Tarzan the Terrible · Chapter
Glossary explained
An incomplete glossary of Pal-ul-don language and customs, compiled from Lord Greystoke's notes, detailing the naming conventions, word meanings, and descriptions of creatures like the gryf.
What happens
An incomplete glossary of Pal-ul-don language and customs, compiled from Lord Greystoke's notes, detailing the naming conventions, word meanings, and descriptions of creatures like the gryf.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the dramatic climax occurs because Tarzan’s relentless search brings him within literal sight…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Civilization vs. Primitivism
The glossary reveals the structured language and customs of Pal-ul-don's inhabitants, contrasting their primitive society with the civilized world.
- Identity and Belonging
Naming conventions based on gender and species highlight how identity is defined within the culture.
Characters to notice
- Tarzan
Referenced as Lord Greystoke, source of the glossary notes.
- Om-at
Mentioned in glossary entries for 'Es-sat' and 'Om-at'.
- Pan-at-lee
Mentioned in glossary entries for 'Pan-at-lee' and 'An-un'.
- Ja-don
Mentioned in glossary entries for 'Ja-don' and 'Ja-lur'.
- Ko-tan
Mentioned in glossary entries for 'Ko-tan' and 'O-lo-a'.
- Lu-don
Mentioned in glossary entry for 'Lu-don'.
Key passages
“From conversations with Lord Greystoke and from his notes, there have been gleaned a number of interesting items relative to the language and customs of the inhabitants of Pal-ul-don that are not brought out in the story.”
The glossary is derived from Tarzan's conversations and notes, offering extra details about Pal-ul-don's language and customs not included in the main narrative.
Introduces the source and purpose of the glossary.
“A point of particular interest hinges upon the fact that the names of all male hairless pithecanthropi begin with a consonant, have an even number of syllables, and end with a consonant, while the names of the females of the same species begin with a vowel, have an odd number of syllables, and end with a vowel.”
Notably, male Ho-don names start with a consonant, have an even number of syllables, and end with a consonant, whereas female Ho-don names start with a vowel, have an odd number of syllables, and end with a vowel.
Describes the naming rule for the hairless white pithecanthropi.
“On the contrary, the names of the male hairy black pithecanthropi while having an even number of syllables begin with a vowel and end with a consonant; while the females of this species have an odd number of syllables in their names which begin always with a consonant and end with a vowel.”
In contrast, male Waz-don names have an even number of syllables, start with a vowel, and end with a consonant, while female Waz-don names have an odd number of syllables, start with a consonant, and end with a vowel.
Describes the naming rule for the hairy black pithecanthropi.
