El Borak

This article is about the fictional character. For the mythological steed, seeBuraq.

El Borak,otherwise known asFrancis Xavier Gordon,is a fictional character created byRobert E. Howard.Gordon was aTexangunfighter fromEl Pasowho had travelled the world and settled inAfghanistan.He is known in Asia for his exploits in that continent.

Francis Xavier Gordon
El Borakcharacter
First appearance	"The Daughter of Erlik Khan"(1934)
Created by	Robert E. Howard
In-universe information
Alias	El Borak
Gender	Male
Nationality	American

The character was originally created when Howard was only ten years old,but he did not see print until "The Daughter of Erlik Khan"in the December 1934 issue ofTop-Notch.He is likely to have been inspired by real people such asRichard Francis Burton,John Nicholson,"Chinese" GordonandLawrence of Arabiaas well as the fiction ofTalbot Mundy.One of the earliest surviving stories where he made an appearance was a story written by Howard when he was sixteen years old.These stories, however, were not complete and the character itself faded from the author's consciousness for several years.He was revived in 1933 together with another oriental adventurer,Kirby O'Donnellin stories published byTop-Notch,Complete StoriesandThrilling Adventures.

Although Howard is best known for his fantasy fiction, the El Borak stories are straight adventure fiction and only "Three-Bladed Doom"contains a fantasy element.

The background of the El Borak stories is similar to that of theConan the Barbarianstory "The People of the Black Circle"in which Conan is a chieftain of a hill tribe in what corresponds to Afghanistan.

Character introduction

El Borak is the central character of the series, frequently attempting to minimise tribal wars and conflict in the region through guile or direct violence.

Explanation of the character's name

El Borak isArabicfor "The Swift". It is the name given to him in Afghanistan due to his speed and quickness (similar toBuraq,the swift flying steed who carried the ProphetMuhamad). This name is said to be whispered with awe, reverence and fear in Afghanistan particularly by those "who would by force or guile take what was not rightfully theirs."This is most often represented as his speed in drawing his pistol or attacks with another weapon but can also represent his mental agility as well. Both are the defining traits of the character.

Appearance

El Borak is described as shorter than other characters and he has a slender figure. Nevertheless, he is described as "compact" and quite strong. His defining physical ability, however, is the quickness that inspired his pseudonym. El Borak describes his ancestry as Highland Scot andBlack Irish,he has black hair but has black eyes instead of the blue typical of the Black Irish.

Stories

Only five El Borak stories were published during Howard's life. The remainder have been printed in the years since his suicide by various publishers.

Published during Howard's life

• "The Daughter of Erlik Khan"— First published inTop-Notch,December 1934. This was the first published appearance of El Borak.
• "Hawk of the Hills"— First appeared inTop-Notch,June 1935
• "Blood of the Gods"— First published inTop-Notch,July 1935
• "The Country of the Knife"— First published inComplete Stories,August 1936. Alternate title:Sons of the Hawk
• "Son of the White Wolf"— First published inThrilling Adventures,December 1936

Posthumous publications

• "The Lost Valley of Iskander"— First published inThe Lost Valley of Iskander1974. Alternate title:Swords of the Hills
• "Three-Bladed Doom"— First published inREH: Lone Star Fictioneer #4, Nemedian Chronicles,Spring 1976, note there are two versions of different lengths.
• "Intrigue in Kurdistan" — First published in thechapbookPulse Pounding Adventure Stories #1(December 1986) published by Cryptic Publications
• "The Coming of El Borak"— First published inThe Coming of El Borak,September 1987
• "El Borak" - This was the title of two different short stories, neither of which was published within Howard's lifetime. The first story was printed in the chapbookThe Coming of El Borak(September 1987).The second story was printed shortly afterwards in the chapbookNorth of Khyber(December 1987).This story also features another of Howard's characters,The Sonora Kid.Both were published by Cryptic Publications.
• "The Iron Terror" — First published in the chapbookThe Coming of El Borak(September 1987).
• "Khoda Khan's Tale" — First published in the chapbookThe Coming of El Borak(September 1987).
• "The Land of Mystery" — First published in the chapbookNorth of Khyber(December 1987).The story also features another of Howard's characters, The Sonora Kid.
• "North of Khyber"— First published inNorth of the Khyber,December 1987
• "A Power Among the Islands" — First published in the chapbookNorth of Khyber(December 1987).The story also features another of Howard's characters, The Sonora Kid.
• "The Shunned Castle" — First published in the chapbookNorth of Khyber(December 1987).The story also features another of Howard's characters, The Sonora Kid.

Unfinished stories

There are two fragments of El Borak stories that Howard did not finish before his death. Both were untitled. The first begins with the line "Gordon, the American whom the Arabs call El Borak..." while the other begins "When Yar Ali Khan crept into the camp of Zumal Khan..."

External links

• Howard Works: Publication history of the El Borak stories