Riddle of Steel

Send us a textThis episode, Reuben gets an aneurysm reading Robert E Howard's first Conan story, "The Phoenix on the Sword," and asks Crom to grant revenge on Matt for inflicting this pulp trash on him. We also watch one of Matt's favourite films, Conan the Barbarian (1982), directed by the incomparable John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his breakout role.Come for Matt's Arnold impression! Stay for the conversation. We range across sword and sorcery, libertarianism, too many adverbs, the barbarian fantasy archetype, lost worlds, the appeal of pulp fiction, camp, bathos, and more.Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe