Gods, Fate, and Human Choice

Conan the Barbarian

The role of the divine in a world where Crom is indifferent, winds are untrustworthy, and a man still chooses his own road.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Unanswering Sky The Unanswering Sky from "Conan the Barbarian". The Unanswering Sky When Conan mutters Crom help us, his mother tells him plainly that Crom does not heed the prayers of men.

The Unanswering Sky from "Conan the Barbarian". The Unanswering Sky When Conan mutters Crom help us, his mother tells him plainly that Crom does not heed the prayers of men.

The Unanswering Sky When Conan mutters Crom help us, his mother tells him plainly that Crom does not heed the prayers of men. The Frost-Born God Crom is a god of frosts and stars and storms, not of human suffering. The Lesson of Indifference No divine hand will save the village. Maeve's words strip Conan of every childish hope of rescue.

The Wind and Crom The Wind and Crom from "Conan the Barbarian". The Wind and Crom Subotai says his gods serve men and help in time of need.

The Wind and Crom Subotai says his gods serve men and help in time of need. The Cimmerian Creed Conan answers that Crom is master of the winds and cares nothing for sins, prayers, or rewards. The Unpersuaded Argument Neither man changes the other's mind, but Conan's honesty leaves no room for comfortable delusions.

The Prayer Before Battle The Prayer Before Battle from "Conan the Barbarian". The Prayer Before Battle Standing under the stars, Conan prays to Crom for the first and almost only time.

The Prayer Before Battle from "Conan the Barbarian". The Prayer Before Battle Standing under the stars, Conan prays to Crom for the first and almost only time.

The Prayer Before Battle Standing under the stars, Conan prays to Crom for the first and almost only time. The Warrior's Bargain He asks no victory and no safety, only valor and one stroke of revenge before death. The Silence That Answers No god speaks, but the prayer gives Conan a shape for his courage. In a world without providence, will has to suffice.

The Return from Beyond The Return from Beyond from "Conan the Barbarian". The Return from Beyond The dead Valeria appears in radiant armor beside the beaten Conan.

The Return from Beyond from "Conan the Barbarian". The Return from Beyond The dead Valeria appears in radiant armor beside the beaten Conan.

The Return from Beyond The dead Valeria appears in radiant armor beside the beaten Conan. The Supernatural Witness For a moment the hard wall between the living and the dead thins, and love moves through it. The Limits of Gods Neither Crom nor Set intervenes; it is human loyalty that breaks the boundary. The divine may be indifferent, but the heart is not.

Crom and the Crown Crom and the Crown from "Conan the Barbarian". Crom and the Crown Conan declines Yasimina's offer of the throne and chooses the open road.

Crom and the Crown from "Conan the Barbarian". Crom and the Crown Conan declines Yasimina's offer of the throne and chooses the open road.

Crom and the Crown Conan declines Yasimina's offer of the throne and chooses the open road. The Forge of the Self If Crom asks only whether a man solved the riddle of his life, then a gift-crown would be a wrong answer. The God-Pleasing Choice He will win his own crown or none at all, making destiny the sum of his own decisions rather than the favor of kings or gods.

during the village raid

on the journey with Subotai

the night before the Battle of the Burial Mounds

when Valeria's ghost appears at the mound

when Conan refuses the Zamoran throne