Conan's life span, fitness is not abnormal for people of old

[mindboggled]

Conan living to the age he does in Howard's tales and being in the condition he is in, is not abnormal or historically inaccurate. The human life span has not change in many ages, but what has is how people die. In the past there was a high morality rate among infants, and many people were murdered or died of other circumstantial causes. People did not age any faster back then than they do now. You can look up many ancient Greek or Roman figures and you will see that quite a few of them lived until their seventies or eighties.

 

    

[Von K]

This is true. Though technically REH himself only took Conan up to his mid fourties in Hour of the Dragon, he did suggest longevity for Conan in his letter to Miller. Another example is the viking adventurer and poet Egil Skalagrimson. He lived a long and dangerous life but survived into his eighties.

[danieljames495]

Despite his dangerous lifestyle, I'm glad Conan lived at least into his eighties, or else we wouldn't be getting all these good stories if he died in his 20s 

[garbanzo]

Sorcery is also abnormal and historically inaccurate. And yet it's a central tenant of the subgenre of fiction we call sword & sorcery.

[Owen]

It's a very interesting point, something I remember being surprised by myself learning history. Infant and childhood mortality was dreadfully high in antiquity, but those who made it were hardy people by necessity. If you made it into adulthood, you had a fairly good chance of surviving to a fairly old age. There was always a chance of an infection or broken bone taking a person out, but off the top of my head, Cato the Elder made it to his mid eighties when he died, Augustus and Tiberius, and later Nerva both lived into their seventies or eighties as well. I'm sure there are a lot of other examples, and these are politicians, not robust athletes like Conan.

The only thing that I think is truly unrealistic, indeed intentionally fictional, about Conan is his recovery from injuries. I recently re-read the Slithering Shadows thanks to a suggestion from this forum,

SPOILER: Click to show

and the injuries he sustained would have absolutely killed him. Thankfully, there was that magic golden wine that fixed him right up. But, garbanzo's right, that's why it's sword and "sorcery" not sword and realism.

[mindboggled]

Apr 23, 2021 18:16:17 GMT -5 Von K said:

This is true. Though technically REH himself only took Conan up to his mid fourties in Hour of the Dragon, he did suggest longevity for Conan in his letter to Miller. Another example is the viking adventurer and poet Egil Skalagrimson. He lived a long and dangerous life but survived into his eighties.

Never heard of Egil Skalagrimson ere, he seems like a very interesting historical figure. Apparently he had the same bone disease that André the Giant suffered from. I've read that it can become quite painful in the latter years. Anyway, I'll have to read Egil's Saga one of these days.

[mindboggled]

Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen was a German knight who lived from 1480 to 1562. Apparently this guy fought in a LOT of battles. His profession was basically war. At some point in his life one of his hands was severed by a sword swing during battle, obviously a very serious injury, and yet this man lived till he was eighty-two years! Oh, and he had a black smith make him a metal prosthetic hand that could grip a sword hilt, and hold a shield properly. This man lived a dangerous life, and yet he lived a long life.

[Von K]

And I'll add another to support your general thesis mindboggled - Nicholas Graf von Salm who led the defence at the siege of Vienna 1529 at the head of 17,000 landsnechts at youthful age of 70.

[mingerganthecat]

Little later than the other examples but I would like to point that one of the most famous Wild West gunfighters, Wyatt Earp, lived to the age of 80.

Theoretically lasted long enough to have been a Howard fan.