Short Story: The Phoenix on the Sword

Title and Context
"The Phoenix on the Sword" is the first Conan story published under Robert E. Howard's name, appearing in Weird Tales in 1932. It is a reworking of an earlier Howard tale about Kull, reshaped to introduce Conan not as a wandering adventurer but as a crowned monarch. The tale establishes a different phase of the barbarian hero: no longer a roving thief or mercenary, but a ruler who must learn the cost and solitude of power.
The story blends sword-and-sorcery action with political intrigue and a streak of supernatural menace. It sets tonal and thematic precedents that recur through the Conan saga: the tension between barbaric directness and courtly duplicity, the precariousness of hard-won authority, and the ever-present possibility that otherworldly forces will intersect with human treachery.

Plot Summary
Conan sits uneasy on the throne of Aquilonia, a king who seized his crown by force and now faces the uneasy rituals and machinations of civilized court life. Jealous nobles and displaced aristocrats conspire to undo him, nursing grievances and old loyalties. These plotters recruit assassins and a scheming counselor to bring down the barbarian ruler whose methods and temperament they despise.
When the plot moves, a small band of conspirators slips into the king's chamber by secret means, intending a quick and quiet murder. Conan, alert, brutal, and fast, meets them with lethal efficiency. The close-quarters battle is raw and physical: Conan's instincts and iron will carry him through, and he slays the intruders. Before the last breath leaves the conspirators, however, a darker element enters the drama. A conjured, supernatural presence is summoned by one of the dying traitors, an uncanny manifestation that speaks of doom and destiny, hinting that Conan's victory over men might not be the end of his trials.

Supernatural Elements and Atmosphere
The uncanny apparition that materializes is less a conventional monster than a portent: a voice or figure that seems to embody fate's implacable pressure. It does not simply fight Conan, it taunts him, placing his human triumph in a larger, more ominous frame. The supernatural in the story functions as a moral and psychological mirror, suggesting that forces beyond political rivalry can judge or threaten a ruler.
Howard uses atmosphere to amplify dread. The palace becomes claustrophobic and treacherous; shadows, secret doors, and whispered loyalties give the setting the quality of a trap. Conan's response to the supernatural, grim acceptance, pragmatic violence mixed with an awareness of vulnerability, reveals his complexity as a leader who is both fierce warrior and man who must reckon with fate.

Themes and Character
At the heart of the tale is the cost of power. Conan's martial ascendancy wins him a throne, but it also isolates him from the rituals and subtleties of civilized rule. The conspirators embody the resentment of those displaced by raw strength; the supernatural elements underscore that ruling invites other kinds of tests beyond mere force. Honor, legitimacy, and the question of whether a ruler's past deeds justify his present position are threaded through the narrative.
Conan emerges as a paradoxical figure: an almost elemental force in a polished setting, capable of both stark violence and the pragmatic calculation a king must practice. The story interrogates what it means to be a barbarian king in a world of courtiers and occult counsel, and how courage and instinct can be both an asset and a provocation.

Legacy
As the first published Conan tale, the story established the character's versatility and the series' tonal range: it could be brutal and immediate while also leaning into mythic, uncanny overtones. The mix of palace intrigue, swordplay, and a sinister otherworldly hint became signature elements of Conan fiction. The story's compact drama and vivid depiction of a king who is a warrior set the stage for many later adventures that would explore similar collisions between raw power and civilized deception.