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This article is about the fictional character. For other uses, see Conan the Barbarian (disambiguation).
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet." — Robert E. Howard, The Phoenix on the Sword, 1932. Illustration by Mark Schultz.
"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet. "
— Robert E. Howard, The Phoenix on the Sword, 1932. Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, "The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E
Illustration by Mark Schultz. Mark Schultz (born 1955) is an American writer and illustrator of books and Comics.

Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian, from the name of his homeland, Cimmeria) is a fictional character often associated with the fantasy subgenre sword-and-sorcery (also known as heroic fantasy). Cimmeria is a Fictional land of Barbarians in Antediluvian Earth (cp Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of Fantasy literature which chronicles the tales of heroes and their conquests in imaginary lands He has been credited with being the most famous fictional barbarian, and one of the most well known iconic figures in American fantasy. [1]

Created by American writer Robert E. Howard in 1932 via a series of fantasy stories sold to Weird Tales magazine, the character has since appeared in licensed books, comics, films, television programs, and video games, contributing to his long-standing popularity. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder The Conan the Barbarian saga has appeared in a variety of forms in the gaming community

Conan the Barbarian is also the name of a Gnome Press collection of stories published in 1954, a comic published by Marvel Comics beginning in 1970, and a film and its novelization in 1982. Gnome Press was an American small-press Publishing company primarily known for publishing many Science fiction classics Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder

Contents

Publication history

Conan the Barbarian was created by Robert E. Howard and was the spiritual successor to an earlier character, Kull of Atlantis. Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a Fictional character created by Robert E For months, Howard had been in search of a new character to market to the burgeoning pulp outlets of the early 1930s. In October 1931, Howard submitted a short story titled "People of the Dark" to Clayton Publications' new magazine, Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror (June 1932). "People of the Dark" is a remembrance story of "past lives", and in its first-person narrative the protagonist describes one of his previous incarnations: Conan, a black-haired barbarian hero who swears by a deity called Crom. Crom is a fictional Deity created by American author Robert E Some Howard scholars believe this Conan to be a forerunner of the more famous character. [2]

In February 1932, Howard vacationed at a border town on the lower Rio Grande to enjoy the local flavor. During this trip, he further conceived the character of Conan and also wrote the poem Cimmeria, much of which echoes specific passages in Plutarch's Lives. " Cimmeria " is a poem by Robert E Howard about the fictional country Cimmeria, created by Howard as part of his Hyborian world which is the Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c According to some scholars, there is a strong likelihood that Howard's conception of Conan and the Hyborian Age originated in Thomas Bulfinch's The Outline of Mythology (1913) which enthused Howard to "coalesce into a coherent whole his literary aspirations and the strong physical, autobiographical elements underlying the creation of Conan. Thomas Bulfinch ( July 15 1796 - May 27, 1867) was an American writer born in Newton Massachusetts. Thomas Bulfinch ( July 15 1796 - May 27, 1867) was an American writer born in Newton Massachusetts. "[2]

An interior Weird Tales illustration sketched by, assumably, Margaret Brundage in 1932. The illustration depicts a scene from Howard's The Phoenix on the Sword. The original short story was written by Howard and first appeared in a 1932 issue of Weird Tales magazine.
An interior Weird Tales illustration sketched by, assumably, Margaret Brundage in 1932. Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. Margaret Brundage, born Margaret Hedda Johnson ( December 9, 1900 - April 9, 1976) was an American illustrator The illustration depicts a scene from Howard's The Phoenix on the Sword. "The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E

The original short story was written by Howard and first appeared in a 1932 issue of Weird Tales magazine.

Having digested these prior influences and returned from his trip, Howard rewrote the rejected Kull story "By This Axe I Rule!" (May 1929) with his new hero in mind, re-titling it "The Phoenix on the Sword". "The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E Howard also wrote "The Frost Giant's Daughter", inspired by the Greek myth of Daphne, and submitted both stories to Weird Tales magazine. "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" **' is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance DAPHNE is an Arcade emulator application that emulates a variety of Laserdisc video games with the intent of preserving these games and making Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. Although "The Frost-Giant's Daughter" was rejected, the magazine accepted "The Phoenix on the Sword" after requested polishing. [2]

"The Phoenix on the Sword" appeared in Weird Tales in December 1932, thus marking Conan's first appearance in print. Weird Tales would become famous for its unique stable of notable authors, including H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Tennessee Williams, Robert Bloch, Seabury Quinn and others. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Clark Ashton Smith ( January 13, 1893 - August 14, 1961) was a Poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26 1911 &ndash February 25 1983 better known as Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright who received many of the top theatrical Robert Albert Bloch (April 5 1917 Chicago – September 23 1994 Los Angeles) was a prolific American Writer, primarily of crime Seabury Grandin Quinn (aka Jerome Burke) (1889 - 1969 was a Pulp magazine Author most famous for his The acceptance of "The Phoenix on the Sword" by editor Farnsworth Wright prompted Howard to write an 8,000 word essay for personal use detailing "the Hyborian Age," the fictional setting for Conan. Farnsworth Wright (1888-1940 was the editor of the Pulp magazine Weird Tales during the magazine's heyday The Hyborian Age is an essay by Robert E Howard pertaining to the Hyborian Age, the fictional setting of his stories about Conan the Cimmerian The Hyborian Age is a phrase used by author Robert E Howard to refer to a specific epoch in a fictional timeline used for many of the Low fantasy tales of his Using this essay as his guideline, Howard began plotting "The Tower of the Elephant", a new Conan story that would be the first to truly integrate his new conception of the Hyborian world, and thus to introduce the setting to the reader. "The Tower of the Elephant" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written [2]

The publication and success of "The Tower of the Elephant" would spur Howard to write many more Conan stories for Weird Tales. By the time of Howard's suicide in 1936, he had written twenty-one complete tales, seventeen of which had been published, as well as a number of unfinished fragments. [2]

Following Howard's death, the copyright of the Conan stories passed through several hands. Eventually, under the guidance of L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, the stories were expurgated, revised and sometimes rewritten. Lyon Sprague de Camp, ( November 27 1907 – November 6 2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy author Linwood Vrooman Carter ( June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy For roughly forty years, the original versions of Howard's Conan stories remained out of print. Only with the Berkley editions in 1977 was an attempt made to return to the earliest published (Weird Tales) form of the texts, but these failed to displace the edited versions. In the 1980s and 1990s, the copyright holders of the Conan franchise permitted Howard's stories to go out of print entirely, while continuing to sell Conan works by other authors.

In 2000, the British publisher Gollancz Science Fiction issued a two-volume, complete edition of Howard's Conan stories as part of their Fantasy Masterworks imprint, including several stories which had never seen print in their original form. The Gollancz edition mostly used the versions of the stories as published in Weird Tales.

In 2003, a British publisher named Wandering Star made an effort both to restore Howard's original manuscripts and provide a more scholarly and historical view of the Conan stories. In Astronomy, the naked-eye planets are the five Planets of our Solar system that can be discerned with the Naked eye without much difficulty They published deluxe hardcover editions in England, which were republished in the United States by the Del Rey imprint of Ballantine Books. The Ballantine Publishing Group, better known as Ballantine Books, is a major American book Publisher founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine. The first book, Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (2003; published in the US as The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian) includes Howard's notes on his fictional setting, as well as letters and poems concerning the genesis of his ideas. This was followed by Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Two (1934) (2004) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume Three (1935–1936) (2005); these were published in the US in 2005 as The Bloody Crown of Conan and The Conquering Sword of Conan. Among them, the three books include all of the original unedited Conan stories.

Setting

A map of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age.
A map of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age.
Main article: Hyborian Age

The various stories of Conan the Barbarian occur in the fictional "Hyborian Age," set after the destruction of Atlantis and before the rise of the known ancient civilizations. The Hyborian Age is a phrase used by author Robert E Howard to refer to a specific epoch in a fictional timeline used for many of the Low fantasy tales of his The Hyborian Age is a phrase used by author Robert E Howard to refer to a specific epoch in a fictional timeline used for many of the Low fantasy tales of his Atlantis (in Greek,, "island of Atlas " is the name of a Legendary Island, first mentioned in Plato 's dialogues This is a specific epoch in a fictional timeline created by Howard for many of the low fantasy tales of his artificial legendry. Low fantasy is an Umbrella term, describing various works within different sub-genres of Fantasy, to contrast specific works with High fantasy Mythopoeia (also mythopoesis, after Hellenistic Greek grc μυθοποιία μυθοποίησις "myth-making" is a narrative Genre in modern [3]

The reasons behind the invention of the Hyborian Age were perhaps commercial: Howard had an intense love for history and historical dramas; however, at the same time, he recognized the difficulties and the time-consuming research work needed in maintaining historical accuracy. By conceiving a timeless setting — "a vanished age" — and by carefully choosing names that resembled human history, Howard shrewdly avoided the problem of historical anachronisms and the need for lengthy exposition. [2]

According to "The Phoenix on the Sword", the adventures of Conan take place ". . . Between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas. The " Aryan race " is a concept in European culture that was influential in the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries . . "[4]

Personality and character

Conan is a Cimmerian (based somewhat loosely on the historical Cimmerians), a barbarian of the far north. Cimmeria is a Fictional land of Barbarians in Antediluvian Earth (cp See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived He was born on a battlefield and is the son of a blacksmith. blacksmith is a person who creates objects from Iron or Steel by Forging the Metal; i Conan matured quickly as a youth and, by age fifteen, he was already a respected warrior who had participated in the destruction of the Aquilonian outpost of Venarium. According to the Random House Dictionary, the term warrior has two meanings Aquilonia is a Fictional country created by Robert E Howard as part of his Hyborian world, created for his character Conan the Barbarian After its destruction, he was struck by wanderlust and began the adventures chronicled by Howard, encountering skulking monsters, evil wizards, tavern wenches, and beautiful princesses. A magician, wizard, sorcerer or a person known under one of many other possible terms in fiction is someone who uses or practices magic Princess is the feminine form of Prince (from Latin Princeps, meaning principal citizen He roamed throughout the Hyborian Age nations as a thief, outlaw, mercenary and pirate. The Hyborian Age is a phrase used by author Robert E Howard to refer to a specific epoch in a fictional timeline used for many of the Low fantasy tales of his In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given An outlaw or bandit is a person living the lifestyle of outlawry; the word literally means "outside the Law " by folk-etymology from the original A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict who is not a national or a party to the conflict and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering As he grew older, he began commanding larger units of men and escalating his ambitions. In his forties, he seized the crown of the tyrannical king of Aquilona, the most powerful kingdom of the Hyborian Age, having strangled the previous ruler on the steps of the throne. Conan's adventures often result in him performing heroic feats, though his motivation for doing so is largely for his own survival or for personal gain, implying that the character displays the characteristics of an anti-hero and could be described as the archetypal "amoral swordsman" of the Sword and Sorcery genre. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts [5][6] This observation could however be said to be in contrast to the assumption that Conan was merely another barbarian hero as envisioned by Howard for Weird Tales magazine.

Appearance

Conan has "sullen blue eyes" and a black "square-cut mane". Howard once describes him as having a hairy chest and, while comic book interpretations often portray Conan as wearing a loincloth or other minimalist clothing, Howard describes the character as wearing whatever garb is typical for the land and culture in which Conan finds himself. Though Howard never gave a strict height or weight for Conan in a story, only describing him in loose terms like "giant" and "massive", he did once state that Conan and another of Howard's characters, the crusader Cormac Fitzgeoffrey, were "physical doubles" at 6'2" and 210 lb (188 cm and 95 kg). In the tales no human is ever described as stronger than Conan, although several are mentioned as taller (such as the strangler Baal-pteor) or of larger bulk. Although Conan is muscular, Howard frequently compares his agility and way of moving to that of a panther (see for instance "Jewels of Gwahlur," "Beyond the Black River" or "Rogues in the House"). " Jewels of Gwahlur " is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian "Beyond the Black River" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E "Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written His skin is frequently characterised as bronzed from constant exposure to the sun. In his younger years, he is often depicted wearing a light chain shirt and a horned helmet, though appearances vary with different artists. Movi coming out 9/17/10

During his reign as king of Aquilonia, Conan was ". . . a tall man, mightily shouldered and deep of chest, with a massive corded neck and heavily muscled limbs. He was clad in silk and velvet, with the royal lions of Aquilonia worked in gold upon his rich jupon, and the crown of Aquilonia shone on his square-cut black mane; but the great sword at his side seemed more natural to him than the regal accoutrements. His brow was low and broad, his eyes a volcanic blue that smouldered as if with some inner fire. His dark, scarred, almost sinister face was that of a fighting-man, and his velvet garments could not conceal the hard, dangerous lines of his limbs. "[7]

Though several later authors have referred to Conan as "Germanic-looking", Howard imagined the Cimmerians as a proto-Celtic people with mostly black hair and blue or grey eyes. The Germanic peoples are a historical group of Indo-European -speaking peoples originating in Northern Europe and identified by their use of the Germanic Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Ethnically the Cimmerians to which Conan belongs are descendants of the Atlanteans, though they do not remember their ancestry. In his fictional historical essay The Hyborian Age, Howard describes how the people of Atlantis — the land where his character King Kull originated — had to move east after a great cataclysm changed the face of the world and sank their island, settling where northern Ireland and Scotland would eventually be located. The Hyborian Age is an essay by Robert E Howard pertaining to the Hyborian Age, the fictional setting of his stories about Conan the Cimmerian Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a Fictional character created by Robert E Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In the same work, Howard also described how the Cimmerians eventually moved south and east after the age of Conan (presumably in the vicinity of the Black Sea, where the historical Cimmerians dwelt). See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E

Abilities

Despite his brutish appearance, Conan uses his brain as well as his brawn. The Cimmerian is a talented fighter, but his travels have given him vast experience in other trades, especially as a thief; he is also a talented commander, tactician and strategist, as well as a born leader. The Thief or Rogue is a Character class in many Role-playing games including Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy In addition, Conan speaks many languages, including advanced reading and writing abilities: in certain stories, he is able to recognize, or even decipher, certain ancient or secret signs and writings.

Another noticeable trait is his sense of humour, largely absent in the comics and movies but very much a part of Howard's original vision of the character, particularly apparent in "Xuthal of the Dusk," also known as "The Slithering Shadow. "Xuthal of the Dusk" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written " He is a loyal friend to those true to him, with a barbaric code of conduct that often marks him as more honorable than the more sophisticated people he meets in his travels. Indeed, his straightforward nature and barbarism are constants in all the tales.

Conan is practically invincible in hand-to-hand combat. With his back to the wall so that he cannot be surrounded, Conan is capable of engaging and killing opponents by the score. This is seen in several stories, such as "Queen of the Black Coast", "The Scarlet Citadel" and "A Witch Shall be Born". "Queen of the Black Coast" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E "The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written " A Witch Shall be Born " is one of the original stories by Robert E Conan is not superhuman, though; he did need the providential help of Zelata's wolf to defeat four Nemedian soldiers in the story The Hour of the Dragon. The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a 1935 Fantasy novel written by Robert E Some of his hardest victories have come from fighting single opponents of inhuman strength: one such as Thak, the ape man from "Rogues in the House," or the strangler Baal-Pteor in "Shadows in Zamboula. "Rogues in the House" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written " The Man-Eaters of Zamboula " is one of the original stories by Robert E " Conan is far from untouchable and has been captured several times (knocking himself out drunkenly running into a wall after being betrayed, although he still slays the people initially sent to arrest him; after a fall from a wounded horse; by magical means) but never as a result of martial failings.

Influences

Main article: Robert E. Howard

Howard frequently corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft, and the two would sometimes insert references or elements of each others' settings in their works. Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Later editors reworked many of the original Conan stories by Howard, thus diluting this connection. Nevertheless, many of Howard's unedited Conan stories are arguably part of the Cthulhu Mythos. The Cthulhu Mythos is a Shared universe created in the 1920s by American horror writer H [8] Additionally, many of the Conan stories by Howard, de Camp and Carter used geographical place names from Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborean Cycle. Clark Ashton Smith ( January 13, 1893 - August 14, 1961) was a Poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy The Hyperborean cycle is a series of Short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that take place in the fictional prehistoric setting of Hyperborea (present-day

The Conan stories are informed by the popular interest of the time in ideas on evolution and Social Darwinism. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Social Darwinism is a theory that competition among all individuals groups nations or ideas drives Social evolution in human societies Are some peoples destined to rule over others? Are our physical and mental characteristics the result of our experiences or our inheritance from our ancestors? Is human civilization a natural or unnatural development? As Conan remarks in one story:

Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing. — "The Tower of the Elephant", Robert E. Howard, Weird Tales, March 1933. "The Tower of the Elephant" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923.

Additionally, fans such as comic book artist Mark Schultz have concluded that Conan was an idealized alter ego for Howard. An alter ego ( Latin, "the other I" is a second self, a second Personality or Persona within a Person Unlike the modern, stereotypical view of a brainless barbarian, Howard originally created Conan as a thoughtful but melancholic figure who often battled with depression, much like Howard himself (the writer eventually committed suicide). Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression However, Howard's Conan, that sets him apart from Kull, is unaffected by such feelings:

Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is an illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and I am content. — "Queen of the Black Coast", Robert E. Howard, Weird Tales, May 1934. "Queen of the Black Coast" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923.

Original Robert E. Howard Conan stories

Cover of Weird Tales (May 1934) depicting Conan and Bêlit in Queen of the Black Coast, one of Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories.
Cover of Weird Tales (May 1934) depicting Conan and Bêlit in Queen of the Black Coast, one of Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories. Weird Tales is an American Fantasy and Horror fiction Pulp magazine first published in March 1923. In the Fictional universe of Robert E Howard 's Conan the Barbarian, Bêlit is a Pirate queen who has a romantic relationship with Conan "Queen of the Black Coast" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy,

Conan stories published in Weird Tales

Conan stories not published in his lifetime

Unfinished Conan stories by Howard

Other Conan-related material by Howard

NOTE: A number of untitled synopses for Conan stories also exist.

Book editions

Main article: Conan (books)
Cover of Conan the Usurper (1967). Art by Frank Frazetta.
Cover of Conan the Usurper (1967). Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan the Usurper is a 1967 collection of four Fantasy short stories written by Robert E Art by Frank Frazetta. Frank Frazetta (born February 9, 1928) is an American fantasy and Science fiction Artist, noted for his Buck Rogers

The character of Conan has proven durably popular, resulting in Conan stories by later writers such as Poul Anderson, Leonard Carpenter, Lin Carter, L. Sprague de Camp, Roland J. Green, John C. Hocking, Robert Jordan, Sean A. Moore, Björn Nyberg, Andrew J. Offutt, Steve Perry, John Maddox Roberts, Harry Turtledove, and Karl Edward Wagner. Poul William Anderson ( November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American Science fiction author who wrote during a Golden Leonard Paul Carpenter, born in 1948 is a technical writer and Author of Fantasy and Science fiction. Linwood Vrooman Carter ( June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy Lyon Sprague de Camp, ( November 27 1907 – November 6 2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy author Roland James Green (born September 2, 1944) in Bradford, Pennsylvania, is an American Science fiction and Fantasy writer John C Hocking (born 1960 is an American Fantasy writer the Author of a Conan novel published by Tor Books. Robert Jordan was the Pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr ( October 17, 1948 &ndash September 16, 2007) under which he Sean A Moore (1965- February 23, 1998) of Boulder Colorado, was an American Fantasy and Science fiction writer, and worked as Björn Emil Oscar Nyberg, born September 11 1929, is a Swedish fantasy author best known for his additions to the series of Conan Andrew Jefferson Offutt (born August 16, 1934 in Kentucky) is an American Science fiction and Fantasy author Steve Perry (born August 31, 1947) is an American television writer and Science fiction Author. John Maddox Roberts (born June 25 1947 in Ohio) is an Author who has written many Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14 1949) is an American historian and novelist who has written Historical fiction, Fantasy, and Karl Edward Wagner ( 4 December 1945 &ndash 13 October 1994) was an American writer editor and publisher of horror, Some of these writers have finished incomplete Conan manuscripts by Howard. Others were created by rewriting Howard stories which originally featured entirely different characters from entirely different milieus. Most, however, are completely original works. In total, more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories featuring the Conan character have been written by authors other than Howard.

The Gnome Press edition (1950–1957) was the first hardcover collection of Howard's Conan stories, including all the original Howard material known to exist at the time, some left unpublished in his lifetime. Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E The later volumes contain some stories rewritten by L. Sprague de Camp (like "The Treasure of Tranicos"), including several non-Conan Howard stories, mostly historical exotica situated in the Levant at the time of the crusades, which he turned into Conan yarns. Lyon Sprague de Camp, ( November 27 1907 – November 6 2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy author See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the The Gnome edition also issued the first Conan story written by an author other than Howard — the final volume published, which is by Björn Nyberg and revised by de Camp. Björn Emil Oscar Nyberg, born September 11 1929, is a Swedish fantasy author best known for his additions to the series of Conan

The Lancer/Ace editions (1966–1977), under the direction of de Camp and Lin Carter, were the first comprehensive paperbacks, compiling the material from the Gnome Press series together in chronological order with all the remaining original Howard material, including that left unpublished in his lifetime and fragments and outlines. Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Linwood Vrooman Carter ( June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of Science fiction and Fantasy These were completed by de Camp and Carter, and new stories written entirely by the two were added as well. Lancer Books went out of business before bringing out the entire series, the publication of which was completed by Ace Books. Its covers featured dynamic images by Frank Frazetta that, for many fans, presented the "definitive" impression of Conan and his world. Frank Frazetta (born February 9, 1928) is an American fantasy and Science fiction Artist, noted for his Buck Rogers For decades to come, most other portrayals of the Cimmerian and his imitators were heavily influenced by the cover paintings of this series.

Editions after the Lancer/Ace series have been of either the original Howard stories or Conan material by others, but not both. Notable later editions of the Howard stories include the Donald M. Grant editions (1974–1989); Berkley editions (1977); Gollancz editions (2000–2006), and Wandering Star/Del Rey editions (2003–2005). Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Later series of new Conan material include the Bantam editions (1978–1982), Ace Maroto editions (1978–1981), and Tor editions (1982–2004). Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E Conan books are Sword and sorcery fantasies featuring the character of Conan the Cimmerian originally created by Robert E

Conan Chronologies

Main article: Conan Chronologies

In an attempt to provide a coherent timeline which fit the numerous adventures of Conan penned by Robert E. Conan Chronologies have been prepared by a variety of people from the 1930s onward to provide a timeline into which to fit the numerous Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert Howard and later writers, various "Conan chronologies" have been prepared by many people from the 1930s onward. Note that no consistent timeline has yet to accommodate every single Conan story. The following are the principal theories that have been advanced over the years, together with their strengths and weaknesses.

Media

Films

Conan the Barbarian (1982) poster.
Conan the Barbarian (1982) poster. Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder
For more details on this topic, see Conan the Barbarian (1982) or Conan the Destroyer (1984). Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 film directed by action/fantasy veteran Richard Fleischer ( 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings

The very first Conan cinematic project was planned by Edward Summer. Edward Summer has been an award winning painter motion picture director screenwriter internet publisher magazine editor journalist and science writer comic book writer novelist Summer envisioned a series of Conan movies, much like the James Bond franchise. James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story He outlined six stories for this film series, but none were ever made. An original screenplay by Summer and Roy Thomas was written, but their lore-authentic screen story was never filmed. Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Instead the resulting film, Conan the Barbarian (1982), was written by the unlikely pairing of Oliver Stone and John Milius. Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 film by director John Milius and is recognized as the acting Breakthrough of bodybuilder William Oliver Stone (born 15 September) is an American Film director and Screenwriter. John Frederick Milius (born April 11, 1944) is an American Screenwriter, director, and producer of Motion pictures Their script had very little in common with Howard's original Conan tales, and was a bold reimagining of Conan's life.

The plot of Conan the Barbarian (1982) begins with Conan being enslaved by the Vanir raiders of Thulsa Doom, a malevolent warlord who is responsible for the slaying of Conan's parents and the genocide of his people. Origin as a Pulp Character Thulsa Doom is a Fictional character first appearing in the Kull short story Delcardes' Cat by Robert A warlord is a person with power who has military control over a subnational area due to Armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority Later, Thulsa Doom becomes a cult leader of a shamanist religion that worships Set, a Snake God. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos The vengeful Conan, the archer Subotai and the thief Valeria set out on a quest to rescue a princess held captive by Thulsa Doom. Archery is the practice of using a bow or Crossbow to shoot Arrows Archery has historically been used in Hunting and Combat and has In Criminal law, theft (also known as stealing or filching) is the illegal taking of another person's Property without that person's freely-given The film was directed by John Milius and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. John Frederick Milius (born April 11, 1944) is an American Screenwriter, director, and producer of Motion pictures Agostino De Laurentiis, usually credited as Dino De Laurentiis (born August 8 1919) is an Academy Award -winning Italian The character of Conan was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and was his break-through role as an actor. Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor [9]

This film was followed by a less popular sequel, Conan the Destroyer in 1984. Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 film directed by action/fantasy veteran Richard Fleischer ( 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings [10] This sequel was a more typical fantasy-genre film and was even less faithful to Howard's Conan stories. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting There were rumours in the late 1990s of a third Conan sequel, King Conan: Crown of Iron, but Schwarzenegger's election as governor of California ended this project. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. [11]

The film rights to Conan were acquired by Millennium Films in August 2007. Millennium plan to begin production on a new Conan movie in 2008, with the movie intended to be more faithful to Howard's original works than the earlier movies. [12]

An animated feature, Conan: Red Nails, based upon the novella of the same name is being made (see Red Nails). "Red Nails" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E "Red Nails" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E [13]

Television

There have been three television series related to Conan: A live-action TV series and animated cartoon series — both entitled Conan the Adventurer, as well as a second animated series entitled Conan and the Young Warriors. Conan and the Young Warriors was an animated television series which premiered in 1994

Comics

Tower of the Elephant comic by R. Thomas, J. Buscema and A. Alcala.
Tower of the Elephant comic by R. Thomas, J. Buscema and A. Alcala. "The Tower of the Elephant" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional Sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11 1927&ndashJanuary 10 2002 was an American Comic-book Artist and one of the mainstays Alfredo P Alcala ( August 23, 1925 - April 8, 2000) was a Filipino Comic book artist, born in Talisay Negros
Main article: Conan (comics)

Conan the Barbarian has appeared in comics nearly non-stop since 1970. The comics are arguably, apart from the books, the vehicle that had the greatest influence on the longevity and popularity of the character. Aside from an earlier and unofficial Conan comic published in Mexico, the two main publishers of Conan comics have been Marvel and Dark Horse. Marvel Comics launched Conan the Barbarian (1970–1993) and the now-classic Savage Sword of Conan (1974–1995). Dark Horse Comics launched their Conan series in 2003. Dark Horse Comics is currently publishing compilations of the 1970s Marvel Comics Conan the Barbarian series and Savage Sword of Conan series in graphic-novel format.

Marvel Comics introduced a relatively lore-faithful version of Conan the Barbarian in 1970 with Conan the Barbarian, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Barry Windsor-Smith, also known as Barry Smith (born May 25, 1949) is a British Comic book illustrator and painter whose best known work has Smith was succeeded by penciller John Buscema, while Thomas continued to write for many years. A penciller (or penciler) is one of a number of types of Artists working within the Comic book industry John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11 1927&ndashJanuary 10 2002 was an American Comic-book Artist and one of the mainstays Later writers included J.M. DeMatteis, Bruce Jones, Michael Fleisher, Doug Moench, Jim Owsley, Alan Zelenetz, Chuck Dixon, and Don Kraar. John Marc DeMatteis (born December 15 1953) is an American Writer of Comic books. Bruce Jones, whose Pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American Comic book Writer, Novelist Michael "Mike" Fleisher (born November 1 is an American Comic book writer Douglas "Doug" Moench (b 1948 is an American Comic book writer probably best known for his Batman work Alan Zelenetz is an American Film producer and Comic-book Writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for Charles "Chuck" Dixon (b 1954 is an American Comic book Writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the The highly successful Conan the Barbarian series spawned the more adult, black-and-white Savage Sword of Conan in 1974. Written by Roy Thomas and most art by John Buscema or Alfredo Alcala, the Savage Sword of Conan soon became one of the most popular comic series in the 1970s and is now-considered a cult classic. John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11 1927&ndashJanuary 10 2002 was an American Comic-book Artist and one of the mainstays Alfredo P Alcala ( August 23, 1925 - April 8, 2000) was a Filipino Comic book artist, born in Talisay Negros A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans.

The Marvel Conan stories were also adapted as a newspaper comic strip which appeared daily and Sunday from 4 September 1978 to 12 April 1981. A comic strip is a sequence of drawings that tells a story Currently in the Western world, most comic strips are written and drawn by a Comics artist Originally written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by John Buscema, the strip was continued by several different Marvel artists and writers.

For more details on this topic, see Conan (Marvel comics). Conan is a fictional Marvel Comics character based on Robert E

Dark Horse Comics began their comic adaptation of the Conan saga in 2003. Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest independent American Comic book publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics Entitled simply Conan, the series was first written by Kurt Busiek and pencilled by Cary Nord. Kurt Busiek (born September 16, 1960) is a Comic book Writer. Cary Nord is an artist noted for his work in Comic books He started his career with Superhero comics eventually becoming a regular artist for Marvel Tim Truman replaced Busiek when Busiek signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics; however, Busiek issues were sometimes used for filler. Timothy Truman (born February 9, 1956 in Gauley Bridge West Virginia) is an American Writer, Artist and Musician DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company This series is an interpretation of the original Conan material by Robert E. Howard with no connection whatsoever to the earlier Marvel comics or any Conan story not written or envisioned by Howard supplemented by wholly original material.

For more details on this topic, see Dark Horse Conan comics. Conan, the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E Howard, is the protagonist of two major comic series published by Dark Horse Comics

Games

Age of Conan, an MMORPG, released in May 2008.
Age of Conan, an MMORPG, released in May 2008. Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures is a fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG developed by the Norwegian computer A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with

Video games

Seven video games have been released based on the Conan mythos. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device.

Collectible card games

Role-playing games

Play-by-mail games

Characters

The following characters have prominent roles in the Conan mythos.

Copyright and trademark dispute

The name Conan and the names of Robert E. Howard's other principal characters are claimed as trademarked by Paradox Entertainment of Stockholm, Sweden, through its US subsidiary Paradox Entertainment Inc. Paradox Entertainment owns many intellectual properties the most famous of which is Conan the Barbarian as created by pulp author Robert E Paradox copyrights stories written by other authors under license from Conan Properties Inc.

However, since Robert E. Howard published his Conan stories at a time when the date of publication was the marker (1923 through 1963), any new owners failed to renew them to maintain the copyrights. [14] The exact status of all of Howard's Conan works are in question. [15]

The Australian site of Project Gutenberg has many Robert E. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works Howard stories, including several Conan stories. [16] This indicates that, in their opinion, the stories are free from copyright and may be used by anyone, at least under Australian law, which was 50 years from author's death until 2005. Subsequent stories written by other authors are subject to the copyright laws of the relevant time.

In the United Kingdom, 70 years after the death of an author his works fall into the public domain and as such the works of Robert E. Howard have now fallen into the public domain there.

Sources

Bibliography

Blosser, Fred (1997). "The Star Rover and "The People of the Night". The Dark Man #4: 16–18.  

Herron, Don, editor. (2004). The Barbaric Triumph. Wildside Press. ISBN 0-8095-1566-0.  

Herron, Don, editor. (1984). The Dark Barbarian. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-23281-4.  

Louinet, Patrice, editor. (2003). The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. Del Rey. ISBN 0-345-46151-7.  

Notes and references

  1. ^ Herron (1984). p. 149: "Robert E. Howard of Cross Plains, Texas, created one of the great mythic figures in modern popular culture, the Dark Barbarian… [which] put Howard in the select ranks of the literary legend-makers. Possiblities of movi coming out on September 17 2009: Ned Buntline, Alexandre Dumas, père, Mary Shelley, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dashiell Hammett, H. P. Lovecraft, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Ian Fleming. Ned Buntline ( March 20, c 1821 – July 16, 1886) was a Pseudonym of Edward Zane Carroll Judson ( E Mary Shelley ( Née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin; 30 August Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror Edgar Rice Burroughs ( September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author best known for his creation of the jungle hero Samuel Dashiell Hammett ( May 27, 1894 — January 10, 1961) was an American Author of Hardboiled detective Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy Ian Lancaster Fleming ( May 28, 1908 – August 12, 1964) was a British author, Journalist and Second World War "
  2. ^ a b c d e f Patrice Louinet. Hyborian Genesis: Part 1, pages 429 to 453, The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian; 2003, Del Rey. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is the first of a three volume set collecting the Conan stories by author Robert E
  3. ^ Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age essay adapted by Roy Thomas and Walt Simonson. Roy Thomas (born November 22 1940, Missouri, United States) is a Comic book Writer and editor, and Walter "Walt" Simonson (born September 2 1946) is an American Comic book writer and artist
  4. ^ Howard, Robert E., "The Phoenix on the Sword," The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (2003). Robert Ervin Howard ( January 22 1906 &ndash June 11 1936) was an American pulp writer of Fantasy, "The Phoenix on the Sword" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E
  5. ^ The Robert E. Howard United Press Association, David McAllister; selections from One More Barbarian #37.
  6. ^ Towson University, John L. Flynn; A Historical Overview of Heroes in Contemporary Works of Fantasy Literature.
  7. ^ Robert E. Howard. The Hour of the Dragon, pages 89 and 90, The Bloody Crown of Conan; 2005, Del Rey. The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a 1935 Fantasy novel written by Robert E
  8. ^ Patrice Louinet. Hyborian Genesis: Part 1, page 436, The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian; 2003, Del Rey.
  9. ^ Katz, Ephraim (2006). Film Encyclopedia. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060742143.  
  10. ^ Collis, Clark. "Empire Essay: The Terminator", Empire magazine. Retrieved on 2007-04-22. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.  
  11. ^ Goodbye Hollywood: Schwarzenegger becomes California governor.
  12. ^ Millennium wins rights to upcoming Conan film
  13. ^ Conan: Red Nails – Official film website
  14. ^ Paul Herman's research on the copyright status of Robert Howard's works
  15. ^ Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States at Cornell University
  16. ^ Robert E. Howard's stories on Project Gutenberg

External links

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