Crom (fictional deity)

Crom /ˈkrɒm/ is a fictional deity in Robert E. Howard's fantasy tales of the Hyborian Age. He is recognized by the lead character Conan, and his proto-Celtic Cimmerian people.

The name Crom is probably derived from the ancient Celtic deity Crom Cruach or Crom Dubh.

...He dwells on a great mountain. What use to call on him? Little he cares if men live or die. Better to be silent than to call his attention to you; he will send you dooms, not fortune! He is grim and loveless, but at birth he breathes power to strive and slay into a man's soul. What else shall men ask of the gods?

Crom is a grim and gloomy and unforgiving god, ever watching from atop his mountain in dark clouds and obscuring mists, ready to pass a disapproving judgement on any and all. He is also said to value courage and tenacity in mortals, even if the human ultimately proves too frail to succeed. Worshippers of Crom claim that he grants his followers strength and endurance and has little patience for weakness. It is commonly held that Crom does not answer prayers and disfavors weakness, therefore the name of Crom is typically only invoked during an oath or curse. He is the only member of the Cimmerian pantheon named with any regularity, although another Celtic deity, Manannán mac Lir, is mentioned by Conan in one story. In the story "Conan the Valorous" by John Maddox Roberts, Crom is worshipped in and reported to live in a great cave in the east face of the mountain called Ben Morgh in Cimmeria where he (or a giant statue of him) is seated on a throne overlooking the Cimmerian burial grounds known as the Field of the Dead.

Using Crom's name as an expletive immediately identifies Conan as being a Cimmerian. Crom is a specifically and uniquely Cimmerian god, with other peoples paying him little attention.

...
Wikipedia