Introduction
Featuring Turlogh Dubh O’Brien, “once a chief of Clan na O’Brien”. It was accepted for Strange Stories in May, but published in Weird Tales in October 1931.
We learn this from a letter (#129) Howard wrote to Tevis Clyde Smith, circa May 1931.
I got back from Mineral Wells yesterday and was somewhat gratified to find a letter waiting me from Farnsworth accepting “The Gods of Bal-Sagoth” — a Turlogh O’Brien tale — for Strange Stories — $140.00.
In a letter (#180) to Lovecraft, Howard just makes a short mention of it:
I hope you liked the “Bal-Sagoth” yarn. As for “The Black Stone” my story appearing in the current Weird Tales, since reading it over in print, I feel rather absurd. The story sounds as if I were trying, in my feeble and blunderingly crude way, to deliberately copy your style.
Alternate title:
THE BLOND GODDESS OF BAL-SAGOTH.
Synopsis
After a savage battle with Vikings and a subsequent shipwreck after being blown far off course, Turlogh O’Brien the Gael and his friend-enemy Athelstane the Saxon wash ashore on a mysterious island. Swiftly embroiled in rescuing a scantily clad blonde girl from a giant dinosaurian bird, they discover that the girl is actually a Viking princess, Brunhild. She explains to them that they have washed up on the Isle of the Gods, the “oldest land in the world”. It transpires that the devil-bird the men killed was Groth-golka the bird god, the last of an ancient race that preyed upon the local people of the island’s city-state for innumerable generations.
Having had the worst of it in the palace takeover she had plotted, Brunhild now enlists the aid of Turlogh and Athelstane to help her try and take power once more. Their main enemy is Gothan, an ancient priest who has enjoyed an unnaturally long life. Together with the menace of Gol-goroth the god of darkness, this is the countervailing political force the girl intends to overthrow.
In a tumultuous battle of champions, the Mesoamerican society of the island is conquered and Brunhild becomes their queen.
Gothan strikes from hiding, using his own hypnotic powers, ape-men assassins and a nameless Thing, a black-skinned demonic giant which is only killed with great difficulty. Then, whether from supernatural causes or sheer coincidence, Brunhild is crushed to death beneath the peculiar enormous statue of Gol-goroth and the local people rise up against the two fighting men. Turlogh and Athelstane slaughter their way to safety as the city burns around them and take to a boat, sailing from the lost island and on to new adventures.
Characters
- Turlogh O’Brien: The main protagonist, a skilled warrior.
- Athelstane: Turlogh’s comrade, a formidable fighter.
- Brunhild: A woman claiming to be a goddess, seeking to reclaim her throne.
- Gothan: A powerful and ancient priest of the dark god Golgoroth.
- Ska: A king ruling Bal-Sagoth, opposed by Brunhild.
- Gelka: An acolyte who plays a pivotal role in the story’s climax.
- Zomar: A chief and guard commander loyal to Brunhild.
Published in:
- WEIRD TALES VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3, Popular Fiction Publishing Company, October 1931
- AVON FANTASY READER #12, 1950 (as “The Blond Goddess of Bal-Sagoth“)
- THE DARK MAN AND OTHERS, Arkham House, 1963
- NARRACIONES TERRORÍFICAS, Editorial Acervo, 1965 (Spanish)
- THE SECOND AVON FANTASY READER, Wollheim & Ernsberger, Avon, February 1969 (as “The Blond Goddess of Bal-Sagoth“)
- CONAN THE BARBARIAN #17, Marvel, August 1972 (rewritten as a Conan story)
- CONAN THE BARBARIAN #18, Marvel, September 1972 (rewritten as a Conan story)
- THE DARK MAN AND OTHERS, Lancer, 1972 (n.d.)
- L’HOMME NOIR, Libraries des Champ-Elysees, 1st Quarter 1976 (French)
- PIGEONS FROM HELL, Zebra, June 1976
- THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN VOLUME 1 NUMBER 13, Marvel Comics, August 1976 (graphic adaptation featuring Conan)
- TERRA FANTASY 42: DIE BESTIE VON BAL-SAGOTH, Erich Pabel Verlag KG, December 1977 (German)
- THE DARK MAN OMNIBUS, Volume 1, Panther, 1978
- PIGEONS FROM HELL, Ace, 1979
- THE GODS OF BAL-SAGOTH, Ace, April 1979
- TERRA FANTASY 42: DIE BESTIE VON BAL-SAGOTH, Erich Pabel Verlag KG, August 1980 (German, 2nd printing)
- L’HOMME NOIR, NeO, April 1982 (French)
- L’HOMME NOIR, NeO, February 1984 (French, 2nd printing)
- FANTASY, Editrice Nord, November 1985 (Italian)
- BOGOWIE BAL-SAGOTH, Wydawnictwo Iskry, 1987 (Polish)
- CONAN SAGA VOLUME 1 NUMBER 10, Marvel Comics, February 1988 (graphic adaptation featuring Conan)
- L’HOMME NOIR, NeO, February 1988 (French, 3rd printing)
- FANTASY, Euroclub, September 1988 (Italian)
- ROBERT E. HOWARD’S WORLD OF HEROES, Robinson, 1989
- L’HOMME NOIR, Fleuve Noir, December 1991 (French)
- PIMEYDEN LINNAKE, Jalava, 1991 (Finnish)
- ÁRNYKIRÁLYOK, Cherubion Könyvkiadó, 1992 (Hungarian)
- PRZEKLÉNSTWO ZLOTEJ CZASZKI, Wydawnictwo PiK, 1993 (Polish)
- TYGŘI MOŘE, Laser Books, 1993 (Czech)
- OMBRE DAL TEMPO, Fanucci Editore, August 1994 (Italian)
- TUTTI I CICLI FANTASTICI – I CICLI CELTA E DI FACCIA DI TESCHIO, Newton Compton Editori, April 1995 (Italian)
- BRAN MAK MORN, Baen, January 1996 (restored text)
- FANTASY, Editrice Nord, November 1996 (Italian)
- TYGŘI MOŘE, Laser Books, 1996 (Czech, 2nd printing)
- THE NIGHT OF THE WOLF, North-West, 1997 (Russian)
- LHORK 19 (ESPECIAL HOWARD Y LOVECRAFT), Círculo de Lhork, 1998 (Spanish)
- BRAN MAK MORN, Laser Books, 2000 (Czech)
- NAMELESS CULTS, Chaosium, December 2001
- THE BLACK STRANGER AND OTHER AMERICAN TALES, Bison Books, April 2005
- PEOPLE OF THE DARK, Wildside Press, July 2005
- THE WEIRD WRITINGS OF ROBERT E. HOWARD Volume 1, Girasol Collectables, January 2006
- PEOPLE OF THE DARK, Wildside Press, June 2006
- LES DIEUX DE BAL-SAGOTH, Bragelonne, March 2010 (French)
- CONAN’S BRETHREN, Gollancz, January 2011
- BAL-SAGOTHI JUMALAD, Fantaasia, March 2011 (Estonian)
- LES DIEUX DE BAL-SAGOTH. LE CRÉPUSCULE DU DIEU GRIS, Bragelonne, May 2013 (French)
- FEKETE TURLOGH ÉS A KELTÁK, Delta Vision Kft., November 2014 (Hungarian)
- SWORDS OF THE NORTH, REH Foundation Press, December 2014
- ROBERT E. HOWARD’S SAVAGE SWORD #10, Dark Horse Comics, March 2015 (Part 1, graphic adaptation)
- DIE KINDER DER NACHT, Festa Verlag, November 2015 (German)
- LOS DIOSES DE BAL-SAGOTH, Costas de Carcosa, February 2016 (Spanish)
- O MUNDO SOMBRIO: HISTÓRIAS DOS MITOS DE CTHULHU, Editora Clock Tower, March 2016 (Portuguese)
- БОГИ БАЛ-САГОТА (THE GODS OF BAL-SAGOTH), AST, November 2017 (Russian)
- THE CTHULHU STORIES OF ROBERT E. HOWARD, WordFire Press, September 2020
- LES ROIS DE LA NUIT, Le Livre de Poche, November 2020 (French)
- IL CICLO CELTA, GM Libri, February 2021 (Italian)
- SWORDS OF THE NORTH, the Ultimate Edition, REH Foundation Press, May 2024