Thak

Thak was of a race considered halfway between man and ape, that lived in the mountains on the eastern fringes of Zamora. Thak was captured and kept by Nabonidus as a servant and a pet. He was highly devious and possessed near-human intelligence. Eventually, Thak grew jealous of, and rebellious towards his master, and took control of the system of traps that Nabonidus had installed in his house; using them to eliminate a party of nationalistic enemies of Nabonidus who had come to assassinate him.

Thak was killed by Conan in a great brawl, whereupon shortly after Nabonidus also meets his bloody end. Conan commented after their battle that he had come to consider Thak as a man, rather than an animal. Of the many humanoid enemies Conan had faced throughout his adventures, the mighty Thak was among the strongest.

Behind the scenes
Although pure speculation, Thak and his kind were possibly based on the extinct hominids known as Australopithecines, creatures considered to be somewhere between man and ape on the evolutionary scale.

Appearances

 * Rogues in the House