Conan (Fictitious character)

Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936). He debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in Weird Tales magazine. After first appearing in pulp magazines, the character has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer), television programmes (animated and live action), video games, and role-playing games. The earliest appearance of a Robert E. Howard character named Conan was that of a black-haired barbarian with heroic attributes in the 1931 short story "People of the Dark". Howard wrote 21 stories featuring Conan in his lifetime. Many other writers have since written additional Conan stories over the years. Many Conan the Barbarian stories feature Conan embarking on heroic adventures filled with common fantasy elements such as princesses and wizards. Howard's mythopoeia has the stories set in the legendary Hyborian Age, set between the destruction of Atlantis and the beginning of recorded history. Conan is a Cimmerian, who are descendants of the Atlanteans and ancestors of the modern Gaels. Conan is himself a descendant of Kull of Atlantis (an earlier adventurer of Howard's). He was born on a battlefield and raised by his father, a blacksmith. Conan is characterized as chivalric due to his penchant to save damsels in distress and fight for causes that do not directly benefit him. He possesses great strength, combativeness, intelligence, agility, and endurance. The barbarian's appearance is iconic, with square-cut black hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and giant stature. Conan books increased in popularity thanks to covers painted by Frank Frazetta, which cemented the current popular appearance of Conan. Comics published in the 1970s by Marvel Comics drew further popularity to the character, introducing the now iconic image of Conan in his loincloth. The most popular cinematic adaptation is the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian directed by John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan.