Homo mermanus
Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids in the Marvel Universe. The most notable member of the race is Namor the Sub-Mariner.
An offshoot of the Homo sapiens race with an as yet undisclosed origin, Homo mermanus are a mammallian species, but with some fish-like characteristics. Each one possess two twin gills located on their necks near the clavicle bone, which allows them to breathe underwater. Their skin pigmentation can be both blue (most Atlanteans) or green (most Lemurians and nomads)
Their physiology is also much stronger and more durable than that of the Homo sapiens, necesitated by their exposure to the vast pressure of the deep sea. As a consequence they are physically much stronger than regular humans and can swim up to 30 miles per hour. The typical lifespan for a Homo mermanus is a 150 years. However they cannot survive outside of water for longer than five minutes without aid.
The total population of Homo mermani has been estimated at 10,000 globally.
History
The Homo mermani are often referred to as Atlanteans, as it is in the city of Atlantis that their first complex society emerged.
Atlantis itself had been a small above ground continent with many human settlements, when an event 10,000 years ago called the "Great Cataclysm" caused it to be submerged into the sea. 2,000 years later, a group of Homo mermani made the ruins of the human settlements in Atlantis their home and went on to develop a society there using as much of the material as they could scavenge from the wreckage.
500 years after the settlement of Atlantis, another group of Homo mermani left Atlantis to found their own city -this time in a part of the ruins of another continent submerged during the Great Cataclysm - Lemuria in the Pacific Ocean.
These "Lemurians" would discover the Serpent Crown in the ruins of their city, and through their Leader Naga's exposure and extensive use of the ancient mystical device, they would become more serpent-like in appearance than their Atlantean cousins.
During the 20th century the Homo mermanus race began to come into sustained contact with their human cousins. These contacts have often been hostile, and have included many aborted invasions (Atlantis Attacks etc.) and even separate occasions when large numbers of Homo mermani were rendered comatose or sterilised for periods. During the Second World War the kingdom of Atlantis also fought against the Axis Powers in alliance with the Allied Powers.
However, not all interactions between Homo sapiens and Homo mermanus have been hostile - during the 1920s a Homo mermani female, Princess Fen of Atlantis mated with the human sea captain Leonard MacKenzie - a union which produced the first human/atlantean hybrid - Namor, the Sub-Mariner.
Known Atlanteans
Golden Age Characters
- Namor - Sub-Mariner, Prince of Atlantis
- Dorma - Royal Consort (deceased)
- Byrrah - Treacherous Cousin of Namor
- Thakorr - Namor's Grandfather (deceased)
- Fen - Namor's mother (deceased)
- Namora - Cousin of Namor (deceased)
Modern Age Characters
- Krang - Warlord - First appeared in Fantastic Four Annual #1 (1963)
- Attuma - Barbarian Usurper - First appeared in Fantastic Four #33 (Dec 1964)
- Vashti - Grand Vizier - First appeared in Tales to Astonish #71 (Sep 1965)
- Seth -Advisor to Namor (deceased) - First appeared in Tales to Astonish #98 (Dec 1967)
- Ikthon - Treacherous Scientist (deceased) - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #7 (Nov 1968)
- Thakos - Warlord - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #16 (Aug 1969)
- Kormok - High Priest - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #17 (Sep 1969)
- Orka - Mutated renegade - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #23 (Sep 1970)
- Namorita - Second Cousin of Namor - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #51 (Jul 1972)
- Lorvex - Barbarian - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #54 (Oct 1972)
- Coral - Citizen - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #56 (Dec 1972)
- Arkus - Military Officer - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #63 (Jul 1973)
- Volpan - Technician - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #63 (Jul 1973)
- Madoxx - Elder Statesman - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #64 (Aug 1973)
- Raman - Gatekeeper - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #66 (Oct 1973)
- Meranno - U-Man, Nazi sympathizer - First appeared in Invaders #3 (Nov 1975)
- Tyrak - Krang's Lieutenant - First appeared in Avengers #154 (Dec 1976)
- Dragonrider - Outlaw - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #1 (Sep 1984)
- Dara - Cousin of Namor - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #1 (Sep 1984)
- Proteus - Rebel shape-changer - First appeared in Sub-Mariner #2 (Oct 1984)
- Andromeda - Warrior - First appeared in Defenders #143 (Mar 1985)
References
- Gruenwald, Mark & Sanderson, Peter (1985). Atlanteans. In Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #1: Abomination - Batroc's Brigade pp. 38–39. New York: Marvel Comics.
- Gruenwald, Mark & Sanderson, Peter (1985). Atlantis. In Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition #1: Abomination- Batroc's Brigade pp. 40–41. New York: Marvel Comics.