247 replies to this topic

[avangerx]

Hi Folks,

Does anybody know how does Conan die? Is there a story or commic that covers Death of Conan?

[Ironhand]

No story has ever been published about Conan's death. And I hope there never is.

[Shrews]

Aside from hints in various places...de Camp (ala Howard's words) stated that Conan sailed into fabled Mayapan (North/Central America) and vanished at an old age. deCamp hinted in his Conan Saga comments in the back of some Robert Jordan book that Conan may have strode out of the west and stood at his son (Conn's) side in a last grand battle...

Heh, I pretty much have a great idea how much of his later life happened, but it is getting TOR to accept such an idea...sigh.

[matsellah]

What actually happens is, after the adventure documented in Conan of The Isles, the Cimmerian crosses the new continent and makes his way to another ocean, only to find that the Khitain Empire had already established a base camp on a wide bay just the other side of a small mountain range that shook violently just as Conan strode out of the forrest.

The Khitains, naturally a superstitious lot, deemed Conan to be the Forrest God come to life and set him up with his own island deep in the middle of the new ocean, surrounded by one thousand beautiful Khitain handmaidens, where he lived to a ripe old age and subsequently died while getting his freak on.

Okay... I made that up. But that's how I'd want to go.

[Freebooter]

I am glad that REH never wrote about Conan's death. An epic hero like him does not need to be included in such mortal things like death. Actually I never pictured him getting old either. More like reaching his prime and staying there sort of immortal.
Freebooter

[Dyingculture]

If he were to die, it would have to be in battle. In The Devil in Iron, he accepts this fate as Khosatral Khel tries to break the door down.

"...when the giant came crashing through that door, he would explode in another savage onslaught with the useless sword, not because he expected it to do any good, but because it was his nature to die fighting."

"One watching him would not have realized that he was waiting for a death he regarded as inevitable."

[Kane]

Conan has become an epic being who now exists beyond the limits of space and time. Much like Arthur, Merlin, El Cid, Barbarrosa and Gen. Patton, he will return when the world needs him.

[alex]

For an interesting read, check out SSOC # 176 (1990/08) "The Three Deaths Of Conan"

I guarantee you will like it.

[DeathAdder]

I prefer the idea of Conan just sailing away into the unknown. The ambiguity is great, rather than saying "oh he died this way!".

[Ironhand]

There was this huge battle, and Conan outran his bodyguards. By the time they caught up with him, all they found was this huge mound of enemy corpses. They dug through all the bodies all the way to the bottom, but they never found King Conan. He was never seen again, although for decades afterwards, there were rumors of Conan having been seen here, there, everywhere.

[blacksagelobo]

The Illuminatus Trilogy has Conan return from the West and fight a Great Old One with his son.

[Isaacson]

Hi.

... blacksagelobo Wrote:

>The Illuminatus Trilogy has Conan return from the West and fight a Great Old One with his son.

- For the folks like myself, un-initiated to these sagas, where can those mentioned sources be found ( are they those SF/Fant. pb's with that same Title?)?

Cheers, Danny.

[DeathAdder]

You guys sound as if you're all making up stuff. Please, properly reference stuff. What is this silly trilogy about?

[sat]

The Illuminatus Trilogy has Conan return from the West and fight a Great Old One with his son.

I assume that's a passing reference in the book
The Illuminatus Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid, the Golden Apple & Leviathanby Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
(excerpt at http://www.amazon.co...=glance&s=books )?

[blacksagelobo]

You guys sound as if you're all making up stuff. Please, properly reference stuff. What is this silly trilogy about?

No not making this up. If you did a web search you would have found...

I assume that's a passing reference in the book
The Illuminatus Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid, the Golden Apple & Leviathanby Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson

Certainly not RAW's best work, but entertaining none the less. BTW, RAW is my favorate living author.

[Dragon Girl]

I prefer the idea of Conan just sailing away into the unknown.  The ambiguity is great, rather than saying "oh he died this way!". 

I like that idea, too, that he'd done as much as he could on one continent and set off to explore another, as if it were just another adventure. I also like to think that his disappearance spawned any number of messiah-type stories in the various lands where he'd made himself known. You know--"Amra disappeared into the unknown West, but he's not dead; he's going to return someday and lead us to victory!"

[Isaacson]

Hi.

... sat Wrote:

>I assume that's a passing reference in the book
The Illuminatus Trilogy: The Eye in the Pyramid, the Golden Apple & Leviathanby Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson.


- Thanks for letting us know. Appreciated. But can either of you gents please give me/us the source-location of that mention, and maybe the quote?

Cheers , Danny.

[Nikolai II]

I am glad that REH never wrote about Conan's death.  An epic hero like him does not need to be included in such mortal things like death. Actually I never pictured him getting old either. More like reaching his prime and staying there sort of immortal.
Freebooter

Hmm..

I have some vague recollection of a mention about him becoming a king, staying put (with gorgeous and brave wife, which he had quickly seduced but who had saved his life and kingdom nonetheless), remaining king and siring a bunch of big boys.

And I'd actually prefer Conan to quit adventuring at age 35-45 and settle down as a king, proving that he has brains to match his brawn. (That he'd keep hale and hearty and maybe go out to a final battle and die there in his 70:es, just like Teoderik died to stop Attila the Hun

[DeathAdder]

And I'd actually prefer Conan to quit adventuring at age 35-45 and settle down as a king, proving that he has brains to match his brawn.

Well... who's to say that a man has to settle down. After all, Conan certainly isn't our typically guy, or even hero.

Conan comes across plenty of old-man-adventurer's in his journeys (Comic-wise). I think also Howard wanted to leave Conan open-ended and unsettled.

Purposely Howard had Conan set off for the new continent to further enforce the whole 'barbarism vs civilization' concept. Conan just couldn't take being a king anymore so the man just took off. Makes sense to me. His primal urges basically said "screw this! I want more adventure"! And it was left ambiguous so we don't wonder what happened to the old killer, yet his legacy still lives on... well... until the Rise of the Sons of Aryas.

That's the way I see it.

[Nikolai II]

Purposely Howard had Conan set off for the new continent to further enforce the whole 'barbarism vs civilization' concept.

Howard did this? When? ( I just never heard about it )

In my Swedish translations the last (Conan Chronology) story is the novel about him being king (which they placed after the similiar short story time-wise)

And who is saying that being king is a lazy bums work? Conan is still reviled and/or despised by the poncy noblemen (even though he is well liked by competent men) and the age that the world was entering was the final destruction of civilization before our age.

I think Conan would find battles enough, both on the throne and on the field, although if his kingdom is ravaged enough (he lost a lot of soldiers in that last story) then maybe he would move, but I doubt he would do it just for fun (since moving away signals defeat)