Snow Apes

Early Hyborian Age

Driven out by the Hibori

The Snow-Apes were the only inhabitants of the icy countries of the far North after the Great Cataclysm, until the arrival of the Hyborians's ancestors, barely-human savages who fought and drove them beyond the Arctic Circle and the Icy Wastes to die, so thought the savages.^[3]

Beast-Men of Brutheim

A thousand years after the Lesser Cataclysm, 1500 years after the proto-Hybori drove out the Snow-Apes, a wanderer to the North returned with news that the Icy Wastes were inhabited by ape-like men descendants of the Snow-Apes,^[3] who had mutated.^[4] A small group of warriors followed the wanderer beyond the Arctic Circle with the intention of exterminate those creatures, but none returned.^[3] They were ambushed, outnumbered and defeated. They were not all killed, for the Beast-Men were shrewd. From their captives, they learned of weapons. They also found out that humans made good workers. In order to perpetuate their stock of slaves, they went on the edges of the ice-wastes to kidnap human females.

Later, they found an abandoned city built by some earlier long-race of men, and established the subterranean city of Brutheim, in the Land of Always-Light, under Aesgaard^[7] and Vanaheim.^[4]

Hyborian Age of Conan

In the Age of Conan, many populations of Snow-Apes existed: the Vendhyan snow ape,^[5] the Himelian snow ape,^[6] the snow-apes hunting the mountains around the Vilayet Sea.^[4] The gigantopithecan snow-apes of Pathenia.^[9] As the "Desert Man", the snow-ape also haunted the lost plateau country of Loulan.^[4]

Conan the Cimmerian encountered the Beast-Men while in Aesgaard. After slaying Gan-Torr, the Giant One, he was captured by Moira (the human favorite of King Gha-Kree), Zha-Gorr and another of Gan-Torr's comrade of the Brutorian Guard. Brought to the city as a slave, Conan defied his masters and was to be killed in the games. Awaking the slaves' Chief Thrall Kiord's desire for freedom, he caused the slaves' rebellion. Despite Kiord's death, all of the Beast-Men were either killed or fled the city.^[7]

In Shem, a Himelian Snow-Ape was used as one of the "games" played in the hidden, debauched court of Queen Arakthalia, where it was kept in a pit and chained to a stake. The length of chain was wrapped around the stake, and onlookers would gamble on whether or not the creature would realize it could unwind the chain and thus reach would-be victims – mostly young maidens – cast into the pit.^[6]

Apart from his dealing of the Beast-Men of Brutheim, Conan was often confronted to Snow-Apes in his adventuring life:

• He battled and killed a gigantic snow-ape in Yanaidar, Drujistan, within the Ilbars Mountains.^[4]
• He battled and killed "the largest" snow-ape he had ever seen in the Kezankian Mountains in order to acquire the breastplate of the Armor of Zuulda Thaal.^[1]

• The Snow-Apes and their descendants were created by Robert E. Howard in his essay "The Hyborian Age" (with the chapter relevant to the Snow-Apes adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #8. They were first adapted into the original story "Lair of the Beast-Men" (Conan the Barbarian #2) by Roy Thomas and Barry Smith.

Height

• The Snow-Ape seen in Drujistan was from a breed larger than the ones which hunted the mountains around the Vilayet Sea, or the Beast-Men of Brutheim.^[4]
• Among the Beast-Men, Gan-Torr was unusually big, and was known as the "Giant One".^[7]
• Conan stated that the Snow-Ape of the Kezankian Mountains was the largest he had ever seen.^[1]
• The snow-apes (or at least those dwelling in Pathenia) were described as "gigantopithecan",^[9] though it is unclear whether or not it applies to all snow apes, and whether it is a comment on their appearance and/or height, or if they belong to the Giganthopitecus genus themselves.^[9]