Esau Cairn is the protagonist of the 1939 "sword and planet" novel Almuric, written by Robert E. Howard. Cairn is depicted as a man "born out of his epoch," possessing a primitive nature and immense physical strength that makes him a misfit in modern 20th-century civilization. After killing a corrupt politician in a fit of rage, he escapes Earth with the help of a scientist's experimental teleportation device, which transports him to the savage planet of Almuric.