Robert E. Howard once stated that Conan was his most realistic
character. In a letter to Clark Ashton Smith, REH wrote. “It
may sound fantastic to link the term ‘realism” with Conan; but
as a matter of fact -- his supernatural adventures aside -- he is
the most realistic character I have ever evolved.” I think the
realism that REH felt for the character allowed him to interweave
various themes and ideas into these, albeit fantasy, stories that
his non-fantasy stories simply don’t have. Even a cursory read
of the Conan stories reveals concerns about the impermanence of
civilization and its tendency toward decadence.
Thanks to Novalyne Price we know that REH was interested in the
writings of Pierre Louys and his “ability to guild decay.” REH
incorporated a small portion of Louys’ lesbian themes into “Red
Nails.” Novalyne also gives us further insight into “Beyond
the Black River.” Howard was certainly trying to weave some
Texas history into this story with Picts as Indians and Conan as
Indian Scout for the Aquilonian Cavalry.
Tevis Clyde Smith’s insights into REH aren’t quite as
clear-cut as the insights and timeline that Mrs. Ellis has given
us in her book, One Who Walked Alone. Tevis Clyde Smith knew REH
for a longer period of time and his reminiscences in “Report on
a Writing Man” are more of a scattered overview of the long
friendship they held rather than a view of the last years of REH’s
life.
One of the most fascinating quotes from this volume is that “He
(REH) did not believe in destroying any living thing, seemingly
including insects…” Earlier, Clyde Smith says that Bob
would have fitted in the Tibet of his today. From this, it is
clear that REH had a fascination for eastern thought and an
appreciation for its animal welfare precepts. I believe that REH
incorporated these views in one of his best Conan stories, “The
Tower of the Elephant.”
For me, this story ranks as one of REH’s best. It is a great
fantastic adventure as well as a tale of social justice equal to
the best work of Jack London. The story opens “where the thieves
of the east held carnival by night.” Howard first compares the
thieves to wolves preying on wolves. But when Conan enters the
story, he is “as much out of place in that den as a grey wolf
among mangy rats of the gutters.”
The animal imagery is important to this story. Howard plays
with our fairy-tale imbued sense of animals and twists them when
appropriate as in the example above. Wolves having both good and
bad qualities.
Conan is interested in the secret of the Elephant Tower. He is
derided for his ignorance. REH sets derision as a particularly
civilized experience. “Civilized men are more discourteous than
savages because they know they can be impolite without having
their skulls split, as a general thing.” Even though Conan has
been provoked he makes no move to kill his tormentor until the
Kothian physically assaults him and steel is drawn.
Conan leaves the bar and enters the part of the city reserved
for the temples. Conan and REH see religion to be, “like all
things civilized... lost of [its] pristine essence in a maze of
formulas and rituals.” REH is constantly challenging our
civilized viewpoints.
Conan ponders the tower, aware only that an elephant, to his
knowledge, is a monstrous animal. While scheming to rob the jewel,
Conan meets Taurus of Nemedia, a bulky but experienced, cat-like,
thief. Conan is now described, as tiger like. Taurus has black
lotus powder that kills the guarding lions. One escapes and Conan
slays the attacking beast in self-defense. Two animals battling.
Upon entering the tower, Taurus is slain. Mysterious holes on his
bull-neck. Conan confronts Taurus’s killer, a gigantic black
spider. A battle ensues. Conan wins.
Conan continues to search the tower. He enters a chamber; “the
walls were of green jade, the floor of ivory, partly covered with
thick rugs.” A definite eastern atmosphere as befits a story
about an elephant headed demi-god. (Ganesha, being the elephant
headed Hindu god of scribes.) Conan confronts the elephant of the
tower and is frozen in his tracks. The elephant is blind and
pitiful, not monstrous at all. “Oh, Yag-kosha, is there no end
to agony?” Tears rolled from the sightless eyes.
Conan “shank with shame, as if the guilt of a whole race were
laid upon him.”
This is obviously not racial guilt. Cimmerians weren’t
responsible for Yag-kosha’s misery. Conan is feeling the guilt
of the “human” race. Conan is human, Yag is not. I believe REH
is juxtaposing a western view of animals here with the eastern
view. Western civilizations mercilessly exploit non-humans, like
Yara has done with Yag-kosha. Eastern religion, represented by
Yag-kosah, recognizes more of a universal kinship between man and
animal.
Yag-kosha and Thak (from Rogues in the House) have both
human and animal characteristics and REH clearly sympathizes with
them. REH was a reader of Edgar Rice Burroughs and might also have
been influenced by ERB’s/Tarzan’s admiration of apes and
elephants. The REH/Conan attitude towards animals is somewhat
Tarzan-like, in that, Conan kills for survival, but not for
pleasure or sport.
Conan answers, “I am only a thief. I will not harm you.”
REH is clearly letting the audience know that Conan, while willing
to steal for survival is no cold-blooded killer. Even though he
has slain a man, a lion, and a spider in the course of the night.
To REH the thievery of baubles like jewels is not as great a
crime as the theft of another’s life and labor. Conan is not
exactly noble but he has compassion. He steals and even kills in
anger and self-defense but he would never enslave or torture
someone.
REH has Yag-kosha state a basic truth about all of humankind
and our non-human animal kin, “I am neither god nor demon, but
flesh and blood like yourself, though the substance differ in
part, and the form be cast in a different mold.”
Yag-kosha or Yogah of Yag was worshipped by an ancient race.
Yag-kosha had an idyllic existence where apes danced and he was a
god to kindly jungle-folk. REH has Yag-kosha mention that he saw
the rise of man from apes. Once again establishing the bond
between humans and animals. Then Yara tricked him and imprisoned
Yag-kosha for Yara’s personal gain. Yag-kosha bids Conan to cut
out his heart. It is both a form of euthanasia and a means of
revenge.
Conan confronts Yara, who has the eyes of a vulture. Conan
delivers the blood-covered jewel and Yag-kosha gets his revenge.
Conan escapes and imagines he might have dreamed this adventure
which certainly has fable like morals and lessons to be learned.
All in all, a great tale, that rises above the average
fantastic sword & sorcery tale due to REH’s unique and
ultimately moral world view. The story works as pure escapism but
it can also be studied for its deeper meaning.
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