Know, O Prince

Know, O Prince is the ceremonial opening of the Nemedian Chronicles, the chronicle that frames the entire saga of Conan. It is the voice of a historian addressing a royal reader, announcing that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars. Into this age came Conan, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, to tread the jewelled thrones of the Earth beneath his sandalled feet. The invocation establishes the Hyborian Age as a half-forgotten epoch of legend, and it immediately identifies Conan as its central figure, the mightiest lord of his day, who ruled from the throne of Aquilonia as Conan the Great. The chronicler admits that many tales were spun about him in his youth, making it difficult to perceive the truth amid the many legends, thereby framing the entire narrative as a reconstruction of a mythic past rather than a simple record of events.

The Epic Frame and the Historian's Voice

The invocation functions as a deliberate literary device, borrowing the formal address of classical epic poetry to elevate Conan's story to the level of myth. The phrase "Know, O Prince" is repeated, reinforcing the sense of an oral tradition being committed to writing, a chronicler speaking directly to a royal patron. The Nemedian Chronicles, from which this invocation is drawn, present themselves as the authoritative source for the events that follow, yet they also acknowledge their own unreliability, noting that the truth is difficult to perceive amid the many legends. This framing creates a double perspective: the reader is told that Conan is a legendary figure whose deeds are celebrated, while simultaneously being warned that the account may be embellished. The invocation thus establishes the tone of heroic legend, where the boundaries between history and myth are deliberately blurred, and where the protagonist's actions are measured against the backdrop of an entire age.

The Age Undreamed Of

The world that Know, O Prince conjures is one of vast geography and ancient history. The invocation places the Hyborian Age between the fall of Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, situating Conan's adventures in a specific mythological chronology. This is the world of the Vanir raiders who swept down upon Conan's Cimmerian village, of the slave pens of Thrudvang where he was chained to the Wheel of Pain, and of the city of Shadizar in Zamora, the crossroads of the world. The chronicler's voice gives coherence to these disparate locations, binding them into a single age undreamed of, a time when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world. The invocation's geography is not merely decorative; it establishes the scale of Conan's journey, from the bleak north lands of his birth to the jewelled thrones of the Earth, and it frames his personal vendetta against Thulsa Doom as part of a larger historical movement, the rise and fall of kingdoms within a legendary era.

The Hero's Vow and the Riddle of Steel

The invocation's promise of a legendary hero is fulfilled through Conan's actions, which are consistently framed by the epic register that Know, O Prince establishes. When Conan, as a boy, vows that men shall die for this after the raid on his village, he is speaking in the language of the chronicle, committing himself to a course of vengeance that will define his life. The invocation's emphasis on Conan as a slayer and reaver is borne out in his later career, from his years of labour on the Wheel of Pain to his battles in the Pit and his final confrontation with Thulsa Doom. The chronicle's framing also extends to Conan's own philosophy, as expressed in his prayer to Crom before the final battle, where he acknowledges that the outcome does not matter to the gods, but that valour pleases them. This is the ethic of the age undreamed of, where a man's worth is measured by his courage and his steel, a theme that culminates in Conan's reflection after beheading Thulsa Doom, when he declares that what matters is not the steel within the blade, but the steel within the man. The invocation thus provides the moral and narrative framework for Conan's entire journey, from his first vow of vengeance to his final triumph.

The Legacy of the Chronicle

The closing of the saga returns to the register of the invocation, as Conan, having slain Thulsa Doom, addresses the guards and the assembled faithful, commanding them to go back to the caves from which he called them. The chronicle's voice, which opened with the promise of a legendary king, closes with the image of that king standing over the severed head of his enemy, having fulfilled the vow he made as a boy. The invocation's framing of Conan as the mightiest lord of his day is thus realized within the narrative itself, as he assumes the authority of a ruler, dismissing the remnants of Doom's cult. The Nemedian Chronicles, with their opening address to a prince, present Conan's story as a completed legend, a tale that has been told and retold until the truth is difficult to perceive. Yet the invocation also ensures that the core of the story remains clear: a boy from Cimmeria, driven by vengeance, rose to become a king, and his deeds were recorded for posterity in the language of epic. Know, O Prince is therefore not merely an opening formula but the key to understanding the entire work, a declaration that what follows is history, legend, and myth, all intertwined in the story of Conan the Great.