The Black Ones

[eja]

Any theories as to the origins of the black giants in The Pool of the Black Ones? 

[elegos7]

The black giants might have been inspired by the "Rmoahals", one of the Atlantean sub-races according to the Theosophists, also included in W. Scott-Elliot's The Story of Atlantis.

The beings Conan encounters in Iron Shadows in the Moon are very similar to these black giants, with (possibly) slightly shorter stature and less inhuman features. The extreme sadism of both groups is another notable similarity, along with the green-stone structures they live in.

[almuric]

Jun 14, 2021 22:37:32 GMT -5 elegos7 said:

The black giants might have been inspired by the "Rmoahals", one of the Atlantean sub-races according to the Theosophists, also included in W. Scott-Elliot's The Story of Atlantis.

The beings Conan encounters in Iron Shadows in the Moon are very similar to these black giants, with (possibly) slightly shorter stature and less inhuman features. The extreme sadism of both groups is another notable similarity, along with the green-stone structures they live in.

Good point on the Rmoahals. I seem to recall that Lin Carter lifted them, name and all, to populate the plains of his Lemuria. Theosophy had a huge influence on early Science-Fiction and Fantasy. Has there been any in-depth exploration of its influence on REH's works? I know that Fritz Leiber once provoked a bit of fannish controversy by pointing Theosophic elements out in the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, in his essay "John Carter -- Sword of Theosophy" which is quoted and expanded upon here: www.erbzine.com/mag11/1107.html

[elegos7]

Jul 3, 2021 16:40:44 GMT -5 almuric said:

Theosophy had a huge influence on early Science-Fiction and Fantasy. Has there been any in-depth exploration of its influence on REH's works?

Yes, there are several articles on Theosophy and REH:

SHANKS, JEFFREY: Theosophy and the Thurian Age (The Dark Man, Vol 6, No 1&2, 2011)

Theosophy in Outline (1923) by Frederick Milton Willis, #477 in a popular line of chapbooks was most likely Howard’s principal reference. As he progressed through the Kull stories, successive drafts of “The Hyborian Age,” and the Conan and other tales, though, Howard utilized fewer and fewer theosophical concepts, and he telescoped the chronology from hundreds of thousands of years to a few thousand years as he developed and firmed up his view of prehistory.

SHANKS, JEFFREY – Theosophy and the Thurian Age Revisited (REH: Two-Gun Raconteur, 2014)

MOTT, WILLIAM MICHAEL – The Hyborian Sage: Real-World Parallels Between Howard’s Essay and Modern Discoveries (REH: Two-Gun Raconteur #18, 2015)

[almuric]

Thanks, I'll have to track those down.

[eja]

Good point on the beings in Pool of the Black Ones resembling to some degree those in Iron Shadows.