Short Story Sunday 23: The Frost-Giant’s Daughter (Reading Conan 08)

Robert E. Howard

Two weeks in a row of Conan? Yes! Somebody give me a medal and a cookie.

“Rogues in the House” by Robert E. Howard

Last Conan version of the story published in 1976.

We begin on a windy plain high up in the north. Two warrior are fighting. They are the last two standing after a fierce battle. One of them is Heimdul, the other is Conan.

After defeating his opponent, Conan is now exhausted with the exertion of battle. He is visited by a nearly nude woman of great beauty. She teases and taunts the tired warrior, causing him to lust and hurry after her.

She leads him on a chase and soon draws him into an ambush. Conan stands face-to-face with the woman’s giant twin brothers. Roused by his passion for Atali, the beautiful woman, he defeats the giants and the pursuit continues. While Atali grows tired, Conan continues to be stirred on by her alluring figure and provocative words.

Finally, he captures her, but before he can have his way with her, she calls down the aid of her father: Ymir. Yes, that Ymir. Atali disappears and Conan is knocked unconscious. Later, he awakes amid Aesir reinforcements. He tells them the tale of the Frost-Giant’s Daugther, though he admits he might have dreamt it all, until he realizes he holds a piece of her gossamer veil in his hands. . .

This story is very short. It takes place in the northern portion of the Hyborian Age map drawn up by Howard. Not many stories take place in a more northerly setting than Conan’s native Cimmeria. Another distinguishing element to this story is Conan’s age. In contrast to the old King we see in “The Phoenix on the Sword”, the man we see in “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” is much younger. He still fights in another man’s army for coin.

Art by Mark Schultz

Perhaps because of his youth or perhaps because it’s one of the earlier Howard stories about Conan, the character isn’t developed much in this story. He could be replaced by a number of other sword and sorcery heroes and it would still work. It’s not a bad fit for Conan. After all he is the archetypal S&S hero, but there is nothing memorably Conan the Barbarian about it. Unless you’ve got a good understanding of the character, the way he behaves in this particular story can be off-putting. He’s a mercenary and once his duty is done he’s chasing and attempting to rape a woman.

His uncontrollable lust is gross and unappealing to read. He’s not at his most likeable here. In the stories I’ve read so far, Conan has proven to have rough edges about him. While he’s cleverer and more intelligent than you would consider your average barbarian, he’s proved to be extremely brutal in his methods when required. He has a naturalistic practicality to him, but he’s not unthinking or mad in his behaviour. His singlemindedness in his lust for Atali is disconcerting. It’s also unnatural.

Atali, we find out, is a demigoddess who leads men from battlefields to their bitter end in the service of her father, Ymir. She’s intentionally taunting Conan with her words and teasing him with her sexuality. All in the goal of leading him to an ambush where her giant brothers are waiting. It lessens the creepiness factor of our hero by explaining his behaviour.

Art by Frank Frazetta

The events that take place after the battle are so surreal that Conan doubts they ever occurred. For the reader there is no doubt about the reality of the encounter. Howard makes it clear to the reader that it did happen, but it remains unclear to Conan himself. It could easily have been a vision brought on by the physical and mental stresses of battle. Yet there is sufficient physical evidence to support the events with Atali and her family really took place, such as the piece of gossamer Conan holds in his hands as well as the tracks in the snow that the Aesir followed in order to find him.

All of that said, “The Frost-Giant’s Daughter” is a good story, but not because of the plot. It’s good because of how it’s told. The prose is lovely. It’s descriptive, mythic, and concise. It reads really well and you can easily place yourself in the moment because of how well Howard sets the scene and creates the mythic atmosphere of frozen Nordheim. It’s also a quick read. The story is over as soon as it begins. I’d like to know more about the campaign and the battle, but that clearly isn’t the point of this particular story. It’s about the encounter Conan has with the mythological. It’s about the otherworldly qualities found in the northern wilderness. It’s captivating and from a purely craft perspective, it’s excellent.

Opening pages of the comics adaptation by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith

Ranking: 3 stars

The subject matter leaves a bit to be desired, but if you consider all the weird gross ass shit that takes place in most mythologies, it’s not nearly as bad. It helps if you are familiar with Conan’s true character. To a well-read audience it’s clear that Howard is doing his riff on stories where female mythological creatures lead men to their downfall, such as the sirens of Greek mythology. It’s not something I would use to introduce someone to Conan, but the story hold an undeniable power in the telling. It’s as crisp and enticing as freshly fallen snow and that’s enough to enrapture many readers for the duration of its pages.