The Frost-Giant's Daughter

"The Frost-Giant's Daughter" is one of the original fantasy short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard.

The story is set in the fictional history of the Hyborian Age and details Conan pursuing a spectral nymph across the frozen tundra of Nordheim. Rejected as a Conan story by Weird Tales magazine editor Farnsworth Wright, Howard changed the main character's name to "Amra of Akbitana" and retitled the piece as "The Gods of the North", as which it was published in the March 1934 issue of The Fantasy Fan. It was not published in its original form in Howard's lifetime.

Plot Summary[]

Conan encounters Atali, the daughter of the god Ymir, in the frozen wastes of the north.

Detailed Synopsis[]

In the desolate, snowy fields of Nordheim, along the border of Asgard and Vanaheim, Conan and Heimdul, the last surviving warriors of their respective bands, face each other on a battlefield strewn with the bodies of their fallen comrades. After a fierce exchange, Conan emerges victorious but collapses from exhaustion. As he lies there, he is immediately overwhelmed by a supernatural enchantment, "A rushing wave of blindness engulfed him." His vision is altered, and he awakens to a changed, eerie world, "The glare of the sun on the snow cut his eyes like a knife and the sky seemed shrunken and strangely apart."

Suddenly, he hears a woman's silvery laugh cutting through his dizziness. He sees Atali, a predatory siren with ivory skin, taunting him and urging him to rise and follow her. Under her wicked spell, Conan struggles to his feet, compelled by her dark magic.

The malevolent witch glides across the snow, mocking him cruelly. Her effortless movement, leaving no footprints, and his increasing agitation show he is driven by her spell. Atali’s malicious mockery and sadistic intentions compel Conan forward, overriding his exhaustion and pain.

After hours of pursuit, the predatory nymph leads Conan into a trap. Her two frost giant brothers rise from the snow, and Atali gleefully commands them to take Conan’s heart. However, Conan's wild-born, primordial barbarian ferocity prevails, and he swiftly cuts down the giants. Atali, horrified, flees desperately. Conan catches up to her, but she breaks free, leaving her gossamer garment in his grasp.

Desperate, the sadistic witch raises her arms and calls on her father, the god Ymir, to save her. She is enveloped in a blue flame and vanishes. An exhausted and disoriented Conan collapses into unconsciousness.

When he awakens, he is with his Æsir comrades, who reveal they have been following his tracks. Conan wonders how they could not have seen the predatory witch's tracks. While many Æsir believe he was delirious, an older warrior named Gorm insists Conan encountered Atali, the daughter of Ymir, a legendary figure who lures men to their doom. Gorm's belief adds validation to Conan’s experience, emphasizing the mythical elements of the story. The other Æsir are skeptical until they see the gossamer veil Conan clutches, tangible proof of the encounter.

Characters[]

Conan
Wulfhere, slain Æsir war-party leader
Bragi, slain Vanir war-party leader
Heimdul, Vanir warrior
Atali, daughter of Ymir
Horsa, Æsir warrior
Niord, Æsir war-party leader
Gorm, elderly Æsir warrior

Locations[]

Asgard
The palm and rose gardens of Poitain - mentioned in passing
Wolraven - old battlefield [edited to Wolfraven in the deCamp version]. Mentioned by name only.

Continuity notes[]

Miller/Clark/deCamp Chronology
Previous Story: "The Blood-Stained God"	"The Frost-Giant's Daughter"	Next Story: "The Lair of the Ice Worm"

Robert Jordan Chronology
Previous Story: "The Blood-Stained God"	"The Frost-Giant's Daughter"	Next Story: "The Lair of the Ice Worm"

William Galen Gray Chronology
Previous Story: Conan the Valorous	"The Frost-Giant's Daughter"	Next Story: "The Lair of the Ice Worm"

Joe Marek Chronology
Previous Story: "Cimmeria"	"The Frost-Giant's Daughter"	Next Story: "The Tower of the Elephant"

Dale Rippke Chronology
Previous Story: None	"The Frost-Giant's Daughter"	Next Story: "The God In The Bowl"

Adaptations[]

"The Frost Giant's Daughter" • Roy Thomas • Barry Windsor-Smith (art) • Savage Tales #1 (comic) August 1973
"The Frost Giant's Daughter" • Kurt Busiek • Cary Nord (art), Dave Stewart (colors) and Richard Starkings (lettering) • cover by Joseph Michael Linsner • Conan (comic) #2 24 March 2004 32pp
Conan: Volume 1: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories (graphic collection) • Kurt Busiek and Cary Nord • Dark Horse Books 2005
"The frost-giant's daughter", a second season episode of Conan the adventurer animated series.

Publication history[]

"The Frost Giant's Daughter" (short story) • Fantasy Fiction August 1953
The Coming of Conan (collection) • Robert E. Howard (and L. Sprague de Camp) • Gnome Press 1953
Conan of Cimmeria (collection) • Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter • Lancer 1969
Rogues in the House (collection) • Robert E. Howard • Donald M. Grant 1976
Echoes of Valor II (anthology), edited by Karl Edward Wagner, Tor 1989
- revised from "Gods of the North"
- the anthology also contains that story under Howard's original title, "The Frost King's Daughter"
Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933) (collection) • Robert E. Howard • Wandering Star 2003
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (collection) • Robert E. Howard • Del Rey 2003

Note: One source (The Barbarian Keep) asserts that the version published in Rogues in the House was the de Camp version, making the Wagner anthology the first publication of Howard's original.