Elric of Melniboné is another icon of fantasy fiction, the protagonist of Michael Moorcock’s epic sword-and-sorcery tales. Elric is another hero of the Hyborian age just like Conan. However Elric and Conan have major differences. Elric is an intentional inversion of Conan: instead of a mighty Brawny barbarian warrior who fights his way to the top and gains the throne of Aquilonia (which is a country about a hundred miles north of Elric's kingdom), Elric is a weak and sickly but highly cultured emperor who throws the throne of Melniboné away. He slays his true love, is himself a wizard in league with the demon lord Arioch, and leads invaders to lay waste to Melniboné.