Tweel (A Martian Odyssey) Tweel (A Martian Odyssey) Tweel (also referred to as a "Tweerl", the exact pronunciation of the word is said to be impossible for humans) is a fictional extraterrestrial from the planet Mars, featured in two short stories by Stanley G. Weinbaum. The alien was featured in "A Martian Odyssey", first published in 1934, and "Valley of Dreams" four months later. Weinbaum died of lung cancer soon after, and a third installment in the series never saw fruition. Tweel remains one of the most recognised aliens in early science fiction, and is said to be an inspiration for aliens in the
Earthling English "yrþling", in the meaning "ploughman". The sense of "inhabitant of earth" is first attested in the 1590s. Its use in science fiction dates to 1949, in "Red Planet" by Robert A. Heinlein. The word "Human" has the same imposed meaning, since it originates from a PIE word "*ǵʰmṓ" "earthling" < "*dʰéǵʰōm" "earth". Compare Latin "homo" "human" and "humus" "earth, soil". Its modern use in science fiction literature contrasts "Earth" (the planet) with outer space or hypothetical other planets with sapient life. The term was often used in 1950s science fiction film and novels by aliens to express a disdainful