There are a lot of Conan covers. Not many of them have women on them. These are a few of our favorites.
Robert Howard didn’t just write about wild strong men. Although his publishers were not too keen on stories involving unconventional, powerful, independent women, Robert created several female characters worth recognition.
The Sword Woman, Dark Agnes de Chastillon, who he wrote two complete stories about - Sword Woman (Agnes’s origin story) and Blades for France. Both stories were first published in 1975, 39 years after his death. He also wrote incomplete drafts for a third Agnes story, which was completed in 1971 by Gerald W. Page.
Valeria, a member of The Red Brotherhood of pirates, appears in Red Nails also published posthumously. Much of the story is told from Valeria’s point of view. Red Nails is the last Conan story written by Howard.
Appearing in Howard’s 1934 story Queen of the Black Coast, Bêlit, is regarded as Conan’s greatest love. “She turned toward Conan, her bosom heaving, her eyes flashing. Fierce fingers of wonder caught at his heart.” A pirate queen, she is described as “the wildest she-devil unhinged” and is a skilled fighter and fiercely avaricious. Bêlit, is the first significant female character to appear in the Conan stories.
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