Cimmeria Versus the Raiders

From one village's massacre to the systematic enslavement of Conan's people, the northern grievance shapes every later confrontation with Doom's followers.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Sudden Raid

The Sudden Raid The Vanir storm the Cimmerian settlement with iron-shod horses and iron weapons. The Unequal Battle The villagers fight with hoes and hide shields against bronze and steel. The commander's standard of a black sun marks a vendetta that transcends a mere raid. The Survival of Conan He is dragged into the snow with his mother's severed head in view, the first casualty of a war he will carry alone.

The Captive Column

The Captive Column The survivors are chained in a straggling line that crosses ice fields and mountain passes. The Dehumanization The old are speared when they fall, barefoot children leave red prints, and despair thickens in the cold air. The Mystery of the Leaders Rexor and Doom vanish from the party, leaving the boy to wonder why foreign captains led this attack.

The Wheel Years

The Wheel Years At Thrudvang the war of Cimmeria against its raiders becomes a war of endurance against the Wheel of Pain. The Grind of Body Conan's muscles grow massive; his emotions grow numb. Every revolution is a silent protest. The Seed of Revenge He learns to speak the tongues of his enemies and stores every insult for the day of reckoning.

The Serpent Symbol Remembered

The Serpent Symbol Remembered Conan's hand closes on the bronze medallion beside the Eye of the Serpent and sees the twin snakes. The Nightmare Made Real The emblem on the altar matches the standard of his village's destruction, and the quest for vengeance fuses with the quest for treasure. The Target Widened The enemy is no longer a tribe or a raider but a religious empire built on the black sun.

The House of Doom Reduced

The House of Doom Reduced The raid that destroyed one village returns as a war that destroys the raiders' temple. The Lieutenant Falls Rexor, leader of the original attack, is cut down by the village's orphan. The Master Beheaded Doom, who ordered the massacre, loses his head to the sword of the smith he stole. The northern feud closes in blood and ashes.

early in the story at Conan's village

after the raid, during the march to Vanaheim

during Conan's enslavement at Thrudvang

in the lower chamber of the Tower of the Black Serpent

during the final battle and beheading