EYEs of SET

Classification: Magic item

Creator: Unrevealed;
    possibly Set or one of his spawn of agents

User/Possessors: Conan, Mer-Ath, Ptolemy

First Appearance: Conan the Barbarian I#79 (October, 1977)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Eyes of Set's power was largely symbolic, representing the peace between the cites of Harakht and Attalus. However, when the holder of one of the Eyes slew a priest of Set, the Eye weeped blood, indicating it indeed had some magical power.

    Conan also speculated that the one-eyed Hun-Ya-Di wished to place the Eye of Set within his empty eye socket and gain some mystic power for himself.

History:
(Conan the Barbarian I#79 (fb) - BTS) - For many years, Harakht (the "Hawk City") and Attalus (descended from Iskander/Alexander the Great and his army who were transported back in time via a strange blue mist), two cities in Stygia who generally remained outside of the domination of the Stygian nation, maintained a peace. Whenever a new monarch took the throne of either city, they symbolized their desire to maintain peace by sending a lone warrior -- the strongest and bravest man in the city -- to exchange a pair of sacred jewels, the Eyes of Set, one of which was held by each city's ruler.

(Conan the Barbarian I#79 (fb)) - After Conan and Bêlit had aided Mer-Ath in becoming the ruler of the Hawk City, Harakht, Mer-Ath asked them to transport his city's Eye of Set to Attalus. In return, Mer-Ath offered them safe passage to Luxor and the court of King Ctesphon.
    Hun-Ya-Di, the new high priest of Harakht objected, stating that he should be the one to convey the Eye of Set, but Mer-Ath denied him, stating that the decision was his to make. Hun-Ya-Di hoped that by gaining one of the two Eyes of Set he could use it to embellish his claim to be co-ruler of Harakht, and Conan accepted the mission largely to irritate Hun-Ya-Di, who then chose Conan's guide, Ak-Ner.

(Conan the Barbarian I#79) - Holding Harakht's Eye of Set within his belt, Conan slew Ak-Ner, who had instead ambushed and attacked him. Conan fought off and escaped a number of assassins sent by Hun-Ya-Di and then found and freed Bardylis, a resident of Attalus who then led him to her city and introduced her to the king, Ptolemy.

(Conan the Barbarian I#80) - Though suspected by Ptolemy of being a Stygian spy, Conan was given a bed chamber in which he hid the Eye of Set behind a small stone block. That night, Conan was ambushed and captured by agents of the desert-dweller Ablah, who had paid him to obtain the Eye. Conan broke free and slew Ablah's men, but Ablah escaped and told Ptolemy that Conan had ambushed and murdered his men. Conan and Ablah argued their cases, and when Ptolemy was uncertain who to trust, Conan insulted him as being too dense to receive the Eye of Set. The giant Ptolemy then challenged Conan to combat to decide his worth, and Conan managed to drop Ptolemy. It was announced that Stygians were invading the city, and that Conan was now king for having defeated Ptolemy.

(Conan the Barbarian I#81) - Having recovered the Eye of Set, Conan led the soldiers of Attalus to defeat those serving Hun-Ya-Di. As Conan slew Hun-Ya-di himself, the Eye began to weep blood, and Conan resisted the urge to hurl away the bewitched gem so that he could fulfill his vow. Ptolemy recovered and peacefully acknowledged Conan's right to be Attalus' king, but Conan refused, not wishing to be trapped forever in the valley, and gave the kingship back to Ptolemy. After Ptolemy revealed the severed head of the lying Ablah, Conan gave him the Eyes of Set, and Ptolemy promised to give Conan the other Eye when they returned to the city. Bardylis showed Conan her appreciation.

(Conan the Barbarian I#82-83 - BTS) - Conan's return to Harakht took him through swamplands known as Viper's Head, where he fought alongside the Stygian Neth-At against Sabia, the alleged daughter of Damballah, and the witch-man Toroa and his Man-Dragon servants.

(Conan the Barbarian I#84 - BTS) - Conan returned to Harakht and presumably delivered Attalus' Eye of Set but then was captured by Mer-Ath's troops for use as a hostage as it had been learned that Bêlit had intended to harm King Ctesphon before she had departed. Conan later escaped with the aid of Zula.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, and Ernie Chan.
    Freely adapted from "The Lost Valley of Iskander" by Robert E. Howard.

    I don't think it is ever confirmed that Conan delivered Attalus' Eye of Set to Mer-Ath, but presumably he did that upon his return to Harakht, before he learned that Bêlit was missing.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Eyes of Set should be distinguished from:

• Amulet of Set - pendant which can heal wounds and has power over Ishiti--Conan the Barbarian I#138
• Serpent Amulet - given to the Stygian royal Bekhet with the knowledge that his then-slave Neftha and that she would gain the amulet and use it to obtain her position as the rightful heir to the Stygian throne, used by she with Bêlit to enter the chambers of Cstephon II
      when a certain spell was incanted, transformed user(s) into snake(s)
      --Conan the Barbarian I#74
• Serpent Crown - one of several items empowered by Set , the first created by human alchemists of Deviant Lemuria--Tales to Astonish I#101, Sub-Mariner I#9
• Serpent-Tiara of the Hyborian era - transformed into giant serpent, slain by Conan + Red Sonja, restored to tiara, returned to King Ghannif--Conan the Barbarian I#24
• JADE SERPENT of the Hyborian era - found in lost Lanjau, north of Corinthia, turned into poison snake, formerly protected and sought by the Keepers of the Treasure-Crypt of Lanjau--Conan the Barbarian I#8
• other Set-powered or other serpentine talismans
• EYE of AGAMOTTO - one of three power items created by Agamotto--Strange Tales I#127
• EYE of AGES - power item brought into past by Rama-Tut, stolen by Baal--Rise of Apocalypse#1
• EYE of AVALON - see Evil Eye--Fantastic Four I#54
• Eye of Ahriman - magic item used by Ennis Tremellyn, high priest of Ahriman--Marvel Two-In-One#49
• Eye of Bast - gem, allowed the Children of Bast to take and maintain human form, stolen by Conan for --Conan the Barbarian I#226
• Eye of Bast - fragment of the Claw of Bast used by Khafre. unknown connection to the above--Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards#2
• EYE of CAPISTAN - see Star of Capistan. created Red Rajah--Defenders I#42
• Eye of Dagon of the Hyborian era - silver eye from bird-riders' statue--Conan the Barbarian I#59
• EYE of ERLIK of the Hyborian era - magic item--Conan and the Sorcerer; Savage Sword of Conan#53
• Eye of Force - Associated with the Darkdoors used by Thule's society in an effort to access the Vril--Cloak and Dagger III#1
• Eye of Horus - stolen Egyptian artifact, sought by Scarlet Scarab, recovered by he and Thor--Thor I#326
• Eye of Ibis - Hyborian era magic item, held by Rammon in Temple of Ibis, stolen by Conan, used by Natari to recover the Horn of Azoth from the Crypt of Shadows--Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan: Horn of Azoth
• EYE of KIERROK - magic item of Pilgrim, actually an eye taken from the demon Kierrok--X-Men II#75
• Eye of Necros - amulet of Necromon, enabled him to observe distant events, even across interplanetary or interdimensional distances, also allowed him to see hearts and minds of men--Hulk comic#45/2
• Eye of Odin - actual eye removed by Odin and given to Mimir in exchange for knowledge, took on life of its own, told stories of Aesir and Rhinegold, later consumed by Mimir--Thor I#274
• EYE of RA - magic item, used by Horus to spy on Akhenaten--Marvel Universe: The End#2
• EYE of TAI-SHAN of the Hyborian era - crystal ball of Shing Luu--Conan the Barbarian I#251
• EYE of WATOOMB of "Earth-6084" - melted down Wand of Watoomb, stolen by Warren Traveler of Earth-58163, replaced his own eye--Ms. Marvel II#4
• EYE of YIN - magic item, sought by Mandarin to increase power of his rings, stopped by Black Bolt--Amazing Adventures II#2
• EEye of Zartra - Magic item, formerly held in the orbit of the pre-Cataclysmic Zartra, placed in the hilt of the Sword of Kamuu, removed by the Sword and given to Dr. Strange by Namor
      granted it immunity to magic, invoked curse that would destroy its wielder if Atlantean blood were drawn
      --Sub-Mariner I#63/2
• EYE FLOWER - saved from Skrulls by Fantastic Four--Fantastic Four III#60
• EYES of KRISTALL STARRER - magic eyes given to Clara Menninger--Blaze II#1
• other "Eye" deals

images: (without ads)
Conan the Barbarian I#79, p5, panel 1 (Eyes of Set)
    #81, p14, panel 1 (bleeding eye)

Appearances:
Conan the Barbarian I#79-81 (October-December, 1977) - by Roy Thomas (writer/editor), Howard Chaykin (penciler), Ernie Chan (inker), Archie Goodwin (consulting editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 08/19/2007
Last Updated: 09/05/2023

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