Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer), television programs (animated and live-action), video games, and role-playing games. Robert E. Howard created the character in 1932 for a series of fantasy stories published in Weird Tales magazine.
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". By 1932, Howard had officially conceptualized Conan; in his lifetime writing 21 stories starring the barbarian. Over the years many other writers have written works featuring Conan.
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 in the times after the fall of Atlantis. Conan is a Cimmerian, who are descendants of Atlanteans, and son to a blacksmith. Characterized as chivalric due to his penchant to save damsels in distress, Conan also displays a humorous nature and enduring loyalty. His main abilities encompass strength, combativeness, intelligence, agility, and endurance. The barbarian's appearance is mostly centered on his black hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and giant stature.
The most popular cinematic adaptation is the 1982 Conan the Barbarian directed by John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, in which the plot revolves around Conan facing the villainous Thulsa Doom. Licensed comics published in the 1970s by Marvel Comics drew success and included Conan in an iconic loincloth.
