309 replies to this topic

[budgie]

Hello all,
I just answered the post on another thread about what Conan looked like, about his height and build, etc.. I mentioned this there too but I wanted to post a post specifically about whether or not he was hairy or not since no one ever hardly mentions it.

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. Here is the quote, an excerpt from my file of Howard's descriptions:

Ch. III; "The Cliffs Reel":
1. "Wrenching away the bow and an arrow he staggered toward the opening of the pavilion. 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,........".

Just thought I would post on the subject of his being a hair man as I have not seen it discussed before. Figured someone might find it interesting.
Take care,
Freebooter
Millbrook, Al..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Freebooter,

well sought out on that piece of info.. I hadnt noticed that one before.. what story's that from?

As to the hairy chest I recal one of our members here drawing Conan with a hairy chest and it getting mentioned there, an image I hant really considered before seeing that..

Budgie

[Strom]

Hello all,
I just answered the post on another thread about what Conan looked like, about his height and build, etc.. I mentioned this there too but I wanted to post a post specifically about whether or not he was hairy or not since no one ever hardly mentions it.

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. Here is the quote, an excerpt from my file of Howard's descriptions:

Ch. III; "The Cliffs Reel":
1. "Wrenching away the bow and an arrow he staggered toward the opening of the pavilion. 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,........".

Just thought I would post on the subject of his being a hair man as I have not seen it discussed before. Figured someone might find it interesting.
Take care,
Freebooter
Millbrook, Al..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Freebooter. What story is that quote from?

[Ancient Ages]

Sounds like a quote from 'Hour of the Dragon' if I'm not mistaken.

[Kane]

My apologies to Freebooter for jumping in. The quote that he uses is from, Hour of the Dragon.

[Kull1964]

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...

Just thought I would post on the subject of his being a hair man as I have not seen it discussed before. Figured someone might find it interesting.
Take care,
Freebooter
Millbrook, Al..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In less "civilized" times and cultures men were "hairier" than they are today. Conan is coming from a northen region and his look could be similar to those of the Vikings, who were quite hairy (and also often bearded too). Maybe Howard wrote about that hairy chest in other tales? And what about Kull or Bran Mak Morn (I'm quite sure Bran is hairy too... ).

[matsellah]

Well, I had imagined this would have gone without saying.

I mean, it's not as if he would have spent his free time shaving his body hair.

How many full-grown men have hairless torsos?

"Hey Conan, whatcha doin' with that dagger?"

"Cleaning up! I'm in combat tonight and I want to look good!"

[Kull1964]

Well, I had imagined this would have gone without saying.

I mean, it's not as if he would have spent his free time shaving his body hair.

How many full-grown men have hairless torsos?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lots! Being hairy is not the same for all men, there are races where being smooth is the norm (like the Chinese). I'm quite hairy myself but I have a couple of friends (grown men, not kids) who have a completely smooth chest and few hairs even on their legs! Then there are those who are very hairy on arms and legs but not on chest (Mel Gibson, for example). As far as I remember, Howard himself wasn't so hairy... There are 100s of possible combinations!

PS How many members of this forum are hairy? To which degree? Could start a new "different" thread or is this too far off topic?

Edited by Kull1964, 29 August 2005 - 03:36 PM.

[Shadizar46]

Well, I had imagined this would have gone without saying.

I mean, it's not as if he would have spent his free time shaving his body hair.

How many full-grown men have hairless torsos?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lots! Being hairy is not the same for all men, there are races where being smooth is the norm (like the Chinese). I'm quite hairy myself but I have a couple of friends (grown men, not kids) who have a completely smooth chest and few hairs even on their legs! Then there are those who are very hairy on arms and legs but not on chest (Mel Gibson, for example). As far as I remember, Howard himself wasn't so hairy... There are 100s of possible combinations!

PS How many members of this forum are hairy? To which degree? Could start a new "different" thread or is this too far off topic?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree there are different degrees of hairiness. I joke around that I have a little more testosterone than most men because I am hairier and I do have a deep booming voice. However, I think this has more to do with my Italian/Spanish heritage than anything else. My father is an extremely hairy man, but my brother who is seven years my junior almost has no chest hair on his body. I agree that Conan would not have spent anytime with a pre combat grooming ritual as the women back then may have been attracted to hairy men (who knows!). Our culture dictates that a women today wants a slim, lean, muscular man with a sixpack with no body hair. As you all know, this probably did not come about until the past ten years or so Too bad for me! Ocassionally, I still find myself shaving for my girlfriend (what a pain!)

[Winterghost]

I'd like to see more heroes with hair too. Though not a fan of the Hercules show, I sure was glad they didn't make Kevin Sorbo shave off his chest hair. My opinion is that it just looks more masculine (of course I'm opinionated in that way for a reason).

[Strom]

Personally, I'm not interested in if in the olden days this people or that people were hairy. Hyboria is a fictional land. Seems to me The Hour of the Dragon is not a definitive answer if Conan was hairy or not becuase it was Howard's attempt to write a yarn that would sell in the UK since that is where the publisher was going to sell the book. We know he made it a King Conan story for that reason - all the history with Kings and such - so perhaps he 'added' the hairiness (I can't believe I am discussing this! ) as some sort of cultural thing. Is there mention of his hariness in The Scarlet Citadel? I'm too tired to look...

Hey, doesn't matter to me if he's hairy or not - it's just there is a history behind the story HOTD and it would be curious why Howard never mentioned it before in his descriptions of Conan in the other 20 odd stories.

[Kull1964]

I'd like to see more heroes with hair too. Though not a fan of the Hercules show, I sure was glad they didn't make Kevin Sorbo shave off his chest hair. My opinion is that it just looks more masculine (of course I'm opinionated in that way for a reason).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Things seems to be finally changing. After a decade of hairless movie stars (Pitt, Cruise, Depp, Keanu Reeves. Matt Damon etc) we have new "entries" who are not ashamed of their hairy chest or body, like many actors of the Seventies (Harrison Ford, Tom Selleck etc). An example: Chris Evans, who show off his muscular hairy chest both in Cellular and The Fantastic Four! We'll see... maybe the next movie Conan will be hairy?

[Kull1964]

Our culture dictates that a women today wants a slim, lean, muscular man with a sixpack with no body hair.  As you all know, this probably did not come about until the past ten years or so    Too bad for me!  Ocassionally, I still find myself shaving for my girlfriend (what a pain!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You shouldn't! Your girlfriend should accept and love you as you are, hair and all! Be proud of your hairy chest and body... aren't we men after all?

[grim cimmerian]

I mean, it's not as if he would have spent his free time shaving his body hair.
"Hey Conan, whatcha doin' with that dagger?"
"Cleaning up!  I'm in combat tonight and I want to look good!"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now waitaminute! Conan clearly shaves his face frequently so it must be assumed he does some grooming. Maybe he also does some hair removal in other areas too? Tweezes a vicious looking unibrow? Plucks those nasty protruding nose hairs? Runs his dagger on his chest to see if it really is sharp enough? I dunno, but I have always envisioned him as hairless chested mainly because he is a magnet for women and few (in my estimation, I have taken no survey or anything) like curling up to a bear rug chested guy. I'm sure that I just stepped on some toes there but I would like to note that I have a slighty hairy chest. I think sex symbols in popular culture all for the most part are hairless. The only exception I can think of is Sean Connery. I think howard being as descriptive as he was would have mentioned it more than once, considering all the descriptions we have of his physique, blue eyes, black square cut hair, etc. That Conan was hairy dude quote isn't that from a kull story that got rewrote as Conan?

[grim cimmerian]

It just occurred to me, would we keep getting these descriptions of Conan's scars crisscrossing his massive frame if he was hairy? I think not! OK hairy Conan guys talk your way out of that little conundrum. Ha ha I made a funny CONUNdrum.... Okay I thought it was funny.

[Ironhand]

I have scant patience with an argument that the Conan in HotD was not the true Conan. It IS by REH.

Unlike the comic books and movies, many of REH's stories do not depict Conan stripped to the waste. (I admit that some of his stories specifically did so depict him.)

[Freebooter]

Hello all,
Yep, the description was from "Hour of the Dragon", the chapter called, "The Cliffs Reel". It was when Conan was in his tent and in the night he was paralized from some spell or something. When he finally overcame it is when he staggered over and picked the bow up and why he was only half dressed at the moment.

I did not mean to start an argument, just thought it was something interesting not thought of much since most of these wrestlers that people say should portray Conan are smooth chested. If Howard says he was hairy then by jove he should be hairy!

As far as the one guy saying Conan would not show up his scars if he was hairy. I beg to differ. A scar often shows up even more on hairy people as hair won't grow on a scar. It shows up in contrast with the hair around it. I am hairy, with hairy forarms. I have a scar that runs half way around my lower forearm, bright and white, which shows through the hair, since 1982.

I will tell you the story as I know some here might get a kick out it, might even relate to it! In those days, 1982, on the old Causeway in Mobile, Alabama there was a bar called the Seabreeze. I and a wench fell over while sitting on a tall bar stool. My arm was around her waist and we fell against a square, rough-cut wooden collumn and then slid down it with my wrist and forearm between her back and right against the corner of the collumn. It nearly cut me to the bone. We wrapped it up with bar room napkins and me and the wench kept right on partying. The evening paid off too!! He! He!
Take care,
Freebooter,
Millbrook, Al.

Edited by Freebooter, 30 August 2005 - 04:29 AM.

[Strom]

I'm not implying that it wasn't the real Conan in HOTD just that the description of him in that one paragraph is not the definitive description. As for the UK vs. US issue, all I was trying to say was HOTD was a story written with the target audience in mind and that could be why Howard altered from his normal description - and it could have nothing to do with it - I just suggested it as a reason.

For the record - Conan was not stripped to the waist in every story. Yes, I agree.

[Freebooter]

If I am not mistaken Howard wrote that Hour of the Dragon originally for a British publishing company with Britain in mind. So it might be so that he aimed certain little things at the British audience.
Freebooter

[Ironhand]

I and a wench fell over while sitting on a tall bar stool. My arm was around her waist and we fell against a square, rough-cut wooden collumn and then slid down it with my wrist and forearm between her back and right against the corner of the collumn. It nearly cut me to the bone. We wrapped it up with bar room napkins and me and the wench kept right on partying. The evening paid off too!! He! He!
Take care,
Freebooter,
Millbrook, Al.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm glad the evening paid off. After all, you sacrificed skin, flesh, and blood for that wench. Very Conanesque.

[Freebooter]

A quick apology....
I didn't realise there was another thread (about armour) going on which discusses in more detail how Conan might dress.
It's not the first time I've said something and then found out someone said something similar. (And it probably won't be the last.)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Kail,
Yep, same here. But that is why I love this forum. We all love the same things more or less, and we are all so human.
Dave