The Curse of the Monolith
Encyclopedia
"The Curse of the Monolith" is a short story
written by L. Sprague de Camp
and Lin Carter
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
hero Conan of Cimmeria
created by Robert E. Howard
. It was first published in the magazine Worlds of Fantasy in 1968 as "Conan and the Cenotaph".
soldier serving in the army of the empire of Turan. Having attained the rank of captain, he has been chosen by King Yildiz to lead a detachment of soldier
s and to deliver a letter of friendship and trade to King Shu of Kusan, a minor kingdom in the east. Shu sends Conan back to Turan with a formal letter of acceptance and provides him with a high noble of his own court, Duke
Feng, to act as a guide and escort. However, unknown to both Conan and King Shu, Feng is a member of an isolationist
political party known as the Golden Pheasant which disdains all contact between Kusan and the nations of the west. Determined to prevent Conan from delivering the letter of treaty back to Turan, Feng employs a ruse against Conan with a tale concerning the nearby tomb of a king which is supposed to contain a hoard of treasure. He tells Conan that if he will help him dig up the treasure while his men are asleep he will share half of what they find, to which Conan, although suspicious, agrees.
When they reach the site indicated by Feng, Conan sees a large burial mound with a black monolith
of stone towering up into the night sky, the top of which is obscured by mist. As Conan ascends the mound and prepares to dig, he finds himself being pulled inexorably toward the monolith by some invisible force. Unable to break free Conan is hurled against the monolith and held fast. The duplicitous Feng then explains his true identity and purpose, and that the monolith is composed of a magnetic
stone which exerted a force of attraction upon Conan's metal armour
. Taking the letter of treaty from Conan, Feng begins to play musical notes on a flute
. Responding to the strange piping, a monster in the form of a giant amoeba
begins to slither down from the top of the shaft toward Conan. Struggling to escape, Conan eventually manages to cut the leather straps of his armour with a rusted dagger
and tears himself free before the amoeba can devour him with its acidic pseudopod
s. Pouncing on Feng, Conan grabs him, retrieves the letter and hurls him against the monolith, knocking him unconscious as he falls victim to the amorphous creature. Conan then sets fire to the monster, bringing an end to the "curse" once and for all.
#33 by Roy Thomas
, Gene Colan
and Pablo Marcos
.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
and Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
hero Conan of Cimmeria
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
created by Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
. It was first published in the magazine Worlds of Fantasy in 1968 as "Conan and the Cenotaph".
Publication history
- Worlds of Fantasy magazine (Vol. 1, No. 1, 1968, published as "Conan and the CenotaphCenotaphA cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
") - Conan of CimmeriaConan of CimmeriaConan of Cimmeria is a 1969 collection of eight fantasy short stories written by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. Most of the stories were originally published in various fantasy magazines...
(Lancer BooksLancer BooksLancer Books was a series of paperback books published from 1961 through 1973 by Irwin Stein and Walter Zacharius. While it published stories of a number of genres, it was noted most for its science fiction and fantasy, particularly its series of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian tales, the...
, 1969, later reprinted by Ace BooksAce BooksAce Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns...
) - Warlocks and WarriorsWarlocks and Warriors (Mayflower)For the fantasy anthology published by Putnam see Warlocks and Warriors.Warlocks and Warriors is an anthology of short stories in the fantasy genre edited by Douglas Hill and published by Mayflower in 1971.-Contents:*"Introduction"...
anthology (Mayflower, 1971, ed. Douglas HillDouglas HillDouglas Arthur Hill was a Canadian science fiction author, editor and reviewer. He was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of a railroad engineer, and was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. An avid science fiction reader from an early age, he studied English at the University of Saskatchewan...
) - The Conan ChroniclesThe Conan ChroniclesThe Conan Chronicles is a 1989 omnibus collection of three previous fantasy collections by Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter featuring Howard's seminal sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian, published by Sphere Books. The component collections had originally been published by...
(Sphere BooksSphere Books-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
, 1989)
Plot overview
Conan is a mercenaryMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
soldier serving in the army of the empire of Turan. Having attained the rank of captain, he has been chosen by King Yildiz to lead a detachment of soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s and to deliver a letter of friendship and trade to King Shu of Kusan, a minor kingdom in the east. Shu sends Conan back to Turan with a formal letter of acceptance and provides him with a high noble of his own court, Duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
Feng, to act as a guide and escort. However, unknown to both Conan and King Shu, Feng is a member of an isolationist
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
political party known as the Golden Pheasant which disdains all contact between Kusan and the nations of the west. Determined to prevent Conan from delivering the letter of treaty back to Turan, Feng employs a ruse against Conan with a tale concerning the nearby tomb of a king which is supposed to contain a hoard of treasure. He tells Conan that if he will help him dig up the treasure while his men are asleep he will share half of what they find, to which Conan, although suspicious, agrees.
When they reach the site indicated by Feng, Conan sees a large burial mound with a black monolith
Monolith
A monolith is a geological feature such as a mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock, or a single piece of rock placed as, or within, a monument...
of stone towering up into the night sky, the top of which is obscured by mist. As Conan ascends the mound and prepares to dig, he finds himself being pulled inexorably toward the monolith by some invisible force. Unable to break free Conan is hurled against the monolith and held fast. The duplicitous Feng then explains his true identity and purpose, and that the monolith is composed of a magnetic
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
stone which exerted a force of attraction upon Conan's metal armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
. Taking the letter of treaty from Conan, Feng begins to play musical notes on a flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. Responding to the strange piping, a monster in the form of a giant amoeba
Amoeba
Amoeba is a genus of Protozoa.History=The amoeba was first discovered by August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof in 1757. Early naturalists referred to Amoeba as the Proteus animalcule after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his shape...
begins to slither down from the top of the shaft toward Conan. Struggling to escape, Conan eventually manages to cut the leather straps of his armour with a rusted dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
and tears himself free before the amoeba can devour him with its acidic pseudopod
Pseudopod
Pseudopods or pseudopodia are temporary projections of eukaryotic cells. Cells that possess this faculty are generally referred to as amoeboids. Pseudopodia extend and contract by the reversible assembly of actin subunits into microfilaments...
s. Pouncing on Feng, Conan grabs him, retrieves the letter and hurls him against the monolith, knocking him unconscious as he falls victim to the amorphous creature. Conan then sets fire to the monster, bringing an end to the "curse" once and for all.
Adaptation
Adapted in Savage Sword of ConanSavage Sword of Conan
The Savage Sword of Conan was a black-and-white magazine-format comic book series published beginning in 1974 by Curtis Magazines, an imprint of Marvel Comics, and then later by Marvel itself. Savage Sword of Conan starred Robert E...
#33 by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, Gene Colan
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules "Gene" Colan was an American comic book artist best known for his work for Marvel Comics, where his signature titles include the superhero series, Daredevil, the cult-hit satiric series Howard the Duck, and The Tomb of Dracula, considered one of comics' classic horror series...
and Pablo Marcos
Pablo Marcos
Pablo Marcos Ortega, known professionally as Pablo Marcos is a comic book artist and commercial illustrator best known as one of his home country's leading cartoonists and for his work on such popular American comics characters as Batman and Conan the Barbarian, particularly during the 1970s...
.