An impressionistic illustration of a Morlock taking an Eloi child, by Tatsuya Morino.
Morlocks, as they appear in the 1960s Time Machine film.
The Morlocks are a humanoid species which is descended from humans. They exist in several future timelines, notably in Mor. They are subterranean, and prefer dark, as their eyes are sensitive to light.
In most timelines, the Morlocks eat their Eloi cousins.
The Morlocks are more technologically advanced than the Eloi, maintaining more remnants of human technology. In Mor, they live underground, using a series of wells to pump air through their tunnels. They also use the wells as ladders to reach the world above, though other methods of travel (primarily the doors of the Sphinx), are also utilized. In another timeline, they have constructed a metallic shell around the sun, which they use as their home.
History
- This history is that of the Morlocks as seen in Mor, in the novels continuity.
The Morlocks are theorized to have evolved from the Old Navy workers who labored underground circa 2100, all wearing blue uniforms and living in harsh conditions. When Graham visited their domain, he already saw signs of them becoming paler and developing a separate strain of English. Much later, The Time Traveler would find evidence that the Morlocks had come from a lower class. ("When The Sleeper Wakes", "The Time Machine")
By 802,701, the Morlocks were feeding on the Eloi, while still clothing and feeding them during their lives. In essence, the Eloi were used like cattle. When The Time Traveler arrived, he was very disgusted and found it difficult to see the humanity in these descendants of his. ("The Time Machine")
When The Time Traveler returned, his opinion had softened towards Morlocks after working with his companion Nebogipfel for so long. While working with the Eloi to try and encourage their humanity, he decided to descend to the Morlock Tunnels and work with them. ("The Time Ships")
Differing Directions
Years later, when Lara Myers encountered the Morlocks, their society had become significantly more advanced and civilized than The Time Traveler remembers. Nobipoper told Lara that they had given up on eating the Eloi, and focused on developing their technology. By the time Lara visited, they had Nanotechnology, genetically modified Giant Mantises, and other advanced technologies. This chang had apparently come about after a wise man helped them realize their cannibalism was not the best way anymore. Nobipoper also told Lara of a splinter group of Morlocks who still preyed on the Eloi. ("The Wee Time Traveler")
It was likely this rebel group was the one that stole The Time Machine and traveled back through time to the nineteenth century, intending to invade the past world. Coloniel Nalga of the Morlock Military told Edwin Hocker, upon confronting him, that the Morlocks had killed The Time Traveler and furthermore that they had decided to no longer allow the Eloi to roam free, rather keeping them in pens. The Morlock invasion of the ninteenth century failed, largely in part to the efforts of Edwin Hocker and Tafe, who had experienced a future overrun by Morlocks. ("Morlock Night")
Morlocks of the Sphere
In Timeline C, Mor never developed in the same way, but a different sort of Morlock arose.
Over thousands of years, Humans used massive fleets of spacecraft to mine the sun for materials, finally using material from the sun to construct a massive sphere around the star. The sphere is completely solar-powered and self-building, and it became the new primary habitat for Humanity.
Meanwhile, humans had been genetically altering themselves for millenia, finally arriving at a form extremely similar to that of the Morlocks of Mor by coincidence. These Morlocks reproduced unnaturally, by the shaping of a clay-like substance into babies. The mechanism for this is unknown.
They devoted themselves to the pursuit of science and knowledge. The Earth was used only as a nursery for Morlock children. Inside the Sphere, the inner layers, closest to the sun, housed billions of humans of various sorts, some resembling Homo Sapiens, while others resembled Neanderthals or other shapes.
When The Time Traveler arrived in this era, he mistook these for the Morlocks he knew and attacked them, severely injuring several children before he was apprehended. He was then questioned by Nebogipfel, who later became his companion. ("The Time Ships")
In Other Continuities
In Pathfinder
Description taken from the Pathfinder Bestiary:
- Skin pale as a slug's belly, eyes huge and bulging, this thing crawls down the wall like a spider, but its shape is hideously humanoid.
- Degenerate humans long lost from the world of light, morlocks have regressed through years of subterranean dwelling into ravenous, barely thinking beasts of the endless night. They no longer remember the civilized lives their ancestors led, although many morlock tribes still dwell in the shattered ruins of their ancient homes. Ironically, in many cases morlocks worship the statues left behind by these ancestors as their gods. Morlock priests of such ancestor worship have access to the domains of Darkness, Earth, Madness, and Strength. A typical morlock stands just over 5 feet tall and weighs roughly 150 pounds.
- Morlocks move about on two legs at times, but often drop down to a creepy four-limbed shuffle when speed or stealth is necessary. Their wiry, often emaciated frames mask the strength of their limbs and their swift reactions.
- Morlocks typically give birth to broods of three to four babies at a time, ravenous creatures born with a full set of teeth and a cannibalistic predisposition. The first few weeks of a brood's life must be carefully mothered to prevent attrition—it usually takes that long for the morlock young to overcome their natural inclination to feed on whatever is closest. Morlocks mature quickly, achieving adulthood after only 5 years of life. A typical morlock can live to a ripe old age of 60—although the majority of their kind die far sooner than that due to violence.
Other Info
Notable Morlocks
- Nebogipfel
- Coloniel Nalga
- Uber-Morlock
Morlocks Gallery
1960 film
2002 film
2002 film
Morlocks
Doctor Who
Wishbone
Pathfinder