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Every sword-swinging fantasy protagonist of the 20th century owes a nod to Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Taking place in the mythical Hyborian Age, a time after Atlantis fell but before recorded history, Conan’s adventures portray him as a thief, a king, and everything in between. Behind the brutal battles lies a character that resonated deeply with fantasy enthusiasts, leading to adaptations in comics, video games, films, TV series, and animated shows over the past 80 years since his debut in the December 1932 issue of Weird Tales. So praise Crom, as we present 10 fascinating facts about Conan the Barbarian.
1. THE DEBUT CONAN STORY WAS A REIMAGINED KULL TALE.
Conan wasn’t Howard’s only barbarian creation. In 1929, he introduced Kull the Conqueror, a more “thoughtful” warrior who later inspired a 1997 film. Both characters share more than a creator and a preference for bare chests: the first published Conan story, “The Phoenix on the Sword,” was a reworked version of a rejected Kull story called “By This Axe I Rule!” Howard added supernatural elements and heightened action, crafting a tale that aligned with Weird Tales’ preferences and laid the groundwork for Conan’s enduring legacy.
2. A “PROTO-CONAN” STORY CAME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL DEBUT.
Months before Conan appeared in Weird Tales, Howard penned “People of the Dark” for Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror. The story follows John O’Brien, who experiences visions of his past life as a fierce, dark-haired warrior named Conan of the reavers. The term reave, derived from Old English, means to raid or plunder, aligning closely with the concept of a barbarian. Additionally, the tale mentions Crom, the Hyborian Age deity who later became a central figure in Conan’s lore. While not an official Conan story, it clearly laid the groundwork for the iconic character.
3. ROBERT E. HOWARD DIDN’T PLAN TO WRITE THE STORIES CHRONOLOGICALLY.
Howard took great care in crafting the world of Conan, as evidenced by his detailed 8600-word history of the Hyborian Age. However, he had no interest in telling the stories in a linear fashion. Conan’s first tale shows him as a king, while later stories jump between his exploits as a thief and a young adventurer.
Howard once clarified his approach: “When writing these stories, I felt less like their creator and more like a scribe recording Conan’s adventures as he recounted them to me. That’s why the tales skip around so much, lacking a strict timeline. Much like a real adventurer sharing tales of a wild life, Conan’s stories are told as they come to mind, spanning years and locations without a fixed order.”
4. THE H.P. LOVECRAFT MYTHOS SHARES MANY TIES WITH CONAN.
In the world of early 20th-century pulp magazines, H.P. Lovecraft was one of the few names as prominent as Robert E. Howard. Rather than rivals, the two were close friends who frequently exchanged letters. They shared story drafts, discussed thematic elements, and engaged in deep conversations about their craft. As Lovecraft’s mythos expanded, their works began to intertwine, with subtle influences appearing in each other’s stories.
In “The Phoenix on the Sword,” Howard hinted at “vast shadowy outlines of the Nameless Old Ones,” a possible nod to Lovecraft’s ancient deities. Patrice Louinet, editor of The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, noted that Howard’s early draft explicitly mentioned Lovecraft’s Old Ones, including Cthulhu.
Lovecraft, in turn, referenced Howard’s work in “The Shadow of Time,” where he introduced a character named Crom-Ya, described as a “Cimmerian chieftain,” a direct allusion to Conan’s homeland and deity. These connections are just a glimpse into the shared names, places, and ideas between their works. Whether these are playful homages or an early attempt at a shared universe is open to interpretation.
5. MANY OF HOWARD’S STORIES WERE LATER ADAPTED INTO CONAN TALES AFTER HIS DEATH.
Howard passed away at just 30, leaving fewer completed Conan stories than one might expect—and even fewer that were finalized and published. Despite this, Conan’s popularity has soared since the 1930s, prompting publishers to revisit Howard’s unfinished works. Over the years, writers and editors have revised and expanded his drafts, such as the fragment “The Snout in the Dark,” reimagined by Lin Carter and L. Sprague de Camp. Additionally, some of Howard’s non-Conan works were adapted into Conan tales, including every story in the 1955 Gnome Press collection Tales of Conan.
6. FRANK FRAZETTA’S CONAN ARTWORKS OFTEN FETCH MILLIONS.
The mental image many have of Conan is heavily influenced by Frank Frazetta’s iconic depictions. His portrayal of the barbarian—featuring bulging muscles, prominent veins, and dynamic swordplay—has become the definitive version for countless fans. However, this iconic look only emerged decades after Howard’s death, during reprints of the Conan stories.
“In 1966, Lancer Books released new paperback editions of Robert E. Howard’s Conan series, commissioning my grandfather to create the cover art,” says Sara Frazetta, owner of Frazetta Girls. Frazetta’s striking artwork played a pivotal role in attracting readers to Conan during the 1960s and 1970s. This impact is reflected in the art market, where his original painting for Conan the Conqueror sold for $1 million in 2012, followed by Conan the Destroyer, which fetched $1.5 million.
Despite his immense success, Frazetta’s granddaughter shared one lingering regret: “He always wished Robert E. Howard could have seen what he created with his character.”
7. MARVEL’S FIRST CONAN COMIC NEARLY ENDED AFTER JUST SEVEN ISSUES.
Marvel EntertainmentConan’s roots as a pulp magazine icon made him a perfect candidate for comics. In 1970, Marvel introduced Conan The Barbarian, written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith, marking the character’s first major comic series.
Despite being celebrated today as a standout of Marvel’s 1970s lineup, the series was on the verge of cancellation after only seven issues. While the first issue sold well, sales declined with each subsequent release, prompting Stan Lee, Marvel’s editor-in-chief at the time, to halt production after the seventh issue.
Thomas convinced Lee to give Conan another chance, this time releasing it bi-monthly instead of monthly. The strategy paid off, as sales rebounded, and the series continued until 1993, eventually returning to a monthly schedule. This resurgence also led to the creation of Savage Sword of Conan, a black-and-white magazine targeting adult readers, which enjoyed a successful run from 1974 to 1995.
8. OLIVER STONE PENNED A FOUR-HOUR, POST-APOCALYPTIC CONAN FILM.
The 1982 Conan film by John Milius is a sword-and-sorcery classic, but Oliver Stone’s initial script was vastly different. Stone’s version envisioned a post-apocalyptic world where Conan fought mutant creatures like pigs, insects, and hyenas. The film was intended to be the first installment in a 12-part series, inspired by the release pattern of the James Bond franchise.
The original producers planned to move forward with Stone’s script, with Stone co-directing alongside Ridley Scott, a rising special effects talent. However, they couldn’t secure the necessary backing. Facing challenges in finding a co-director and realizing the project’s ambitious scope, they sold the rights to Dino De Laurentiis, who brought Milius on board.
9. BARACK OBAMA IS A CONAN ENTHUSIAST (AND WAS ONCE DEPICTED AS A BARBARIAN).
In 2015, President Barack Obama sent a mass email to Organizing for Action members, encouraging them to share their community involvement stories—essentially, their origin stories. In the email, Obama shared his own origin story, giving a nod to a certain iconic barbarian.
“I grew up with a deep love for comic books. In my younger days, I was particularly drawn to Conan the Barbarian and Spiderman. As any comic enthusiast knows, every protagonist has an origin story—those pivotal, often unforeseen events that shape their destiny.”
This fun fact was first revealed in a 2008 Daily Telegraph article listing 50 things about the president. It inspired Devil’s Due Publishing to feature him in the 2009 comic series Barack the Barbarian, where he donned the classic loincloth and faced off against figures like Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney.
10. J.R.R. TOLKIEN WAS ALSO A FAN OF CONAN.
While J.R.R. Tolkien is often hailed as the father of modern fantasy, Howard holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. Though Tolkien’s works are often celebrated in academic circles, Howard’s stories are sometimes dismissed as less refined. However, quality recognizes quality. L. Sprague de Camp, who edited many Conan tales, recalled that Tolkien admitted he “rather liked” Howard’s Conan stories during a conversation. While Tolkien didn’t elaborate, and de Camp wasn’t sure which story he read (likely “Shadows in the Moonlight”), his endorsement carries significant weight.
