SOURCE: The Moon Maid (Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5 1923) by Edgar Rice Burroughs

DESCRIPTION: "Our first view of the creatures proved beyond a question of a doubt that they were in effect human quadrupeds. The faces were very broad, much broader than any human faces that I have ever seen, but their profiles were singularly like those of the ancient North American Indians. Their bodies were covered with a garment with short legs that ended above the knees, and which was ornamented about the collar and also about the bottom of each leg with a rather fanciful geometric design. About the barrel of each was a surcingle and connected with it by a backstrap was something analogous to a breeching in Earth horse harness. Where the breeching straps crossed on either side, was a small circular ornament, and there was a strap resembling a trace leading from this forward to the collar, passing beneath a quite large, circular ornament, which appeared to be supported by the surcingle. Smaller straps, running from these two ornaments upon the left side, supported a sheath in which was carried what appeared to be a knife of some description. And upon the right side a short spear was carried in a boot, similarly suspended from the two ornaments, much as the carbine of our ancient Earth cavalry was carried. The spear, which was about six feet long, was of peculiar design, having a slender, well-shaped head, from the base of which a crescent-shaped arm curved backward from one side, while upon the side opposite the crescent was a short, sharp point at right angles to the median line of the weapon." (The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs)

Other versions with Arms

NOTES: The Va-Gas are one of two intelligent races that live in the interior of the Moon. They resemble horses in that they can gallop around on all fours but can stand on their back legs when they want to use their hands. The Va-gas are extremely fierce creatures who war amongst themselves and the Kalkars. They use spears and long-bladed knives. Flesh is in such short supply on the Moon that the Va-gas eat their own dead as well as that of their enemies. When a male is injured in battle his own friends will slit his throat to bleed the flesh for consumption. Because of this there is an extemely high death rate amongst males. The birth rate compensates by having births average three males to every female. The females are smaller in build and do not fight. The Va-gas do not eat the flesh of females. The tribe is ruled by a chieftain who holds power as long as he is the fiercest of everyone. The Va-gas live in portable huts because they are nomadic creatures. When food becomes scarse or lesser villages move away out of fear, the Va-Gas move on. They load everything onto the females, allowing the males to scout and guard. The Va-gas have a complex language made up of three syllable words. Each syllables meaning depends on which key it is sung in. The Va-Gas were originally domestic creatures but the weak social structure of the Kalkars allowed them to escape and become free roaming bands. Both Kalkars and U-gas (humans) keep Va-gas as stock animals for food, breeding them for stupidity.

HISTORY: Artists such as Frank Frazetta, Roy Krenkel and Allen St. John all portrayed the Va-gas as six limbed creatures, much like a centaur. If you read the text carefully you see this is inaccurate.

Frazetta's first verison