Worms of the Earth

Introduction

WORMS OF THE EARTH. It was originally published in the magazine Weird Tales in November 1932 and accepted circa January/February earlier that year. The story features one of Howard’s recurring protagonists, Bran Mak Morn, a legendary king of the Picts. Howard earned $120 on this story.

In a 1932 letter to August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith, discussing the current issue of Weird Tales, stated that “Howard’s “Worms of the Earth” seems to be the one real first-rater.” In an obituary for Howard, H. P. Lovecraft said ” Few readers will ever forget the hideous and compelling power of that macabre masterpiece, “Worms of the Earth”. Robert Weinberg called WORMS OF THE EARTH “an effective blend of horror and adventure”, and said it was one of Howard’s “best works”. It was also voted best story in its original appearance in Weird Tales.

Twice in Worms of the Earth Howard mentions the “black gods” of R’lyeh, a fictional city created by his friend and correspondent H. P. Lovecraft. Also mentioned is a water monster “Dagon”, which is a historical Philistine god mentioned in a fictional context in several stories by Lovecraft. Howard had previously dealt with beings similar to the titular Worms of the Earth in an earlier short story, “The Children of the Night”, set in Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos.

From the letters:

In a letter (#193) to H.P. Lovecraft, March 2, 1932, we learn:

As to my feelings toward the mythical Picts, no doubt you are right in comparing it to the Eastern boy’s Indian-complex, and your own feelings toward Arabic things. My interest in the Picts was always mixed with a bit of fantasy — that is, I never felt the realistic placement with them that I did with the Irish and Highland Scotch. Not that it was the less vivid; but when I came to write of them, it was still through alien eyes — thus in my first Bran Mak Morn story3 — which was rightfully rejected — I told the story through the person of a Gothic mercenary in the Roman army; in a long narrative rhyme which I never completed, and in which I first put Bran on paper, I told it through a Roman centurion on the Wall; in “The Lost Race” the central figure was a Briton; and in “Kings of the Night” it was a Gaelic prince. Only in my last Bran story, “The Worms of the Earth” which Mr. Wright accepted, did I look through Pictish eyes, and speak with a Pictish tongue!

In that story, by the way, I took up anew, Bran’s eternal struggle with Rome. I can hardly think of him in any other connection. Sometimes I think Bran is merely the symbol of my own antagonism toward the empire, an antagonism not nearly so easy to understand as my favoritism for the Picts.

A letter (#222) to Tevis Clyde Smith, circa November 1932, says:

The readers took well to my “Worms of the Earth”1 story, much to my surprize. I didn’t know how they’d like the copulation touch. My heroes grow more bastardly as the years pass.

Annoyed with himself for making some errors in the story, he tells HPL in a letter (#225b) circa December 1932:

Concerning “Worms of the Earth” — I must have been unusually careless when I wrote that, considering the errors — such as “her” for “his”, “him” for “himself”, “loathsome” for “loathing”, etc.. I’m at a loss to say why I spelled Eboracum as Ebbracum. I must investigate the matter. I know I saw it spelled that way, somewhere; it’s not likely I would make such a mistake entirely of my own volition, though I do frequently make errors. Somehow, in my mind, I have a vague idea that it’s connected some way with the Gaelic “Ebroch” — York.

A letter (#259) To H.P. Lovecraft, ca. September or October 1933:

I haven’t heard from the Britishers, and am on the point of writing them a letter. I’m pretty sure they’ll turn my stuff down. I understand that “Worms of the Earth” is to appear in the Not at Night series.

The Not at Night was a series of books published in England, edited by Christine Campbell Thomson. “Worms of the Earth” appeared in Keep on the Light (London: Selwyn & Blount, 1933). “The Black Stone” appeared in Grim Death (1932). The Britishers that Howard refers to is Publisher Denis Archer (see letter #248).

Celebration on Howard Days 2022

On Howard Days 2022 it was celebrated that Worms of the Earth was 90 years old.

Plot

Bran Mak Morn, King of the Picts, vows vengeance on Titus Sulla, a Roman governor, after witnessing the crucifixion of a fellow Pict. He seeks forbidden aid from the Worms of the Earth, a race of creatures who Bran Mak Morn’s ancestors banished from their kingdom centuries ago. They were once men, but millennia of living underground caused them to become monstrous and semi-reptilian.

Searching for contact with these creatures, Bran Mak Morn encounters a witch who lives in a secluded hut, shunned by her neighbors, who was born from a sexual encounter between one of the “Worms” and a human woman. The witch’s price for helping him is “one night of love” which her human half craves – as men, in general, are repelled by her reptilian traits. Bran Mak Morn, though also himself repelled, agrees to pay the price. In exchange, she tells him of a barrow where “The Black Stone”, a religious artifact of great importance to the “Worms”, is hidden.

Stealing the Black Stone is a highly risky enterprise – if caught by the “Worms”, Bran Mak Morn would die in torment “as no man had died for a thousand years”. Fortunately, the barrow is unguarded and he manages to carry out his theft by hiding the Stone at the bottom of a lake. To get it back, the “Worms” agree on delivering Sulla to him. This they proceed with, undermining and destroying a Roman fortress known as “Trajan’s Tower” before snatching the Roman governor into their tunnels. Mak Morn intended, once Sulla was delivered, on challenging him to a duel to the death. However, Sulla’s mind is damaged from his encounter with the horrific Worms of the Earth. Instead, Bran Mak Morn slays him in mercy rather than vengeance, realizing how some weapons are too foul to use, even against Rome.

Characters

  • Titus Sulla: The Roman governor of Eboracum, representing the oppressive force of Rome. He is captured and driven to madness by the supernatural entities summoned by Bran Mak Morn.
  • Bran Mak Morn: The king of the Picts, seeking vengeance against the Romans for their injustices. He uses ancient and dark forces to achieve his ends, invoking the titular “Worms of the Earth.”
  • Atla: A witch associated with dark and ancient forces, she assists Bran in contacting the Worms of the Earth and plays a pivotal role in the story’s supernatural events.
  • Partha Mac Othna: A Pictish emissary and representative of Bran Mak Morn, involved in the early parts of the story, showcasing the tensions between the Picts and the Romans.
  • Valerius: A Roman officer who suffers a gruesome fate for his part in the execution of a Pict, illustrating the brutal realities of Roman punishment.
  • Grom: Described as a “stunted giant,” Grom is a loyal servant to Bran, embodying the physical strength and loyalty of Bran’s followers.
  • Roman Soldiers and Guards: These characters represent the face of Roman authority and military power throughout the narrative.
  • The Worms of the Earth: Ancient, degenerate beings from a time before the Picts, summoned by Bran to aid in his vengeance against Sulla. They embody the story’s themes of dark magic and retribution.

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