Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, swung to life in the novel Tarzan of the Apes which was published in a magazine in 1912. The story was a resounding success and went on to be published as a book in 1914. Burroughs continued to pen Tarzan's wild man adventures in 25 subsequent sequels, but just how well do you know this iconic ape-man?
Tarzan, alternatively known as John Clayton and Viscount Greystroke, was only an infant when his family was marooned on the coast of Africa. As a British lord and lady, his parents didn't know much about surviving in the jungle. His mother passed and his father was killed soon after, leaving Tarzan a feral child and orphan. Thankfully, he was adopted by a Mangani ape named Kala who raised him as her own.
During his young adult years, Tarzan had his first real interaction with humans since his parents’ death. A young lady named Jane Porter and her family were marooned on the same coast in Africa where Tarzan now lived. Tarzan fell in love with Jane and decided to follow her back to the US when she left. After being married the pair lived in London for a short time. Unsurprisingly, living in the real world was a big adjustment for Tarzan and he needed to return to the wild. Tarzan, Jane, and their son Jack eventually returned to Africa and made a home on an extensive estate in the jungle.
As a character Burroughs created Tarzan to be an elegant wild man figure who was largely unalloyed with character flaws or faults. Not only was he extremely athletic, tall and handsome but he was also courageous, intelligent, loyal, and deeply devoted to his wife. The only real wild man qualities in him were his penchant for wearing a loin cloth, sleeping on a branch, and eating raw meat which he killed himself.
Throughout the years Tarzan has continued to be one of the best known literary characters in the world; spawning innumerable TV shows, films, radio shows, comic books, and strips. Jerry Siegel even named Tarzan as an early inspiration for Superman.
The latest film adaptation of the wild man, The Legend of Tarzan, is currently playing in theaters featuring Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan.
