Yog (Earth-616)

Yog, Demon Lord of the Empty Abodes
Name	Yog
Current Alias	Yog, Lord of the Empty Abodes
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Unusual Features	Somewhat apish posture, talons, pointed ears, fangs (statue representation)
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Demon god
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Occupation	Demon Lord of the Empty Abodes, demon god
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Robert E. Howard, Roy Thomas, Dave Cockrum
First	Savage Sword of Conan #14 (July, 1976) (Mentioned)Savage Sword of Conan #188 (June, 1991) (Behind the scenes, and as a statue)
First	Savage Sword of Conan #14 (July, 1976) (Mentioned)Savage Sword of Conan #188 (June, 1991) (Behind the scenes, and as a statue)

Yog, the ancient Demon Lord of the Empty Abodes, was considered most sacred to the Zuagirs of the Eastern Desert, during the Hyborian Age.

"Yog" is also one of the many names of Yog Sothoth, though the relation between the two, if any, is unknown (see notes).

History

Origin

Yog was the ancient Demon Lord of the Empty Abodes.

Early years

Yog was served by his minions, horned, pointed-eared humanoid demons.

"Since the beginning of happenings", the "desert demons" worshiped Yog with "fire that devours human victims".

A group of stars were know as the Constellation of Yog (at least during the Age of Conan). The right alignment of constellations vould allow one to bridge the gap between the realms of gods and men.

Hyborian Age

During the Hyborian Age, the pagan god Yog was considered most sacred to the Zuagirs of the Eastern Desert. The worshipers of Yog, or Yoggites, were thieving nomads, and enemies of the Shanki. The southerners worshiping the demon god Zog opposed the "soft" worshipers of Mitra. There was also a temple of Yog in the Turan-ruled desert city of Zamboula.

A lost crypt of Yog was located on Aquilonia's borderline.

Age of Conan

During the Age of Conan, Akter Khan, the Satrap of Zamboula, made offerings to the temples of Yog and Erlik to help him.

The southerners worshiping Yog sent raiding parties to pillage towns, and were active in the region of the temple of Yog.

Conan found the temple, and met with a priestess of Yog, posing as an Aquilonian captain wielding the Wand of Watoomb (whom she believed drew power from Yog). The scheme of the priestess to profit the constellation alignment and attempt to help Yog invade the realm of men culminated in a battle between her and Conan (both in giant-sized form in the Spectral Realm, the former thanks to Yog and/or the Wand, the latter helped by the Phantom, an angel of Mitra), witnessed by the minions of Yog and the angels of Mitra. Conan finally killed the priestess with blow from the Wand. The priestess was described as a "murderous goddess".

The place were the priestess' gigantic spectral body fell became known as Canaan, the Holy Land, and finally Palestine, a place of endless war, always coveted by a civilization or another, and ever shaken by crusades and holy wars.

Notes

• Yog was created by Robert E. Howard in "Shadows in Zamboula" (Weird Tales; November, 1935), adapted in Savage Sword of Conan #14 (September, 1976), written by Roy Thomas and penciled by Neal Adams.
• In "Valley Beyond the Stars" (Savage Sword of Conan #152; September, 1988), Yog Sothoth (created by H.P Lovecraft in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, written in 1927 and published in 1941) is called by numerous names, including Yog ("the mighty" and "the fearsome". It is unclear if Yog is indeed just another name of Yog-Sothoth or if the two beings sometimes overlap.

See Also

• 1 minor appearance(s) of Yog (Earth-616)
• 4 mention(s) of Yog (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Yog (Earth-616)
• 2 invocation(s) of Yog (Earth-616)
• 1 image(s) of Yog (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Yog at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe