Barsoomian telepathy

Barsoomian telepathy is a cross-species mode of communication that functions as both a practical means of control and a universal language on Mars. Its reach extends from the coordination of working animals to Carter’s own growing ability to sense unspoken messages, though his thoughts remain inaccessible to others.

Scope and Operation

Martians use telepathic instructions to guide animals, including the large draft animals harnessed to three-wheeled chariots. The animals wear neither bits nor bridles; their drivers direct them through this mental communication. The practice shows telepathy operating not merely between people, but across species.

The narrator describes it as a power developed in all Martians and as the universal language of Mars. It helps explain why spoken language is simple and why even long conversations involve relatively few spoken words. Communication between higher and lower animals is possible to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the species’ intellectual capacity and the development of the individual.

Carter’s Education and Exception

Under Sola’s instruction, Carter develops telepathic powers alongside his spoken command of the Martian language. Within a week he can make his wants known and understand nearly everything said to him; his growing telepathic sensitivity lets him sense practically everything happening around him. Telepathy therefore gives him access to information beyond what spoken exchanges alone convey.

His ability is asymmetrical. Carter can receive messages readily, including messages not intended for him, but no one can read anything from his mind. The difference initially vexes him; later, he recognizes it as an advantage over the Martians. The system that makes mental communication widely available thus gives Carter an unusual privacy and informational edge.

Animals, Attachment, and Action

Telepathy also frames the relationship between people and animals as one of communication rather than mere mechanical command. The chariot beasts respond to mental direction without reins, while Carter’s experience with his own mounts leads him to another method of securing obedience: he first establishes mastery, then wins their confidence through kind treatment. They follow him closely and respond eagerly to his commands, behavior that the Martian warriors interpret as evidence of an earthly power unknown on Mars. Carter explains that their reliability improves his effectiveness as a warrior.

Woola’s repeated actions give this nonhuman relationship its strongest narrative consequence. The hound guards Carter throughout his captivity among the green Martians, saves his life, and never voluntarily leaves him. When an ape attacks Carter, Woola intervenes and saves him again. Later, after Carter and his companions become lost in the waste, Woola finds him and presses close beside him; Carter recognizes the hound’s presence as evidence of attachment, even as he worries about why Woola has left Dejah Thoris. These episodes establish Woola’s independent, protective action, not simply obedience to commands.

Narrative Significance

The book links mental communication with practical survival but does not reduce animal behavior to telepathic control. Carter’s ability to sense others gives him an advantage, while his treatment of the thoats demonstrates that trust can produce reliable cooperation where force alone offers uncertain results. Woola’s loyalty, meanwhile, persists through separation and hardship, making the bond legible through what the animal does rather than through speech.

Together, these strands broaden telepathy from a remarkable Martian faculty into part of a shared social world among humans and animals. Its limits matter as much as its reach: communication varies by species and individual, Carter can receive what others cannot conceal from him, and yet his own mind remains closed to their reading.