179 replies to this topic

[Kane]

The last half of Howard's essay, The Hyborian Age, gives a general break down of which nations would later intermingle and become the races/nations of today.

[Bri]

Ack! I've just been rereading the 2 GOLLANCZ paperbacks in order, and that's the last one I have left to read!

thanks,
-Bri

[Kane]

Howard's essay, IMO, is one of the best world settings for any fantasy series, and gives a wonderful overveiw of his entire fantasy concepts.

[Kane]

The following comes from the last couple of pages from REH's, "The Hyborian Age", and details the lineage of some of the modern races.

" The blonde Achaians, Gauls and Britons, for instance, were descendants of the pure blooded AEsir. The Nemedians of Irish legendry were the Nemedian AEsir. The Danes were descendants of the pure blooded Vanir; the Goths-ancestors of the other Scandinavian and Germanic tribes, including the Anglo-Saxons were descendants of a mixed race whose elements contained Vanir, AEsir and Cimmerian strains. The Gaels, ancestors of the Irish and Highland Scotch, descended from pure blooded Cimmerian clans. The Cymric tribes of Britain were a mixed Nordic-Cimmerian race which preceded the purely Nordic Britains into the isles, and thus gave rise to a legend of Gaelic priority. The Cimbri who fought Rome were the of the same blood, as well as the Gimmerai of the Assyrians and the Grecians, and Gomer of the Hebrews. Other clans of the Cimmerians adventured east of the drying inland sea, and a few centuries later, mixed with Hyrkanian blood, returned westward as Scythains. The orginal ancestors of the Gaels gave their name to modern Crimea."

" The ancient Sumerians had no connection with the western race. They were a mixed people, of Hyrkanian and Shemitish bloods..."

"... from pure blooded Shemites, or Shemites mixed with Hyborian or Nordic blood, were descended the Arabs, Israelites, and other straighter-featured Semites.

"The short, thick-limbed Etruscans, base of the Roman race, were descendants of a people of mixed Stygian, Hyrkanian and Pictish strains, and orginally lived in the ancient kingdom of Koth. The Hyrkanians, retreating to the eastern shores of the continent, evolved into the tribes later known as Tartars, Huns, Mongols and Turks."

" Meanwhile, also, a tribe of Vanir adventures had passed along the Pictish coast southward, ravaged ancient Zingara, and come into Stygia, which, oppressed by a cruel aristocratic class, was staggering under the thrusts of the black kingdoms to the south. The red-haired Vanir led the slaves in a general revolt, overthrew the reigning class, and set themselves up as a caste of conquerors. They subjugated the northern-most black kingdoms, and built a vast southern empire, which they called Egypt. From these red-haired conquerors the earlier Pharaohs boastted descent."

[Orkin]

Your point is well taken. REH never pretended his essay or his world to be scientifically valid - 10,000 years ago with steel swords, I think not!

But this shouldn't dissuade us from imagining - and "subcreating", to swipe a word from JRR - a more fleshed-out world of the Hyborian Age.

[Kane]

But this shouldn't dissuade us from imagining - and "subcreating", to swipe a word from JRR - a more fleshed-out world of the Hyborian Age.

You are quite right. The world Howard created is vibrant and full of enough detail that there should be no problem in allowing other writers to use it for new and orginal material.

[Orkin]

- it certainly wasn't the Hperborean Age - Hyperborea was one of the northernmost of countries in that time...

[Kane]

I prefer the term, Hyborian Age. To me the term, Hyborian World implies a completely different world then Earth.

[Thuriansuz]

I don't think I've ever heard it called the Hyborian World before...

Howard called it the Hyborian Age because it was a time period that took place on this world between the cataclysm that sank Atlantis and the beginnings of recorded history.

[Rayziel]

I was what are the different cultures of the Hyborian Age, its people and any fantasy type non-human races (if any)? How similar is the age to the myth of earth?

[Kane]

I was what are the different cultures of the Hyborian Age, its people and any fantasy type non-human  races (if any)? How similar is the age to the myth of earth?

As to the question of how Howard's races compare to the peoples of the modern world. you may want to look at the topic of, "Hyborian place names in the modern world", located in this thread.
It covers some of that question.

There are no "set" fantasy races in the Hyborian world. No elves, dwarves, hobbits or orcs. there are a fewe survivers of various pre-human races scattered through out the world. The only ones with any form of power are the serpent races living in hidden locations in the lands of Stygia.

[Kane]

Sorry, correct title of the topic is, Modern Day Hyborian Place Names".

[Strom]

Interesting topic...

One race I have always liked within the Hyborean World created by REH are the dusky Stygians. With their dark magic and their Cult worship of the snake god Set, they make great villains! A 'good' Stygian just doesn't sound right, as Stygia is no place for the weak...

[MacBeth]

was that entire time period a time for the weak? but yeah the stygians were a good villains.

[budgie]

Scotland has never been totally conquered.. the Romans couldnt do it neither could the English.. both were occupying armies only and even then only in the southern half of the country..

Funny how Cimmeria was the same. The Aqualonians tried to overrun Cimmeria but were eventually turned back as well. I wonder if REH was using the Scots history as a basis for his history between the two nations.

As to favourite races I kinda like the Picts myself, I like the primitive nature of them, The Khahtians are pretty interesting too.

budgie

[Dragon Girl]

This is a thought-provoking topic. The Khitans are rather intriguing to me. Khitans are generally depicted as mysterious, strange, and inscrutable. It's a far-away land and stories about it--passed from mouth-to-ear along caravan routes--would tend to be embellished as they travelled farther westward.

[Zula]

Ha, ha! If Genghis Khan hadn't died we would, with all likliness, be speaking whatever language he did. They made it all the way to the region just north of modern day Italy. Anyone grasp how far they travelled and how much oland they conquered? They could have kept going and going until they reached the Atlantic Ocean.

[Orkin]

Ha, ha!  If Genghis Khan hadn't died we would, with all likliness, be speaking whatever language he did.  They made it all the way to the region just north of modern day Italy.  Anyone grasp how far they travelled and how much oland they conquered?  They could have kept going and going until they reached the Atlantic Ocean.

Genghis Khan's expansion was not stopped by his death, rather by the death of someone else, was it Ogadai or something? Sort of a mystery since he held all the cards at the gates of Europe...

[MacBeth]

his son kublai or whatever drove his empire into the ground,without kahns leadership they turned back into simple tribesmen again.

[TroceroQuijas]

.... till the half turk with the limp...