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Robert E. Howard

Miss Hernandez

British Literature 7

17 Sept 2016

Snakes and Demons

The phrase That which does not kill us makes us stronger is one that people lean

on when trouble comes to darken their door. Interestingly enough the original quote is

actually one from Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, a German philosopher, and its more

accurately quoted as What does not destroy me, makes me stronger. (Hutchinson).

Regardless of the wording, the meaning remains the same-hardship leads to strength.

Throughout Western storytelling there are tales of great heroes that must face

insurmountable odds in order to help the people. Two such characters who are visited by

hardship and are rewarded with strength are Beowulf, and Anglo Saxon hero, and Conan,

the hero of the Hyborian Age. When comparing their quests, courage, supernatural enemies

and supernatural aid there is no question that Conan is a superior epic hero to Beowulf.

Beowulfs quest begins when he chooses to leave his home of modern day Sweden

and travel to the aid of Hrothgar, but this is not for unselfish reasons or even to find

something spiritually satisfying. . The text states In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac's /

Follower and the strongest of the Geatsgreater / And stronger than anyone anywhere in

this world /Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror /And quickly commanded a boat

fitted out, /Proclaiming that he'd go to that famous king, /Would sail across the sea to

Hrothgar, / Now when help was needed (Beowulf: Beowulf 6-13). Beowulf states that he
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leaves his home on a quest for altruistic reasons, but the more Beowulf speaks the more it

seems like he is really only there for his own glory. This is made evident when Beowulf

begins explaining why he is just the person to defeat Grendel. He boasts about his

achievements stating, They have seen my strength for themselves, / Have watched me

rise from the darkness of war, / Dripping with my enemies' blood. (Beowulf: Beowulf

141-143). Here Beowulf brags about how all of the people of his clan know that he is an

excellent warrior, and then he just keeps talking about how he drove/ Five great giants

into chains, chased/ All of that race from the earth, and how he swam / In the blackness

of night, hunting monsters /Out of the ocean, and killing them one By one; (Beowulf:

Beowulf 143-145; 146-149). All of this shows that Beowulf did not truly come to

Hrothgars service for simply the good of his people. He is simply coming to seek glory and

this reason is ignoble and undignified.

On the other hand, Conans quest is thrust upon him in childhood, and it takes him

almost his whole life to complete it for his own peace of mind. As a child, Conans village is

invaded by the army of Thulsa Doom and both of his parents are slaughtered in front of

him. (00:8: 22-00:12:20). This forces Conan to grow up as a slave until his eventual

liberation. Once Conan is free he begins his search for Two snakes, coming together.

Facing each other...but they're one. With a [black] sun and a [black] moon below

(00:31:30 ). This is the standard, something like an armys logo carried into battle, of

Thulsa Dooms army, and Conan is searching for them so he can get revenge on the man

who killed his parents and sold him into slavery. Conan has several moments where he can
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abandon this quest and live a simple life with his lover Valeria, but instead he chooses to

pursue his vengeance in order to find peace.

Both Beowulf and Conan face the challenges of three supernatural foes, but their

courage can not be counted as equal. Beowulf is often brave in his quest, but he has the

luxury of choosing when he will fight his enemies. When Beowulf first faces Grendel,

Beowulf is lying in wait and allows one of his men to die until he is ready to face the

monster. (Beowulf: The Battle with Grendel 30-35). In his second challenge with the

supernatural, he goes into her laid voluntarily. It states, He leaped into the lake, would not

wait for anyones /Answer; (Beowulf: The Battle with Grendels Mother 1-2). This again, is

Beowulf choosing the terms of his fight with the supernatural. His last battle, even though

he loses, is again of his choosing. In this section is says, And Beowulf uttered his final

boast:

Ive never known fear, as a youth I fought/ In endless battles. I am old, now, / But I will

fight again, seek fame still, / If the dragon hiding in his tower dares / To face me. (Beowulf:

Beowulfs Last Battle 1-6). Not only does this show that Beowulf is choosing the time of his

challenge, fully prepared and with aid, but also that he, even on this quest, can brag about

his achievements.

Conans courage, on the other hand, is clearly greater because he faces his enemies

always at a disadvantage. Conan has his first brush with the supernatural is when he meets

The Nameless Witch. At first she seems like she will be a great help to his quest, offering to

help him find Thulsa Dooms army for a price. The price for her help is a sensual night with

Conan, and while they are enjoying one another the Nameless Witch transforms into a
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monster trying to kill Conan. Naked, weaponless, and in possibly the most vulnerable

position a person can be in, Conan thinks quickly and throws the witch into the flames

before she can kill him (32:44-33:08). This shows that Conan is more courageous because

even in the middle of an intimate act he is ready for the worst and can defend himself.

Another example of Conan facing an enemy without preparation is when he faces

the Serpent giant serpent in the temple of the Serpent Cult. At this point in the film, Conan

has made two friends, Subotai and Valeria, and they are infiltrating the cult in order to steal

the greatest jewel of all the Eye of the Serpent (40:08). Once they sneak in, they learn that

the quote is sacrificing young women to a giant snake. The giant snake literally sneaks up

on Conan and almost kills him (44:23-47:01 ). Again Conan has not come to the temple

knowing that there is a giant snake to fight for his own glory, but regardless he is prepared

for battle. While he may have had the help of his friends, Beowulf always went into battle

knowing what he was going into, on the other hand Beowulf had to improvise in the

moment to ensure not only his own survival but also that of his friends by slaying the

snake.

Beowulfs supernatural aid is almost completely unverifiable. On one occasion from

The Battle with Grendels Mother, it states, Holy /God, who sent him victory, gave

judgment/ For truth and right, Ruler of the Heavens, /Once Beowulf was back on his feet

and fighting. With this statement, the narrator is simply speculating that God is on

Beowulfs side. The action of the story does not indicate a direct engagement or appearance

of a supernatural aid like an angel or perhaps even God himself. Instead the audience is left

to take the word of the narrator that God is actually helping Beowulf fight and win.
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Alternatively, Conans supernatural aid is much more tangible. When Conan is first

freed, he is running wild dogs and stumbles upon a cave. Deep within the caves he finds the

skeleton of the fallen king and takes up his sword (27:39 -29:20). It can be argued that

finding and then wielding the sword, and not just any sword, but the sword of a king, to

break his shackles shows that he is specially chosen.

Additionally when Conan meets The Nameless Witch she speaks of a prophecy that

she believes is about Conan. They said you would come. From the north, a man of great

strength. A conqueror. A man who would someday be king by his own hand. Who would

crush the snakes of the earth (31:27-32:00). The Nameless Witch then tells Conan exactly

where he can find information about Thulsa Doom, Zamora. The crossroads of the world.

You will find what you want...in Zamora! (32:44 33:08). Here some would argue about

whether or not she is a credible source for seeing the future, but the witchs exit proves

that she is in fact connected to the supernatural. Then when the witch attacks him, she

eventually flees off into the night in the shape of a flying flame (34:00). Here we see that a

powerful witch has told that he will be a great king.

Moreover, when Conan is captured and killed by the forces of Thulsa Doom, his

friends employ the help of a wizard to bring him back from the dead. The supernatural is at

work here to help and hurt Conan. While the wizard is able to invoke spirits to guide

Connas soul back into his body, there are demons who appear who attempt to drag him

into the underworld. Both Valeria and Subotai fight literal demons as they try to bring

Conans spirit (01:21:20-1:23:04). This is supernatural aid example because it is an unusual

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and strange thing to come back from the dead. Once Conan regains his strength he

continues onto his bottle with Thulsa Doom, but sadly Valeria dies during this combat.

Furthermore, in Conans second to last battle of the film, the ghost of his fallen lover,

Valeria appears in rich battle dress to help him in battle (1:53:45). Earlier in the film, she

stated, All the gods, they cannot sever us. If I were dead and you still fighting for life, I'd

come back...back from the pit of hell to fight at your side (1:23:55-:24:10). Here she pledges

herself, even as a ghost, to return and fight with him if he needs her. This is supernatural

aid because a ghost coming to help him is not the same as a human being coming to his aid.

Although some might argue that there is no way that Conan could be a true epic

hero

because he was enslaved and then bought to be a prize fighter (5:36-16:45, 21:00-2513), it

is clear at the start of the film that he will grow to be royalty. Conan destined to bear the

jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow (0:01: 10). Not only does the movie start

with this statement, The Nameless Witch states a prophecy about Conan (31:27-32:00),

and the film ends with the wizard, who is narrating the story Many wars and feuds did

Conan fight. Honor and fear were heaped upon his name. In time, he became a king...by his

own hand (2:06:10)

Most importantly, the only time that Conan has control over when he fights is when

he faces his nemesis, Thulsa Doom. In this fight he is finishing his quest, facing a

supernatural opponent, and having to face his enemy without supernatural aid.

Throughout the film, the audience hears information about Thulsa Doom including that

[he's] a thousand years old (42: 58), hes evi! A sorcerer who can summon demons
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(56:50), and even King Osric says, I've chafed for years at this demi-god. ( 54:31). This is

more than just rumors and talk because in the film there are instances of Thulsa Doom

shooting snakes as arrows and even himself transforming into a serpent(01:31:33 ). Conan

still faces the creature head on and in front of an audience of thousands, defeating him by

cutting off his head. Conan finally gets his revenge on Thulsa Doom, marking the end of his

personal quest and the one King Osric sends him on to save his daughter.

Both Beowulf and Conan face almost incomprehensible odds, but still through their

courage and with supernatural help, they are able to complete their respective quests.

Although Beowulf is often seen as the standard for epic heroes, based on his glory-seeking

ways and only implied supernatural assistance he seems a lesser choice than Conan.

Conans quest is not only personal, but almost spiritual in nature, and he receives help from

several supernatural beings. In the end though, Beowulf is struck down by the dragon, and

replaced with Wyglaf. Conan is able to beat his otherworldly nemesis, avoid surefire

destruction, and come out stronger and better, proving Nietzsches statement to be a

testament to epic heroes everywhere.

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Works Cited

Beowulf

Conan the Barbarian. Screenplay by Oliver Stone. Dir. John Milius. Prod. Buzz Feitshans

Raffaella De Laurentiis. Perf. Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones 1982.

Columbia, 2003. Film.

Hutchinson, Sean. 15 Things You May Not Have Known About Conan the Barbarian. 15

Things You May Not Have Known About 'Conan the Barbarian' | Mental Floss, Felix

Dennis, 30 July 2014,