Solomon Kane

Solomon Kane is a character of fiction created by Robert E. Howard.

Description

Solomon Kane was a large and thin man; its pale and dark face, its deep eyes and dreamers were made even darker by the dark and austere costume of Puritan whom he liked to carry. : Solomon Kane is thus described to us by Robert E. Howard, especially known for most famous of its creations: Conan. Antithesis of the famous barbarian, Kane seems a man sober, silent, fleeing the wine and the women, being devoted to the adventure only when one “celestial plan” requires it. Arm avenger of God armed with a sword and his two guns, the character is presented to us like a true fanatic, showing an obstinacy close to the madness since it is a question of tracking the Evil in all his forms.

It is enough to see the confidence plugs (even suicidal) with which it is thrown in the battle, the étincelant eye of excitation, to be convinced some. Solomon Kane is ready to die for its God, unquestionable to enjoy happiness eternal for his bravery, obeying an exceeding intention - less it believe-it its own will. Its combat is right, it cannot fail. And when it is a question finally of managing its right punishment with the assassin, God authorizes it to kill. As a good fanatic, Kane is authorized by celestial delegation to achieve what it precisely reproaches his victims: the murder.

Solomon Kane escapes the label however from Intégriste which one could easily stick to him in our contemporary context, that thanks to the distinct Manicheism of its universe. The Good and the Evil are clearly identifiable at Howard: wizard, vampires, zombies… The Evil to which Kane is attacked is infernal, diabolic, immediately recognizable. Under this angle, its fanaticism appears to us justified and allows outset the identification and the sympathy of the reader to the character.

In its judgments, Solomon Kane remains far from integrist limited and sadistic one. Wise, sympathizing, guard of weak, the man rather raises more warlike archangel fighting against the Devil than of the torturer moralist. One never sees Kane punishing those which are devoted to the pleasure. Although it seems to him guilty and refusing to yield to it, it seems to apply its severity and its morals Puritain E only to its only person, showing an astonishing tolerance as soon as it is a question of judging the authors of “minor sins”.

For Solomon Kane, its role of inquisitor seems to be limited to the only criminals, leaving in peace the men sunk in the “vice” and the “decline” (from a puritan point of view), as long as they do not harm their similar. Worse still: one sees it showing of comprehension and compassion for a demon avenger (Of Craniums and Stars), going even until him to offer his true prey on a plate to stop his blind massacres!

Character definitely of most ambiguous, if not paradoxical, Solomon Kane justify his passion for the adventure, the voyage and the combat by the will of the Sky. Not question for him of recognizing that it acts by pleasure. It is there another singularity of Kane, impassioned by its crusade, but being obstinated to mask its ardor under a mask of austerity. Because one cannot fight against the Evil in there fascinating taste: the pleasure is bad. Solomon Kane is before a whole dispenser of justice; however one cannot like justice without passion.

It is not rare to see it confronted, at the beginning of each news, a child in distress wildly martyrized by the rough ones. It is the release, of the source of the Fanatisme blind man of Kane: to safeguard innocence in all circumstances and, if need be, to wash in blood the affront which was made to him at any price.

Hanging, rape, Howard do not give up in front of nothing to put fire at the powders of the fanatic temperament of its character: he will cross all the oceans and the continents, will undergo lacerations of the claws of a demon, but he will find the assassin and will punish as it should be it, without never giving up, the such eye of God following Caïn in his tomb.

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the quotations all are extracted from Solomon Kane , of Robert E. Howard.

French edition

The majority of the adventures of Solomon Kane were gathered in two volumes, left in French under the names Solomon Kane and the return Kane .

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