Cormac Fitzgeoffrey is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. 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 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, half-

Gael The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languag ...

Knight who is taking part in the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt by three European monarchs of Western Christianity (Philip II of France, Richard I of England and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor) to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by ...

. 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 who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

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

Lovecraftian Lovecraftian horror, sometimes used interchangeably with "cosmic horror", is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named a ...

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 a ...

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

"Hawks of Outremer"

First published in ''

Oriental Stories ''Oriental Stories,'' later retitled ''The Magic Carpet Magazine'', was an American pulp magazine published by Popular Fiction Co., and edited by Farnsworth Wright. It was launched in 1930 under the title ''Oriental Stories'' as a companion to P ...

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

Outremer The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political int ...

" (literally, "Oversea") was how the

Crusader states The Crusader States, also known as Outremer, were four Catholic realms in the Middle East that lasted from 1098 to 1291. These feudal polities were created by the Latin Catholic leaders of the First Crusade through conquest and political in ...

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 Donald Metcalf Grant (April 3, 1927 – August 19, 2009) was an American publisher. Biography He was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1927 and graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1949. Grant's interest in fantasy and science ...

hardback collection ''

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

''.

Adaptations

Savage Sword of Conan ''The Savage Sword of Conan'' was a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of American company Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. ''Savage Sword of Conan'' starred ...

'' #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 for the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian. The word "Hyborian" is derived from the l ...

. ''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 an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

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, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

and artist

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

Boom Studios Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Origins In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Holly ...

has adapted "Hawks of Outremer" for a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

which begin in June, 2010.

References

External links

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

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