309 replies to this topic

[deuce]

Many of us erroneously picture him as some huge, smoothly muscled Frazetta type. But he was actually a very hairy man. Many of us overlook REHs description of Conan in one story as having a massive, hairy chest.

Frazetta depicted Conan as hairy-chested at least once. Good point about the several mentions of Conan's hairy chest, however.

[duaneshadow]

I had a letter printed in th DH Conan about this very subject. I objected to the sight of him looking like a porn star with a waxed chest. I couldn't believe it got printed

[deuce]

I had a letter printed in th DH Conan about this very subject. I objected to the sight of him looking like a porn star with a waxed chest. I couldn't believe it got printed

I can understand that hairiness can be tricky to depict, but a hairy chest really isn't that tough. I remember a Kerry Gammill pin-up from SSoC that showed Conan that way. Looked fine.

[Fernando]

THE COMMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN, p. 397:

Conan grinned fiercely and involuntarily touched the various scars on his clean shaven face.
?By Mitra, had you spent your youth on the northern borders of Cimmeria, you had realized they are anything but fabulous! Asgard lies to the north, and Vanaheim to the northwest, of Cimmeria, and there is continual war along the borders. These people are tall and fair and blue-eyed, and of like blood and language, save that the Aesir have yellow hair and the Vanir, red hair. They are great ale drinkers and fighters; they fight all day and drink ale and roar their wild songs all night. Their chief god is the frost-giant Ymir, and they own no over-king, but each tribe has its war-chief.?

[deuce]

THE COMMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN, p. 397:

Conan grinned fiercely and involuntarily touched the various scars on his clean shaven face.
"By Mitra, had you spent your youth on the northern borders of Cimmeria, you had realized they are anything but fabulous! Asgard lies to the north, and Vanaheim to the northwest, of Cimmeria, and there is continual war along the borders. These people are tall and fair and blue-eyed, and of like blood and language, save that the Aesir have yellow hair and the Vanir, red hair. They are great ale drinkers and fighters; they fight all day and drink ale and roar their wild songs all night. Their chief god is the frost-giant Ymir, and they own no over-king, but each tribe has its war-chief."

Right on, Fernando. "Clean shaven" does NOT equal "beardless". If someone happened to read all of the Cormac Mac Art yarns except "Tigers of the Sea", then they might NEVER know that REH's Irish Gaelic reaver (ie, descended from the "pure-blooded Cimmerian clans") from Connaght actually had to shave.

Case closed, IMO.

[deuce]

I'll have to agree THIS TIME ( ) with Arthyron !

Having myself long hair, there are many tricks to escape when held tightly

Also, don't forget that hair "ruins" a blade's edge and consirably slows a sword strike aimed at a neck if the blow wasn't quick enough: it wasn't uncommon for some swordsmen to have their weapon stuck in the neck. Indentation on blades is not only due to the them hitting bones, but also due to human hair.
Why did prisoners have their ponytails cut before being executed with the Guillotine? Because there was the risk of having the blade jammed halfway through.

Exactly. You and Arthyron are right, Krommtaar. PB and myself had this discussion a while back. When I was a "longhair" (that would be a span of 20yrs), I never lost a streetfight. The "received wisdom" about long hair/beards being a detriment in combat is largely a myth, in my experience.

[Stevewatto]

<snip>
Later came crude razors made from copper and other metals. When the Danish Mound Graves were unearthed in Scandinavia, archeologists discovered leather-sheathed razors etched with mythological scenes. The ancient Egyptians shaved both their beards and their heads, and the Romans continued the tradition. They prodded their soldiers to shave to prevent their enemies from grabbing their hair during combat. Even the Bible states Job shaved his head to show his dedication to God. As the custom of shaving spread throughout the world, men from regions who did not practice the art were called "barbarians" or "the un-barbered."
<endsnip>



Barbarian

There is something wrong with a man that shaves any part of his body besides his face. WE ARE MEN. SO BE A MAN AND BE HAIRY. Maybe I only feel this way because I have a good bit myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Right! Shaving is acceptable only in some sports (such as swimming or bodybuilding) where it's necessary to see or move the body in certain ways. Otherwise, if someone is hairy (as Jaybird or myself are) he should be proud of it!

Sorry to jump into this a little late but I've just signed up and have been going through all of the brilliant discussion on this
site!
Anyway some of you may find it interesting to learn that the male inhabitants of Britain (I won't use the word 'Celt') at c.50 BC were described thus;

'They wear their hair long, and have every part of their body shaved except their head and upper lip'

-Source: The Gallic Wars V, by Julius Caesar

[Dark Mark]

I grew up in the North of England (Cimmeria) and proudly sported long hair and a tash which was worn by many a young Yorkshire warrior in my day as an outward sign of his prowess and virility. Some traditions die hard.

[Skullface]

Ok read the whole thread. no one pointed out that a helmut pushed down over long bangs in front would put your hair right in your eyes.Also a beard would be a pain if you had a stap on the helm.
I think the whole REH animal like description thing covers the "black mane"
He was always using it to draw out a mental image of power.

[Amra_the_Lion]

Ok read the whole thread. no one pointed out that a helmut pushed down over long bangs in front would put your hair right in your eyes.Also a beard would be a pain if you had a stap on the helm.
I think the whole REH animal like description thing covers the "black mane"
He was always using it to draw out a mental image of power.

His hair is visible even under a helmet.

"Under the horned helmet a square cut black mane contrasted with smoldering blue eyes.? -Queen of the Black Coast

It is probable that he has longer bangs based on these quotes.

"From under a mop of unruly black hair smoldered a pair of dangerous blue eyes.? ? The God in the Bowl

"a shock of tousled black hair crowned his broad forehead."-The Tower of the Elephant

"Under his tangled black man his blue eyes blazed with unquenchable savagery.? ? Rogues in the House

"A low broad forehead was topped by a square-cut tousled mane as black as a raven?s wing.? ?Black Colossus

"The perspiration of agony beaded his face and his mighty breast, but from under the tangled black mane that fell over his low, broad forehead, his blue eyes blazed with an unquenchable fire.? ? A Witch Shall Be Born

?The Cimmerian growled wordlessly, glaring truculently at the surrounding waste, with outthrust jaw, and blue eyes smoldering savagely from under his black tousled mane, as if the desert was a tangible enemy.? ? Xuthal of the Dusk

?So formidable was his appearance, naked but for short leather breeks and sleeveless shirt, open to reveal his great, hairy chest, with his huge limbs and his blue eyes blazing under his tangled black mane, that the squire shrank back, more afraid of his king than of the whole Nemedian host.? ? The Hour of the Dragon

I think that his hair is probably a good deal shorter than how it is normally depicted other than when his hair grew long during his wanderings in The Hour of the Dragon. I would say the length of the back is between the jawline and to the tops of his shoulders, but not down his back. I think the multiple references to his mane are not just a nod to his animalistic nature but a description of a large volume of hair appearing like a lion's mane.

"His heavy brown arms were folded, his black hair, grown long in his wanderings, blew in the wind. A wilder and more
barbaric figure never trod the bridge of a ship, and in this ferocious corsair few of the courtiers of Aquilonia would have recognized their king." - The Hour of the Dragon

?It was there, in the corner,? muttered the king, tossing his lion-maned head from side to side in his efforts to rise." - The Hour of the Dragon

[Fernando]

I think that his hair is probably a good deal shorter than how it is normally depicted other than when his hair grew long during his wanderings in The Hour of the Dragon. I would say the length of the back is between the jawline and to the tops of his shoulders, but not down his back. I think the multiple references to his mane are not just a nod to his animalistic nature but a description of a large volume of hair appearing like a lion's mane.

May I assume Conan's mane was like William Smith's one, when the actor played Conan's father in Conan The Barbarian - and only sometimes longer?

Edited by Fernando, 25 January 2011 - 05:40 PM.

[Amra_the_Lion]

May I assume Conan's mane was like William Smith's one, when the actor played Conan's father in Conan The Barbarian - and only sometimes longer?

Much as I hate to reference the pastiche Conan the Barbarian film (which I enjoy as a film not as a Howard Conan representation), yes it would be sort of like that.

[Cuchulain]

May I assume Conan's mane was like William Smith's one, when the actor played Conan's father in Conan The Barbarian - and only sometimes longer?

Much as I hate to reference the pastiche Conan the Barbarian film (which I enjoy as a film not as a Howard Conan representation), yes it would be sort of like that.

Something like this
Like This

[Fernando]

May I assume Conan's mane was like William Smith's one, when the actor played Conan's father in Conan The Barbarian - and only sometimes longer?

Much as I hate to reference the pastiche Conan the Barbarian film (which I enjoy as a film not as a Howard Conan representation), yes it would be sort of like that.

Thank you, Amra! BTW, Conan's hair became - sometimes, too, AFAIK - shorter, as shown in TDiI:

As he [Conan] reached for his sword, this ceased and he heard a strange, slobbering mouthing that prickled the short hairs on his scalp.

[Cuchulain]

Ok read the whole thread. no one pointed out that a helmut pushed down over long bangs in front would put your hair right in your eyes.Also a beard would be a pain if you had a stap on the helm.
I think the whole REH animal like description thing covers the "black mane"
He was always using it to draw out a mental image of power.

His hair is visible even under a helmet.

"Under the horned helmet a square cut black mane contrasted with smoldering blue eyes.? -Queen of the Black Coast

It is probable that he has longer bangs based on these quotes.

"From under a mop of unruly black hair smoldered a pair of dangerous blue eyes.? ? The God in the Bowl

"a shock of tousled black hair crowned his broad forehead."-The Tower of the Elephant

"Under his tangled black man his blue eyes blazed with unquenchable savagery.? ? Rogues in the House

"A low broad forehead was topped by a square-cut tousled mane as black as a raven?s wing.? ?Black Colossus

"The perspiration of agony beaded his face and his mighty breast, but from under the tangled black mane that fell over his low, broad forehead, his blue eyes blazed with an unquenchable fire.? ? A Witch Shall Be Born

?The Cimmerian growled wordlessly, glaring truculently at the surrounding waste, with outthrust jaw, and blue eyes smoldering savagely from under his black tousled mane, as if the desert was a tangible enemy.? ? Xuthal of the Dusk

?So formidable was his appearance, naked but for short leather breeks and sleeveless shirt, open to reveal his great, hairy chest, with his huge limbs and his blue eyes blazing under his tangled black mane, that the squire shrank back, more afraid of his king than of the whole Nemedian host.? ? The Hour of the Dragon

I think that his hair is probably a good deal shorter than how it is normally depicted other than when his hair grew long during his wanderings in The Hour of the Dragon. I would say the length of the back is between the jawline and to the tops of his shoulders, but not down his back. I think the multiple references to his mane are not just a nod to his animalistic nature but a description of a large volume of hair appearing like a lion's mane.

"His heavy brown arms were folded, his black hair, grown long in his wanderings, blew in the wind. A wilder and more
barbaric figure never trod the bridge of a ship, and in this ferocious corsair few of the courtiers of Aquilonia would have recognized their king." - The Hour of the Dragon

?It was there, in the corner,? muttered the king, tossing his lion-maned head from side to side in his efforts to rise." - The Hour of the Dragon

or maybe like this

just curious to what put you in mind of a lions mane? I like the idea and had not thought it to look like that.

[Amra_the_Lion]

Something like this
Like This

Maybe but the brows need to be visible as his eyes are mentioned as scowling from under his black brows multiple times.

To please Fernando here is William Smith as Conan's dad in Conan the Barbarian that he was talking about:

[Amra_the_Lion]

just curious to what put you in mind of a lions mane? I like the idea and had not thought it to look like that.

?It was there, in the corner,? muttered the king, tossing his lion-maned head from side to side in his efforts to rise." - The Hour of the Dragon

[Cuchulain]

just curious to what put you in mind of a lions mane? I like the idea and had not thought it to look like that.

?It was there, in the corner,? muttered the king, tossing his lion-maned head from side to side in his efforts to rise." - The Hour of the Dragon

So more like the second link then.

Thanks, That is a really good reason to have a lions mane in mind

[Amra_the_Lion]

May I assume Conan's mane was like William Smith's one, when the actor played Conan's father in Conan The Barbarian - and only sometimes longer?

Much as I hate to reference the pastiche Conan the Barbarian film (which I enjoy as a film not as a Howard Conan representation), yes it would be sort of like that.

Thank you, Amra! BTW, Conan's hair became - sometimes, too, AFAIK - shorter, as shown in TDiI:

As he [Conan] reached for his sword, this ceased and he heard a strange, slobbering mouthing that prickled the short hairs on his scalp.

That is not how I interpret that phrase and always thought it referred to awe or a supernatural fear that caused goosebumps and that the meaning of short hairs was the archaic form common in Howard's day meaning the hair on the back of Conan's neck.

goosebumps

short hairs term

Edited by Amra_the_Lion, 26 January 2011 - 10:22 PM.

[Cuchulain]

Something like this
Like This

Maybe but the brows need to be visible as his eyes are mentioned as scowling from under his black brows multiple times.

To please Fernando here is William Smith as Conan's dad in Conan the Barbarian that he was talking about:

more like this then?


just wanted to add that I didn't do the eyes, brow or eyelashes yet

Edited by Cuchulain, 26 January 2011 - 10:50 PM.