroyed by a flood while Kull was still a toddler. He managed to survive and spend a few years as a feral child. Kull was eventually captured by the Sea-Mountain tribe but was addopted into it. In Exile of Atlantis, an adolescent Kull attempts to prevent an execution and is consequently exiled from Atlantis.

Slave, pirate, outlaw and gladiator

The young warrior attempted to reach Thuria but was instead captured by the Lemurians. He spent a couple of years as a mere galley-slave. He regained his freedom during a mutiny. Kull tried the life of a pirate between his late adolescence and his early twenties. His fighting skills and courage allowed him to become captain of his own ship. He set out creating a fearsome reputation for himself in the seas surrounding Atlantis and Thuria. Kull lost ship and crew in a naval battle of the coast of Valusia but once again survived. He settled in Valusia as an outlaw. His criminal career proved short-lived, as he was soon captured by the Valusians and imprisoned in a dungeon. His captors soon offered him a choice: execution and volunteering for a gladiator position. He chose the later. He prooved an effective compatant and gained fame in the arenas of the capital. A number of fans helped him in regaining his freedon.

Soldier and King

However, Kull was not about to leave Valusia or return to the life of an outlaw. He joined the Royal army as a mercenary, pursuing elevation through military ranks . In The Curse of the Golden Skull, a Kull approaching his thirties is recruited by King Borna of Valusia in a mission against the ambitious sorcerer Rotath of Lemuria. Kull proves to be an effective assassin. Borna promoted Kull into the general command of the mercenary forces. Borna himself, however, had gained a reputation for cruelty and despotism. Among the nobility several were discontented with Borna's rule, and before long civil war broke out. The mercenaries proved more loyal to Kull, allowing for the former slave to reach first for the leadership of the revolt, and then for the throne itself. Kull killed Borna and took his throne while he was in his early thirties. The Shadow Kingdom finds Kull having spent six months upon the Valusian throne and facing the first conspiracy against him. The series continued with Kull finding that gaining the crown was easier than securing it. He faces several internal and external challenges throughout the series. The constant conspiring of his courtiers leaves Kull almost constantly threatened with loss of life and throne. The aging King is ever more aware of the Sword of Damocles that he inherited along with the crown. The series had several reccuring characters. Arguably the best known were his trusted ally Brule the Spear-slayer (a Pre-cataclysmic Pict) and his mortal enemy Thulsa Doom the sorcerer. The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune find Kull reaching his middle-forties and becoming progressively more introspective. The former barbarian is left lost in contemplations of philosophy. At this point the series ends. His fate is left uncertain. Thuria, Lemuria and Atlantis alike fell to a cataclysm a few centuries after his reign. At least according to an essay of Howard concerning the origins of the Hyborian Age. Eight millenia after his time came Conan the Barbarian. Several secondary sources consider Conan to have been a reincarnation of the Valusian King.

External links

Namesakes in other worlds of fiction

The Kull are super-soldiers in two worlds of speculative fiction:

In Eragon, they are Uruk-hai-like Urgals.

In Stargate SG-1, they are futuristic Uruk-Hai-like Goa'uld wearing the best armour and weapons they are mainly used by the goa'uld Anubis As Shock Troops.

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