The Hall of the Dead
Encyclopedia
"The Hall of the Dead" is one of the original short stories
by American
author Robert E. Howard
starring the fictional sword and sorcery
hero Conan the Cimmerian
, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard's lifetime. It was completed by L. Sprague de Camp
and published in the following works:
It has since been published in its original form in the following collections:
of the ancient city of Larsha in the country of Zamora, led there by rumors of hidden treasure. Behind him in pursuit is a squad of Zamorian soldier
s sent to capture him for crimes of theft against rich merchant
s and nobles
. Leading them is a captain from Gunderland named Nestor, and as he turns his head to berate his men for their constant chatter, he fails to see a rawhide tripwire
set earlier by Conan. Nestor falls sprawling in the grass and sets off the trap as a large pile of rocks wipes out his men, leaving him battered and bruised but alive.
Enraged at the loss of his men and fearing the consequences of returning without his prisoner, Nestor decides to pursue Conan alone. He finally confronts him just outside the walls of Larsha as the young barbarian
is searching for a way in. The two engage in fierce swordplay
until Conan strikes Nestor in the head, penetrating his helmet
and sending him to the ground unconscious.
Conan then makes his way into the deserted city and begins to thread the winding streets, recalling the tales he had heard concerning a horrible doom that befell trespassers, and soon confronts a monster in the form of a giant slug
, fifty feet long with the ability to spit a corrosive acid
with deadly accuracy. The slug chases Conan throughout the city until he climbs up to the roof of a decaying temple
and manages to knock over some gargoyle
statuary, one after the other, crushing the monster to death.
After climbing back down and making sure the slug is dead, he hears a familiar voice and turns to see Nestor confronting him again, this time with a bandaged head wound. Conan's blow had only succeeded in injuring him, but just as they are about to resume the combat they come to a mutual agreement to search for the treasure as allies and divide whatever they find among themselves.
They enter the royal palace
of Larsha, intricately carved from a single large rock formation of black basalt
, and where the treasure is supposed to lie hidden. They light torches to find their way through various passages and eventually come to a vault
. Gaining entry, they discover inside a glittering hoard of treasure - gold, silver and jewels in a vast pile of splendour. However, guarding this ancient wealth are the mummified
corpses of seven giant warrior
s seated in chairs, which promptly come to life and attack the pair of adventurers as they are gathering the treasure.
After a desperate fight, Conan and Nestor escape from the vault with the mummies in pursuit. As they follow them out into the dawn light the undead
creatures immediately turn to dust, the necromantic
spell broken. Then the earth beneath their feet begins to tremble in a great earthquake
as walls and columns lean and fall. Conan escapes the final ruin of the city but Nestor is nowhere to be found. Calling his name and getting no response, Conan assumes the worst and heads back toward the city of Shadizar with his bag of plunder.
That night in Shadizar Conan swaggers into his favorite tavern
and makes his way to the table where his sweetheart of the moment sits drinking
alone and begins boasting of his adventure. He empties the contents of his treasure bag, seven priceless green jewels worth enough to buy an entire kingdom
, onto the table and, like the seven undead guardians, they too crumble into worthless powder much to his chagrin. A magistrate
then enters the tavern followed by a squad of the night watch
with the intent to arrest him on his original charges of theft and the slaying of Nestor's men. As it turned out, Nestor survived the earthquake at Larsha and was discovered by the authorities drunk and like Conan boasting of his feat. When they had tried to apprehend Nestor he escaped but lost his loot to the police who made a dash to recover it for themselves. The magistrate who confronted Conan then reached inside the bag on the table where Conan's last remaining prize was concealed, a statuette in the form of a jade
green serpent
. As the man thrust his hand inside, the statuette came to life and bit venom
ously into his flesh, and in the resulting panic and confusion Conan made good his own escape.
On the road outside Shadizar, Conan and Nestor meet at a prearranged spot and share news of one another's misadventures. After accepting their fates
with grim humor, the two amicably decide to part ways.
and Barry Smith
in Marvel Comics
' Conan the Barbarian #8, and by Mike Mignola
and Cary Nord
in Dark Horse Comics
' Conan #29-31.
Gunderman approached Conan, who offered to share the fabled treasure with him. Gunderman agreed, and the two thieves entered a tomb where three petrified sorcerers sat. Conan shrugged off another vision, and destroyed the corpses. Conan stole two green jewels while Gunderman filled his bags with gold; however, the destruction of the petrified corpses incited the rest of the guard to rise from the dead and attack the two men.
Conan and Gunderman drew the corpses into the sunlight, and they turned to dust. However, the city began to crumble and Conan barely escaped with his life. It appeared that Gunderman was lost, and Conan returned to the city to retrieve his girl and settle his debt with Gunderman's former master. Conan turned over the jewelled eyes, which appeared to come to life. Conan did not stay to see; he retreated with his female partner and ran into the night.
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...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author 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....
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 the Cimmerian
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...
, a fragment begun in the 1930s but not finished or published in Howard's lifetime. It was completed 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 published in the following works:
- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Feb 1967
- ConanConan (collection)Conan is a 1967 collection of seven fantasy short stories and associated pieces 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 pulp magazines...
(LancerLancer 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...
, 1967, later reissued 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...
). - 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)
It has since been published in its original form in the following collections:
- The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (GollanczVictor Gollancz LtdVictor Gollancz Ltd was a major British book publishing house of the twentieth century. It was founded in 1927 by Victor Gollancz and specialised in the publication of high quality literature, nonfiction and popular fiction, including science fiction. Upon Gollancz's death in 1967, ownership...
, 2000) - Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933)Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933)The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian is the first of a three volume set collecting the Conan stories by author Robert E. Howard. It was originally published in 2003, first the United Kingdom by Wandering Star under the title Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One , and shortly thereafter in the United States...
(Del ReyDel Rey BooksDel Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
, 2003).
Plot summary (de Camp)
Conan is exploring the haunted ruinsRuins
Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
of the ancient city of Larsha in the country of Zamora, led there by rumors of hidden treasure. Behind him in pursuit is a squad of Zamorian 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 sent to capture him for crimes of theft against rich merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s and nobles
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. Leading them is a captain from Gunderland named Nestor, and as he turns his head to berate his men for their constant chatter, he fails to see a rawhide tripwire
Tripwire
A tripwire is a passive triggering mechanism. Typically, a wire or cord is attached to some device for detecting or reacting to physical movement...
set earlier by Conan. Nestor falls sprawling in the grass and sets off the trap as a large pile of rocks wipes out his men, leaving him battered and bruised but alive.
Enraged at the loss of his men and fearing the consequences of returning without his prisoner, Nestor decides to pursue Conan alone. He finally confronts him just outside the walls of Larsha as the young barbarian
Barbarian
Barbarian and savage are terms used to refer to a person who is perceived to be uncivilized. The word is often used either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage...
is searching for a way in. The two engage in fierce swordplay
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
until Conan strikes Nestor in the head, penetrating his helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
and sending him to the ground unconscious.
Conan then makes his way into the deserted city and begins to thread the winding streets, recalling the tales he had heard concerning a horrible doom that befell trespassers, and soon confronts a monster in the form of a giant slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
, fifty feet long with the ability to spit a corrosive acid
Acid
An acid is a substance which reacts with a base. Commonly, acids can be identified as tasting sour, reacting with metals such as calcium, and bases like sodium carbonate. Aqueous acids have a pH of less than 7, where an acid of lower pH is typically stronger, and turn blue litmus paper red...
with deadly accuracy. The slug chases Conan throughout the city until he climbs up to the roof of a decaying temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
and manages to knock over some gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
statuary, one after the other, crushing the monster to death.
After climbing back down and making sure the slug is dead, he hears a familiar voice and turns to see Nestor confronting him again, this time with a bandaged head wound. Conan's blow had only succeeded in injuring him, but just as they are about to resume the combat they come to a mutual agreement to search for the treasure as allies and divide whatever they find among themselves.
They enter the royal palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
of Larsha, intricately carved from a single large rock formation of black basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
, and where the treasure is supposed to lie hidden. They light torches to find their way through various passages and eventually come to a vault
Burial vault (tomb)
A burial vault is a structural underground tomb.It is a stone or brick-lined underground space or 'burial' chamber for the interment of a dead body or bodies. They were originally and are still often vaulted and usually have stone slab entrances...
. Gaining entry, they discover inside a glittering hoard of treasure - gold, silver and jewels in a vast pile of splendour. However, guarding this ancient wealth are the mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
corpses of seven giant warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s seated in chairs, which promptly come to life and attack the pair of adventurers as they are gathering the treasure.
After a desperate fight, Conan and Nestor escape from the vault with the mummies in pursuit. As they follow them out into the dawn light the undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
creatures immediately turn to dust, the necromantic
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
spell broken. Then the earth beneath their feet begins to tremble in a great earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
as walls and columns lean and fall. Conan escapes the final ruin of the city but Nestor is nowhere to be found. Calling his name and getting no response, Conan assumes the worst and heads back toward the city of Shadizar with his bag of plunder.
That night in Shadizar Conan swaggers into his favorite tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
and makes his way to the table where his sweetheart of the moment sits drinking
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
alone and begins boasting of his adventure. He empties the contents of his treasure bag, seven priceless green jewels worth enough to buy an entire kingdom
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
, onto the table and, like the seven undead guardians, they too crumble into worthless powder much to his chagrin. A magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
then enters the tavern followed by a squad of the night watch
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
with the intent to arrest him on his original charges of theft and the slaying of Nestor's men. As it turned out, Nestor survived the earthquake at Larsha and was discovered by the authorities drunk and like Conan boasting of his feat. When they had tried to apprehend Nestor he escaped but lost his loot to the police who made a dash to recover it for themselves. The magistrate who confronted Conan then reached inside the bag on the table where Conan's last remaining prize was concealed, a statuette in the form of a jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
green serpent
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
. As the man thrust his hand inside, the statuette came to life and bit venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ously into his flesh, and in the resulting panic and confusion Conan made good his own escape.
On the road outside Shadizar, Conan and Nestor meet at a prearranged spot and share news of one another's misadventures. After accepting their fates
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
with grim humor, the two amicably decide to part ways.
Adaptation
The Howard fragment was adapted by Roy ThomasRoy 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...
and Barry Smith
Barry Smith
Barry Smith may refer to:*Barry Smith , ontologist at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York*Barry Smith , preacher from New Zealand...
in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Conan the Barbarian #8, and by Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
and Cary Nord
Cary Nord
Cary Nord is an artist noted for his work in comic books. He started his career with a letter and some original artwork sent into the editors of Marvel Comics's Marvel Comics Presents. They were so impressed, he was awarded with a professional job penciling a Shang Chi serial. He eventually became...
in Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
' Conan #29-31.
Plot overview (2006 Dark Horse adaptation)
As the plot began, Conan was being hunted by the mercenary Gunderman and his master's army. Conan used a trap involving rocks to decimate Gunderman's unit, but the mercenary followed him into a mysterious abandoned city. Conan was quickly surrounded by red toads, who bring an idol to life. Drawn into the living toad idol's belly, Conan had a vision of a blind serpent and three mysterious robed men. He then cut his way out of the toad's belly and slew the magical beast.Gunderman approached Conan, who offered to share the fabled treasure with him. Gunderman agreed, and the two thieves entered a tomb where three petrified sorcerers sat. Conan shrugged off another vision, and destroyed the corpses. Conan stole two green jewels while Gunderman filled his bags with gold; however, the destruction of the petrified corpses incited the rest of the guard to rise from the dead and attack the two men.
Conan and Gunderman drew the corpses into the sunlight, and they turned to dust. However, the city began to crumble and Conan barely escaped with his life. It appeared that Gunderman was lost, and Conan returned to the city to retrieve his girl and settle his debt with Gunderman's former master. Conan turned over the jewelled eyes, which appeared to come to life. Conan did not stay to see; he retreated with his female partner and ran into the night.
External links
- Conan wiki • The Hall of the Dead • Synopsis, characters, locations, and publishing history
- Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
- Conan.com: The Official Website