Click to Subscribe
Somber
The Robert E. Howard Lexicon
© 2016 James LaFond
NOV/3/16
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.
________________________________________
[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…”
Somber, occasional rendered as sombre by Howard, is certainly his most used atmospheric term in relation to our current usage. Gloom, is perhaps his most used atmospheric term, but that word is still in usage, if infrequent. Howard did use this term in at least one letter, to describe a crusading Scotsman.
A Well of Heroes
Smite or Smote
blog
Sullen
eBook
the year the world took the z-pill
eBook
wife—
eBook
battle
eBook
america the brutal
eBook
the fighting edge
eBook
fate
eBook
fanatic
eBook
hate
  Add a new comment below:
Name
Email
Message