TUZUN
THUNE
TUZUN
THUNE
Real Name: Tuzun Thune
Identity/Class: Elder race, Pre-Cataclysmic and Hyborian eras
Occupation: Sorcerer
Group Membership: The Elder race
Affiliations: Baron Kaanuub, unidentified girl;
formerly mirror-duplicates of Conan & Red Sonja
Enemies: Brule the Spear-Slayer, Conan,
Fafnir Hellhand, Gonar, Kull, Red Sonja, Roxelana,
Tania, Turghol, Zula, the
shaman of the Kozaks;
mirror-duplicates of Conan & Red Sonja
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Impersonated Gonar
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly the House of a Thousand Mirrors on the Lake of
Visions, Valusia, @ 18, 500 BC
First Appearance: "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune," Weird
Tales (September, 1929);
(Marvel Universe) Conan the Barbarian I#25 (April, 1973)
Powers/Abilities:
Tuzun Thune, elderly in appearance, was likely thousands, if not tens of
thousands, of years old when first glimpsed, and he survived another 8000 years
living as a reflection in his mirrors. He could exit his mirrors if he could
trade places with another sorcerer. Virtually all of his magical power was
derived from his mirrors, though the mirrors' origins are unknown. They may be
magical artifacts that he collected, or regular mirrors that he empowered
with his own magical energy, or a combination of the two; nonetheless, without
one of his mirrors, he was virtually powerless.
Each mirror seemed to have a different power. Some mirrors
could show images of the past and the future, or of other places, times, or
beings of significance to the viewer. Some mirrors could open portals to other
realms, allowing beings to pass to or from those realms. Some mirrors could
capture the image of one gazing into the mirror, transporting that person and
trapping him or her into the mirror itself. Some mirrors could entrap the souls
of others within the mirror. Some mirrors could transport others through time.
Some mirrors created mirrored duplicates of beings whose
image he has captured on the mirror (these duplicates possess virtually all of
the skills and abilities, and perhaps even the memories, of the originals,
though it might be that Thune magically read the minds and/or memories of others
and transferred this information into the doppelgangers. In addition, these
doppelgangers seemed to gain stronger personalities and independence the longer
they remained in existence, to the point that they might defy or even assault
Tuzun Thune.
Beyond all that, Tuzun Thune was not above stabbing an enemy with a conventional knife.
History:
(Savage Sword of Conan#34 (fb) - BTS) - Tuzun Thune is a wizard of the Elder
race and may have existed 25, 000 to 100, 000 years B.C. He--and/or his
people--trampled lost tribes in their advance, just as Valusia succeeded the
elder nations.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover#7: MAGIC) - Tuzun Thune, summoned by Agamotto, attended the Assemblage of Avatars in Atlantis around 19,000 BC to find a solution for the current conflicts between the Elder Gods. Only little was accomplished during the meeting and Agamotto became frustated with humanity's limitations.
(Conan the Barbarian I#25 (fb)) <18, 500 BC> - Kaanuub, Baron of Blaal, one of Kull's rivals, plotted with Tuzun Thune and an unidentified girl to do away with Kull.
(Conan the Barbarian I#25 (fb) / Savage Sword of Conan#34)
<18, 500 BC> - Seeking a break from the stately matters of being a King, Kull
took the advice of the girl who told him to seek out Tuzun Thune--who spoke to
the dead and with demons in the House of a Thousand Mirrors on the Lake of
Visions. Kull met with Thune, who responded to Kull's queries with oblique
answers, telling Kull that each man began dying the day he was born. Kull began
to think Thune was just a crazy old man, but Thune then showed him his mirrors.
Kull became entranced by what he saw there -- the past (the age of dinosaurs),
the future (the crumbling of the Seven Empires, the sinking of Atlantis and
Lemuria, the rise and fall of Acheron, and the rise of the Hyborians), his own
reflection, and a distant figure that gradually approached the longer he
watched. Kull began to wonder which was the real Kull, himself or the man in the
mirror, and he wondered how he might pass through the other side of the mirror
into the realms he glimpsed; Tuzun Thune answered his questions with more
ambiguous responses, telling Kull that he who would see must first belive. Kull
spent many hours each day glancing into it as he returned to Thune's house each
day, caring little to nothing for his other responsibilities. One day mists
began emerging from the mirror, and they began to merge with Kull and transform
him into mist; however, Kull's loyal aide, Brule, had followed Kull that day,
and he slew Thune and shattered the mirror before it could claim Kull's soul
forever.
Still Kull wondered whether it was Tuzun Thune's witchery
that was transforming him into thin mist or whether he had finally discovered
the way into the world beyond. Though he never returned to the House of a
Thousand Mirrors, Kull was less sure of reality ever since he had gazed into the
mirrors of Tuzun Thune.
(Savage Sword of Conan#223 (fb) - BTS) - For 80 centuries Tuzun Thune's essence remained in his mirrors. For thousand of years he waited for a wizard to enter his cavern of the mirrors, so Thune could take his place and walk again on the Earth.
(Savage Sword of Conan#223 (fb) - BTS) - Circa 10, 000 BC, the young wizard Kharam-Akkad sent some lackeys to pilfer the cavern of the Mirrors of Tuzun Thune. They took one large mirror, and a smaller, oval mirror and brought them to Kharam-Akkad.
(Conan the Barbarian I#25 (fb) - BTS) - Via the mirror of Tuzun Thune, an older Kharam-Akkad foresaw his own death at the hands of Conan the Barbarian, surrounded by images of a lion, an eagle, and a serpent.
(Conan the Barbarian I#25 - BTS) - Seeking to prevent this prophecy but feeling the need to know the significance of the images in the vision, Kharam-Akkad had Conan captured, bound, and brought before him. Conan knew not the significance of the imagery, and so Kharam-Akkad had a monstrous, tentacles creature reach through the mirror to kill him, but Conan broke free. As they fought, Akkad saw the eagle-head on the hilt of Conan's sword, had the snakeskin on the strap of his shield break, and then he died on the sword of Conan, who would later be known as Amra, the Lion.
(Savage Sword of Conan#223) - From the cavern of the Mirrors, Tuzun Thune launched a call to Conan. At that time Gonar the Pict was in the Hyborian Era with Conan and Red Sonja, and he intercepted the message. Gonar rode to the hidden cavern pursued by Conan and Red Sonja. They found the cavern walls and ceiling covered by the mirrors of Tuzun Thune, and Red Sonja saw images of her own past, as well as images of Sonya of Rogatino (a woman whose origins would mirror Sonja's own, over 10, 000 years in the future). The decayed carcass of Tuzun Thune then emerged from a mirror. Fearing the Pict, Tuzun Thune sent him back to his own era using one of his mirrors. Thune then performed another enchantment, and another mirror reflected Conan and Sonja's evil images, giving them physical form; Tuzun Thune's spell caused the evil doubles to take the place of the originals. The real Conan and Sonja were sent in the prehistoric past, and Tuzun Thune then adopted the form of Gonar.
(Savage Sword of Conan#224 - BTS) - The real Gonar transported the real Conan and Red Sonja to Valusia, circa 18, 500 B.C.
(Savage Sword of Conan#226
- BTS) - The real Conan and Red Sonja were pushed forward in time to Acheron,
circa 13, 000 B.C.
(Savage Sword of Conan#232 (fb) - BTS) - Tuzun Thune took with him two big
mirrors enveloped in animal furs.
(Savage Sword of Conan#230) - Conan and Red Sonja returned to their own era,
arriving back in the cavern of the Mirrors of Tuzun Thune.
(Savage Sword of Conan#231) - Tuzun Thune, in the form of Gonar, led the
mirrored Conan and Red Sonja into the desert to gain the leadership of the
Kozaks who had been serving under Conan. Confronted by several people who knew
Conan well -- Zula, Fafnir and Turghol --
the mirror-Conan told
stories of their shared past to convince them of his true nature, but then
mirror-Conan and "Gonar" exposed Fafnir's demonhand, making the Kozak's suspect
him to be evil. With their suspicion aroused, mirror-Conan challenged Fafnir;
they fought evenly, but when Fafnir recognized and began to voice that "Conan"
and "Sonja" were using their opposite sword hands, mirror-Red Sonja stabbed
Fafnir from behind, seemingly killing him.
Through this victory, mirror-Conan seemingly proved himself
to be the Kozak's hetman, and he then grabbed Conan's woman, Roxelana, to prove
himself to her through her other methods. Zula and Turgohl took Fafnir away to
bury him, but he quickly revived due to the magical power running through his
body. Fafnir shared the knowledge of "Conan" fighting with the wrong hand,
strengthening Zula and Turgohl's
suspicions, but then Gonar -- having
followed and listened to them, suspecting that Fafnir may not have perished -- extracted their souls
into one of his little mirrors,
leaving their bodies apparently without life
Meanwhile, the real Conan and Sonja continued their trek back
to the Kozak camp.
(Savage Sword of Conan#232) - The mirrored Conan and Sonja showed lusty and
rebellious traits, surprising "Gonar." Conan ordered the Kozaks to
burn the bodies of his three comrades the next night, defying "Gonar" 's advice
that they destroy the bodies immediately, because mirror-Conan wished to enjoy
Roxelana's company just then instead.
Later, as the Kozak warriors prepared to burn the bodies, the Kozak shaman
intervened, stopping "Gonar." The shaman had read the clouds and had known that
a black wind had arrived in the village at the same time as Conan, Sonja and
Gonar. The mirrored Conan lifted his sword but it was stopped by the real
Conan's sword, as the real Conan and Red Sonja had just arrived. Roxelana (the
real Conan's lover who had recently bedded the imposter), too, accused the false
Conan of not being the original one. A fight started between the mirror-doubles
and the originals. "Gonar" threw the mirror containing the souls into the
funeral pyre. The shaman began to shout that the imposters were left handed, and
he tried to warn the warriors to take the mirror, but "Gonar" stabbed him in the
gut. Then "Gonar" uncovered the bigger mirrors he had transported from his
cavern and activated a spell that sucked the Kozaks chiefs and Roxelana into the
mirrors, leaving only Conan and Red Sonja to fight their mirror-doubles. Tania,
Turghol's wife managed to pick the mirror containing the three souls up out of
the fire; the wounded shaman cast a spell that returned the three souls to their
respective bodies. Zula and Fafnir acted, breaking the two big mirrors. The
Kozak chiefs had their souls restored. The mirrored Conan and Red Sonja decided
to flee, and they slashed "Gonar." With
his last strength, Tuzun Thune broke his
last mirror, and the two doubles were destroyed. The wizard died, his body
became a decayed carcass again.
Comments: Created by Robert E. Howard.
Adapted to the Marvel Universe by Roy Thomas, John Buscema,
Sal Buscema, John Severin, and Barry Smith.
The Savage Sword of Conan told in full (11 pages) the story summed up in mere two page flashback in Conan the Barbarian I#25.
The spell used by Tuzun Thune to entrap Thurgol, Zula and Fafnir's souls in a little mirror is similar to the spell used by Hissar Zul, who stole Conan's soul and entrapped it in a little mirror. The effects on the subjects, however, were significantly different.
Profile by Snood and Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:
The shaman
of the Kozaks
The shaman
was a Kozak and a shaman. The real extent of his magic powers is unknown. He
could read the clouds, a sort of divination of the present time.
He also was a sort of priest for the funeral services.
The shaman was warned by the clouds that something of evil had arrived to the Kozak village along with Conan and his friends; The shaman was suspicious of them. So, when he saw Gonar pronouncing words in an unknown language before burning Zula, Turghol and Fafnir's bodies, The shaman intervened in the ceremony and accused the false men to be evil. Red Sonja wanted to kill him, but Ogadai and the other Kozak chiefs defended The shaman. The "mirror" Conan was hitting him when the real Conan intervened just in time. The resulting fight confused the Kozaks, but Roxelana and The shaman hinted that the false warriors used their left hands to wield the swords, while the originals were both right handed. The shaman told them to pick up the little mirror that Gonar had thrown in the funeral pyre but Gonar stabbed him in the gut. Tania succeeded in picking the mirror up and the shaman, though on the ground and wounded, succeeded in casting a spell to free the three souls.
--Savage Sword of Conan#232
images: (without ads)
Conan the Barbarian I#25, p4, panel 4 (color Tuzun Thune)
Savage Sword of Conan#34/4, p4, panel 7 (black & white Tuzun Thune)
#223/2, p12, panel 3
(decayed form)
#231, p21, panel 1 (Gonar form, with mirrored Conan & Sonja)
p23, panel 1 (Zula, Fafnir, and
Turghol trapped in a mirror)
#232, p2, panel 1 (shaman of the Kozaks)
Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#25 (April, 1973) - by Roy Thomas (writer/editor), John
Buscema (penciler), Sal Buscema & John Severin (inkers), Barry Smith
(co-plotter)
Savage Sword of Conan#34 (October, 1978) - by Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Mike
Ploog (artist)
Savage Sword of Conan#223 (July, 1994) -
by Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Doherty (penciler), E.R. Cruz (inker), Richard
Ashford (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#231 (March, 1995) - by Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Doherty (penciler),
E.R. Cruz (inker), Timothy Tuohy (editor)
Savage Sword of Conan#232 (April, 1995) - by Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Doherty (penciler),
E.R. Cruz (inker), Mike Lackey (editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover#7: MAGIC (2009) - David Sexton (writer), Jeff Younquist & Jennifer Gruenwald (editors)
First Posted: 07/09/2006
Last updated: 07/08/2006
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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