By D.W. Roach
Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian is a literary creation steeped in the raw power of myth and legend. While Howard pulled from many cultures to craft Conan’s Hyborian Age, few stories wear their Norse influence as proudly as The Frost-Giant’s Daughter. First published in 1953 (posthumously), the tale is a fever dream of icy landscapes, brutal combat, and supernatural seduction — elements that draw deeply from the well of Scandinavian myth and Norse cultural archetypes.
The Northern Setting and Mythic Landscape
From its opening lines, The Frost-Giant’s Daughter immerses the reader in a frozen, desolate battlefield — a place that could easily be mistaken for the mythic Northlands of the sagas. The “blinding white” of snow and “glittering ice fields” evoke the primeval cold of Niflheim, one of the Nine Worlds in Norse cosmology, and recall the endless winters of the fabled Fimbulwinter — the harbinger of Ragnarök.
In Norse myth, the frozen wastes are not simply inhospitable terrain; they are living, spiritual forces, home to beings both beautiful and deadly. Howard’s vision echoes this perfectly, presenting the reader with an environment that feels alive, dangerous, and enchanted — a hallmark of mythic Scandinavian storytelling.
Atali and the Allure of the Otherworld
The titular “Frost-Giant’s Daughter,” Atali, is perhaps the most direct bridge between Howard’s fiction and Norse myth. In the story, she is a supernatural figure who lures Conan across the snow, promising ecstasy while leading him to an ambush by her giant brothers. This closely parallels the valkyries of Norse legend, who often appear as beautiful women on the battlefield, choosing the slain and drawing warriors toward their fate.
Yet Atali also recalls the jötunn (giants) of Norse myth — beings of immense power, often at odds with the gods, who could be both alluring and treacherous. Her beauty masks her lethal intent, much like the huldra or seidkona of Scandinavian folklore, female spirits who could enchant and destroy in equal measure.
The Brothers of the Frost
Atali’s giant brothers, who seek to kill Conan, are classic representations of the hrímþursar — frost giants in Norse mythology who dwell in Jötunheimr. These giants embody the elemental chaos of nature and the eternal conflict between gods (or heroes) and the primal forces of the world. Howard’s depiction of Conan battling these colossal beings mirrors the great mythic duels between Thor and the giants, reinforcing Conan as a mythic hero in the mold of the Norse sagas.
Themes of Temptation and Fate
In Norse belief, fate (wyrd or urd) was inescapable. Atali’s seduction and the ensuing battle can be read as a symbolic test of Conan’s destiny, much like the trials faced by saga heroes such as Sigurd or Grettir the Strong. The tension between desire and survival, between the pull of beauty and the demands of battle, is a deeply human struggle that Howard couches in mythic imagery.
A Fusion of Pulp and Saga
What makes The Frost-Giant’s Daughter remarkable is its seamless blend of pulp action with the weight and symbolism of Norse mythology. Howard strips away the Christianized veneer that many later medieval sources gave to Norse myth and instead channels the raw, pre-Christian vision of a world where gods, giants, and mortals clashed in a cold, dangerous cosmos.
In this way, the story feels less like fantasy and more like an echo of a saga that might have been — a tale told by a fire on a winter’s night, when the wind howls like wolves across the snow.
Sources & Further Reading:
- Larrington, C. (2017). The Poetic Edda. Oxford University Press.
- Orchard, A. (1997). Dictionary of Norse Myth and Legend. Cassell.
- Howard, R.E. (1953). The Frost-Giant’s Daughter. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
- Simek, R. (2007). Dictionary of Northern Mythology. Boydell & Brewer.
- Davidson, H.R.E. (1964). Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. Penguin.
D.W. Roach "Marauder" 