# Origin of Conan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2004, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054 "2004-03-02T05:19:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZenMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c4cdca/32.png) [@ZenMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/1 "2004-03-02T05:19:13Z")
I was wondering what the oprigin of the character of Conan. i’ve heard numerous stories about him in numerous mediums (movies, comics, novels…). So who was he? Is there any factual evidence behind his existence? If not, where was this character originally published? thanks for your time. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/2 "2004-03-02T05:26:10Z")
Conan is the completely fictional creation of writer [Robert E. Howard](http://www.crossplains.com/howard/). ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/3 "2004-03-02T07:16:46Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Conan is the completely fictional creation of writer [Robert E. Howard](http://www.crossplains.com/howard/). And as to where Howard came up with the character, he said that Conan was a combination of the oil workers, gamblers and other tough guys that he met. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/4 "2004-03-02T12:10:38Z")
Just to carry this a little further, the Conan stories were originally published in the 1920s and 1930s by pulp magazines like **Weird Tales**. They would have vanished with a lot of other pulp, but they were so well written that fans gathered the stories together in as series of hardcover books published by Gnome Press in the early 1950s, with additions by L. Sprague de Camp and others. de Camp, Lin Carter, and Bjorn Nyberg wrote more Conan stories for the pulp magazines in the 1950s and 1960s, and in the late 1960s Lancer books started printing a series of Conan books. There would’ve been 12 of these, with stories by Howard, stories by Howard about other people rewritten by de Camp to star Conan, and stories by de Camp, Carter,m and Nyberg. Lancer published 11 of these before going bankrupt in the early 1970s. Sphere books in Britain then published these 11 violumes, until about 1977 when Ace books published them in this country, finally adding the twelfth book. In 1970 Marvel comics started publishing a **Conan the Barbarian** comic, originally written by Roy Thomas and drawn by Barry Smith (later Barry Windsor-Smith). Smith/Windsor Smith stopped after the first 17 issues or so, but I think he was the best overall artist. John Buscema took over after him, and there have been others since. Marvel also published a large black and white “adult” magazine, {b]Savage Tales\*\*, which featured Conan stories with a little nudity. After three issues, they split Conan off into his own mag, Savage Stories of Conan. I’m sure the Marvel series added to his popularity. After the publication of the twelfth Conan book, they decided to keep doing more, so authors like Karl Taylor Wagner added new stories that didn’t necessarily fit into the timeline defined by that first series of twelve books. There have been a lot of Conan books since. There were the two movies with Arnold Schwartzeneggar in the 1980s, as well. Dark Horse comics has just started a new Conan comic book, and evidently Del Rey books is reprinting the Conan stories and outlines, without the additions and changes of deCamp and others, for the first time in 70 or so years. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/5 "2004-03-02T12:22:58Z")
By the way, Conan the Barbarian wasn’t the only character Howard wrote about named “Conan”. The name shows up on other, unrelated characters in his short fiction. He must’ve liked the name. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/6 "2004-03-02T13:29:23Z")
> [@](#): > > like Karl Taylor Wagner We all know you meant Karl _Edward_ Wagner… And **Wandering Star** are also publishing a series of deluxe hardbacks collecting Howard’s original stories. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/7 "2004-03-02T13:49:11Z")
Conan was tapped to do _Late Night_ after Letterman jumped to CBS for an 11:30 slot and more money. I have no idea how he got a hosting job when his previous experience had been behind the scenes writing and producing but it seems to have worked out pretty well. Oh come on…_Somebody_ had to do it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/8 "2004-03-02T15:08:37Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > And as to where Howard came up with the character, he said that Conan was a combination of the oil workers, gamblers and other tough guys that he met. Conan was also very autobiographical. Howard himself reached 6 feet by his 15th birthday, & his physical build & skill at boxing made the town bully, a full-grown man, step out of his way. Bob Howard was _fierce_, & not too many people in West Texas were dumb enough to mess with him. Some fictional characters seem lifelike–Conan the Barbarian gets up off the page and _breathes on you!_ Thus, the Tale begins in the _Nemedian Chronicles_ – > [@](#): > > “… Know, O Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars - Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. 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 jewelled thrones of the earth under his sandaled feet…” I love this series so! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/9 "2004-03-02T23:41:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > After three issues, they split Conan off into his own mag, Savage Stories of Conan. I believe you’re mean to The Savage Sword of Conan. As I’ve noted in antother thread, Howard cribbed from history to give his stories a greater continuity/realism without cluttering them with the “historical” sorts of exposition that clutters much fantasy fiction. There’s an essay in the COMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN collection (the one referred to above) where the essayist notes that Conan was not only a “reimagining” of the character Kull (indeed, the first Conan story, “The Phoenix on the Sword” was a rewrite of a Kull story that didn’t sell, but that “Conan the Reaver” was mentioned in an earlier Howard story. There’s a also a section on Bullfinch mentioning a Welsh ruler by the name of Conan. There’s also mention of the land Cimmeria. ---
**Author:** ![ZenMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c4cdca/32.png) [@ZenMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenMonkey)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/10 "2004-03-03T00:06:17Z")
thbaks guys that helped a whole lot. Here’s another: Was Conan originally blonde (as in the movie)? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/11 "2004-03-03T00:08:49Z")
The earlier thread that **Chairman Pow** just alluded to on whether or not Cimmeria existed: > **[Conan of Cimmeria. Did his country ever really exist](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=239005)** > > I was searching the web looking for any info I could find on this "fictitous"country and found nothing. I could have sworn that somewhere in my not so distant past, I ran across some article somewhere that stated this country actually exists... And as **CP** also alluded to, the name “Conan” is apparently Celtic in origin. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/12 "2004-03-03T00:30:34Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > Conan was tapped to do _Late Night_ after Letterman jumped to CBS for an 11:30 slot and more money. I have no idea how he got a hosting job when his previous experience had been behind the scenes writing and producing but it seems to have worked out pretty well. > > Oh come on…_Somebody_ had to do it! 😃 Okay, now what’s the origin of the Masturbating Bear? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/13 "2004-03-03T00:48:20Z")
> [@ZenMonkey](#): > > thbaks guys that helped a whole lot. Here’s another: > Was Conan originally blonde (as in the movie)? Bosda’s quote just a few posts up from yours describes him as black-haired. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/14 "2004-03-03T02:32:42Z")
The origin of the character himself is mentioned in a couple of stories: he was a Cimmerian, which were a loose confederation of barbarian tribes. He first distinguished himself as a teen, fighting with a group of tribes who overran a civilized outpost near their lands, thus keeping civilization comfortably distant. He apparently turned into a mercenary/thief/adventurer after that first taste of looting and such. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/15 "2004-03-03T04:12:40Z")
> [@ZenMonkey](#): > > thbaks guys that helped a whole lot. Here’s another: > Was Conan originally blonde (as in the movie)? Nope. Not to be rude, but you could find out the answers to these questions by reading the stories yourself. I’m getting the feeling that I’m helping out a book report… Not that I mind, mind you, but let me say that the stories are quite nice (and dare say, one’s even good!), if you get a chance, pick up the collection mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/16 "2004-03-03T06:58:32Z")
There were several Celtic Conans: from the Encyclopedia of the celts: CONAN Conan Meriadoc became the first ruler of Brittany, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth (# 243). Gallet claims that he is one of Arthur’s ancestors. # 55 - 156 - 243 CONAN MAC LIA Son of Lia, lord of Luachar; Finn makes a covenant with Conan mac Lia. # 562 CONAN MAOL One of the Fianna. Like Bricriu of the Red Branch Knights and Kay (Cai) of the Round Table Knights, Conan was the thorn in the side of his fellows, yet he performed many reckless deeds in their honour. He mounted the horse of the Giolla Deacair, and went to Tir na Tairngire until he was rescued by Fionn. # 267 - 454 - 467 - 504 CONANN Fomorian king. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/17 "2004-03-03T07:24:07Z")
oops- a link to said encyclopedia: [http://celt.net/Celtic/celtopedia/c.html](http://celt.net/Celtic/celtopedia/c.html) oh yes, and Arthur Conan Doyle- don’t forget him… ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/18 "2004-03-03T08:49:36Z")
Conan (and affiliated allies and villains) [also made a few appearences](http://www.gottawiz.com/images/Comics/Marvel/What_If/VOL_II/what_if_16.jpg) in the mainstream Marvel Comics universe, way back when. Now that Marvel doesn’t have the rights anymore, you’ll likely never hear any more of it, but it’s still in comic history. So…every Spider-Man or X-Men comic you see technically takes place on an Earth that once knew the Hyborian era—the time of high adventure! Ranchoth (Hey, it’s still a lot better than the [Superman/He-Man crossover.](http://www.he-man.de/comics/classic/pic/c_us_dc00.jpg)) ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/19 "2004-03-03T12:26:16Z")
It’s also worth noting that, due to Howard’s friendship with H.P. Lovecraft, and their exchanges of ideas via the mail, Howard and Lovecraft sneaked little references to each other’s work into some of their stories. Conan is, therefore, technically a part of the Cthulhu Mythos! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2004, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054/20 "2004-03-03T12:41:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Conan (and affiliated allies and villains) also made a few appearences in the mainstream Marvel Comics universe, way back when. > > Now that Marvel doesn’t have the rights anymore, you’ll likely never hear any more of it, but it’s still in comic history. Look at my post way up at the top. Conan was never, I think, part of the Marvel “continuity” series – he never appeared in the Spiderman “Universe” (although Marvel did do a couple of issues where Conan finds himself in modern New York). > [@](#): > > It’s also worth noting that, due to Howard’s friendship with H.P. Lovecraft, and their exchanges of ideas via the mail, Howard and Lovecraft sneaked little references to each other’s work into some of their stories. > > Conan is, therefore, technically a part of the Cthulhu Mythos! Although Howard contributed at Lovecraft’s mythos with a few stories (“THe Curse of the Monolith”, or whatever), and contributed another book title to Lovecraft’s list of “forbidden” books (I think his was “De Vermis Mysteriis”), Howard never set any Conan story in the Cthulhu mythos universe, or included any reference to that universe in his Conan stories, so Conan _isn’t_ “technically part of the Cthulhu mythos”. Howard’s Conan stories aren’t part of either the Marvel universe or the Cthulhu mythos. Surprising, really, considering how easily such posthumous grafts can be made. The Marvel “Conan” stories _did_ combine Conan with Michael Moorcock’s “Elric of Melnibone” series, and the Prester John novel “Flame Winds”, however. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-conan/232054.md?page=2)