Bestiary
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A list of all the fell beasts that have appeared in the Conan series.
- Grey ape — Grey apes are huge gorilla-like beasts with grey fur. They inhabit the shores of the Vilayet Sea, and are well-known for both their incredible strength and their ferocity. Even Conan, who himself is the mightiest and most savage warrior of the Hyborian Age, has had a few close calls with these creatures. Not only this, but Grey apes are also capable of great cunning and intelligence. In "Rogues in the House", the being called Thak, himself a Grey ape, is able to manipulate complex booby traps, thus demonstrating his learning ability. Grey apes also appear in The Hour of the Dragon, and "Iron Shadows in the Moon".
- Black One — Black Ones are tall humanoids with ebon skin and tall, pointed craniums. Apart from this, they also sport sharp claws and fangs, and their musculature is rangy and sinewy. They are mostly naked except for the high shaman who wears an ornate headdress. The Black Ones live on a subtropical island southwest of the Zingaran coast, amongst the ruins of some ancient city. Within this city is a pool of strange dark water, which the Black Ones use for their horrific religion. Besides these details, nothing is known about the nature of the Black Ones. Whether they are some lost tribe of mutant humans, a race of devils, or even extraterrestrial, is unknown. They appear in "The Pool of the Black One".
- Giant serpent — The Stygians worship the giant serpents as gods, believing them to be avatars and children of Set. In the dark city of Khemi, giant serpents freely slither through the streets, devouring any random person they wish. Chosen victims are expected to prostrate themselves before the reptilians and accept their fate. But the giant serpents have also appeared in other places besides Stygia, and are notorious throughout the Hyborian world. The exact size may vary, but the largest of these ophidians can have a head larger than a horse's, and a body thicker in diameter than a large man. Giant serpents can use either their constricting coils or their potent venom to subdue prey. Besides these monstrous qualities, the giant serpents are also gifted with a strange and supernatural sense of vision. In "The Scarlet Citadel", Pelias the Wizard says of the giant serpents: "The scaled people see what escapes the mortal eye. You see my fleshly guise; he saw my naked soul." Although it is never explicitly stated, it is safe to assume that the giant serpents may have some connection to the Serpent-men of Kull's time. The giant serpents appear in The Hour of the Dragon, "The Scarlet Citadel", "Black Colossus", "The Devil in Iron", and "Beyond the Black River".
- Giant spider — Frighteningly large arachnids, giant spiders are not out of place in the Hyborian Age. In "The Tower of the Elephant", Conan is attacked by a huge venomous spider in the upper levels of the tower. The size of a pig, the spider uses thick ropes of sticky webbing to try and trap the Cimmerian, a ploy which almost works. With its eight legs, the spider is also devilishly quick and agile, and its fangs can deliver a deadly venom. Giant spiders are said to be common in Zamora, a land where the spider-god Zath has found a loyal following.
- Hyborian dragon — This great reptilian beast is a remnant of a lost age, an age where many of its kind made the Earth tremble with their thunderous roars and the early ancestors of man still dwelt in the trees. By the Hyborian Age they are all but extinct, but that doesn't change the fact that Conan and Valeria are attacked by one of these saurians in Red Nails. It is alluded that the inhabitants of Xuchotl used the bones of the prehistoric monsters to resurrect them with arcane necromancy.
- Ghoul — Ghouls are mutated humanoids who are said to be a result of cross-mating between men and devils. They haunt the forests on the borders of Argos and Zingara, preying on any unlucky traveller they come across. Conan happens to be one of those unlucky travellers in "The Hour of the Dragon", but with his wits and skill he is able to fight his way out of the horde and escape certain death. The ghouls are described as being short, almost simian-like in stature, with pale grey skin and monstrous faces.
- Winged Horror — Deep in the remote jungles of the Black Kingdoms, on the bank of some forgotten river, there are the remains of a lost city. Here dwell the Winged Horrors. It is believed that the Winged Horrors are degenerate descendants of a lost race of winged men, alien and powerful and wise. But as great and majestic as the old race was, so hard did they fall into the darkest depths of savagery and depravity. Over the ages the city became forgotten, but the Winged Horrors still haunt the jungles. They are the main antagonists of the "Queen of the Black Coast".
- Yothga the Devil-Flower — According to Pelias, Yothga is not native to Earth, but rather is from the distant planet Yag the Accursed. Yothga's seeds drifted across timeless black gulfs before landing on Earth, where its roots descended into the bowels of the planet, into the pits of Hell. Once rooted, Yothga used its vine-like tendrils to catch any living thing within reach and proceed to parasitically devour both body and soul of the victim. A victim could be fed upon for years, helpless in Yothga's grip while the alien plant drank their very mind. In "The Scarlet Citadel", Conan encountered the devil flower in the dungeons of Tsothi-lanti's palace, along with a large number of other blasphemous horrors.
