Genseric’s Fifth Born Son

Introduction

This is a round-robin, 17-chapter story, based on the first chapter by REH. All but the REH portion was written in the 1970s. Originally scheduled to be published serially in several episodes in Fantasy Crossroads, only 12 of the 17 got published. The Necronomicon Press edition is the first complete publication of the story.

Written by Robert E. Howard, Karl Edward Wagner, Joseph Brennan; Richard L. Tierney; Michael Moorcock; Charles R. Saunders; Andrew J. Offutt; Manly Wade Wellman; Darrell Schweitzer; A. E. Van Vogt; Brian Lumley; Frank Belknap Long; Adrian Cole; Ramsey Campbell; H. Warner Munn; Marion Zimmer Bradley; Richard A. Lupoff.

Alternate titles:

‘GHOR, KINSLAYER‘, ‘GENSERIC’S SON; Untitled (“Long, long ago a son was born . . .”)’.

The story

“Genseric’s Son” is a tale of primal adventure and mythic origins, narrated by James Allison, who recalls his past life as the son of Genseric and Gudrun in the harsh, frozen lands of Vanaheim. Born with a physical imperfection, a crooked left leg, the infant is condemned by his mother Gudrun and left to die in the icy wilderness by his father Genseric, adhering to the brutal customs of their people. However, the child is not devoured by wolves, as expected, but rather is adopted and nurtured by a she-wolf, thus beginning his extraordinary life.

Characters

  1. James Allison – The narrator, who vividly remembers his past lives, including his life as Genseric’s son.
  2. Genseric – A mighty figure, the father of the protagonist, who reluctantly abandons his son due to his deformity.
  3. Gudrun of the Shining Locks – Genseric’s wife and the child’s mother, who decides against keeping her imperfect son.
  4. Bragi – An elderly individual with haunted eyes, who first observes the wolves nurturing the abandoned child.
  5. The She-Wolf – A wolf that adopts and nurses the abandoned infant, saving his life and raising him as her own.

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