A Witch Shall Be Born

Introduction

A Witch Shall Be Born is one of the original sword and sorcery novellas 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. It sold for $155.00.

On July 5, 1934, Howard sent the typescript—not the final draft—to his correspondent R.H. Barlow. In the accompanying letter, Howard mentioned that Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright had told him it was his best Conan story.

The story follows the overthrow of a beloved queen by her twin sister, a witch marked by a centuries-old curse, and the bloody retribution brought down by Conan, crucified and left for dead, but unbroken. Set in the kingdom of Khauran, this fast-paced narrative mixes political betrayal, dark sorcery, and personal vengeance with unrelenting brutality and powerful imagery—hallmarks of the Hyborian Age tales.

See also: A Witch Shall be Born – synopsis.

Detailed summary

Chapter 1: The Blood-Red Crescent
Queen Taramis of Khauran awakens to a surreal vision—her own face glowing in the darkness. A phantom image manifests physically, revealing itself to be her long-lost twin sister Salome, who bears the red crescent birthmark signifying the ancient curse: “Every century a witch shall be born.” Salome, abandoned as an infant because of the mark, was raised by a Khitan magician in Paikang and trained in sorcery. She returns to claim the throne, aided by the mercenary Constantius. Salome drugs Taramis’s attendants, impersonates the queen, and orders Constantius’s Shemite army into the city. Taramis is thrown into a dungeon, and Salome, now ruling in her sister’s place, surrenders the city to bloodshed and tyranny.

Chapter 2: The Tree of Death
Khauran descends into violence. Constantius’s Shemite mercenaries loot and murder. Valerius, a young soldier, is wounded while resisting the occupation. Hidden by Ivga, a young woman who loves him, Valerius recounts how Conan, captain of the guard, recognized the impostor Salome and refused her order to disband the army. A battle ensued; Conan fought like a demon but was eventually captured and crucified outside the city. Constantius mocks the barbarian, confident no one will dare to rescue him under threat of flaying. But Conan survives his ordeal and kills a vulture with his teeth. He is saved by Olgerd Vladislav and a band of Zuagir desert raiders, impressed by his endurance and will to live.

Chapter 3: A Letter to Nemedia
The philosopher Astreas, writing to a colleague in Nemedia, describes the hellish transformation of Khauran. Under Salome’s rule (believed to be Taramis), temples are desecrated, obscene idols erected, and a monster—called Thaug—dwells in a temple crypt where captives vanish. Human sacrifices abound. Taxation is ruinous, the people are terrorized, and resistance is crushed. Astreas recounts rumors of Conan’s survival and alliance with Olgerd’s Zuagirs, and how the exiled Khaurani are rallying behind them. Valerius, believed to be dead or captured, may still be alive. The letter ends with Salome taunting and torturing Taramis in her dungeon, displaying the severed head of a loyal councilor.

Chapter 4: Wolves of the Desert
Conan, now second-in-command to Olgerd, reveals he has rallied three thousand Hyborian exiles from Khauran and plans to reclaim the city. Olgerd opposes the plan, fearing losses, but Conan challenges and defeats him in a non-lethal contest, seizing command. Declaring himself chief of the Zuagirs, Conan prepares to strike. The people of Khauran are broken but not without hope. Valerius has infiltrated the palace disguised as a beggar and confirms the real queen is still imprisoned.

Chapter 5: The Voice from the Crystal
As Constantius leads his army out of the city to confront Conan, Salome uses magical crystal globes to follow the battle through her sorcerer-priest Zang. Conan reveals his trap: the siege engines were fakes, and hidden among the Zuagirs are the Khaurani exiles. They crush Constantius’s force in a pincer attack. Zang is slain, and the communication is cut off. Realizing her reign is over, Salome descends to the dungeon to sacrifice Taramis to the monster Thaug.

Chapter 6: The Vulture’s Wings
Valerius and his companions rescue Taramis, but they are ambushed by Salome and her priest in the corridor. Valerius is stunned and the queen recaptured. Recovering, he kills the priest and confronts Salome in the temple just as she is about to kill her sister. He slays her. A monstrous creature, Thaug, emerges from the temple, but Conan arrives at the head of the victorious army and slays the beast with a volley of arrows. Taramis is restored to her people, and Conan declares that Valerius will serve her better than he could. He returns to the desert with his raiders to continue his restless life. In the final scene, Conan repays Constantius by crucifying him at the very place he once hung, and leaves him to die under the vultures’ wings.

Characters

  • Conan the Cimmerian – Captain of the queen’s guard; crucified, survives, and becomes leader of the Zuagirs; avenges Khauran.
  • Taramis – Queen of Khauran; beloved ruler overthrown and imprisoned by her twin sister.
  • Salome – Twin sister of Taramis; marked as a witch by a red crescent; usurper of the throne and servant of dark forces.
  • Constantius – Kothic voivode known as “The Falcon”; commander of Shemitish mercenaries; co-conspirator with Salome.
  • Valerius – Young Khaurani soldier; loyal to the true queen; helps rescue Taramis and fights in the final battle.
  • Ivga – Valerius’s lover; courageous young woman who aids in the rescue of Taramis.
  • Khumbanigash – Shemitish general under Constantius; powerful warrior slain by Conan in battle.
  • Zang – Skull-faced priest who serves Salome; controls the magical crystal; killed by Valerius in the temple.
  • Olgerd Vladislav – Former Zaporoskan hetman; leader of the Zuagirs who saves Conan and is later deposed by him.
  • Kallides – Loyal councilor of Taramis; executed for resisting Salome’s rule and trying to rally support for the queen.
  • Thaug – Ancient, inhuman demon or monster dwelling in the temple; worshipped by Salome and slain by Conan’s archers.

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L. Sprague de Camp's edited version appears in:

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