Cormac Fitzgeoffrey is a fictional character created by

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

. 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 Knight who is taking part in the Third Crusade. 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, the Cormac stories have for the majority a purely historical setting, albeit the second one involves Lovecraftian elements. Oriental Stories Spring 1931

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" (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 Richard Louis Tierney (August 7, 1936 – February 1, 2022) was an American writer, poet and scholar of H. P. Lovecraft, probably best known for his heroic fantasy, including his series co-authored (with David C. Smith) of Red Sonja novels, fe ...

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-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 Conan the Barbarian replacing Fitzgeoffrey as the main character, and the real-life locations swapped for those of the Hyborian Age. ''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 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 has adapted "Hawks of Outremer" for a comic book

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