The concept of the barbarian is as old as civilization itself, finding its origins as far away in history as the founding myths of the great city of Uruk, thousands of years before any Roman or even ancient Chinese used the epithet to mock the people of their periphery.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Humanity’s oldest recorded tale, we are introduced to the character of Enkidu, a feral man raised in the wild by beasts, who serves as the foil to Gilgamesh’s virtuous existence. Both a rival and a companion, this character exists to contrast itself with what is deemed the norm of civilized life. While not a bad or evil man, Enkidu is lacking, like the rough sketch of a person. In a way, this is the essence of the barbarian, a caricature created by larger, more organised, and more influential cultures to depict those who do not share their worldview and their values.

Over the span of History, the term barbarian or savage was used to describe people as diverse and numerous as tribalistic hunter gatherers, pastoral herders, nomadic steppe riders, northern warbands, desert nomads, hill shepherds, and even intricate agrarian societies like the Celts or Iroquois. As a descriptor, “barbarian” might tell us more about those who use it than the ones it is used against. Still, this imagined other isn’t shapeless, no matter if it is translated into reality or not.

Two representations of the barbarian have been dominant over time: the noble savage and the uncultured brute. The former is a romanticized myth, uncorrupted by civilization, good natured, virtuous, and independent minded, yet made strong of body and mind by their life in the untamed wilderness. The latter is a dehumanized caricature, violent, primitive, driven by their most basic instincts, plagued by superstitions and brutal traditions.

This barbarian is either a threat to be feared, or an inferior to be subjugated. While both visions are still relevant in modern times, the contemporary barbarian is the synthesis of these conflicting ideas, as exemplified by the famous character of Conan, certainly violent and brutal, but also heroic and inspiring.