Cover of Weird Tales, December 1934. Art by Margaret Brundage
Text available at Wikisource
Country
United States
Language
English
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Publication
Published in
Weird Tales
Publication type
Periodical
Publisher
Rural Publishing Corporation
Media type
Pulp magazine
Publication date
December 1934
Chronology
Series
Conan the Cimmerian
The People of the Black Circle
Jewels of Gwahlur
"A Witch Shall Be Born" is one of the original sword and sorcery novellas by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in only a few days in spring of 1934 and first published in Weird Tales in December 1934.[1] A book edition was published in 1975 by Donald M. Grant, Publisher with illustrations by Alicia Austin.[2]
The story concerns a witch replacing her twin sister as queen of a city state, which brings her into conflict with Conan who had been the captain of the queen's guard. Themes of paranoia, and the duality of the twin sisters, are paramount in this story but it also includes elements of the conflict between barbarism and civilization that is common to the entire Conan series. The novella as a whole is considered an average example of the series, but one scene stands out. Conan's crucifixion early in the story during the second chapter ("The Tree of Death") is considered one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series. A variation of this scene was included in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
^Howard, Robert E. (1934). "A Witch Shall Be Born". Weird Tales. Indianapolis: Popular Fiction Publishing Company. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
^A Witch Shall Be Born at WorldCat
and 18 Related for: A Witch Shall be Born information
"AWitchShallBeBorn" is one of the original sword and sorcery novellas by Robert E. Howard about Conan the Cimmerian. It was written in only a few days...
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pact. The high priest of Keshan, Gorulga, announces that a decision on the matter can only be made after consulting with Yelaya, the mummified oracle of...
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becomes embroiled in a conflict with his old rival Olgerd Vladislav, an opponent first encountered in Howard's story "AWitchShallbeBorn". Laughlin, Charlotte;...
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