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In the Green Martian clan otherwise known as the Tharks they reproduce in a form where the offspring are separate from their parents. Once hatched and ready the hatchlings are brought back to the clan in anonymity where women randomly grab one to raise as their own.

Tars Tarkas the Jeddak (chieftain) knows somehow that Sola is his daughter. Tars says something to John Carter letting him know how Tars tracked Sola. When John Carter told Sola Tars was her father, she was shocked. She had no idea he was her father.

I couldn't understand exactly what happened in the exchange between John Carter and Tars or how Tars was able to figure out Sola was his daughter.

How was Tars able to track and figure out that Sola was his daughter?

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Tars tells John that Sola's mother kept her egg.

John: She's your daughter, isn't she?

Tars: Who told you that?

John: Call it a father's intuition.

Tars: A Thark has no parent with the horde.

John: But how do you know?

Tars: Her mother kept her egg...

Presumably, she hid the egg until it hatched and the next batch of young were brought in.

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In the novel "A Princess of Mars" it is explained in more detail. Sola's egg was hidden by her mother and she spent the early part of her life with her mother. Sarkoja discovered the secret. Sola's mother was able to hide her and tell her the name of her father before she was killed in the arena. All of this happened while Tars Tarkas was away. He knew Sola's mother had hidden the egg, but didn't know if his child had survived until it was revealed to him by John Carter, whom Sola had told the story to.

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  • Could you provide a quote from the novel to this effect?
    – amflare
    Jan 13, 2018 at 19:07
  • Chapter XV, "Sola Tells Me Her Story," ( cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/pmars-table.html ) is where Sola tells John Carter the tale. The story is lengthy, but it ends with Sola revealing her father's name.
    – MadMikeyD
    Jan 14, 2018 at 8:35
  • "I know that I can trust you, and because the knowledge may someday help you or him or Dejah Thoris or myself, I am going to tell you the name of my father, nor place any restrictions or conditions upon your tongue. When the time comes, speak the truth if it seems best to you. I trust you because I know that you are not cursed with the terrible trait of absolute and unswerving truthfulness, that you could lie like one of your own Virginia gentlemen if a lie would save others from sorrow or suffering. My father's name is Tars Tarkas."
    – MadMikeyD
    Jan 14, 2018 at 8:50
  • In Chapter XXIV it simply states "While we were eating I repeated to Tars Tarkas the story which Sola had told me that night upon the sea bottom during the march to Thark," though Sola's tale in Chapter XV would imply that he knew the egg was hidden.
    – MadMikeyD
    Jan 14, 2018 at 8:51

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