309 replies to this topic

[matsellah]

Among the many things a man takes rare tranquility in, a decent shave and hair cut (2 bits) ranks right up there. I imagine that crossing the plains of Shem on horseback from one village to the next could cause a bit of raggedness on the old visage. Finding a reputable barber with a steady hand would pay off handsomely later in the evening when carousing in the local watering hole, spilling good ale and chatting up some buxom wench.

Sort of like the old American west.

And when these perks of civility weren't available. Well, that stubble just had to be tolerated.

[MacBeth]

hes a barbarian,wheres his beard? barabrians had beards in his time.

[TroceroQuijas]

come on now, height weight earrings and now beards. The person you wanna ask is in the grave. Besides Conan woulnt be Conan if someone bearded him

[MacBeth]

???.... I didnt ask about earrings.it just bothered me that barbarians in games and books were beardless.

[Primeval]

I don't recall REH ever describing Conan as bearded, but I could be wrong. And shaving was not unknown to the ancients.

[Freebooter]

Perhaps REH meant for it to be that it was Conan's choice to go beardless? Does anyone know if any other Cimmerians have been mentioned in the stories as being bearded or beardless?
Freebooter

[MacBeth]

I think I remember in one of the books conans dad had a beard.but barbarians mostly had beards,most northern cultures saw beards as a sigh of being a man.

[Buxom Sorceress]

well u see, conan's secret is in his SPECIAL DUAL-PURPOSE BLADE -
his big broad 'wilkinson sword' has many uses.
he just rubs spit on his chin + shaves with his big blade every morning.

or maybe he's 1 of dem wimps who can't grow a beard?

i think reh wanted a clean-cut, beardless hero like himself.
+ most male readers are clean shaven + so identify better with conan.
-
can anyone help me with my 'brazilian' trim ?

[El Borak's Li'l Brother]

hes a barbarian,wheres his beard? barabrians had beards in his time.

Um, I hate to be serious here, but... Conan's "time" never existed beyond Robert E. Howard's own mind. So how would anyone know if barbarians had beards in his "time" but Robert E. Howard. Besides, Howard described Conan as clean shaven, so his beard was a bunch of li'l whiskers wherever the barbarian scraped it off with his dagger.

[MacBeth]

true but since its a sword and axe period of time,Id assume they would still value there beards.

[Gorulga]

Native americans don't have beards.

[Senta]

Native americans don't have beards.

i always assumed that this was also true for Conan and his folk... however, according to John Millius, his father sported a beard

[cimmerianbloke]

I vaguely remind Conan, as a king, sporting a moustache, "the way the Aquilonians nobles wear it", but I'm pretty sure it's a non Howard novel. Sorry about the vague quote, jus't don't have the books here.

[budgie]

I vaguely remind Conan, as a king, sporting a moustache, "the way the Aquilonians nobles wear it", but I'm pretty sure it's a non Howard novel. Sorry about the vague quote, jus't don't have the books here.

Isnt that Conan of the Isles, Im sure they mention a beard too (greying at that)

As to the barbarians having beards.. sez who?

What does your generic barbarian look like? where does this barbarian look come from?

Do southern Cimmerians dress differently than Northern Cimmerians etc.

As to how the Cimmerians themselves looked we know they were usually dark haired with either blue or grey eyes and that they were generally reasonably well built.. There was one of the pastiches which mentions various clans and thier distinctive looks.. no two tribes looked or dressed the same - all would have a different look so how can it be said that a barbarian has a specific look?

commentsand pro/con arguments would be interesting

Budgie

[MacBeth]

barbarian look came from the norse and scottish. and can natvie americans sport full beards?and the book was conan of Aquliona,he was about 75 and still kinckin ass,with a beard.

[TroceroQuijas]

barbarian look came from the norse and scottish. and can natvie americans sport full beards?and the book was conan of Aquliona,he was about 75 and still kinckin ass,with a beard.

what about the goths, franks, saxons, I can go on forever..... you seem to be a bit descriminative on your barbarians and them are just the european crews and the most recognizeable names at that. Conan 75 in Aquilonia? I dont think he was that old in the Isles

[MacBeth]

I know of the goths the huns and the others,but the goths pretty much turned into romans,and then french,the germans became the holy roman empire after some time,I dont know much on the saxons but from what I heard they pretty much turned into english,if Im wrong on that Im sorry.but the norse were very well known as barbarians,scottish were considered barbarains by the english and french and other higher up nations,irish too were among the barbarians to higher ups.and I really dont include the mongels and huns since they have a hard time gettin facial hair,but were very savage. just the scottish and norse were the ones I like the most.but if you look at the worlds of the so called barbarians they lived in very good fair lives,the word savage was not a very fair word for most of those cultures,unless you were a mongel who killed most of everything in a town,I mean who kills kids and cats?then piles them up.
and If I said anything descriminative im sorry.

[TroceroQuijas]

I know of the goths the huns and the others,but the goths pretty much turned into romans,and then french,the germans became the holy roman empire after some time,I dont know much on the saxons but from what I heard they pretty much turned into english,if Im wrong on that Im sorry.but the norse were very well known as barbarians,scottish were considered barbarains by the english and french and other higher up nations,irish too were among the barbarians to higher ups.and I really dont include the mongels and huns since they have a hard time gettin facial hair,but were very savage. just the scottish and norse were the ones I like the most.but if you look at the worlds of the so called barbarians they lived in very good fair lives,the word savage was not a very fair word for most of those cultures,unless you were a mongel who killed most of everything in a town,I mean who kills kids and cats?then piles them up.

What doed getting facial hair have to do with being a barbarian? Is it a requirement? The Mongols, Huns , Tartars, Vesuvi, Alani, Vandali, Zulus, Samoans, Saracens of all types are ALL barbarians and I know I only named a few. The Romans even started out as barbarians. And to say that the Scots and Nosre are the only to qualify, come on. Christianity coverted their asses as well. And I very much admire Gengis Khan, Tamerlane, and Vlad Dracul, no matter if they burnt your whole existence to the ground. Once a barbarian nation started living a fair life, they werent barbarians any more. Pretty descriminative in what you think deserves to be called barbarian. Sorry but a true barbarian is a SAVAGE

[MacBeth]

damn,you seem to oppose everthing I say,I mentioned the scots and vikings cause they are my favriotes,and to lots of men mainly in a barbaric men they saw a beard as a sign of man hood,if you didnt have a beard back then there wasent much respect for you in western europe. and the only people who were really savage were the huns,mongels and vikings,and barbarian doesant mean savage,it was a class to people like the english and french who were lower than peasents.it wasent a term for savage. I know there are more peaple who were considered barbarians then just the scots and the vikings. you seem to take what I say too personaly.

[TroceroQuijas]

barbarian doesant mean savage,it was a class to people like the english and french who were lower than peasents.it wasent a term for savage.

you seem to look at barbarians from a civilized point of view. where did you get this definition? No respect if you didnt have a beard? Where do you get this? Some kind of underlying barbarian code I never heard of?Id laugh at it now as much as I would back then.The only thing they really cared about bearding was their axe. I know barbaric clans of western europe that preffered only mustaches. Barbarians are SAVAGE hordes. They fued with other clans over many different things sometimes even stupid, kill thier own brother for kingship and wil take whatever they feel that they deserve even your life. And the french(franks) and english(angles & britons & saxons) were also once one of these hordes I take nothig here personally, whats wrong with arguement in a forum?