| Lizard Men | |
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 Lizard Men artwork made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication | |
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Other Names |
Lizard Folk, Lizard Men, Lizard People, Reptilian, Reptiloid, Reptoid, Draconian, Saurian |
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First Appearance |
World Folklore |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Lizard Men from Planet Comics #5.
Lizard Men commonly appear in fantasy and science fiction. They can be based on various species of lizards. They are often depicted as powerful warriors, though their relative intelligence to humans varies – as with other anthropomorphic races, a greater resemblance to humans often denotes more "civilized" behavior. They often associated with jungles, swamps, and other tropical biomes, and as such are seen with cultural elements of similar regions, including Mesoamerican cultures.
There is also a popular conspiracy theory that claims shapeshifting reptilian aliens control Earth by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate human societies. Believers have stated on multiple occasions that many world leaders are, or are possessed by, so-called reptilians.
Lizard Tyrant of the Twilight World from the cover of Planet Comics #23.
Lizard Men are also the name given to describe a broad spectrum of bipedal hominid-like reptilian men, sometimes referred to as Homo-subterreptus or Saurians. Sightings of Lizard Men are reported all over the globe, including the Intulo of South Africa, the Cherufe Lizard Man of South America, the New Jersey Gator Man and the Loveland Frogmen of Ohio, Lizard man of Scape Ore Swamp, Canadian Lizard Man, Nagas of India, Kappas of Japan, and others. On Mountain Monsters, there is supposedly a Lizard Demon that roams the rivers running through Wood County, West Virginia.
Examples from literature include the Horibs, a race of reptilian lizards men native to the interior world of Pellucidar, and The Lizard-Men of Buh-Lo created by in 1930. There is also the unamed reptiallain race featured in H. P. Lovecraft's The Nameless City.
In Asian and South American mythology, there are reptilian deities such as Chaac, the Maya civilization rain god, depicted in iconography with a human body showing reptilian or amphibian scales, and with a non-human head evincing fangs and a long, pendulous nose. There are also the Dragon Kings from Chinese mythology sometimes depicted as reptilian humanoids. There were also the Xian, immortal beings in Taoism who were sometimes depicted as humanoids with reptile and human features in the Han Dynasty.
In Greek Myth, there was a race called the Ophiogenis (meaning "serpent born") who were born from the union between a drakon — one of the snakelike, usually limbless dragons of Greek myth — and a human woman. It was said that the males of this race could cure people of snake bites with a touch of their hand.
Another race of Reptilian humanoids were the Skiritai, who were a nomadic tribe of lizard folk that have a bow-legged stance. A bandit named Sauros may or may not have been one. He attacked Heracles when the demigod was on his way to capture the Erymathian Boar and was slain.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Nameless City (1921)
- Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929)
- Wonder Stories v2 #5
- The Lizard-Men of Buh-Lo (1930)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Planet Comics #3, 5, 23, 59
- Dagar Desert Hawk #14
- Silver Streak Comics #4
- Dynamic Comics #21
- Horrific #11
- Pep Comics #4