111 replies to this topic

[RJMooreII]

I didnt mean that the Cimmerians are embued with enchanted blood or anything......only that HYBORIA is a fantasy realm, and therefore has slightly different rules, allowing power and strength far beyond what we encounter in our modern world. That said, i go to a gym where dudes bench 500-600 pounds and can squat small automobiles! So I'm not confused by Conan's strength levels at all. Sorry if it came off that way. I have been defending ReH for years from naysayers so it just comes naturally!

Some study has went into comparing the physical strength of modern human beings versus the great apes and (to some extent) the great cats (the latter being some of the strongest animals, for weight, on the planet). Chimps of around seventy pounds are almost twice as strong as an average male, and great cats are about seven times as strong as humans for weight.

There are many reasons for this difference. Leveraged limbs, for one, make a great cat incredibly strong. There are also differences in cellular design and muscular chemistry. You might ask 'why don't humans have cat strength?', the answer is that cat muscles are very expensive to maintain/repair from a chemical standpoint and humans and even apes do most of their hunting through group coordination rather than through explosive power (this is why wolves are not as big or strong as the great cats, for example). In addition, humans have a lot of uncontrolled and almost uncontrollable muscular breaking for fine motor behavior. When a chimp throws a rock he is doing it with the full force of his limb, when a human throws a rock he is performing a motion which may be more precise but is also slowed down by various stabilizing compensations and tensions in the body.

If Conan had the ability to somehow 'turn off' his muscular breaking he would probably be as strong as a 300lb chimp, which would make him Captain America-like. On the other hand this is hard to reconcile with his superb fine motor control. One might instead guess that the case of Cimmerians is more like that of great cats: their muscles have chemical and structural features that differ from those of modern humans, granting them a strength unparalleled.

As an athropological point, it is actually pretty unclear that ancient humans were that strong. Stronger for weight than modern humans, sure, but also rather smaller. An early man might have been more powerful and less inhibited in the use of strength than a modern human, but it's highly unlikely that he could match the strength feats of modern professional athletes such as power lifters.

[1980conanfan]

This is a deep and interesting topic. Would make a great story too. You know....and evil wizard/scientist starts kidnapping Cimmerians to learn how they "work" and makes a few discoveries that he can disclose to the reader........and then gets thwarted in his schemes. We should submit it to DarkHorse

[RJMooreII]

This is a deep and interesting topic. Would make a great story too. You know....and evil wizard/scientist starts kidnapping Cimmerians to learn how they "work" and makes a few discoveries that he can disclose to the reader........and then gets thwarted in his schemes. We should submit it to DarkHorse

You have to be a few cards short of a full deck to go kidnapping Cimmerians, lol. Can we say "death wish?"

I agree, the topic is very interesting not only in the Conan sense but in how it relates to the real world. It is almost unbelievable how strong great cats are. I have seen jaguars, lions and a couple of tigers moving about and their explosive power is terrifying. A tiger can kill you with what is, for it, a light slap. No claws, just a 'smack' in the face and your neck is snapped like a chicken bone.

I always imagine Conan as being a bit like that, especially since REH uses 'panther' and 'tiger' analogies so often. A panther with a sword and a 157 IQ is not something you want to fight.

[Konorg]

REH describes Conan as "strong beyond the conception of common men". I take this to mean, among other things, that he is actually stronger than he looks.

I can't tell you which story I read that in, but it was in "The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian", so that narrows it down a little.

Don't worry Konorg's got your back

Shadows in Zamboula:

Chapter 3 Black hands Gripping:


the battle between Conan and Baal-pteor



"Both men stood motionless as images,except for the expanding of their muscles on rigid arms and braced
legs,but strength beyond common conception was warring there-strength that might have uprooted trees
and crushed the skulls of bullocks."

[1980conanfan]

is that the fight in savage sword where Conan beats this giant dude and trash talks him while doing it??? Love that scene!

[RJMooreII]

is that the fight in savage sword where Conan beats this giant dude and trash talks him while doing it??? Love that scene!

Yep. Conan is such a boss.

[Konorg]

is that the fight in savage sword where Conan beats this giant dude and trash talks him while doing it??? Love that scene!

yep thats the scene =) just goes to show how Boss Conan really is!

[Kortoso]

I wonder. His stamina in many cases seems to be superhuman. But in BtBR, we see him considering a nine-mile run, and he "sets himself to the task", which makes it seem more arduous than it might be. Granted, he's wearing armor, but hey, it's Conan!
What do you make of this?

[Lunatic]

According to my television who knows. This is why boxing is the "king" of sports. (I trained for two months and then limped away, but anyways). These athletes combine power, strength endurance and conditioning. This is quite difficult to train for, especially if you must mind your weightclass too...Partly because endurance and strength are two different animals altogether. Run to much and it is difficult to build muscle. Naturally, most modern humans have conditioning and endurance if they are fit. Some people have greater dynamic explosive musclefibers by genetics, with a higher potential for feats of strength or speed. But they are in minority.

Some people also have the genetics to grow big and massive. Conan seem to be all of these and then some. Possibly fighting to some extent out of instinct. With the speed and reflexes of a lepoard. Stamina of the wolf...and so on. His lifestyle is that of a warrior or the type of hunter/thief that climbs a lot. But this must be one of the most important traits of Conan. Technique and science counts for a lot. It takes years to build a fighter/boxer/fencer. I Conan can counter that skill and expirience by sheer natural killing instinct and catlike reflexes, they must really be something else! (Or, civilized man is just really lame).

According to my television set, modern humans evolved to be daytime hunters pursuiting prey by tracking and running. This is why the dog was probably the first animal tamed beacause like wolves and such animals dogs are also long-distance runners by nature. Wolves do have a very powerful bite though! Stronger than a lionsjaw. But they mostly kill by attrition, wearing the prey down hence the stamina.

Neanderthal and archaic man seem to have hunted in a diffrent style. Much more direct using brute force to a greater extent. Judging by their massive bonestructure they might have been indeed very powerful and about the same height as us, so pound for pound they would outmatch us.

[deuce]

I wonder. His stamina in many cases seems to be superhuman. But in BtBR, we see him considering a nine-mile run, and he "sets himself to the task", which makes it seem more arduous than it might be. Granted, he's wearing armor, but hey, it's Conan!
What do you make of this?

He'd engaged in various combats. I'd think that would've drained his well of stamina a bit.

[Kortoso]

How about hypoxia?
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16822343
http://www.hypoxico.com/
Altitude training, also known as hypoxic training, involves exercising in, living in or otherwise breathing oxygen reduced air for the purpose of improved athletic performance, pre-acclimatization to altitude and/or physical wellness.

[set-anubis]

I'm trying to determine whether Conan in the Robert Howard books is described as the "strongest man in the world." If you know of a citation that proves or disproves this, please let me know. Thanks.

safe to say he was strongest pound for pound in that world wit mega speed and iron stamina, and superhuman reflexes, thats why hes a meat grinder