Tars Tarkas
Encyclopedia
Tars Tarkas is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs
' Barsoom
series. Though a great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks
) he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. In the first novel, A Princess of Mars
, with the help of the newly arrived earth man John Carter
he becomes a Jeddak (king) of the Tharks.
Tars Tarkas is the very first Barsoomian encountered by John Carter when he appears on Mars
. In fact, Tars Tarkas begins by making a very earnest attempt to kill Carter, having discovered the Earth man inspecting the Tharks' incubator (in which the tribe's precious eggs are sealed up for five years prior to hatching). The attempt fails, and Tars Tarkas instead takes Carter prisoner and transports him back to the nearby dead city in which a group of Tharks have taken up temporary residence. John Carter kills one of the Tharks in a fight and finds that he has not only won a victory over an enemy but gained his victim’s rank and possessions as well.
Over the course of the next weeks, Carter discovers the character of the green Martians, and comes to respect Tars Tarkas for his abilities as a warrior and statesman. More than that, Carter discovers that Tars Tarkas has a secret: long ago he committed the great sin (for a green Martian) of falling in love and, worse, had a child (egg) with his lover, Gozava. Tars Tarkas and Gozava hid the egg and incubated it in secret. But Tars Tarkas was ordered away on a long military expedition, and when the child finally hatched, Gozava managed to mingle her child with the returning children from the communal incubator. But Gozava's maternity (although not the child's identity) was discovered, and she was tortured and killed by the Tharkian chieftain Tal Hajus for the crime of child bearing. However, even under torture she refused to reveal the name of the child's father. The daughter's name is Sola, and she befriends Carter and tells him the story of her birth and the identity of her father.
When he learns this, Carter's sympathy and admiration for Tars Tarkas increases, and he resolves to do all he can to help the Thark. Over time, the two become friends, and Carter, after escaping the Tharks in the course of his pursuit of Dejah Thoris
, returns to them and helps engineer a duel between Tars Tarkas and the Jeddak of Thark. Tars Tarkas wins the duel, and according to Tharkian law becomes Jeddak. Thereafter, Tars Tarkas becomes one of John Carter's closest allies, and appears in a number of the other novels in the series.
.
Willem Dafoe
portrays Tarkas in the upcoming film John Carter, scheduled to be released in 2012.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
' Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
series. Though a great warrior and leader among his people (the brutal and mirthless Tharks
Tharks
Thark or Tharks are a tribe of the race of fierce fictional Green Martian warriors on the fictional planet of Barsoom , created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and first featured in the 1917 novel A Princess of Mars. Tharks are around 15 feet tall, with tusks protruding from their mouths, green skin, and...
) he possesses a sense of compassion and empathy uncharacteristic of his race. In the first novel, A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars
A Princess of Mars is a science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first of his Barsoom series. It is also Burroughs' first novel, predating his famous Tarzan series. Full of swordplay and daring feats, the novel is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction...
, with the help of the newly arrived earth man John Carter
John Carter (character)
John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
he becomes a Jeddak (king) of the Tharks.
Tars Tarkas is the very first Barsoomian encountered by John Carter when he appears on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. In fact, Tars Tarkas begins by making a very earnest attempt to kill Carter, having discovered the Earth man inspecting the Tharks' incubator (in which the tribe's precious eggs are sealed up for five years prior to hatching). The attempt fails, and Tars Tarkas instead takes Carter prisoner and transports him back to the nearby dead city in which a group of Tharks have taken up temporary residence. John Carter kills one of the Tharks in a fight and finds that he has not only won a victory over an enemy but gained his victim’s rank and possessions as well.
Over the course of the next weeks, Carter discovers the character of the green Martians, and comes to respect Tars Tarkas for his abilities as a warrior and statesman. More than that, Carter discovers that Tars Tarkas has a secret: long ago he committed the great sin (for a green Martian) of falling in love and, worse, had a child (egg) with his lover, Gozava. Tars Tarkas and Gozava hid the egg and incubated it in secret. But Tars Tarkas was ordered away on a long military expedition, and when the child finally hatched, Gozava managed to mingle her child with the returning children from the communal incubator. But Gozava's maternity (although not the child's identity) was discovered, and she was tortured and killed by the Tharkian chieftain Tal Hajus for the crime of child bearing. However, even under torture she refused to reveal the name of the child's father. The daughter's name is Sola, and she befriends Carter and tells him the story of her birth and the identity of her father.
When he learns this, Carter's sympathy and admiration for Tars Tarkas increases, and he resolves to do all he can to help the Thark. Over time, the two become friends, and Carter, after escaping the Tharks in the course of his pursuit of Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Martian novels. Princess of the Martian city state/empire of Helium, Dejah Thoris is the love interest and later the wife of John Carter, an Earthman mystically transported to Mars, and subsequently the mother of their son...
, returns to them and helps engineer a duel between Tars Tarkas and the Jeddak of Thark. Tars Tarkas wins the duel, and according to Tharkian law becomes Jeddak. Thereafter, Tars Tarkas becomes one of John Carter's closest allies, and appears in a number of the other novels in the series.
Film
Tars Tarkas was played by Matt Lasky in the 2009 direct-to-DVD film Princess of MarsPrincess of Mars
Princess of Mars is a 2009 direct-to-DVD science fiction film made by American independent studio The Asylum, based on the 1917 novel A Princess of Mars by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The novel shares some elements with James Cameron's Avatar, as mentioned on the film's promotional art...
.
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
portrays Tarkas in the upcoming film John Carter, scheduled to be released in 2012.