Conan the Barbarian: The Primordial Landscape of 'Sword and Sorcery'
In the lineage of modern fantasy, if Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is the peak of “High Fantasy” based on ethics and history, Robert E. Howard’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ is the absolute source of “Sword and Sorcery (Heroic Fantasy)” where blood, violence, and raw vitality rule.
Conan was born as a fierce antithesis to “Civilization” that had lost its vitality and become corrupt through over-refinement.
1. Philosophy of Barbarism: Cutting Through the “Fat” of Civilization
The core of Conan’s stories is Howard’s vivid historical view that “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind, and civilization is but a temporary disease.” *The Cimmerian Barbarian : Coming from the frozen north, Conan is not bound by laws or morals. He believes only in his own desires and the “Truth of Steel (the sword).” He confronts weak nobles and corrupt city-states weaving conspiracies. *Solution through Overwhelming Power : To complex political and religious problems, Conan responds with overwhelming violence. This “Catharsis of Survival Instinct” is the secret to the explosive heat of the Heroic Fantasy genre.
2. The Hyborian Age: A “World of Magic” Continuous with Cthulhu
The “Hyborian Age,” the fictional past that serves as the setting for Conan’s adventures, is more than mere historical fantasy. *Link with Cthulhu Mythos : Author Howard was an ally of H.P. Lovecraft and they shared their story settings. In Conan’s world, Lovecraftian “unspeakable ancient evil gods” and “Cosmic Horror” exist naturally. *The Sorcerer as “Absolute Evil” : To Conan, magic is the tool of a coward who has abandoned training the body and made a pact with dark forces. His image of cutting down sorcerers depicts the moment human will triumphs over incomprehensible horror (Cosmic Horror) with nothing but the body.
3. Influence on the Modern Era: The Barbarian as “Unchanging Icon”
Born from pulp magazines in the 1930s, Conan quickly became an absolute icon of pop culture. *Establishing the Visual : Through the film version starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the image of a “semi-naked warrior swinging a giant sword” became fixed worldwide. *The “Warrior” Class in RPGs : The “Barbarian” class appearing in all RPGs starting with Dungeons & Dragons inherits Conan’s genes strongly, from ability to spirit.
4. Cultural Context: Why We Seek “Conan” Now
Modern society may have excluded “Barbarism” through too many rules and systems.
The wild energy of a character like Conan, who “cuts his own path through the world and seizes the crown with his own two hands,” awakens the “primal heat of living” that we have forgotten. Modern fantasy exists between two great poles: Tolkien’s quiet intellect and Conan’s wild violence.
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