Howard used numerous terms—some would say overused them—in his writing that were already obscure or outdated in his day and strike the postmodern reader as odd, with the effect ranging from exciting to disquieting. Below is a brief list of the most prominent of these, with a standard definition.
Incongruous
in•con•gru•ous
(ĭn-kŏng′gro͞o-əs)
adj.
1. Lacking in harmony; incompatible: a joke that was incongruous with polite conversation.
2. Not in agreement, as with principles; inconsistent: a plan incongruous with reason.
3. Not in keeping with what is correct, proper, or logical; inappropriate: incongruous behavior.
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[From Latin incongruus : in-, not; see in-1 + congruus, congruous; see congruous.]
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Howard used this term sparsely and well, using it to contrast a character’s nature with their circumstance or environment.
Limned
limn
(lĭm)
tr.v. limned, limn•ing (lĭm′nĭng), limns
1. To describe or depict by painting or drawing.
2. To suffuse or highlight with light or color; illuminate: "There was just enough juice left in Merrill's flashlight to limn the outlines: A round lobe here. Another lobe over there" (Hampton Sides).
3. To describe or portray in words.
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[Middle English limnen, to illuminate (a manuscript), probably alteration (influenced by limnour, illustrator) of luminen, from Old French luminer, from Latin lūmināre, to illuminate, adorn, from lūmen, lūmin-, light; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.]
Used most often in the Solomon Kane tales, often set at night, such as in this passage from The Moon of Skulls, “He halted a moment at its foot, staring upward where it rose blackly limned against the dying sun.”
Lithe
lithe
(līth)
adj. lith•er, lith•est
1. Readily bent; supple: lithe birch branches.
2. Marked by effortless grace: a lithe ballet dancer.
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[Middle English, from Old English līthe, flexible, mild.]
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lithe′ly adv.
lithe′ness n.
Howard used this adjective to describe women predominantly, though occasionally the cat-like motion of a man.
“Admiration burned in his fierce eyes as he looked down at her splendid bosom and her lithe limbs which still quivered from fright and exertion.”
-Man-Eaters of Zambolou
“He studied her lithe, almost serpentine motions…”
-Worms of the Earth
Nimbus
nim•bus
(nĭm′bəs)
n. pl. nim•bi (-bī′) or nim•bus•es
1. A cloudy radiance said to surround a classical deity when on earth.
2. A radiant light that appears usually in the form of a circle or halo about or over the head in the representation of a god, demigod, saint, or sacred person such as a king or an emperor.
3. A splendid atmosphere or aura, as of glamour, that surrounds a person or thing.
4. A rain cloud, especially a low dark layer of clouds such as a nimbostratus.
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[Latin, cloud; see nebh- in Indo-European roots.]
“A nimbus of fire played about his awesome head…”
-The Devil in Iron, Conan
Nighted
Adj. 1. nighted - overtaken by night or darkness; "benighted (or nighted) travelers hurrying toward home"
Nighted streets and forests abound in Howard’s tales. This is perhaps his signature term and betokened [a term he uses often, also] not just darkness, but the cold and loneliness of the night, prowled by nocturnal predators and haunted by ancient horrors and primordial fears. With nighted often used to accentuate the depths of an abyss, as in “…up from the knighted abyss.”
For, “the coming of night was a kin to death” narrates Howard in The Devil in Iron.
Smote or Smite
smite
(smīt)
v. smote (smōt), smit•ten (smĭt′n) or smote, smit•ing, smites
v.tr.
1.
a. To inflict a heavy blow on, with or as if with the hand, a tool, or a weapon.
b. To drive or strike (a weapon, for example) forcefully onto or into something else.
2. To attack, damage, or destroy by or as if by blows.
3.
a. To afflict: The population was smitten by the plague.
b. To afflict retributively; chasten or chastise.
4. To affect sharply with great feeling: He was smitten by deep remorse.
v.intr.
To deal a blow with or as if with the hand or a handheld weapon.
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[Middle English smiten, from Old English smītan, to smear.]
This word fits Howard’s atmospheric brand of action.
Somber
.
som•ber
(sŏm′bər)
adj.
1.
a. Dark; gloomy: a somber room.
b. Dull or dark in color: somber hues.
2.
a. Melancholy; dismal: a somber mood.
b. Serious; grave: a somber spokesperson.
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[French sombre, from Old French, from *sombrer, to cast a shadow, from Late Latin subumbrāre, from Latin sub umbrā, in shadow : sub, under; see sub- + umbrā, ablative of umbra, shadow.]
Most often used in the Conan stories such as, “…his eyes burned with a somber fire” from Queen of the Black Coast.
Kane tales are often sprinkled with this scowling adjective, such as this passage in The moon of Skulls, “No breeze stirred the somber depths below…”
Sullen
sul•len
(sŭl′ən)
adj. sul•len•er, sul•len•est
1. Showing a brooding ill humor or silent resentment; morose or sulky.
2. Gloomy or somber in tone, color, or portent: sullen, gray skies.
3. Sluggish; slow: the sullen current of a canal.
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[Middle English solein, from Anglo-Norman solein, alone, from sol, single, from Latin sōlus, by oneself alone; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]
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sul′len•ly adv.
sul′len•ness n.
“The crag he had just mounted jutted out from the rest of the heights like a sullen promontory, looming above the sea of waving foliage eblow…’
-The Moon of Skulls
Thews
thew
(thyo͞o)
n. often thews
1. Muscular power or strength.
2. A well-developed sinew or muscle: "sinews of steel, thews of iron, abdomen like one of those old-time washing boards" (Michael Kelly).
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[Middle English, individual habit, virtue, strength (sense influenced by sinew), from Old English thēaw, a custom, habit.]
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thew′y adj.
An archaic term for muscles related to sinew—which Howards also uses a lot, mostly in describing his most powerful character, Conan.
Conan’s encounter with Kosastrel Kell in The Devil in Iron illustrates the taut use of this word over muscle, “Every thew quivering from the violence of his efforts…”
