The Origins of Conan The Barbarian
He’s a hulking figure with brains and brawn in an ancient world of sword and sorcery. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be taking a look at the origins of Conan.
Conan the Barbarian, originally known as “Conan The Cimmerian”, was created by writer Robert E. Howard in 1932, and made his debut within the American fantasy and horror magazine “Weird Tales.”
Baring many similarities to Howard’s earlier character Kull of Atlantis, Conan emerged in the short story “The Phoenix of the Sword.” Depicted as a black-haired warrior with piercing blue eyes, this incredibly intelligent warrior spoke multiple languages, showcased unparalleled cunning, a savage fighting style and deep-seeded love of freedom. More importantly, he carried out heroic deeds while worshipping the fictitious Cimmerian god Crom during the pre-historic and mythical Hyborian age.
Interestingly, Conan was first showcased as the middle-aged king of Aquilonia. In subsequent stories, Conan was transported to the many pivotal events of his lifetime. These included his adventures as a barbarian in the northern fringes of the world, and his time as a thief in the civilized city of Numalia.
The actual birth of Conan was told to have taken place during a battle between his tribe and a horde of raiding Vanir. Following this deadly confrontation, Conan was raised as a fearsome warrior under the watchful eyes of his people, and fed tales of his grandfather’s glorious raids into the surrounding Hyborian nations.
Because of this, Conan lusted for the chance to venture off and return with fantastic treasures, and tales of sumptuous women. Regardless of his less than pure intentions, Conan would often find himself confronting cruel forces that would strike upon the innocent.
Despite his well-developed literary history, Conan became well known in popular culture due to a far different interpretation of the character. This is due to his portrayal as a fur-clad, dim-witted and hyper-muscular hero in two 1980s action flicks starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In this super-human re-interpretation of the character, Conan was made the victim of his village having been massacred, and placed into a life of slavery. Forced to push a grain thresher called “the wheel of Pain” for several years, Conan became a hulking man. Later, he was trained as an arena fighter with a deep-rooted lust for revenge, before being freed by his master. Following this, he discovered the tomb and sword of the dead Atlantean king, and was prophesized to become a future king himself.
In 2011, the character returned to the silver screen in an all-new interpretation of the mythology, starring a much sleeker Jason Momoa. However, this Conan would similarly find himself the victim of his home having been destroyed, before seeking out retribution on those responsible.
Crom’s greatest warrior, Conan is a Barbarian with the ability to bring down entire civilizations, all through cleaving the skulls of his enemies. The world’s most recognizable Barbarian, this character continues to spawn gripping adventures several decades after his appearance.
