Caprona (island)

Caprona (also known as Caspak) is a fictional island in the literary universe of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Caspak Trilogy, including The Land That Time Forgot, The People That Time Forgot, and Out of Time's Abyss.[1]

Caprona
The Land That Time Forgot location
Original map of Caprona, drawn by Burroughs (1917)
Created byEdgar Rice Burroughs
GenreLost World
Information
TypeFictional island
Notable charactersBowen J. Tyler, Lys La Rue

The island

In the first novel, Caprona is described as a land mass near Antarctica and was first reported by the (fictitious) Italian explorer Caproni in 1721, the location of which was subsequently lost. The island is ringed by high cliffs, making it inaccessible to all but the most intrepid explorers (the people who first explore the island accessed it by taking a submarine through a tunnel).[2] It has a tropical river teeming with primitive creatures extinct elsewhere and a thermal inland sea, essentially a huge crater lake, whose heat sustains Caprona’s tropical climate.

Burroughs postulates a unique biological system for his lost world in which the slow progress of evolution in the world outside is recapitulated as a matter of individual metamorphosis. This system is only hinted at in The Land That Time Forgot; presented as a mystery whose explication is gradually worked out over the course of the next two novels, it forms a thematic element serving to unite three otherwise rather loosely linked stories. Dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and primitive humans coexist on the island.[3]

The island is also called "Caspak" by its native humanoid inhabitants – thus the name of the trilogy.[4]

Caprona wildlife

Various prehistoric creatures reside on Caprona. Among the prehistoric creatures are:

Caprona's tribes

Caprona is home to various tribes. The following tribes are found on Caprona:

  • Band-Lu – A tribe of Cro-Magnons whose name means "Spear Men".
  • Bo-Lu – A tribe of Neanderthals whose name means "Club Men".
  • Galu – A tribe of educated humans whose name means "Rope Men".
  • Sto-Lu – A tribe of missing links whose name means "Hatchet Men".
  • Weiroo – A tribe of winged humans.

In other media

Films

Caprona is featured in several films:

Literature
  • Caprona is referenced in Alan Moore's almanac called World of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

See also

References
  1. "THE CASPAK NOVELS". Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  2. Gary Westfahl (2005). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes ..., Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 476.
  3. Den Valdron. "THE MYSTERY OF CAPRONA". ERBzine. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  4. David Bruce Bozarth. "CASPAK GLOSSARY". Retrieved 25 July 2014.
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