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Crom 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. ==Nature of Crom== 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 judgment 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. Worshipers 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 worshiped 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. The Stygian followers of Set placate their deity with human sacrifice and actively venerate serpents, while Ishtar's worshippers follow the pleasures of the flesh; in Vendhya, the followers of Asura seek truth beyond the illusions of the physical world, and the Hyborian devotees of Mitra are almost Judaeo-Christian in their merging of asceticism with a commitment to compassion and justice. By contrast, Conan remarks in conversation that it is best to avoid doing anything that would draw Crom's attention, as the god brings down only trouble and doom.〔''Queen of the Black Coast'' by Robert E. Howard〕 As a result, he is not so much worshipped in Howard's works as invoked in curses and expletives (for instance, Conan exclaims things like "Crom and his devils"), or when trying to gather one's courage. This does not imply that he ever does anything, good or bad, to mortals; it is said that his sole gift to men is to bestow them at birth with the courage to survive, persevere, and vanquish adversity. Crom is never depicted as directly intervening or otherwise explicitly causing any event to occur in the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. There is little consistent evidence in his works that Crom, or any other deity, actually exists; the existence of demons and highly advanced aliens are confirmed (as in the stories "The God in the Bowl" and "The Tower of the Elephant"), while the story "The Phoenix on the Sword" implies that Set is one of H. P. Lovecraft's Great Old Ones. Howard's story "Black Colossus" features a princess vocally directed by Mitra to make Conan her champion.〔''Black Colossus'' by Robert E. Howard〕 Crom makes no such appearances. In Conan stories by authors other than Howard there is some evidence that Crom may exist. For example, in ''The Return of Conan'', Crom intervenes directly to save Conan from death and eternal damnation. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Crom (fictional deity)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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