Editing Conan the Barbarian (section)

==Personality and character==
{{Quote box
| quote = 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."
| source = [[Robert E. Howard]], ''[[The Phoenix on the Sword]]'', 1932
| width = 40%
| bgcolor = 
}}

Conan is a [[Hyborian Age|Cimmerian]]. The writings of Robert E. Howard (particularly his essay "[[The Hyborian Age]]") suggests that his Cimmerians are based on the [[Celts]] or perhaps the historic [[Cimmerians]]. Conan was born on a battlefield and is the son of a village [[blacksmith]]. Conan matured quickly as a youth and, by age fifteen, he was already a respected [[warrior]] who had participated in the destruction of the [[Aquilonia (Conan)|Aquilonian]] fortress of Venarium.<ref>''Conan the Warrior'' (1935): "[[Beyond the Black River]]"</ref> After its demise, he was struck by wanderlust and began the adventures chronicled by Howard, encountering skulking monsters, evil [[Magicians in fantasy|wizard]]s, tavern wenches, and beautiful [[princess]]es. He roamed throughout the [[Hyborian Age]] nations as a thief, outlaw, mercenary, and pirate.<ref>''Conan the Cimmerian'': "[[Queen of the Black Coast]]" (1934)</ref> As he grew older, he began commanding vast units of warriors and escalating his ambitions. In his forties, he seized the crown from the tyrannical king of Aquilonia, the most powerful kingdom of the Hyborian Age, having strangled the previous ruler on the steps of his own throne.<ref>''Conan the Cimmerian'': "[[The Phoenix on the Sword]]" (1932)</ref> Conan's adventures often result in him performing heroic feats, though his motivation for doing so is largely to protect his own survival or for personal gain.

A conspicuous element of Conan's character is his [[chivalry]]. He is extremely reluctant to fight women (even when they fight him) and has a strong tendency to save a [[damsel in distress]]. In "[[Jewels of Gwahlur]]", he has to make a split-second decision whether to save the dancing girl Muriela or the chest of priceless gems which he spent months in search of. So, without hesitation, he rescues Muriela and allows for the treasure to be irrevocably lost. In "[[The Black Stranger]]", Conan saves the exile Zingaran Lady Belesa at considerable risk to himself, giving her as a parting gift his fortune in gems big enough to have a comfortable and wealthy life in Zingara, while asking for no favors in return. Reviewer Jennifer Bard also noted<ref>Dr. Jennifer Agatha Bard, "Gender Roles in Science Fiction and Fantasy", Bulletin of Gender Equality, Summer 1986.</ref> that when Conan is in a pirate crew or a robber gang led by another male, his tendency is to subvert and undermine the leader's authority, and eventually supplant (and often, kill) him (e.g. "[[The Pool of the Black One|Pool of the Black One]]", "[[A Witch Shall be Born]]", "[[Shadows in the Moonlight (story)|Shadows in the Moonlight]]"). Conversely, in "[[Queen of the Black Coast]]", it is noted that Conan "generally agreed to Belit's plan. Hers was the mind that directed their raids, his the arm that carried out her ideas. It was a good life." And at the end of "[[Red Nails]]", Conan and Valeria seem to be headed towards a reasonably amicable piratical partnership.

===Appearance===
[[File:Conan colors by rodrigokatrakas ddcrjw1-fullview.jpg|thumb|Fan art of Conan the Barbarian in his iconic loincloth]]

Conan has "sullen", "smoldering", and "volcanic" blue eyes with 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 to give him a more barbaric image, Howard describes the character as wearing whatever garb is typical for the kingdom and culture in which Conan finds himself. Howard never gave a strict height or weight for Conan in a story, only describing him in loose terms like "giant" and "massive".<ref>Howard, Robert E. "[[A Witch Shall Be Born]]": "the man was almost a giant in stature"; "Knots and bunches of muscle started out of the massive arms".</ref> In the tales, no human is ever described as being stronger than Conan, although a few are mentioned as taller (including the strangler, Baal-Pteor) or of larger bulk. In a letter to [[P. Schuyler Miller]] and [[John Drury Clark|John D. Clark]] in 1936, only three months before Howard's death, Conan is described as standing {{Convert|6|ft}} and weighing {{convert|180|lb}} when he takes part in an attack on Venarium at only 15 years old, though being far from fully grown. At one point, when he is meeting Juma in Kush, he describes Conan as tall as his friend, at nearly {{Convert|7|ft}} in height. Conan himself says in "[[Beyond the Black River]]" that he had "not yet seen 15 snows" at the Battle of Venarium: "At Vanarium he was already a formidable antagonist, though only fifteen, He stood six feet tall [1.83 m] and weighed 180 pounds [82 kg], though he lacked much of having his full growth."
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]]"). His skin is frequently characterized as bronzed from constant exposure to the sun. In his younger years, he is often depicted wearing a light [[Chain mail|chain]] shirt and a horned helmet, though appearances vary with different stories.

During his reign as king of Aquilonia, Conan was{{long quote|date=September 2023}}
::<blockquote>[...] 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 smoldered 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.<ref>Howard, Robert E. Howard ''[[The Hour of the Dragon]]'', reprinted ''The Bloody Crown of Conan'', pp. 89–90</ref></blockquote>

Howard [[Hyborian Age|imagined the Cimmerians]] as a [[pre-Celtic]] people with mostly black hair and blue or grey eyes. Ethnically, the Cimmerians to which Conan belongs are descendants of the [[Atlantis|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 [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]] would eventually be located. Thus they are (in Howard's work) the ancestors of the Irish and Scottish (the [[Celts|Celtic]] [[Gaels]]) and not the [[Picts]], the other ancestor of modern Scots who also appear in Howard's work. In the same work, Howard also described how the [[Cimmeria (Conan)|Cimmerians]] eventually moved south and east after the [[The Hyborian Age|age of Conan]] (presumably in the vicinity of the [[Black Sea]], where the [[Cimmerians|historical Cimmerians]] dwelt).

===Abilities===

Despite his brutish appearance, Conan uses his brains as well as his brawn. The Cimmerian is a highly skilled warrior, possibly without peer with a sword, but his travels have given him vast experience in other trades, especially as a [[Thief (character class)|thief]]. He's also a talented commander, tactician, and strategist, as well as a born leader. In addition, Conan has advanced knowledge of languages and codes and is able to recognize, or even decipher, certain ancient or secret signs and writings. For example, in "[[Jewels of Gwahlur]]" Howard states: "In his roaming about the world the giant adventurer had picked up a wide smattering of knowledge, particularly including the speaking and reading of many alien tongues. Many a sheltered scholar would have been astonished at the Cimmerian's linguistic abilities." He also has incredible stamina, enabling him to go without sleep for a few days. In "[[A Witch Shall be Born]]", Conan fights armed men until he is overwhelmed, captured, and [[crucified]], before going an entire night and day without water. However, Conan still possesses the strength to pull the nails from his feet, while hoisting himself into a horse's saddle and riding for ten miles.

Another noticeable trait is his sense of humor, 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".) His sense of humor can also be rather grimly ironic, as was demonstrated by how he unleashes his own version of justice on the treacherous—and ill-fated—innkeeper Aram Baksh in "[[Shadows in Zamboula]]".

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 a formidable combatant both armed and unarmed. With his back to the wall, 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]]". Conan is not superhuman, though; he needed the providential help of Zelata's wolf to defeat four Nemedian soldiers in Howard's novel ''[[The Hour of the Dragon]]''. Some of his hardest victories have come from fighting single opponents of inhuman strength: one such as Thak, an ape-like humanoid from "[[Rogues in the House]]", or the strangler Baal-Pteor in "Shadows in Zamboula". Conan is far from untouchable and has been captured or defeated several times (on one occasion, knocking himself out after drunkenly running into a wall).

===Influences===
{{main|Robert E. Howard}}
Howard frequently corresponded with [[H. P. Lovecraft]], and the two would sometimes insert references or elements of each other's settings in their works. 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]].<ref>Louinet, p. 436</ref> Additionally, many of the Conan stories by Howard, de Camp, and Carter used geographical place names from [[Clark Ashton Smith]]'s [[Hyperborean Cycle]].