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Loneanimator β Guardian Of The Fire
#demon #monster #pulp #toad #summerian #rehoward
Published: 2015-05-29 18:07:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 2709; Favourites: 90; Downloads: 30
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From Robert E Howard's "The Fire of Asshurbanipal".Related content
Comments: 26
I love how you caught the moment when the thing is returning to its hidden chamber after having plucked the ex-slaver's head off, right as Clarney (was that his name?) decides to peek and passes out.
Great story though I wonder how the monster passed his time in the centuries between getting visits by greedy fools.
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Now that is just creepy. Great staging though. The monster just looks just fantastic.
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Thanks! I get the impression that R E Howard had a thing for toad monsters. I know of at least three tales with similar beasties. They could, of course, be about the same toad demon.
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I feel a bit rude responding to a comment in reply to another person's comment, but I just wanted to add that it seemed very popular at the time to make horrific monsters vaguely toadlike in appearance! Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, especially Howard, a few other Weird Tales writers, and even M.R. James have utilized monsters described that way. It's strange how almost common toadlike monsters are! Even Conan has battled two or three!
As for your picture, excellent work as usual! Your style is very fitting of that strange mix of raw animalistic strength and dreamlike surreality often found in Howard's best weird tales!
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You're very welcome to join the discussion
The warty toad, with it's watery eyes and big, wide mouth does become a great monster when you make it huge. So I'm not at all surprised that it was used again and again, mixed with bits of human characteristics and traits from other animals by the kings of pulp fiction. But as I remember it, howard wrote a few tales with very similar toad demon monstrosities. I'm thinking of "The Black Stone", "The Slithering Shadow" and this one.
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Yup. Giant toads make for surprisingly good alien creatures. I think the wide mouth and blank expression would make most people uncomfortable. Heheheh.
"The Black Stone" is my favorite! It's like Howard's take on Lovecraft, right down to the heavy use of historical and folkloric information! I recall a toad monster also appearing in his story "A Witch Shall Be Born." Though I think in that story the monster was just phoned in, for the sake of adding a monster to an otherwise monster-less war/adventure story.
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"The Black Stone" is certainly very Lovecraftian, but is meaner and more gruesome that anything Lovecraft would attempt. "Thaug", the demon called forth by Salome inΒ "A Witch Shall Be Born", hops like a frog, otherwise it's pretty vague in its description. But, as you say, it is another toad-like entity.
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Ah yes. I forgot about that very... carnal and wild climax of "The Black Stone." Lovecraft I don't think ever went that far. Very intense scene. That was one instance where I think what the humans were doing was more frightening than the monster itself! Heheh. Great suspense and buildup that scene was.
Ah. Was that the only toadlike quality of Thaug described in the story? Must have remembered certain details a tiny bit differently. In that case, it's fun imagining Thaug as a totally un-toadlike creature hopping about like a toad anyway! Much more creepy and eerie.
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Β 
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I recently found a very good two-part reading of it on the Cthulhu podcast.
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Oh, cool!Β Do you have the link?
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Here's part one:
cthulhupodcast.blogspot.se/201β¦
And here's part two:
cthulhupodcast.blogspot.se/201β¦
Each show starts off with a reading from an Edwardian travelogue in the Amazon jungle (I think), and then you're treated to a vintage jazz number. Then the REH reading starts. So, when you've downloaded the MP3's you'll have to jump ahead a bit if you want to get to this story directly. This is a Call of cthulhu RPG podcast, so the material presented is intended to inspire and enlighten potential players or game masters.
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That sounds like fun! 
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Haven't read it yet, but as always this makes me want to!
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It's your typical two-fisted Howard tale, which, towards the end takes a Lovecraftian turn.
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I actually haven't read Howard at all...I need to try his work.
Clark Ashton Smith is probably my favorite, though...
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Then you have a whole new universe of monsters, testestoron, swords and naked ladies to discover. Start with "The Tower of the Elephant". It's a story about a young Conan, and is imaginative, violent, cosmic and elegant.
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Monsters and swords are awesome! Testosterone and naked ladies? Hm...awesome! 
I've heard a lot about "Tower of the Elephant", mainly from drawings of Yag-Kosha the prisoner. Seems like a very creepy creature...
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Yag-Kosha is actually the noblest character in the whole story, nobler than Conan too:
'Who is here? Have you come to torture me again, Yara? Will you never be done? Oh, Yag-kosha, is there no end to agony?'
Tears rolled from the sightless eyes, and Conan's gaze strayed to the limbs stretched on the marble couch. And he knew the monster would not rise to attack him. He knew the marks of the rack, and the searing brand of the flame, and tough-souled as he was, he stood aghast at the ruined deformities which his reason told him had once been limbs as comely as his own. And suddenly all fear and repulsion went from him, to be replaced by a great pity. What this monster was, Conan could not know, but the evidences of its sufferings were so terrible and pathetic that a strange aching sadness came over the Cimmerian, he knew not why. He only felt that he was looking upon a cosmic tragedy, and he shrank with shame, as if the guilt of a whole race were laid upon him.
'I am not Yara,' he said. 'I am only a thief. I will not harm you.'
'Come near that I may touch you,' the creature faltered, and Conan came near unfearingly, his sword hanging forgotten in his hand. The sensitive trunk came out and groped over his face and shoulders, as a blind man gropes, and its touch was light as a girl's hand.
I really, truly recommend that you read this story. You can find it online. It a great summary of R E Howard's vision of a fantasy world, and I can guarantee you that it'll grip you and surprise you. It is also, as they say a "ripping yarn".
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I'll read it when I can.
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I just read the story. Your drawing is spot on for the Thing described.
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Well, the "real" thing is of course much, much worse that anything I could ever draw
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It doesn't in the story, at least. But why not have bat wings on your toad demon? Why not, indeed.
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