Queen of the Black Coast

Conan novelette by Robert E. Howard

This article is about a short story published in 1934. For the 1978 collection of the same title that contains this story, see Queen of the Black Coast (collection).

"Queen of the Black Coast"

Short story by Robert E. Howard

Cover for Weird Tales, May 1934.
Art by Margaret Brundage

Country| United States
Language| English
Genre(s)| Fantasy
Publication
Published in| Weird Tales
Publication type| Pulp magazine
Publisher| Rural Publishing Corporation
Publication date| May 1934
Chronology
Series| Conan the Cimmerian

Shadows in the Moonlight |
The Devil in Iron

|

"Queen of the Black Coast" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in Weird Tales magazine c. May 1934. Set during the fictional Hyborian Age, Conan becomes a notorious pirate plundering the coastal villages of Kush alongside Bêlit, a head-strong femme fatale.

Due to its epic scope and atypical romance, this story is an undisputed classic of Conan lore and is often cited by Howard scholars as one of his most famous tales.[1]

Howard earned $115 selling this story to Weird Tales,[2] and it is now in the public domain.[3]

## Plot summary

[edit]

In an Argossean port, Conan demands passage aboard a merchant vessel, the Argus, which is casting off for southern waters to trade beads, silks, sugar, and brass-hilted swords to the black kings of Kush. The captain objects to his demand to travel without paying for the passage, and Conan threatens him and the crew. The captain agrees to let Conan stay on board, since "It would be useful to have a fighting man on the voyage". Gradually, Conan and the captain, Tito, become friends. Conan tells Tito he is fleeing the civil authorities of Argos after a court dispute in which Conan refused to betray the whereabouts of a friend to a magistrate. Rather than betray his friend, Conan drew his sword and killed the magistrate. At this point, Conan has no experience or knowledge of the sea.

Upon reaching the pirate-infested waters of Kush, their trade ship is attacked by Bêlit's reavers. The Queen of the Black Coast, Bêlit and her ebony-skinned warriors slaughter the Argus's crew. Conan tries to rally the crew after the captain's death, and when the fight becomes hopeless, he jumps aboard the pirate ship. Conan kills many of the pirates, fully expecting to be overwhelmed and killed, when Bêlit orders her crew to spare Conan. She is impressed with the Cimmerian's courage and ferocity and sexually attracted to him. Bêlit offers to let Conan sail with her, be her chosen mate, and help lead her warriors. Smitten, Conan agrees, and they raid the Black Coast together.

Soon, rumors spread that the she-devil of the sea, Bêlit, has found a mate, an iron man whose wrath is that of a wounded lion. Survivors of butchered Stygian ships curse the name of Bêlit and her Cimmerian warrior.

Sailing up the river Zarkheba, Bêlit and Conan encounter ancient ruins containing lost treasure, a winged monstrosity, and skulking hyenas used to be men. Despite the murders of their crew and the horrors lurking in the jungle, Bêlit and Conan find time for a theological discussion comparing Conan's grim god Crom to Bêlit's more ambiguous Shemite deities. Bêlit promises that even death could not keep her from Conan's side.

Bêlit is soon captivated by a cursed necklace in the treasure. It seemingly instills the wearer with a madness and monomania. In this state, Bêlit issues faulty orders. Her crew is soon decimated, and Bêlit herself is hanged by the winged monster. Alone and raging, Conan confronts the monster. He is on the verge of being slain when Bêlit's spirit intervenes. Conan slays the winged horror and leaves the ruins with her corpse.

Conan gives Bêlit a Viking funeral, burning the ship with her and her treasures on it.

## Reception

[edit]

Everett F. Bleiler described "Queen of the Black Coast" as "probably the best of the Conan stories, perhaps because it is the only one based on another emotion than lust, greed, or hatred."[4]

## Publication history

[edit]

"Queen of the Black Coast" was republished in the November 1948 issue of Avon Fantasy Reader.

The story was first published in the May 1934 issue of Weird Tales magazine. It was republished in the collections The Coming of Conan (Gnome Press, 1953), Conan of Cimmeria (Lancer Books, 1969), and Queen of the Black Coast (Grant, 1978). It has more recently been republished in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 1: The People of the Black Circle (Gollancz, 2000) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932-1933) (Del Rey, 2003).

## Adaptations

[edit]

The story was adapted and expanded by Roy Thomas, Mike Ploog and John Buscema in Conan the Barbarian (Marvel) issues #58, #59 and #100, which were first published in the mid to late 1970s.[5]

Petri Hiltunen made his own graphic novel adaptation in 1991. It has only been published in Finland.

A role-playing game adaptation for GURPS named Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast was published by Steve Jackson Games in 1989.[6][7]

The concept of the woman who dies, but returns to help Conan in battle, was used in the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian.[8]

The Dark Horse Comics series Conan the Barbarian (2012-2014) by writer Brian Wood and artist Becky Cloonan uses Queen of the Black Coast as the basis for the first three issues. The death of Bêlit is told in issues 22-25.

The story has also been adapted by publishing company Ablaze in their "Cimmerian" series of comics.

The story is the basis for a song of the same name by the American heavy metal band Manilla Road off their second album Metal.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Louinet, Patrice (2003). "Hyborian Genesis, part 1". The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. Del Rey. pp. 445–447\. ISBN 978-0345461513.
2. ^ REHupa Fiction Timeline Archived December 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 1 December 2007
3. ^ The Robert-E-Howard: Electronic Amateur Press Association Archived March 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The Copyright and Ownership Status of the Works and Words of Robert E. Howard by Paul Herman, retrieved 1 December 2007
4. ^ Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, Kent State University Press, 1983, p.260
5. ^ Marnell, Blair (March 14, 2019). "Revisit Bêlit's First Appearance in 'Conan the Barbarian'". Marvel.
6. ^ Page for Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast on the SJ Games website, retrieved March 3, 2011
7. ^ Robert Traynor (writer) and Butch Burcham (interior art): Conan and the Queen of the Black Coast. Steve Jackson Games, 1989. ISBN 1-55634-146-6
8. ^ Sammon, Paul (April 1982). "Conan the Barbarian". Cinefantastique. Vol. 12, no. 2 and 3. Illinois, United States: Frederick S. Clarke. p. 37\. ISSN 0145-6032.

## External links

[edit]

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Queen of the Black Coast

* Howard, Robert E. (May 1934). "Queen of the Black Coast". Weird Tales. Vol. 23, no. 5\. pp. 530–549. Retrieved February 28, 2025. — original journal version at the Internet Archive
* An omnibus of Howard's public domain works, including Queen of the Black Coast at Standard Ebooks
* Queen of the Black Coast at Project Gutenberg Australia
* Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
* Conan.com: The Official Website
* Queen of the Black Coast public domain audiobook at LibriVox

Preceded by

"Shadows in the Moonlight"

|  Original Howard Canon
(publication order) | Succeeded by

"The Devil in Iron"

|
|

Preceded by

"Black Colossus"

|  Original Howard Canon
(Dale Rippke chronology) | Succeeded by

"The Snout in the Dark"

Preceded by

Conan the Guardian

|  Complete Conan Saga
(William Galen Gray chronology
(Part 1) | Succeeded by

Conan the Rebel

Preceded by

Conan the Rebel

|  Complete Conan Saga
(William Galen Gray chronology
(Part 2) | Succeeded by

Conan at the Demon's Gate

* v
* t
* e

Conan the Barbarian

Stories, books

| Books|

* Conan (books)

|

Original works by
Robert E. Howard|

* "Beyond the Black River"
* "Black Colossus"
* "The Black Stranger"
* "The Devil in Iron"
* "Drums of Tombalku"
* "The Frost-Giant's Daughter"
* "The God in the Bowl"
* "The Hall of the Dead"
* "The Hand of Nergal"
* The Hour of the Dragon
* "Jewels of Gwahlur"
* "The People of the Black Circle"
* "The Phoenix on the Sword"
* "The Pool of the Black One"
* "Queen of the Black Coast"
* "Red Nails"
* "Rogues in the House"
* "The Scarlet Citadel"
* "Shadows in the Moonlight"
* "Shadows in Zamboula"
* "The Slithering Shadow"
* "The Snout in the Dark"
* "The Tower of the Elephant"
* "The Vale of Lost Women"
* "A Witch Shall be Born"
* "Wolves Beyond the Border"

Non-Howard works
(some based on non-
Conan Howard works)|

* "Black Sphinx of Nebthu"
* "Black Tears"
* The Blood-Stained God
* "The Castle of Terror"
* "The City of Skulls"
* Conan and the Amazon
* Conan and the Death Lord of Thanza
* Conan and the Emerald Lotus
* Conan and the Gods of the Mountain
* Conan and the Grim Grey God
* Conan and the Manhunters
* Conan and the Mists of Doom
* Conan and the Shaman's Curse
* Conan and the Sorcerer
* Conan and the Spider God
* Conan and the Treasure of Python
* Conan at the Demon's Gate
* Conan, Lord of the Black River
* Conan of the Isles
* Conan of the Red Brotherhood
* Conan of Venarium
* Conan, Scourge of the Bloody Coast
* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)
* Conan the Bold
* Conan the Buccaneer
* Conan the Champion
* Conan the Defender
* Conan the Defiant
* Conan the Destroyer
* Conan the Fearless
* Conan the Formidable
* Conan the Free Lance
* Conan the Gladiator
* Conan the Great
* Conan the Guardian
* Conan the Hero
* Conan the Hunter
* Conan the Indomitable
* Conan the Invincible
* Conan the Liberator
* Conan the Magnificent
* Conan the Marauder
* Conan the Mercenary
* Conan the Outcast
* Conan the Raider
* Conan the Rebel
* Conan the Relentless
* Conan the Renegade
* Conan the Rogue
* Conan the Savage
* Conan the Triumphant
* Conan the Unconquered
* Conan the Valiant
* Conan the Valorous
* Conan the Victorious
* Conan the Warlord
* "The Curse of the Monolith"
* "Death-Song of Conan the Cimmerian"
* The Flame Knife
* "The Gem in the Tower"
* "Hawks over Shem"
* "The Ivory Goddess"
* "The Lair of the Ice Worm"
* "Legions of the Dead"
* "Moon of Blood"
* "The People of the Summit"
* "Red Moon of Zembabwei"
* The Return of Conan
* The Road of Kings
* "The Road of the Eagles"
* "Shadows in the Dark"
* "Shadows in the Skull"
* "The Star of Khorala"
* The Sword of Skelos
* "The Thing in the Crypt"
* "The Witch of the Mists"

Collections|

* Black Colossus
* The Bloody Crown of Conan
* The Coming of Conan
* The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
* The Complete Chronicles of Conan
* Conan
* The Conan Chronicles (Howard, et al)
* The Conan Chronicles (Jordan)
* The Conan Chronicles, 1
* The Conan Chronicles 2
* The Conan Chronicles, 2
* The Conan Chronicles II
* Conan of Aquilonia
* Conan of Cimmeria
* Conan the Adventurer
* Conan the Avenger
* Conan the Barbarian (1954)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)
* Conan the Freebooter
* Conan the Swordsman
* Conan the Usurper
* Conan the Wanderer
* Conan the Warrior
* The Conquering Sword of Conan
* The Devil in Iron
* The Essential Conan
* The Further Chronicles of Conan
* Jewels of Gwahlur
* King Conan
* The People of the Black Circle
* The Pool of the Black One
* Queen of the Black Coast
* Red Nails
* Rogues in the House
* Sagas of Conan
* The Sword of Conan
* Tales of Conan
* The Tower of the Elephant
* The Treasure of Tranicos

Scholarship|

* The Blade of Conan
* The Conan Grimoire
* The Conan Reader
* The Conan Swordbook
* The Spell of Conan

Authors

| Creator|

* Robert E. Howard

|

Later
authors|

* Poul Anderson
* Leonard Carpenter
* Lin Carter
* L. Sprague de Camp
* Roland J. Green
* John C. Hocking
* Robert Jordan
* Sean A. Moore
* Björn Nyberg
* Andrew J. Offutt
* Steve Perry
* John Maddox Roberts
* Michael A. Stackpole
* Roy Thomas
* Harry Turtledove
* Karl Edward Wagner

Other media

| Films|

* Conan the Barbarian (1982)
* Conan the Destroyer (1984)
* Conan the Barbarian (2011)

| Related films|

* Red Sonja (1985)
* Kull the Conqueror (1997)
* Red Sonja (2025)

|

Television|

* Conan the Adventurer (1992)
* Conan and the Young Warriors (1994)
* Conan the Adventurer (1997)

Comics|

* Conan the Barbarian (Marvel)
* The Savage Sword of Conan
* Savage Tales
* Savage Avengers
* Red Sonja
* Conan (Dark Horse)
* Conan (Titan)

Games|

| Tabletop|

* Unchained!
* Against Darkness!
* Role-Playing Game (1985)
* GURPS
* The Roleplaying Game (2004)
* Collectible Card Game
* Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of

|

Video|

* Hall of Volta
* The Mysteries of Time
* The Cimmerian
* Conan (2004)
* Conan (2007)
* Age of Conan
* Rise of the Godslayer
* Exiles
* Mortal Kombat 1

Other|

* Hyborian War

Setting

| Characters|

* Bêlit
* Conan the Barbarian
* Kulan Gath
* Serpent Men
* Thulsa Doom
* Valeria

|

Chronology|

* Hyborian Age

* The Hyborian Age
* Conan chronologies

Related articles

* "The Shadow of the Vulture"
* Red Sonja
* Cerebus the Aardvark
* Conan the Librarian
* The Adventures of Conan: A Sword and Sorcery Spectacular
* She Is Conann

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