The Riddle of Steel

The Riddle of Steel is a question featured in the movie Conan the Barbarian about what kind of things one should put the most trust in. Conan's father believes in steel, which is brutally forged in a hot environment. Thulsa Doom believes in flesh, the power of the mind and large groups acting in unison. Fans have also proposed that the riddle is a Nietschian metaphor, for how an individual can grow through adversity and learn to trust in their own strength and experience. Or perhaps the riddle is that both answers are right, that as a lone warrior Conan failed to kill Thulsa Doom, but that when he returned with his friends he was more effective.