The Vale of Lost Women (draft 1)

THE VALE OF LOST WOMEN is a fantasy short story by Robert E. Howard and one of his original stories featuring Conan the Cimmerian. It was not published during his lifetime. The Magazine of Horror first published the story in its Spring, 1967 issue, and it was later republished that same year in Conan of Cimmeria (Lancer Books, 1967). Both printings featured the same edited version of the tale. The following is a detailed analysis and summary of the first known draft of the story. As far as I know it has never been published. The second draft was used when Wandering Star published the story.

See also The Vale of Lost Women (draft 2 / published story).

The first draft of The Vale of Lost Women begins with a harrowing scene. Sareeta, an Ophirean noblewoman, lies in a stupor in the hut of the Bakalah tribe after witnessing the ritual torture and murder of her younger brother, Theteles. Her spirit is broken, but her desire for vengeance slowly coalesces as she learns of the arrival of a powerful white stranger in the village—Conan, the Cimmerian and war chief of the Bamulas.

Conan has arrived at the invitation of Bajujh, the grotesque, toad-like king of the Bakalahs, to discuss a joint raid against the neighboring Jihiji tribe. Despite outward civility, Conan distrusts Bajujh and stations his men outside his hut. Sareeta, seeing a chance at salvation, sneaks into Conan’s hut and pleads for vengeance, offering herself as payment if he kills Bajujh. Conan is initially offended at her assumption he must be bribed, but after hearing her tale and seeing her humiliation, he agrees—not for lust, but out of disgust that a white woman is held captive by a black king.

The next night, during a feast, Conan gives a signal and his Bamulas slaughter the Bakalahs in a surprise massacre. Sareeta, in a frenzy of horror, flees the carnage on horseback and escapes into the wilderness. She ends up in a mysterious valley spoken of in whispers among the natives—a place of lost women transformed into flowers by ancient gods. There she is met by silent, beautiful brown-skinned women who paralyze her with a kiss and lay her on a stone altar.

A horrific, otherworldly being—a massive bat-winged entity—descends from the stars, summoned by the women. Just as it is about to claim her, Conan bursts into the glade, wounds the beast in a fierce struggle, and drives it away. When Sareeta admits she tried to escape their bargain, Conan surprises her by releasing her from it, calling their pact dishonorable. Instead, he offers to escort her back to civilization, refusing to take her by force.

Both drafts of The Vale of Lost Women tell the story of a white woman captured by a black tribe in a fantasy Africa-like setting, her encounter with Conan, and her flight into a supernatural valley where she is nearly sacrificed to a monstrous godlike being. The second draft, while largely following the structure of the first, is a more polished and tightened version of the tale. This analysis identifies key differences between the two texts.

1. Name Change:

• Draft 1: The female protagonist is named Sareeta.

• Draft 2: Her name is changed to Livia. This change gives the character a more Latin/classical tone, possibly aligning more with the Hyborian world’s pseudo-historical influences.

2. Language and Style:

• The second draft employs more refined language, sentence variation, and smoother prose. Phrasing is often tightened, and redundancies are removed.

• Example: In Draft 1, Conan says, “Bajujh will never see another sunset.” In Draft 2, the same idea is kept but delivered more sharply within the rhythm of surrounding dialogue.

3. Character Dialogue and Tone:

• Conan’s speech in Draft 2 is slightly more controlled and measured, emphasizing his barbarian pragmatism and honor more clearly.

• The girl’s rage and desperation are more vivid in Draft 2, and her recognition of cultural disparity (e.g., realizing she’s a pawn) is more philosophically stated.

4. Added or Altered Description:

• Several descriptive passages are elaborated or clarified in the second draft:

  • The supernatural women in the Vale have their inhumanity emphasized more clearly through their eyes and eerie silence.

  • The monstrous being is described with more cosmic horror language in Draft 2.

5. Psychological Depth:

• Draft 2 delves more into Livia’s internal turmoil, especially in the section where she realizes she is powerless in a world where “a woman’s consent” means nothing. This internal monologue is more abstract and analytical than in Draft 1.

6. Repetition and Structure:

• The second draft removes some repetitive phrasing and rearranges scenes slightly for better pacing—especially during the sequence where Livia flees the massacre.

7. Phrasing of Key Lines:

• Draft 1: “You speak as if you were free to give yourself at your pleasure…”

• Draft 2 (refined): “You speak as if the gift of your body had power to swing kingdoms…”

  • This reflects Howard honing the sarcasm and cynicism of Conan’s worldview.

8. Ending Clarity:

• Draft 2 offers a cleaner transition between the climax and resolution. After Conan slays the horror, there is a clearer note of mutual understanding and release between Livia and Conan. The tone is subtly more redemptive.

The second draft of The Vale of Lost Women represents Howard’s attempt to elevate his prose style, deepen psychological realism, and better integrate horror and action within the tale. The core narrative remains unchanged, but Livia is given a more resonant voice, and the weird atmosphere of the valley is more vividly rendered. This refinement process shows Howard transitioning from raw pulp storytelling to more literary weird fantasy.

• Sareeta – An Ophirean noblewoman and sister of Theteles; captured by Bakalah tribesmen and later saved by Conan.
• Theteles – Sareeta’s younger brother, a student from the House of Chelkus in Ophir; tortured and killed by the Bakalahs.
• Conan – A Cimmerian barbarian and war chief of the Bamulas; arrives in Bakalah and eventually rescues Sareeta.
• Bajujh – The obese, depraved king of the Bakalah tribe; killed by Conan during the surprise attack.
• Aja – War chief of the Bakalahs; slain by Conan with a beef bone as the signal to begin the massacre.
• Unnamed Black Woman (servant) – A panther-like woman who mocks and torments Sareeta in captivity.
• Brown Women of the Vale – Mysterious, supernatural beings inhabiting the valley; once human women who serve a cosmic horror.
• Bat-winged Entity – An unnamed cosmic horror summoned by the brown women to claim Sareeta as a sacrifice.