Lemuria (Pacific Ocean)

Overview

Lemuria is one of the oldest surviving civilizations.^[2]

Lemuria was apparently the only continent where modern man dwelt half a million years ago.^[14]

During the Pre-Cataclysmic Age (from about 100,000 until the Great Cataclysm),^[15] Lemuria remained one of the great continents of its era, and was ruled mostly by the Deviants and their human slaves.^[1]

After the Great Cataclysm, Lemuria was partly retrofitted by the Deviants, while other parts later became the home of the underwater race known as the Lemurians. Lemuria was founded by a splinter group of Homo mermanus^[1] who made their way to the Pacific Ocean whereas Atlantis had been in the Atlantic.^[16]

History

Circa 500,000 BC

Age of Dragons

About almost half a millions years ago,^[17][14] the world of elder Hyperborea and Lemuria was ruled by the Dragon Kings^[18] (offspring of Sligguth, spawn of Set),^[19][20] led by kings and necromancers who raised monolithic cities of black stone. As the the Dragon Kings practiced sorcery and were evil and cruel beings, the Nineteen Gods created the first men: Phondath the Firstborn and his mate Evalla.

Men built the Nemedis, Althaar, Yb and Yaodar, and fought the Dragon Kings for dominance of Lemuria, during the Thousand Year War, first forced to retreat behind their cities' walls.^[18]

Lord Thungarth was eventually approached by the deity Father Gorm who offered him the Star Sword, imbued with the power of the Nineteen Gods, giving Men the strength to destroy the Dragon Kings at Grimstrand Firth,^[18] Nemedis, leading to the end of the Age of Dragons and the beginning of the Age of Men.^[21]

Age of Men

Lemuria became apparently the only continent inhabited by modern man^[14] and where Men first rose to supremacy.^[22] At that time, the rest of the world lived in Pleistocene, and was inhabited by "Neanderthal" and "Cro-Magnon" man (apparently, although it is possible other civilizations existed).^[14]

Nemedis in the Far Western Plains became a dead city,^[17] but many other cities were built: Cadorna in Kovia (at north-west), Kathool of the Purple Towers, Patanga, the City of Fire, the Dreaming City of Zangabal, Perlorm, Tarakus and Tsargol in Ptartha,^[23] Valkarth^[11] in the Northern Lands,^[24] Shembis among the Cities of the South,^[11] Thurdis the Dragon City, and Zaar, the Black City (where the Black Druids served the dark forces).^[23]

In the northern lands, the Black Hawk and Snow Bear tribes clashed, causing their mutual destruction save for Black Hawk tribe member Thongor, son of kingly Thumithar.^[11] In the Far Western Plains lived the Blue Nomads.^[17]

The last of the Dragon Kings were eventually destroyed thanks to the efforts of Thongor of Valkarth, Sharjsha of Zaar, Sumia Chond and Karm Karvus, helped by Father Gorm.^[21]

It is currently unknown what occurs during the gap of time from the fall of the Dragon Kings to the Pre-Cataclysmic Age. The exact relationship between the Lemurias of those eras, if any, are unknown as well, as few clues links them.

Pre-Cataclysmic Age (100,000 to 18,000 BC)

During the Pre-Cataclysmic Age, the Lemurians were considered among the barbarian nations of their age (along with the Picts and the Atlanteans), and known as savage pirates who inhabited a chain of large islands in the ocean east of the Thurian continent, inthe eastern hemisphere,^[7][15] (next place where mankind rose to supremacy),^[22] as part of the continent Mu.^[25]

The Lemurians came in contact from time to time with the mysterious and non-Thurian race living on the eastern shores of the Thurian continent (those apparently came from a shadowy and nameless continent lying somwhere east of the Lemurian islands).

The crumbling Thurian civilizations employed barbarian mercenaries (Picts, Atlanteans and Lemurians) as their armies, and consequently, their generals, their statesmen and often their kings were barbarians.^[7]

Set's Serpent Men lived in Lemuria.^[2]

18,500 BC: Asfodel IV's reign

At the time of Kull, the Lemurian Isles were controlled by humans, while the Deviants ruled the Lemurian continent.^[4][1]

Asfodel IV, king of Lemuria, hired Kull to kill Rotath of Lemuria, a wizard and a priest of nameless gods.^[26]

Both Atlantis and Lemuria eventually became mighty empires.^[27]

Khornah, lieutenant of the Atlantean Army, conspired with Lemurian pirates to depose and replace King Om-Ra (before allying to assault the Thurian mainland), but his plans were foiled by Kull and mostly by a Kraken summoned by Kareesha.^[28]

18,000 BC: Phraug's rule / Human-Deviant Wars

By 18,000 BC, Lemuria^[1][2] (including the Lemurian Isles)^[4][1] was the seat of an advanced empire and, like much of the Earth,^[19] was ruled by the Deviants^[1][2] and their human slaves,^[1] The Deviants conquered all known human civilizations,^[29][2] save for the state of Atlantis,^[1][2] and their outposts extended even as that of Lemura, in what became known as the Savage Land.^[2]

The human alchemist Atra intended to overthrow the Deviants. He allied with the Serpent Men to create the Serpent Crown which was empowered by Set and linked to his mnd as a replacement for the Cobra Crown..^[19]

Then, worship of Set flourished.^[2]

Under King Phraug^[2] , the Lemurians tried to invade Atlantis, then ruled by king Kamuu and his wife Zartra,^[30] a refugee from the Deviant-controlled Lemurian Isles.^[1] The Atlanteans released their magma vents to drive off invading Lemurians,^[30] triggering seismological upheavels.^[1]

Great Cataclysm

Meanwhile, the Second Host of the Celestials came to Earth over Lemuria,^[1] and the Deviants attacked them. The Celestials' retaliation submerged Mu (including Lemuria).^[2]

This resulted in both continents of Atlantis and Lemuria sinking,^[1] the destruction of both cities, and the landscape of the world being dramatically altered.^[31]

Deviant Lemuria

The Deviants gradually retrofitted part of Lemuria's remains into a new kingdom for themselves,^[1] redeveloping Lemuria into an underwater city, while most of the Deviant kingdom retrated beneath Earth, in Subterranea.^[2] Many cities were left vacant.^[1]

The Deviants tried many times to create worer classes (such as the Gortokians) to assist them, only to fail as they rebelled, creating setback and new ennemies to them.

The interference of the Eternals also held back the Deviant progress.^[2]

Hyborian Age: Lemurians, Hyrkanians and Turanians

18,000 - 15,000 BC

During the Cataclysm, a man called Tarim rose and led his tribe to flee aboard ships westward,^[10] on the eastern coast of the Thurian continent^[32] (later known as the eastern shore of the Vilayet),^[10] but were enslaved for thousands of years by the ancient race that dwelt there.

Lemurians also remained on isles east of Khitai.^[33][34]

The enslaved Lemurians eventually rose and destroyed their masters and became savages stalking the ruins of their masters' strange civilization (the survivors of that civilization went to the west to overthrow the pre-humans of the south and found Stygia).^[32]

14,000 - 10,000 BC

The formerly enslaved Lemurians evolved a strange semi-civilization built on the wreckage of their masters', and eventually rose as the Hyrkanians.^[35]

One tribe later crossed the Vilayet again to found Turan^[10] on the southwestern shore, wile other Hyrkanian clans pushed westward around the sea's northern extremity^[35] (Hyrkanians and Turanians would become the ancestors of the Huns, Mongols, Tartars and Turks).^[36][37]

The insular Lemurian sorcerer Thulandra Thuu came to Aquilonia during the Age of Conan, manipulating Numedides and pretending to protect his kingdom and to search the secret of immortality, intending to acquire both for himself.^[38] After Numedides' defeat, Thulandra Thuu fled,^[33] and later return under the guise of King Conan, but was finally slain.^[39]

Homo mermanus Lemurians

In time the ruins of the original Atlantis were found by a member of the Homo Mermanus race also named Kamuu. Kamuu and his wife Zartra founded the underwater city of Atlantis from the ruins of the old Atlantis.^{[40][verification needed]} Those Atlanteans took the Olympian god Neptune as their patron.^[1]

Eventually, a splinter group emerged among the water-breathing Atlanteans, worshiping the elder god Set.^[1] This splinter group arrived in the Pacific Ocean and presumably founded their city of Lemuria,^[16] settling in unclaimed Lemurian ruins.^[1]

15th century: Naga's rule

In the 15th century, Naga began his rule over the Homo mermanus kingdom of Lemuria and claimed the Serpent Crown, causing the beginning of the Lemurians' transformation, granting some of them scales and/or green skin.^[1]

Modern Age

Homo mermanus

Naga's rule's end

For 500 years, the Lemurians were ruled over by the mad king Naga, who wore the Serpent Crown. The crown had kept Naga young but when the crown was stolen from him he began to age. Naga enlisted Karthon the Quester to steal the crown. Once Naga was reunited with the crown it did not restore his youth but he was too mad to believe otherwise. Namor challenged Naga to battle and Naga played a trick and made Namor believe that he had killed Namor's beloved Dorma. In fact Naga had killed Karthon's sister, an act Karthon killed Naga for when Naga's back was turned.^{[citation needed]}

Karthon the Quester's rule

Karthon then succeeded him. Undr Karthon's wise and just rule, the Lemurians had a peaceful civilization and were allies of the Atlanteans,^[1] but this did not last.^{[citation needed]}

Merro's rule

Naga's son Merro ascended to the throne.^{[citation needed]}

Llyra's rule

Merro was later murdered by his wife Llyra, who became Empress.^{[citation needed]} Llyra was half-human as her mother was human and her father Llyron was Lemurian.^{[citation needed]}

Deviants

Brother Tode's rule

...^[2]

Brother Kro's rule

...^[2]

Brother Brutus' rule

...^[2]

Brother Visara's rule

...^[2]

Points of Interest

At the time of the Dragon Kings' rule, of the coming of the first men, and of the Thousand Years War:^[18]

• Hyperborea and the monolithic cities of black stone of the Dragon Kings^[18]
• Men's cities:
  • Nemedis, the First City,^[18]
    • Grimstrand Firth
  • Althaar, Yb and Yaodar^[18]

In the times of Thongor, about almost half a million years ago:^[17]

• Far Western Plains^[17]
  • Great, Dead City of Nemedis^[17]
• Kovia:^[23]
  • Cadorna^[23]
• Ptartha^[23]
  • Kathool of the Purple Towers^[23]
  • Patanga, the City of Fire^[17]
  • Dreaming City of Zangabal^[23]
  • Perlorm^[23]
  • Tarakus^[23]
  • Tsargol^[23]
• Northern Lands^[24]
  • Valkarth^[11][23]
• Cities of the South^[11]
  • Shembis^[11]
• Thurdis the Dragon City^[17]
• Zaar, the Black City^[11][23]
• Mountains of Mommur^[11][23]
• Chush^[17][23]

Pre-Cataclysmic Age:

• ...

Hyborian Age:

• ...

Modern Age:

• Kingdom of Lemuria^[1] (Homo mermanus)
  • Lemuria^[1]
    • The Coliseum^[1]
    • Naga's Palace^[1]
• Kingdom of Lemuria (Deviant)^[2]
  • City of Toads^[2]
    • Arena of Combat^[2]
    • The Colosseum^[2]
    • The Flame Pits^[2]
    • Odds Inn^[2]
    • People's Assembly^[2]
    • Temple of the Priesthood^[2]
  • Formerly Providence Island^[2]
    
    

Residents

Age of Dragons:

• Dragon Kings
• First men
  • Phondath the Firstborn
  • Evalla
  • Lord Thungarth

Age of Men at the time of Thongor, about almost half a million years ago

• Thongor
• Karm Karvus
• Sumia Chond
• Dragon Kings
  • Sssaaa

Pre-Cataclysmic Age:

• Zartra
• Phraug
• Asfodel IV
• Rotath

Hyborian Age:

• Thulandra Thuu

Modern Age:

• Llyra
• Merro,
• Naga,
• Karthon
• Llyna
• Llyron
  

Notes

• Lemuria was a hypothetical "lost land". It was used in Cthulhu Mythos tales by authors such as Lin Carter, Clark Ashton Smith or Robert E. Howard.
• Lemuria has been both described as its own continent^{[14][1][4][1][41]} (a group of islands),^[4][1] or as part of the continent Mu.^[2][1]

See Also

• Appearances of Lemuria (Pacific Ocean)
• Minor Appearances of Lemuria (Pacific Ocean)
• Media Lemuria (Pacific Ocean) was Mentioned in
• Location Gallery: Lemuria (Pacific Ocean)
• Images related to Lemuria (Pacific Ocean)

Links and References

Footnotes