Article

2006-12-13 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Conan the Barbarian was first a literary figure.

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Mike 2006-12-13 07:20|| || Front Page|| [13 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Conan, yes, but Howard wrote dark fantasy too (he was a friend of HPL and had his part in the making of the Cthulhu mythos, notably the Serpent people.

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-13 08:05|| 2006-12-13 08:05|| Front Page Top

#2 Wrote also many other stuff in addition to Conan, he was very prolific, western, boxing tales, pulps mystery novels,... he created other great heroic fantasy characters (Kull notably, Solomon Kane, Red Sonja...),... I'm by no means knowledgeable about his writing bar the novels I own and enjoy, but he sure was a man whose work I really liked as a kid.
Large cover by Nicollet.

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-13 08:16|| 2006-12-13 08:16|| Front Page Top

#3 And while I'm looking for pics, you've got Frazetta's take on old' Conan...

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-13 08:20|| 2006-12-13 08:20|| Front Page Top

#4 Hum, I can't seem to find the next best pic of Conan I know of, that is him brooding with his chin rested on the pommel of his sword, as drawn by John Buscema, at least in a correct version.

Only this

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-13 08:28|| 2006-12-13 08:28|| Front Page Top

#5 Conan, yes, but Howard wrote dark fantasy too (he was a friend of HPL and had his part in the making of the Cthulhu mythos, notably the Serpent people.

I believe Conan is TECHNICALLY part of the Cthulhu mythos, with a number of Mythos creatures mentioned in the Conan stories and at least one Conan reference in Lovecraft's works. The critter in "The Tower of the Elephant" was definitely cut from the Mythos mold, if not as malevolent as the rest.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2006-12-13 11:58|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2006-12-13 11:58|| Front Page Top

#6 Except for nobody having heard about Ctlhu in the many Conan novels I have read, except fotr the fact it takes place milleniums before the Ctulhu tales and except for the fact their spirit is completely different: in teh Ctulhu mythos humans are hunted by the minions of Ctulhu minions while Conan spends his time hacking them to pieces and even in a couple of occasions evil Gods or demigods.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2006-12-13 12:22|| 2006-12-13 12:22|| Front Page Top

#7 The "Chtulhu mythos" was made a posteriori, and the writings of Robert Howard and Clark Asthon Smith, both friends of Lovecraft who would play "private jokes" in each other's books, by dropping names or mentioning places, are indeed canon.
But, it's right there's no mention of Cthulhu or whatever in Howard, and the feeling is quite different (as the writers themselves).

IIRc, the big thing is the Serpent people and Yig, created by Howard for Kull, "appropriated" by HPL as obscure references, and later incorporated into the Mythos. I'm not really in top Mythos form (last time I took an online test, I got a 70+% only, tsk, tsk), but I think Mr. Crawford is right (Conan's per-recorded History, post-sinking of Atlantis times are Mythos canonical).

Posted by anonymous5089 2006-12-13 12:54|| 2006-12-13 12:54|| Front Page Top

#8 Odd footnote: This writer of heroic fantasy lived at home with Mom and was so depressed when she died, he committed suicide....

Posted by Glesing Chaiting1369 2006-12-13 18:24|| 2006-12-13 18:24|| Front Page Top

#9 The "Chtulhu mythos" was made a posteriori, and the writings of Robert Howard and Clark Asthon Smith, both friends of Lovecraft who would play "private jokes" in each other's books, by dropping names or mentioning places, are indeed canon.

Lovecraft got involved in that, too. I've got a lot of the collections of stories that try to identify the influences on Lovecraft, and he dropped lots of references to other authors, including his correspondents, into his stories.

But, it's right there's no mention of Cthulhu or whatever in Howard, and the feeling is quite different (as the writers themselves).

No mention of Cthulhu himself, from what I recall, but mention of other Mythos figures. Been a while since I read them, so I can't remember exactly who.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2006-12-13 20:26|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2006-12-13 20:26|| Front Page Top

20:01 Rob06
06:12 Bright Pebbles in Blairistan
23:57 CrazyFool
23:54 CrazyFool
23:51 Thoth
23:48 JosephMendiola
23:34 trailing wife
23:30 JosephMendiola
23:17 JosephMendiola
23:10 JosephMendiola
23:04 JosephMendiola
23:03 RD
23:02 rjschwarz
23:01 Mike N.
22:54 .com
22:51 ed
22:51 RD
22:48 .com
22:46 JosephMendiola
22:43 RD
22:43 .com
22:29 .com
22:29 OldSpook
22:22 OldSpook