Lin Carter's Thongor is the subject of several reviews on my blog. Some consider the Lemurian barbarian a pale pastiche of Conan. Others think of Thongor as a love letter to the more successful Cimmerian savage. Either way, here's some Thongor-adjacent trivia-- which also prompts a question.
The Otherland series by fantasy and sci-fi author Tad Williams features a barbarian hero named Thargor. Thargor's creator (within the story, though Williams might also be referencing himself in a metatextual way) mentions that as a kid he once saw a paperback with a barbarian hero on the cover. He misremembers the name, but models Thargor after that half-remembered hero. I am pretty convinced that the unfortunately named Thongor was the hero of that vaguely-recalled paperback. Thongs spring to mind when you hear or read Thongor. Thargor sounds objectively cooler, even if he is a pastiche of a pastiche. Who knows? Thongor might have gone further and be better remembered today if he had just been named Thargor?
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