The Frost-Giant's Daughter

by Robert E. Howard

The Frost-Giant’s Daughter, written by Robert E. Howard in 1932, is one of the earliest tales of Conan the Barbarian, set in the mythical Hyborian Age.

Originally rejected by Weird Tales magazine during Howard’s lifetime, the story was later published posthumously in 1953 in The Coming of Conan. This tale stands out for its dreamlike quality, blending raw, brutal action with haunting, mythic beauty.

Inspired by Nordic mythology, The Frost-Giant’s Daughter takes place in a frozen wilderness, where Conan, a young warrior of Cimmeria, survives a brutal battle against northern foes. Exhausted and wounded, he encounters a spectral, otherworldly woman named Atali, the daughter of the frost-giant Ymir.

Ensnared by her beauty and seductive allure, Conan follows her through the icy wasteland, only to find himself drawn into a deadly trap orchestrated by Atali’s monstrous brothers.

This tale is a testament to Howard’s ability to blend action-packed storytelling with mythic and poetic elements. Through Conan’s relentless pursuit of Atali, Howard explores themes of primal desire, the savage nature of humanity, and the unforgiving power of the natural world. Atali, with her ethereal presence and sinister motives, symbolizes both beauty and treachery, embodying the stark contrast between allure and danger.

This audiobook is presented by Altrusian Grace Media with additional sound design by The Russian Comic Book Geek.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Adventure, Fiction, Pulp, Sword and Sorcery, Audiobook

23 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Robert Ervin Howard was an American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. Howard wrote "over three-hundred stories and seven-hundred poems of raw power and unbridled emotion" and is especially noted for his memorable depictions of "a sombre universe of swashbuckling adventure and darkling horror."

He is well known for having created—in the pages of the legendary Depression-era pulp magazine Weird Tales—the character Conan the Cimmerian, a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian, a literary icon whose pop-culture imprint can only be compared to such icons as Tarzan of the Apes, Count Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, and James Bond.

—Wikipedia

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully evocative! One of my favorite Conan stories. A little too short, but really only because I wanted to revel in this world longer.

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A battle in the snow where Conan and another guy are the last men standing.

"Slowly through the corpses they came, as ghosts might come to a tryst through the shambles of a dead world."

Conan kills his enemy easily. Then Conan is seduced by a naked woman covered by a veil of gossamer. Conan longs to possess her but she has other ideas.

[Manuel Alfredo Collado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un relato con una escritura impecable, pero quizás demasiado corto. No ahonda mucho en la figura del bárbaro pero es bello, daban ganas de seguir leyendo.

En esta corta historia Conan se encuentra combatiendo junto a los fieros guerreros nórdicos (contra otros fieros guerreros nórdicos) y es seducido por una mujer que recorre desnuda el sangriento y nevado campo de batalla. ¿Conseguirá atraparla y deleitarse con su blanca y suave piel?

[Liam Mulvaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't say I liked this as much as the Phoenix and the Sword. Conan is younger and is more arrogant and boastful. Also, the theme of other people not believing in Conan slaying monsters repeats itself in this short story. There's much to like. Conan does bloody murder. There are exciting giants and witches. I also think The Frost-Giant's Daughter was written to explain Conan's hesitancy towards the Giant Ymir, first mentioned in the Phoenix and the Sword. Ymir's presence felt powerful.

[Ramón S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short tale. Conan is driven by lust instead of thinking better the whole thing . It’s well written

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favourite Conan tales, but I do really enjoy the Barry Windsor-Smith comics adaptation - perhaps more so than the original tale.

After telling of Conan as an old King, REH immediately jumps to this - often considered the earliest in the chronology - of a young Conan aiding in a border war between the two kingdoms North of his homeland.

Comics:
Savage Tales #1 (Marvel Comics, May 1971) art by Windsor-Smith
Darkhorse Conan 2 art by Nord
Avast The Cimmerian: The Frost-Giant's Daughter (really amps up the sexuality, not in a good way)

Nord's version is good but nothing beats Barry's original.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining reading 📘

I read this as part of the Conan: The Barbarian complete collection in 2017

Robert E. Howard is one of my favortite authors. I started reading the Conan paper back novels in the 1960s. I would highly recommended this novel and author to reads of action novels. 2017

[Omar Amat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great visuals, Howard is always portraying raw emotion, and the barest of hints this is actually Conan

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of myth pulped together just like its paper.

[Celluloid Doll]

Very folkloric, you could pretty easily imagine this slotting somewhere into the prose eda or something. Howard clearly knows his inspirations

[Konstantin Vykhovanets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Коротенька історія про те, як Конан Варвар зустрів на свому шляху звабницю та піддався на її чари.

Однак завдяки своїй варварській міцності він зміг здолати перешкоди на шляху до жаданого. І якби не Льодяний татусь історія мала б змогу закінчитись більше романтично.=)

[Ray Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even by the standards of the early Conan short stories, this is a flimsy affair. Practically a toned down Penthouse Letters story.

[Jack Creagh-Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Nothing too captivating but still entertaining. Conan shows his strength, skill, and desire. We witness potentially divine figures learn not to take Conan as some trivial game.

[Luana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute sword 'n sorcery banger.

[Andrew Hale · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Gods of the North"
A quick tale that easily encompasses Howard's prose for painting emotion and landscape, cosmic or local. I've always found interest in the warring tribes of red-bearded Vanir versus golden-haired Æsir in Howard's tales, especially with how similar they are to each other, yet harbor such tribalistic traditional hate.

"Then suddenly the borealis, the snow-clad hills and the blazing heavens reeled drunkenly to Conan's sight; thousands of fire-balls burst with the showers of sparks, and the sky itself became a titanic wheel which rained stars as it spun."

A snowy plain, colorless except for the golden beards and red beards of bloodied warrior corpses: Vanaheim versus Asgard, Vanir versus Æsir, Wulfhere's reavers versus the wolves of Bragi. The last survivors of this bloodfued face off, resulting in one heading towards Valhalla, by Crom, or by Ymir.

Dire extremes and blood loss make it hard to know when the Valkyrie truly come for the weapon and warrior dead, or when Atali comes for the sacrificial heart of the dying. A warning against chasing our base desires when life hangs in the balance, but a promise, it seems, that "in Valhalla will you tell your brothers that you met Conan of Cimmeria".

Conan - Cimmerian
Wulfhere - Æsir
Bragi - Vanir
Heimdul - Vanir
Niord - Æsir
Horsa - Æsir
Old Gorm - Æsir
Atali and her brothers - Frost-Giants

[Djordje Zeljkovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Frost-Giant’s Daughter is easily one of the best Conan stories ever written. Despite its short length, it is incredibly engaging from beginning to end. Howard manages to create an unforgettable atmosphere with surprisingly few pages, making this tale feel far grander than its size would suggest.

What makes this story especially interesting is Howard’s portrayal of Conan. Here, he is a true barbarian in the purest sense—driven almost entirely by instinct, raw desire, and his primal senses. Unlike many other Conan stories, where he often comes across as calculating, resourceful, and even cunning, this version of Conan is much more animalistic. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the untamed nature that lies at the core of his character.

The story’s mythology and overall theme are equally captivating. Howard creates a mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly blends brutality with the supernatural. Although there are only a handful of characters, each of them leaves a lasting impression. This is one of Howard’s greatest strengths as a writer—his ability to make even the smallest cast feel memorable and meaningful, giving every character a distinct presence.

[Balazs Badics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short and unclear Conan story:
After a brutal battle on a frozen northern battlefield, Conan is the sole survivor among the corpses of friend and foe. As he struggles through the snow, he encounters a mysterious, ethereal woman who beckons him to follow her. Entranced and suspicious, Conan pursues her across the icy wasteland. The woman’s beauty and strange behaviour hint at something otherworldly and dangerous. Along the way, Conan faces supernatural threats that test both his strength and his will.

The Frost-Giant’s Daughter is atmospheric and poetic, capturing the feel of a mythic legend with vivid, icy imagery. The story’s brevity works against it, though, leaving little room for character development or deeper stakes. While Conan is compelling as always, the plot feels more like a vignette than a fully fleshed-out adventure. The mysterious woman is intriguing, but her motivations remain too vague to be truly satisfying. Overall, it’s a beautifully written but somewhat shallow tale that feels more like a haunting vision than a complete story.

[Frank Prescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never ask a Conan fan his favorite Conan story, because it might be this one. Lol.

Jokes aside, after reading this and looking it up later it seems a lot of people had the same reaction as me.

Being,
That it's a very beautifully written story. Even as someone who hates most long winded environmental description, it stood out to me a lot.

Robert E. Howard makes the snowy regions appear beautiful and magical in your mind.



When it comes to the uh... Attempted acts in this.
I think it's a very tantalizing and stimulating story, not because of the teasing of Atali, since modern stories are super provacative in that regard. But Conan's one minded desire to chase the alluring and the mysterious. The thrill of the chase is also involved I guess.

Yeah, it's definitely an assault story. So I'm glad it ended the way it did.

Conan is Conan. I can only imagine the face that the editor at Wierd Tales made as he read this.

An oddly beautiful story, would read it again.

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A battle between Conan's companions and a war-party of Vanir ends with Conan, the sole survivor of his band, facing the final surviving Vanir, Heimdul. Conan is victorious but so weakened he collapses onto the battlefield. In a dreamlike state, Conan encounters Atali, the daughter of the god Ymir, in the frozen wastes of the north and chases after her as she lures him with demeaning taunts and laughter. Conan exerts himself from chasing her until he passes out, waking up to discover that quite a few of his companions actually survived and came to his rescue while he was unconscious. Upon being reunited with his companions, Conan tells them the story of his strange encounter with the Frost Giant's Daughter. This tale steers away from action and adventure in favor of a bit of slapstick humor featuring our barbarian Conan.

[Анатолій Волков · Rating 5 out of 5]

«Дочь ледяного гиганта» Рассказ интересен хотя бы потому что в мир Конана вплетены скандинавские мифы и легенды. Конан оказывается в войске одного викинга, вступившего в битву с другим. На поле боя не осталось никого кроме нашего героя, и тут ему приходит видение – красивая, золотоволосая женщина зовет его отправится с собой. Конан охваченный страстью бежит за ней, но попадает в ловушку. Оказывается, это дочь ледяного бога, заманивающая оставшихся в живых воинов после битвы, она заманивает их и ее братья – ледяные гиганты убивают несчастных. Но в этот раз они не на того напали. В рассказе то и дело упоминается скандинавская мифология – Вальхалла, Асы и т.д.

[Sean Woody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Conan tale, throws you into the aftermath of a glacial conflict and a weary sole survivor Conan gets taunted by a nearly naked woman (in the frozen north) of earthly and supernatural beauty and charm...having enough of this frozen vixen's silliness, Conan decides to chase her down, and its a fun game for her...for a while.

[Dimitrios Dritsas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Από τις πιο σύντομες ιστορίες του Κόναν. Από την άλλη διακρίνεται ιδιαίτερα για τις λυρικές περιγραφές. Ιδιαίτερα εκτιμητέα η συνοδευτική ανάλυση και η θέση ότι ο από μηχανής θεός της ιστορίας (Ύμιρ), δεν έρχεται απλά για να σώσει την κόρη του, αλλά σώζει τον Κόναν, που επρόκειτο να μετατραπεί στον κακό της ιστορίας, επιχειρώντας να βιάσει την Ατάλι.

[Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Eerie and Dreamlike.In here Howard shows Conan on the verge of death and Atali the snowy witch who makes warriors who are half dead follow her to be slain by her ice brother and served to Ymir but Conan's rage knows no bounds and in his stupor he cleaved the thigh of one and half loped the head of the other and was encrusted in the snownat the end after a while.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story, the second proclaimed in which we find Conan. Here he fights Godlings from myth, and we see more of his berserker rage. Not a very deep glimpse into our hero, but the setting of the scene was very vividly written.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gritty and dark story of Conan surviving yet another near death experience. This is a great little world building story that Howard is so consistently great at. It adds in a digestable way a myth to Hyperborea that we as the readers can be part of and enjoy.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. Just wished they were longer.

[Ojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[S M H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's good

[Christopher Tennant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unoriginal and old, a poor execution even for the time

[Galen Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kind of has “The Woman in the Snow” vibes.