Ymir
(20 million miles to Earth)
Context
A powerful humanoid lizard-like creature from Venus that grows at an accelerated rate in Earth’s atmosphere. This creature is the star of a 1957 monster flick, best-known for Ray Harryhausen ’ special effects.
The working title of 20 million miles to Earth was The Giant Ymir. It has also been released as The Beast from Space.
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In the released version of the film, the creature is never referred to by name. Harryhausen was concerned that audiences might confuse “Ymir” with the Arabic title “Emir”.
Another of Harryhausen’s creations, The Kraken from the 1981 Clash of the Titans , looks a lot like the Ymir.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed, but “Ymir” is what it was called on set though never on film.
- Alter Ego: U.S. Air Force Project 5 Venus specimen.
- Marital Status: N/A.
- Known Relatives: There are plenty of these beasts on Venus.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: The planet Venus.
- Height: 1’0” to about 15’0”. Weight: about 5 lbs to 3,800 lbs (7 APs).
- Eyes: Black Hair: None
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Powers & Abilities
The creature started out only about a foot tall. But even in its infancy the creature was able to stand. It also displayed the same reasoning ability it would have later in the film.
Due to Earth’s atmosphere, the creature’s metabolic rate was upset. The more air it breathed the more tissue it built. This caused it to exponentially increase in size every few hours. After it had grown to the size of a small human it was able to rip its cage to pieces with its powerful hands.
The astronaut who had survived the trip stated these creatures were timid unless provoked. But the creature was provoked and chased throughout the movie.
The creature had a degree of super-human strength but its durability was even more remarkable. It did not have a heart or lungs. Instead, it had a series of tubes running throughout its entire body. This meant that bullets tearing through it were be much less effective than against humans.
The creature also had a built in filtration system which allowed its kind to live in the toxic environment of Venus. Its physiology was defensive in nature, built to take a lot of abuse and able to survive harsh atmospheric conditions.
History
Great scientific advances are often times sudden accomplished facts before many are even dimly aware of them. Breath-takingly unexpected was the searing flash that announced the atomic age.
Equally unexpected was the next gigantic strain when man moved out of his very orbit to a point more than 20,000,000 miles to Earth.
An enormous spaceship of unknown origin crashed near a fishing village in Sicily. Fishermen pulled two U.S. Air Force pilots out before it sank to the bottom of the ocean.
Pepe, a young fisherboy, discovered a specimen in a container labelled “U.S. Air Force Project 5”. He took the thing he found to a traveling Roman zoologist he knew would pay.
Twenty million miles to Earth
The thing was a small humanoid creature wrapped in a gelatinous cocoon. When it hatched, Dr. Leonardo and his granddaughter Marisa were perplexed. They had never seen anything like it. The next morning the creature had grown to nearly two feet in height. Dr. Leonardo headed for Rome with the creature in tow.
Meanwhile one of the astronauts from the crash, Col. Robert Calder, awakened. His fellow astronaut Dr. Sharmin, had contracted a disease while on Venus and quickly succumbed to it.
The two were attended by Marisa, who was also a medical student. That made her one of the few people who had nearly all the information in front of her. Which put her smack in the middle of the story.
A sea-plane arrived from America with Major General McIntosh and Dr. Uhl. They were unaware of any survivors of the crash. They went to meet Col. Calder and have a conference. A representative of the Italian government, Commissario Charra, arrived and was briefed on events.
McIntosh explained a biological specimen was missing, an unborn animal from Venus. The cylinder was described and Pepe admitted to selling it to Dr. Leonardo.
The creature broke free of its cage in route to Rome and escaped. It was now the size of a man. Calder and his group arrived a short time later. The situation was explained to them and they tracked the creature through the surrounding farmland. The creature found a barn to hide in where it found bags of sulphur to eat.
Sulphurous
The farmer’s dog attacked the timid creature. After a brief fight the dog was fatally maimed. The farmer investigated the fighting and was joined shortly by Calder and others. The group attempted to recapture the creature. They thought that studying the creature’s physiology would assist astronauts in surviving Venus’ atmosphere.
However, the creature was not easily captured. It mauled the farmer and was shot several times. It advanced, and the group fell back. They shut the barn door to hold the creature back.
The creature escaped again, breaking through a wall. It was deduced the creature would be moving towards Mt. Etna , where a natural supply of sulphur existed. The Italian government considered the creature a threat to human life after the maiming of the farmer.
Roma Invicta!
Calder persuaded Commissario Charras to allow him one more chance at capturing the creature before their forces arrived to destroy it. Calder used a helicopter with a large net. An electric current was run through the net, which completely paralyzed the creature.
A mere ten days after the spaceship crashed into the sea, the creature, now more than twice the size it was when captured, was kept paralyzed in a zoo lab under examination. Scientists recognized the creatures amazing olfactory senses. They were able to duplicate the filtering naturally done by its body.
Suddenly, a chain snapped. The machine controlling the electrical current to the creature was destroyed. The alien quickly broke free of its bonds.
Endgame
When the creature emerged from the building by breaking through a wall, it was met by a surprised and enraged elephant. Zoo patrons fled from the two giants. Calder contacted McIntosh and explained the situation. The military then authorized the use of tanks and artillery to destroy it. Meanwhile the creature fatally wounded the elephant and fled into the city.
The creature was harried by military personnel and vehicles with all manner of small arms from machine guns and flame throwers to bazookas. The creature arrived at the ruins of the Coliseum for a final showdown. The soldiers re-established contact with the creature.
Trying to escape it climbed higher till finally cornered in the upper reaches of the ruins. A barrage of bazooka and tank fire wounded the creature before a miss-directed shell hit the ruins causing the creature to fall to its death.
Description
A scaled reptile-looking humanoid with distinctive, almost fish-like, facial features with mustachios. It stood with its shoulders rolled back. It had a long tail that it used for balance and its powerful arms hung low like an ape.
Marisa stated the creature’s body generated intense heat.
Personality
The creature from Venus was unwilling to fight unless provoked. It was most likely to flee if the possibility presented itself. Once provoked it fought to kill its attacker.
Quotes
(High-pitched and eerie trumpeting) “Hoooraw, hraawwrr, hrroo ! Groolaw !”
Marisa (speaking about the Ymir): “I guess I frightened it as much as it frightened me.”
Col. Calder: “This creature. Tell me about it.”
Dr. Leonardo: “Well, first it was this high, then this high.” (motioning with his hands) “Now, it is tall, near as tall as a man !”
Dr. Uhl: “Is that the normal rate of growth ?”
Col. Calder: “No, not as far as I know. The only data we have is in Dr. Sharmin’s notes.”
Maj. Gen. A.D. McIntosh: “Some of you may also have heard the story of a monster now confined here in Rome Zoo. That beast is from Venus. It is an essential object of scientific study if man is to survive the atmosphere on Venus, poisonous to humans.”
Dr. Judson Uhl: “Why is it always, always so costly for Man to move from the present to the future?”
DC Universe History
Yes, Venus needs alien creatures…
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
The Ymir (At the end of the film)
A 398 points Character
| Dex: 03 | Str: 09 | Bod: 07 | Motivation: Survival |
| Int: 01 | Wil: 01 | Min: 01 | Occupation: Animal |
| Inf: 01 | Aur: 00 | Spi: 01 | Resources {or Wealth}: 000 |
| Init: 005 | HP: 000 |
Powers:
Analytic Smell/Tracking Scent: 08, Extra-Limb (Tail)*: 09, Growth: 04, Regeneration: 02, Systemic Antidote: 13
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Growth is always on and already factored into the above stats (-1).
- Extra-Limb may not be used for Grappling (-1).
- Systemic Antidote only against gases (-2).
Skills:
Acrobatics (Climbing)*: 03
Advantages
No vital areas (Physical only).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Power Loss (Common: Electricity): Dex and Str drop to 00APs, Strange Appearance.
Genre:
Mock-Real.
The Ymir (almost as tall as a man)
A 277 points Character
| Dex: 02 | Str: 06 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Survival |
| Int: 01 | Wil: 01 | Min: 01 | Occupation: Animal |
| Inf: 01 | Aur: 00 | Spi: 01 | Resources {or Wealth}: 000 |
| Init: 004 | HP: 000 |
Powers:
Analytic Smell/Tracking Scent: 08, Extra-Limb (Tail)*: 06, Regeneration: 02, Systemic Antidote: 13
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Extra-Limb may not be used for Grappling (-1).
- Systemic Antidote only against gases (-2).
Skills:
Acrobatics (Climbing)*: 02
Advantages
No vital areas (Physical only).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Power Loss (Common: Electricity): Dex and Str drop to 00APs, Strange Appearance.
The Ymir (About 1 foot tall)
A 237 points Character
| Dex: 02 | Str: -02 | Bod: 01 | Motivation: Survival |
| Int: 01 | Wil: 01 | Min: 01 | Occupation: Animal |
| Inf: 01 | Aur: 00 | Spi: 01 | Resources {or Wealth}: 000 |
| Init: 004 | HP: 000 |
Powers:
Analytic Smell/Tracking Scent: 08, Extra-Limb (Tail)*: 01, Regeneration: 02, Systemic Antidote: 13, Shrinking: 05
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Extra-Limb may not be used for Grappling (-1).
- Systemic Antidote only against gases (-2).
- Shrinking is always on (-1).
Skills:
Acrobatics (Climbing)*: 02
Advantages
No vital areas (Physical only).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Power Loss (Common: Electricity): Dex and Str drop to 00APs, Strange Appearance.
Technical notes
The creature doesn’t do much at its smallest state except emerge from its cocoon. It’s put in an iron cage which holds it until it grows to human size. So even though it is larger it’s unknown just how much stronger and tougher it becomes except what could be guessed from the Growth power.
At about 2 to 2+½ feet it probably has Shrinking: 02 and a Str of 02 or 03. It shows its strength once it’s nearly man size by tearing through the iron cage that holds it.
The dog that attacks the creature is a challenge at first. But I think that’s only because of the creature’s timid nature. They only fight when cornered. Since a large dog has AV/EV of 03/03 the creature probably wasn’t hurt much during the fight. And once it decided to fight back, game over for the dog.
It then fought a full grown man with ease, taking several shovel blows to the back. The men finally decided to kill it with a rifle and pistol but these didn’t even slow it down.
Scientists explained later that the creature had tubes running all throughout its body instead of lungs and so bullets had little effect. In the 1950s movies scientists were always right! So, the bullets passed through the creature without much effect and it was fully healed (Regeneration) only hours later.
At around 15 feet tall the creature has a wrestling match with an over aggressive elephant. The two seem evenly matched for some time. Then the creature delivers several bites to the neck of the elephant crippling it. When the military shows up, the bazooka’s and heavy machine guns do good damage while the beast shrugs off small arms fire.
Source of Character: The 1957 movie 20 million miles to Earth – another stop-motion work by Ray Harryhausen.
Helper(s): Animals and Weapons locker articles from Worg, Wikipedia, IMDb, Darci.
Writeup completed on the 29th of July, 2014.