Search Results for: december 1934

A Witch Shall Be Born

A WITCH SHALL BE BORN is one of the original sword and sorcery novellas by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in only a few days in the spring of 1934 and first published in Weird Tales in December 1934. 

Queen Taramis of Khauran awakens one day to find her identical twin sister, Salome, staring her in the face. As an infant, Salome was deemed a witch due to a crescent-shaped birthmark on her chest. This birthmark was believed to be a sign of evil, so she was left in the desert to die. However, a magician from Khitai (China) found Salome, brought her up, and instructed her in the art of sorcery.

The Legend of El Borak

An article written by Rick Lai about the Legend of El Borak. Best known for his tales of heroic fantasy, Robert E. Howard (1906-36) also wrote contemporary tales of adventure for the pulps. Howard was influenced by Talbot Mundy, a major writer for Adventure in the 1920’s. Mundy’s heroes were American and British adventurers roving around India and the Middle East. Utilizing Mundy’s settings, Howard fashioned his own band of protagonists. Among Howard’s soldiers of fortune, the most famous is Francis Xavier Gordon.

The Treasures of Tartary

THE TREASURES OF TARTARY.

Kirby O’Donnell is an American treasure hunter, created by Howard, in early-twentieth-century Afghanistan disguised as a Kurdish merchant, “Ali el Ghazi”. Howard only wrote three stories about O’Donnell, one of which was not published within his lifetime.

Moon of Zambebwei

In “Moon of Zambebwei,” Robert E. Howard unfolds a chilling narrative set in the eerie backwoods, where Bristol McGrath confronts a nightmarish world of cults and ancient horrors. Published for the first time in Weird Tales, February 1935.

Hawk of the Hills

HAWK OF THE HILLS is an El Borak short story by Robert E. Howard. It was originally published in the June 1935 issue of the pulp magazine Top-Notch.