Searching for arcane lore in obscure occult tomes is an honorable pastime in the realms of Sword & Sorcery. At the very least one has reclaimed scraps of lost knowledge that may be helpful in solving some enigmatic riddle later on. Often this lore is the springboard to strange adventure. Lost treasures and anomalous artefacts are often brought to light as well.

Some of Robert E. Howard's creations, especially Conan of Cimmeria, may have been inspired by discarnate spirits. REH certainly didn't rule this out. The coming of Conan came after a long creatively barren period. Suddenly the Cimmerian appeared, powerfully demanding that his saga be told. " I did not seem to be creating, but rather relating episodes that had occurred. Episode crowded upon episode so fast that I could barely keep up with them. For weeks I did nothing but write of the adventures of Conan. The character took full possession of my mind and crowded out everything else in the way of story-writing." Robert E. Howard wondered "if it were possible that unrecognized forces of the past or present - or even the future - work through the thought and action of living men." 

Elsewhere in TBC we explore the reality of the Serpent People. Here we will take a look at the appearance of REH's immortal personages in fringe scripture.

In the Principia Discordia, the Erisian bible immortalized by Robert Anton Wilson in his bestselling Illuminatus series, we find the following passage: "... you are welcome to reveal that our oldest extant records show us to have been fully established in Atlantis, circa 18,000 B.C., under Kull, the galley slave who ascended to the Throne of Valusia. Revived by Pelias of Koth, circa 10,000 B.C. Possibly it was he who taught the inner-teachings to Conan of Cimmeria after Conan became King of Aquilonia. First brought to the western hemisphere by Conan and taught to the Mayans (Conan is Quetzlcoatl). This was 4 Ahua, 8 Cumhu, Mayan date."   

The author of the Principia, Malaclypse the Younger (Mad Malik), was obviously a fan of REH (the Lancer paperbacks and Marvel comics were both in circulation when the Discordian bible appeared).

It was more surprising to find an REH creation in the literature of the Nuwabians. The Nuwabians claim to be from outer space. They actually built some pyramids in Georgia. And they praise the superiority of Melaninites (humans with lots of Melanin). Though claiming not to be racists or black supremacists, the Nuwabians have adopted the History of the White Man introduced by Black Muslim leader Elijah Mohammed.

Nayya Malachizodok York-El, Supreme Grand Master of the United Nuwabian Nation of Moors, was incarcerated for some alleged sexual indiscretions. Also known as the Reverend York, he has founded several flourishing religious groups that follow his teachings. Malachi claims to be an abductee and contactee, the bulk of his voluminous material is channelled.

In Nuwabian Scroll # 143: The Dog, we learn that Konan the Barbarian was not only real, but the mightiest monarch his people had known.

In the days before Musa recruited them for his armies, white people (the descendants of a giant race of ivory skinned cannibals called Flugelrods and Yakuub's genetically engineered pale skinned conquerors) lived like beasts in the Caucasus mountains. Besides their ferocity, they were known for their wanton behavior. It was rumored that they mated with their dogs and wallowed in filth.

Hither came Canaan the Accursed. This exiled (and non-Melanite) son of Noah, sought refuge for himself, his wives and his children at the court of Konan the Barbarian, mighty monarch of the Flugelrod tribe. Konan was so taken by Canaan (also called Libana) that he granted him land, power and the hand of his daughter Hitarah. Canaan and Hitatah had several sons, including Amor, Hiviy and Zemar.

Konan is portrayed as a regal, fierce, husky, bearded man wearing a scalloped crown, a tunic, an expensive looking amulet and a cape with a jewelled clasp. Unlike the other Flugelrods, who appear very thin and albino, Konan appears to have some color and a great deal of muscle.

According to the Nuwabians, all modern Caucasians sprang from the seed of Canaan, the Flugelrods and the master race created by Yakuub, the macrocephalic Mellaninite scientist. By this reasoning, all Europeans are the warlike descendants of Konan the Barbarian (something I can certainly be proud of). Musa, sent to civilize the white man, eventually unleashed his charges on prehistoric Mesopotamia and Egypt, destroying several ancient civilizations whose distorted memories echo in our legends and religious texts.

Easy as it is to dismiss fringe scripture out of hand, much of it is chanelled material, dictated by discarnates with a sense of urgency. Chanellers' accounts sound much like REH's when they describe how their material was obtained. And there is also an internal consistency within this material that is not readily apparent.

REH spoke of the conflict between the followers of Mitra and Asura in his tales. He hinted of a pale giant humanoid race with serpentine symbols and told of a dying race of Serpent Men manipulating ancient governments behind the scenes. Following these clues leads us to an Age Undreamed Of in our own history, one very familiar and in no wise imaginary.

A Musing by Thor the Barbarian