What Makes Conan, Conan? Part 1

"If the beast had lived a second longer, it would surely have dismembered him. But the Cimmerian's mighty strength had resisted, for the fleeting instant it had endured, the dying convulsion of the ape that would have torn a lesser man limb from limb."
The Hour of the Dragon, Robert E. Howard

Some of Conan's biggest traits appear to us in the forms of his savage strength and unerring instincts. Displaying a tremendous amount of confidence and fearlessness, the Cimmerian's constant pursuit of adventure often put him in the midst of great peril. And in these moments, Conan's resolve, intelligence, and unwavering courage shone through adversity with great intensity. In "Red Nails" Conan confidently states "Well, if we're not to starve to death on this rock, I'll just have to kill the dragon." That's a strong statement. In the events of Robert E. Howard's "The Tower of the Elephant", we read about a young and naive Cimmerian adventurer inquiring about the tower's treasure and secrets. Hearing a Kothian speaking of it, Conan approaches for more information. The Kothian laughs at Conan, and Howard states that Conan is just a little too new to civilization to understand the Kothian's true discourtesies.

"Listen to him!" he shouted jeeringly. "The barbarian is an eagle who would fly to the jeweled rim of the tower, which is only a hundred and fifty feet above the earth, with rounded sides slicker than polished glass!"
 
 

Conan, now beginning to sense the mockery tells the man, "There is always a way, if the desire be coupled with courage," answered the Cimmerian shortly, nettled.

Only after the man threatens to kill Conan do we see an example of Conan's savage instincts and strength surface. Howard states that "The Cimmerian, with the unerring instinct of the barbarian, had killed his man in the darkness and confusion."

Later, Conan and Taurus team up inside the gardens of the tower, and again we see that Conan's savage instincts save his life.

"It was Conan's savage instinct which made him wheel suddenly; for the death that was upon them made no sound. A fleeting glimpse showed the Cimmerian the giant tawny shape, rearing upright against the stars, towering over him for the death-stroke. No civilized man could have moved half so quickly as the barbarian moved. His sword flashed frostily in the starlight with every ounce of desperate nerve and thew behind it, and man and beast went down together."

Conan's instinct was the fire in his soul, a fire that burned hot from his birth on a battlefield in harsh Cimmeria. The hardiness of the mountain man and stamina of the tiger was ever present with The Cimmerian. In "The Frost Giant's Daughter", Conan meets Atali after a battle with warriors from Vanaheim. Atali taunts and teases Conan with mockery, and tempts him into following her across the frozen waste. Conan, exhausted from battle, gives chase.

"Out across the white blinding plain the chase led. The trampled red field fell out of sight behind him, but still Conan kept on with the silent tenacity of his race. His mailed feet broke through the frozen crust; he sank deep in the drifts and forged through them by sheer strength."

And, after a great chase and battle with two frost giants, Conan caught "The Frost Giant's Daughter".

In "Jewels of Gwahlur", Conan's strength and stamina are once again witnessed as the mighty barbarian climbs the Cliffs of Alkemeenon. According to legend, no man had ever climbed these cliffs, and only the priests knew the secret entrance into the valley. Conan did not waste time looking for it.

"He labored like one driven by the necessity of haste; yet he was forced to move at a snail's pace, clinging like a fly on a wall. His groping hands and feet found niches and knobs, precarious holds at best, and sometimes he virtually hung by his finger nails. Yet upward he went, clawing, squirming, fighting for every foot. At times he paused to rest his aching muscles, and, shaking the sweat out of his eyes, twisted his head to stare searchingly out over the jungle, combing the green expanse for any trace of human life or motion."

Murilo, a young nobleman in "Rogues in the House" pays a visit to Conan, chained down in a dungeon. The idea was to hire a common man to perform an assassination, ridding the city of Nabonidus, the Red Priest. Upon seeing the Cimmerian, Murilo knew that this was no ordinary man born to civilization.

"Even in the dim light of the dungeon, with his limbs loaded with chains, the primitive power of the man was evident. His mighty body and thick-muscled limbs combined the strength of a grizzly with the quickness of a panther. Under his tangled black mane his blue eyes blazed with unquenchable savagery."