Cormac Fitzgeoffrey is a fictional character created by

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...

. He is a half-

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...

, half-

Gael The Gaels ( ; ; ; ) are an Insular Celtic ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languages comprising Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic ...

Knight who is taking part in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

. Howard wrote two short stories featuring the character and a synopsis that was later completed by another author. Although Howard was most famous for his fantasy fiction, especially

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...

, the Cormac stories have for the majority a purely historical setting, albeit the second one involves

Lovecraftian Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror, fantasy fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is na ...

elements.

Stories

Howard wrote two complete Cormac Fitzgeoffrey stories and left one unfinished before his death. The character is also mentioned in the story ''

The Sowers of the Thunder "The Sowers of the Thunder" is a historical fiction short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, originally published in ''Oriental Stories'', Winter 1932. It takes place in Outremer (the Crusader states) in the time of General Baibars and d ...

'', set fifty years later and published in 1932.

"Hawks of Outremer"

First published in '' Oriental Stories'' (Spring 1931) after being accepted by that magazine in October 1930. "

Outremer The Crusader states, or Outremer, were four Catholic polities established in the Levant region and southeastern Anatolia from 1098 to 1291. Following the principles of feudalism, the foundation for these polities was laid by the First Crusade ...

" (literally, "Oversea") was how the

Crusader states The Crusader states, or Outremer, were four Catholic polities established in the Levant region and southeastern Anatolia from 1098 to 1291. Following the principles of feudalism, the foundation for these polities was laid by the First Crusade ...

were often called.

"The Blood of Belshazzar"

First published in ''Oriental Stories'' (Fall 1931) after being accepted by that magazine in December 1930.

"The Slave-Princess"

Howard left this story as an incomplete synopsis. It was later completed by Richard L. Tierney and first published in 1979 in the Donald M. Grant hardback collection ''

Hawks of Outremer Cormac Fitzgeoffrey is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is a half-Normans, Norman, half-Gaels, Gael Knight who is taking part in the Third Crusade. Howard wrote two short stories featuring the character and a synopsis that was ...

''.

Adaptations

'' Savage Sword of Conan'' #12 began an adaptation of "The Slave Princess", with

replacing Fitzgeoffrey as the main character, and the real-life locations swapped for those of the

Hyborian Age The Hyborian Age is a fictional period of Earth's history within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, serving as the Setting (narrative), setting for the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian. The word "Hyborian" is ...

. ''Savage Sword of Conan'' #222 began an adaptation of "Hawks of Outremer", with Conan the Barbarian replacing Fitzgeoffrey as the main character, and the real-life locations swapped for those of the Hyborian Age. "The Blood of Belshazzar" was adapted by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

as a Conan story in ''Conan the Barbarian'' #27 ("The Blood of Bel-Hissar", June 1973) with writer/editor

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...

and artist

John Buscema John Buscema ( ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, ; December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...

Boom Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...

has adapted "Hawks of Outremer" for a

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

which begin in June, 2010.

References

External links

REH: Two-Gun Raconteur - The Vengeance Sword of the Norman-Gael

Characters in pulp fiction Fictional knights Fictional soldiers Fictional swordfighters in literature Literary characters introduced in 1931 Robert E. Howard characters {{lit-char-stub