4 Facts About Tarzan You Didn't Know

By Anna Fahlberg on April 11, 2016

Tarzan is one of the most well-known fictional characters of all time. However, little is known about the actual fictional character from the book. The new Legend of Tarzan premieres in July 2016, which makes it a perfect time to review the original Tarzan novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

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4. Tarzan Was Not Actually Raised By Gorillas

Contrary to popular belief and movie versions of the story, Tarzan was not actually raised by gorillas. This has become a major misconception, which has played out in most of the movie versions of the story.

In reality, Tarzan was raised by a fictional species of ape. These great apes stand upright, speak their own language, and hunt for animals. They are referred to as the mangani, and they are “huge,” “fierce” and “terrible.” Burroughs adds that they’re “a species closely allied to the gorilla, yet more intelligent.”

Due to their size and strength, the mangani are “the most fearsome of these awe-inspiring progenitors of man.”

3. Tarzan Is A British Aristocrat

Although Tarzan is traditionally depicted as swinging through the jungle, he originally came from an aristocratic background. Tarzan’s wealthy background is established in the first novel Burroughs wrote.

In the book, Tarzan’s parents, John and Alice Clayton, are also Lord and Lady Greystoke. After they die, Tarzan claims his inheritance.

Tarzan reveals that his title is viscount, which hints at his aristocratic standing.

“‘I am called Tarzan,’ said the ape-man.

‘And thy rank?’ inquired Sir Bertram.

‘A viscount,’ he said.”

2. Tarzan Doesn’t Live In A Treehouse

The common depiction of Tarzan includes him living in a treehouse with his ape family; this is where he meets Jane. Almost all of the movies have shown him living in an advanced tree house, deep within the jungle. However, the books placed Tarzan in an English-style cottage. Burroughs first describes the housing in his book The Eternal Lover:

“It is indeed a hunter’s paradise, and scarce a day passed that did not find a party absent from the low, rambling bungalow of the Greystokes in search of game and adventure . . . ”

The house is described again as a “flower-covered bungalow behind which lay the barns and outhouses of a well-ordered African farm.”

Tarzan is surprisingly tame; he lives a simple life in his bungalow.

1. Jane And Tarzan Are Immortal

In Tarzan’s Quest, the ape tribe fights with the Kavaru, an immortal tribe that kidnaps women. Jane is kidnapped, and it is revealed that Kavuru are immortal; they developed a pill which grants them eternal life. Tarzan eventually rescues her, and they take some of the pills.

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