Yes, I must tell you, ere I die, of Niord and the Worm: You have heard the grisly story of their meeting in many guises -- for, from that meeting sprang the whole cycle of hero-tales which revolves down the ages until the truth behind it all is darkly lost! 
Appearing in "The Valley of the Worm!"
Featured Characters:
- Niord Worm's Bane (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- James Allison (First appearance)
- Aesir (Only in flashback)
- Niord's tribe (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Helga (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Numerous unnamed others (Only in flashback)
- Bragi's tribe (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Bragi (First appearance; dies) (Leaves Niord's tribe to found his own) (Only in flashback)
- Numerous unnamed others (Only appearance; death in flashback)
- Niord's tribe (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Picts (Only in flashback)
- Gorm (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Numerous unnamed others (Death of several) (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Longtooth (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- ⏴ Satha (First appearance as Satha) (Death) (Only in flashback)
- Unnamed fur-covered creature (First appearance; dies) (Only in flashback)
- Worm (First appearance) (Apparent death) (Only in flashback)
Other Characters:
- Hialmar (Referenced)
- Horsa (Referenced)
- Eric (Referenced)
- John (Referenced)
- Perseus (Only in recap)
- Beowulf (Only in recap)
- Saint George (Only in recap)
- Siegfried (Thor Odinson) (Only in flashback)
- Fafnir (Only in flashback)
- Lady Andromeda (Referenced)
- Ceto (Referenced) (Unnamed)
- Grendel (Referenced) (Unnamed)
- Ymir (Invoked) (Only in flashback)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Horses (Only in flashback)
- Human-Olympian Hybrids (Only in recap)
- Gods (Only in recap)
- Asgardians (Only in flashback)
- Dragons (Only in flashback)
- Dragons (Referenced)
- Wolves (Referenced)
- Oxen (Only in flashback)
- Vultures (Only in flashback)
- Gorillas (Mentioned)
- Serpents (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Smilodon (Only in flashback)
- Tigers (Referenced)
- Bears (Referenced)
- Cats (Referenced)
- Elder Gods of Earth
- Elder Gods
- Mice (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- King Cobras (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Demons (Only in flashback)
- Apes (Referenced)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- North America
- United States of America
- Texas
- Cross Plains[1] (First appearance) (Unnamed)
- Texas
- United States of America
- Hyboria (Only in flashback) (Unnamed)
- Asia Minor (Referenced)
- North America
- Asgard (Only in flashback)
- Hell (Referenced)
- Sun (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
Items:
- Needful (First appearance) (Unnamed) (Only in flashback)
Events and Eras:
- Modern Age
- Hyborian Age (Circa 9,500 B.C., see notes) (Only in flashback) (Unnamed)
Synopsis for "The Valley of the Worm!"
- Synopsis not yet written
Notes
- This issue is based on the short story "The Valley of the Worm" by fantasy author Robert E. Howard, one of Howard's "James Allison" stories.
- It was adapted by Roy Thomas for the plot and by Thomas and Gerry Conway for the script.[2]
- Wein and Costanza are uncredited.
- Perseus, Beowulf, Saint George, and Siegfried appear as examples of legendary beings whose stories were inspired by the true story of Niord. James Allison implies that he doesn't believe any of them existed; however, Perseus, Beowulf, and Siegfried all do exist in the Prime Marvel Universe, and while Allison may be correct that the legend of Saint George and the Dragon is fictional, that does not mean Saint George himself is fictional. Historically, George was a Christian saint for hundreds of years before the legend of the dragon was attached to his life story.[3]
- James Allison refuses to precise the era, and so does the authors in the "Thriller Fillers" letter page of Supernatural Thrillers #7, mentioning as possibilities "before the time of Kull", "between Kull's reign and the time of Conan", or "long after Conan".[4]
- However, two elements known to be set circa 9,500 BC are mentioned in the issue that could hints to the latter hypothesis, during the Hyborian Age, at least after circa 9,500 BC (though could be coincidences):
- Iron was introduced to the Hyborian Age Picts circa 9,500 BC.[5] The Picts encountered by Niord's tribe used iron swords.
- Later, during the same era, a tribe of Aesir went southwards into Nemedia (becoming the Nemedian Aesir). After a short age, the glacial ages began, and many Nordic tribes were driven southwards, notably into Pictland.[6] One such tribes could have been Niord's Aesir tribe.
- Satha was seen alive circa 10,000 BC in "The Scarlet Citadel" (Savage Sword of Conan #30; June, 1978), which also hint towards the last hypothesis.
- There is no known Pre-Cataclysmic Aesir or Asgard (which are seemingly originated from Pre-Cataclysmic Thule), while the Picts were not mentioned to include mainlanders until the late Pre-Cataclysmic Age, which could hint towards the two last hypothesizes (in which periods the brutish appearance of the Picts of the Country of the Worm fits).
- However, two elements known to be set circa 9,500 BC are mentioned in the issue that could hints to the latter hypothesis, during the Hyborian Age, at least after circa 9,500 BC (though could be coincidences):
See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ Conan: Serpent War #1
- ↑ http://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/13thomas.html
- ↑ Saint George at Wikipedia
- ↑ Supernatural Thrillers #7 ; Thriller Fillers, answer to Bob Hobart
- ↑ Savage Sword of Conan #15 ; The Hyborian Age - Chapter 5: Fire and Slaughter
- ↑ Savage Sword of Conan #17 ; The Hyborian Age - Chapter 6: The Darkness... and the Dawn