The Vale of Lost Women

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Vale of Lost Women" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard, but not published during his lifetime. The story was first published in The Magazine of Horror for Spring, 1967, and republished in the collection Conan of Cimmeria (Lancer Books, 1967). It has most 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). It is set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and details Conan rescuing a female Ophirean captive from the Bamula tribe on the condition that he will receive sexual favors in return for this generosity. The story is often criticized for its racialism, sexism and lesbian homophobia.

[edit] Plot Overview

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

"The Vale of Lost Women" is another short story which, although included in the official lore of Conan the Cimmerian, was not published until long after the death of Robert E. Howard.

The story begins with Livia, a soft and civilized woman, as a prisoner of a jungle tribe, the Bamulas. Conan soon appears as the leader of a rival tribe. Thinking Conan may feel some kinship with her and assist her, Livia asks him for his help. When Conan balks at her proposal, Livia offers him herself as a sexual reward for rescuing her. Keeping his side of the bargain, Conan and his warriors slay the Bamulas and their brutal chief. But, when Livia sees Conan drenched in blood coming to immediately claim his reward, she breaks their agreement and flees to a strange valley with beautiful blossoms, dark skinned women and distinctly lesbian overtones. Conan pursues her and is soon forced to intervene again on her behalf.

[edit] Style

Like "The Frost-Giant's Daughter," the plot is minimal and overshadowed by Howard's prose; nevertheless, the story is memorable. The entire tale is told from Livia's point-of-view, and there is again a dream-like quality to much of it. Also, the creature from the stars which attacks Livia in the strange valley was intended to be from the Cthulhu mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, an intellectual correspondent of Howard.

[edit] External links

• Conan wiki • The Vale of Lost Women • Synopsis, characters, locations, and publishing history
• Conan the Barbarian at AmratheLion.com
• Conan.com: The Official Website

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