A barbarian ready for action on the battlefield. Note the cleanly picked skeletons.
(Conan the Barbarian, by Uncanny Knack)
Without dispute, pulp author Robert E. Howard invented the fantasy character trope of The Barbarian Hero, specifically with his creation Conan. But the roots were laid before that in the Tarzan tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli. Both pitted a stoic, nature-wise man (or boy) of the wilds against corrupt human civilization. Conan went further, though, in his manly-man appetites for pleasure and acclaim.
During the fifty year span of the 1930s to the 1980s the Barbarian remained a popular character among readers, building to a peak in the mid 80s when the trope entered movie blockbuster territory, and popular culture, with Arnold Schwarzeneggar’s depiction in Conan the Barbarian (1982.) In turn that begat Clo-nans like Krull, Beastmaster, Deathstalker, The Sword and the Sorceror, and Ator the Invinceable, all beloved by schlock cinema aficionados, not to mention me. Since it was the 1980s, many of these had a post-apocalyptic theme as well, taking place after some nuclear holocaust as well as in the distant past.
Sadly, The Barbarian Hero declined in popularity after that. His rise and eventual fall is charted excellently here in this post by Castalia House.
But Clo-nans existed way before that, in the heyday of the pulp age. Tarzan beget Jo-Jo of the Jungle, Ki-gor, Ka-Zar, Korak Son of Tarzan, and Turok Man of Stone: meanwhile Kull the Conqueror, Kane, Brak, Wulf, Thongor, Kothar the Barbarian Swordsman, Kane, Vandal, and Dagar gave Howard’s creation a run for his money. The Barbarian was dressed up, as in Michael Moorcock’s angsty Elric of Melnibone series, and dressed down, as in the Saturday morning cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian and before that, The Herculoids. He appeared as an object of fun, as in Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd stories and the humorous character Conan the Librarian.
Following the very simple rules of Barbarian name generation (lots of Ks and Zs) here are some to use in your own work.
Canadian Provinces
| Vazkas of Koboria
Strong-Skulled Thygor Tiger Son Shovung Zotran the Shaman Prince Saygor The Viking Saak the Marauder Tradak the Demon Prince Aalach the Ghost Raider Kysur The Ranger Naman the White Champion Mighty-Thewed Thangobo Cassark the Savage Panthez of the Jungle Abraak, the Black Marauder Tarsur the Defender Kamuz the Storm Hunter Samark the Chieftain Turgor the Challenger Jondogorn of the Savage Land Jor-Jor of the Ape Clan Kindradi of the Lost World Avung of the Emerald Forest An-Chan of the Leopard People Zhalak of the Forgotten Kingdom Zolaan of the Secret Valley Tark-Ark of the Wolf Clan |
Fire Bringer Shaylak
Mamban of the Cobra Kazan of the Canyon Nammak the Nomad Zardan the Conqueror Thuvar the Challenger Tujor, the Blue Demon Rashtor the River Prince Janjor the Moon Lord Panthas the Jungle King Reek the Raider Kronsul the Destroyer Hawk-Eyed Tolak King Kindrados Kazan of Tabornia Fire Speaker Sagan Tarbo, the Forest Warrior Jophran the Sun Bringer Jorjak the Forest Prince Tigrath the Stone Chief Kamjor the Forest Warrior Simbu the Moon Lord Kronas of the Rainforest Aragor the Dark Moon Warrior Thurak the Spirit Warrior Star Sentry Farder |
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