Conan The Cosmopolitan

[Supplement Four]

New esoteric topic!

One of the things that has always caught me a bit off guard about Conan stories, whether they be written by Howard or others, is how cosmopolitan Conan's universe seems to be. People seem to travel around a great deal from one land to another with relative ease. I would think, though, that travel would be hard. I'd think that most people would stay around the area of their birth for all of their lives. Visitors to new lands, it seems to me, should be more the exception rather than the rule.

I know the Hyborian Age is not Medieval Europe, but there are certainly some parallels to be made. Transportation is certainly akin to the Medieval period, if not before.

But, Conan gets around with relative ease, doesn't he? He crosses deserts and mountains and all sorts of difficult terrain in several stories without even fretting the journey. I would think this type of journey would be arduous--more akin to a wagon train journey in the wild west, where not all people who start the trek end the trek, rather than just a horse ride to another town.

As one wouldn't expect to walk into an English pub back then and see a group of Egyptians, when I read Conan stories, I'm a bit taken aback when I read about Conan in Brythunia eyeing some Stygians who just happen to be travelling north.

Even Howard's works support the multi-cultural travel that is apparently fairly easy during Conan's time.

What are your thoughts? Does this strike you as strange, too?

 

[Vortigern]

I think in some ways we have a common misperception of travel in historical times. Primarily I think our conception of people not travelling is largely only applicable to the poorer masses, or peasants/slaves etc.

There is historical evidence to suggest however that, for example in the greek and roman period, that there was extensive travel and even tourism. There are still existing guidebooks for their version of tourism. Things such as temples with notable collections of 'giant bones' (fossils). Note in mid-ages I think tourism gets largely replaced by 'pilgrimage' but hey.

I will grant that it was harder, less safe, and therefore not as common or accessable as it is today. It was however something that I view the wealthy/affluent/educated as seeing as very possible/doable, even if they didn't necessarily see a reason to do it.

For Conan purposes I tend to assume pretty much the same thing. The average person never even leaves their home country. ( Unless they are an argossean merchant for example. ) Others with a reason and means to travel, do. But that is just my own view. I tend to think ancient people(s) are quite underestimated by modern people(s).

 

[Hervé]

I tend to agree with Vortigen on this. Most people encountered outside their homeland in the stories are either adventurers, slaves, traveling merchants, mercenaries and such. Joe average is staying home, working hard for a meager living...

 

[WeakAsAKhitan]

Indeed. Travel would require motive and means. The overwhelming bulk of humanity have neither, and would likely never leave their home province durning their lifetimes, and quite possibly never travel more than a few kilometres from home. Whereas nobility might easily have, say, summer and winter abodes at opposite ends of the country, and travel recreationally because they could; travel would serve as a social identifier.

Soldiers, mercanaries and traders (of whom there wwould have been many) would travel because they must, and might attract certain types to the job (and disuade others) because of this. PCs are essentially mercs, and certainly in our game have a military or trader or noble background to qualify any case of itchy feet, and even the urge to adventure at all. Once you've seen a bit of the rest of the world, it's hard not to want to see more. PCs are by their very nature exceptional and unusual, so they should have an exceptional and unusual backstory. REH's stories reflects this.

And the place to meet travellers in an inn.

 

[bradius]

A good reference is Lionel Casson's Travel in the Ancient World.