Conan the Barbarian

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Conan the Barbarian

fictional character

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Conan the Barbarian, fictional hero of pulp novels, comic books, and films whose fantasy adventures take place in a prehistoric past. Conan is an adventurer-warrior from Cimmeria who lives in the Hyborian age, an era that supposedly follows the disappearance of the mythical continent of Atlantis. Conan was created by American writer Robert E. Howard and first appeared in short stories published in Weird Tales magazine in the early 1930s. Howard’s single extended-length Conan tale, which was serialized (1935–36) as “The Hour of the Wolf,” was published after his death as the first Conan novel, Conan the Conqueror (1950). Other previously serialized stories and unpublished story fragments were edited by various people and published as The Sword of Conan (1952), The Coming of Conan (1953), King Conan (1953), Conan the Barbarian (1954), and Tales of Conan (1955).

From 1970 Conan appeared in his own Marvel comic book, with Barry Windsor Smith and Roy Thomas as the first designer-illustrator and writer, respectively.

The films Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984), both starring the former bodybuilder and governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, contributed to the continuing popularity of the character. Another cinematic interpretation, also titled Conan the Barbarian, was released in 2011.

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sword

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sword

weapon

Also known as: glaive

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 28, 2025 • Article History

Key People:: Masamune; Alfred Hutton

Related Topics:: foil; rapier; gladius; court sword; scimitar

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sword, preeminent hand weapon through a long period of history. It consists of a metal blade varying in length, breadth, and configuration but longer than a dagger and fitted with a handle or hilt usually equipped with a guard. The sword became differentiated from the dagger during the Bronze Age (c. 3000 bce), when copper and bronze weapons were produced with long leaf-shaped blades and with hilts consisting of an extension of the blade in handle form. By Roman times the hilt was distinct from the short, flat blade, and by the Middle Ages the weapon had acquired its main basic forms. The heavy sword of medieval chivalry had a large hilt, often designed to be gripped in both hands, with a large protective guard or pommel at the top. The blade was straight, double-edged, and pointed; it was fabricated by repeated firing and hammering, a process that converted the iron into mild steel by the addition of a small amount of carbon. Blades were also made of laminated strips of iron, which were hammered together. Damascus was a renowned centre of the craft.

The changes in warfare associated with the introduction of firearms did not eliminate the sword but rather proliferated its types. The discarding of body armour made it necessary for the swordsman to be able to parry with his weapon, and the thrust-and-parry rapier came into use.

The advantage of a curved blade for cutting was early appreciated in Asia, where it was long used by the Indians, Persians, and others before its introduction to Europe by the Turks. The Turkish scimitar was modified in the West to the cavalry sabre. At the other extreme of Asia, the Japanese developed a long-bladed, slightly curved version with a two-handed grip, with which an elaborate dueling cult, as well as ancestor worship, became associated.