# Issus — The Gods of Mars character guide

> Issus in The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** IX Issus

**First appearance:** 0010-ix-issus-goddess-of-life-eternal

## Snapshot

The false goddess of the Holy Therns and First Born, worshipped as eternal life and death from her temple at the heart of a buried sea.

## Who they are

Issus rules the First Born as an unquestioned deity, her name invoked to justify terror, sacrifice, and the rigid caste that keeps the black Martians in awe. The horror of her true nature—a grotesque, mortal old woman—is the secret that shatters Xodar's faith and fuels Carter's defiance. She embodies the corrupt theocracy the heroes must expose, and her temple is the destination toward which the early and middle chapters relentlessly move.

## Relationships

### [Xodar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/xodar)

_psychological_

Issus manipulates and controls Xodar as a high-ranking minion in her cruel court.

### [Dejah Thoris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/dejah_thoris)

_rivalry_

Dejah Thoris is a defiant prisoner and enemy of the tyrannical goddess Issus.

### [John Carter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/john_carter)

_rivalry_

Issus sees John Carter as a dangerous enemy who threatens her divine rule.

### [Phaidor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/phaidor)

_psychological_

Issus manipulates and controls Phaidor, using her as a tool in her schemes.

### [Xodar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/xodar)

_psychological_

Issus manipulates and controls Xodar as a high-ranking minion in her cruel court.

### [Xodar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/xodar)

_psychological_

Issus manipulates and controls Xodar as a high-ranking minion in her cruel court.

### [Phaidor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/phaidor)

_psychological_

Issus manipulates and controls Phaidor, using her as a tool in her schemes.

### [Dejah Thoris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/dejah_thoris)

_rivalry_

Dejah Thoris is a defiant prisoner and enemy of the tyrannical goddess Issus.

### [John Carter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/john_carter)

_rivalry_

Issus sees John Carter as a dangerous enemy who threatens her divine rule.

### [John Carter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/john_carter)

_rivalry_

Issus sees John Carter as a dangerous enemy who threatens her divine rule.

### [Dejah Thoris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/dejah_thoris)

_rivalry_

Dejah Thoris is a defiant prisoner and enemy of the tyrannical goddess Issus.

## In the story

### [IX: Issus, Goddess of Life Eternal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/ix-issus-goddess-of-life-eternal)

The ancient, hideous goddess who degrades Xodar and commands Carter's fate.

### [The Prison Isle of Shador](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/x-the-prison-isle-of-shador)

Referenced as the tyrannical goddess whose authority John Carter openly defies.

### [When Hell Broke Loose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/xi-when-hell-broke-loose)

The goddess of the First Born, terrified as Carter and the youth close in; she flees through a trap door.

### [Doomed to Die](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/xii-doomed-to-die)

Threatens John Carter from behind bars after his fall into the pit.

### [A Break for Liberty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/xiii-a-break-for-liberty)

Revealed as a wicked old woman manipulating Barsoom through religious ignorance.

### [Victory and Defeat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/chapters/xxii-victory-and-defeat)

Captured by John Carter, she reveals the fate of Dejah Thoris and goes mad before being handed over to her vengeful people.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters/issus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_gods_of_mars_se/characters