Talk:Conan the Barbarian

The entire modernity section is nothing but a horrific spectacle of poor scholarship.

• Conan and the Cimmerians were an analogue to ancient Celts and Iron-Age Scots, Howard's own ancestors. He displayed European traits, such as blue eyes, and geographically Cimmeria is in the far north of Hyperborea, just south of Asgard and Vanaheim, the home of the Aesir and Vanir, the analogue of the Scandinavians, and the Cimmerians have close blood relations with the Aesir and interbreed with them, while also sharing some cultural nuances with them. He never originated in the areas Howard designates as his 'Middle-East', he only adventures there. As he does every where.

• Conan was never a heroic character in the Knight Errant definition of the term. He was indeed heroic, but in in the old sense of the word, seeing as how he was capable of achieving mighty feats of strength and valour, and possessed a savage code of honour unsullied by the hypocrisy of the civilized world. But he was possessed of few conventional morals and often-times only motivated to engage in battle against villains due to personal profit.

• Conan, contrary to the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, never had a particular connection to Broadswords. He never even had a particular connection with any one weapon in particular. He was a thief and vagabond often on the run from authorities at times persecuting him for crimes he did not commit, and far more often for crimes he very well did commit. He was constantly losing, replacing and breaking weapons on a whim, and was well-versed in using every weapon from swords to axes and hammers to yet more exotic weapons.

• Conan is not clad in a loincloth in the stories. He is not even perpetually clad in such in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Rather, he makes use of any armour he can find, depending on where he is and which culture he has given his services, from barbarous Aesir chainmail, to refined Aquilonian plate, to the hide tunics of his own people. He only ever strips naked when trying to shed excess weight before attempting some feat of incredible athleticism. The constant portrayal of the character in loincloth in newer media and on book covers is nothing but an attempt to emulate the artwork of Franz Frazetta, who was the first artist to depict Conan.

• Conan and the Great Throne Vegetable are similar insofar as having black hair, being violent and being warrior-kings. Aside from that, no similarities at all. Conan had a close relationship with his father, was born on a battlefield, driven by a thirst for adventure and wanderlust, was devoted to his god (in the manner of his people, as the gods of Cimmeria are treated with some fear by among the Cimmerians, though in the original stories Conan never outright blasphemes Crom, though he also swears by Ymir alongside Crom in the Frost Giant's Daughter) while the Emperor was an Atheist, was sociable while the Emperor was aloof. A far better fit for Conan is Sigmar Heldenhammer: Both are barbarians (of broadly Northern European extraction, as Sigmar comes from a society that was basically a mixture of the ancient Germanic tribes, the medieval Norsemen (primarily due to being Ulricans, as Ulric's halls are described as being quite similar to Valhalla) and the Celtic Gaels) both were born on the battlefield, both were close to their fathers, both were men of unimaginable violence and daring, both were driven by passion and adventure, both were sociable (as Sigmar had to be, being a leader of fierce, strong-willed men, not test-tube babies bred to be loyal to him as the Emperor), and both became kings in a similar manner; by killing or otherwise defeating other kings in single combat. As it is, Sigmar achieved kingship of the Teutogens (or Teutoengs, if you've read Tome of Salvation) by killing their old king in his own halls. Precisely as Conan killed killed the tyrannical former king of Aquilonia in his own throneroom. Though Artur likely posed a far greater challenge to Sigmar than the inbred Aquilionian did to Conan.

Why is this in Category:Writers ? I know Conan was written by multiple authors over the years, but I don't think he actually wrote any fantasy novels within his stories personally. 64.50.245.38 02:08, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

• • Well, he writes a letter during his first appearance, and makes the first truly comprehensive map of the northern lands in one story.

Who keeps putting that quote from "Queen of the Black Coast" right after the segment talking about King Kull? It makes it look like the wrong character is being credited with it.