full bodyTAURUS

Real Name: Taurus

Identity/Class: Human, Nemedian (Hyborian Era)

Occupation: Thief

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Conan the Cimmerian

Enemies: Yara, a guard

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Prince of Thieves

Base of Operations: Arenjun (Zamora)

First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#4 (April, 1971) {Edizione Italiana: Albi dei Super-Eroi#16 Editoriale Corno}

Powers/Abilities: None. Taurus is a normal human but is highly trained and skilled in hiding, crawling, climbing, sneaking, lockpicking and all the activities a good thief should have. He knew how to use drugs derived from the black lotus, and he used a special rope.

head shotHistory: (Conan the Barbarian I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Taurus was a so brilliant a thief that he became famous as the Prince of Thieves.

(Conan the Barbarian I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Taurus, in Arenjun, heard about the "Heart of the Elephant" a great jewel of incalculable value, belonging to Yara, a dreadful sorcerer living in the Tower of the Elephant. Taurus decided to rob the jewel and prepared to the theft. He procured a powder derived from some black lotus, and a thin rope, made by the dead women's hairs taken at midnight.

(Conan the Barbarian I#4) - The night of the theft he entered the garden of the Tower of the Elephant, Yara's home, and killed the guard at the door. Some moments later he saw another men in the shadows but he recognized that the man wasn't a guard but a thief like him. So, he met Conan of Cimmeria. The two decided to steal Yara's trasures together. Suddenly they were attacked by some silent lions. Taurus darted a yellow-green powder to the lions killing them almost instantly. Then, Taurus flung the hook with the rope on the top of the tower. They were attacked by another mute lion but Conan acted just in time to kill the feline.
    The two climbed the tower. Its walls were full of shining stones, crystals and precious gems. But the two didn't stopped because Taurus wanted to reach "The Heart of the Elephant," which was more valuable than all of the other gems put together. Once on the top, Taurus asked Conan to wait for a while and determine if any guard had sensed them. Actually Taurus wanted to reach the Heart first. So he entered in the tower, but he was attacked and bitten by Yara's treasure guardian: a giant black spider. Taurus had just the forces to reach the door again and fall in Conan's arms, and died. His body was buried under tons of debris, after the Tower of the Elephant crumbled in thousands of shimmering pieces.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomans, Barry Smith and Sal Buscema. Re-told by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Alfredo Alcala.

The story was re-told years later in Savage Sword of Conan#24. Roy Thomas decided so because this was his favorite Conan's story and because SSoC#24 had more pages and it could better describe the original Howard's novel. Some particulars were different but the history basically remains the same of CB#4.
Although I love B.W.Smith's art, and CB#4 was colored, I still prefer the SSoC#24 B/W version by Buscema/Alcala: a masterpiece!

Profile by Spidermay

Clarifications:

Taurus has no known connections to


Images:
Conan the Barbarian I#4, p7, pan5 (Taurus, full body)
Conan the Barbarian I#4, p7, pan2 (Taurus, head shot)


Other appearances: Savage Sword of Conan #24 (1977) {Edizione Italiana: Conan La Spada Selvaggia#13 Comic Art (novembre 1987)}


Last updated: 11/18/05

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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