The Haunter of the Ring

"The Haunter of the Ring"
Author	Robert E. Howard
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	John Kirowan Cthulhu Mythos
Genre(s)	Lovecraftian horror
Published in	Weird Tales
Media type	Pulp magazine
Publication date	June 1934^[1]

"The Haunter of the Ring" is a 1934 short story by Robert E. Howard, belonging to the Cthulhu Mythos. It was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in the June 1934 issue. Howard earned $60 for this publication.^[2] This story is set in the modern age but includes a relic from the Hyborian Age of the Conan the Barbarian stories, the ring of Thoth-Amon.

Plot

Evelyn Gordon has tried on three occasions to murder her newly wed husband, James Gordon, although she has no memory of doing so after the event. James believes that she may be the reincarnation of Elizabeth Douglas, the wife of his ancestor, Richard Gordon, who murdered her out of jealousy; and the attempts on his life are the result of her vengeance on the family line. Evelyn has also, however, recently received a present from her spurned lover, Joseph Roelocke, as a peace offering - a copper ring "made like a scaly snake coiled three times, with its tail in its mouth and yellow jewels for eyes." James believes Roelocke found the ring somewhere in Hungary.

On hearing this story, and viewing the circumstances themselves, John Kirowan becomes suspicious. Following another attempt on James Gordon's life, Kirowan confronts Roelocke and the mystery is explained. Roelocke is really Yosef Vrolok, an old enemy of Kirowan. Kirowan identified the ring as "the ancient and accursed ring of Thoth-Amon, handed down by foul cults of sorcerers since the days of forgotten Stygia"

In revenge against Evelyn, Vrolok used black magic to summon a "black elemental spirit" (also "the nameless shape that roams the gulfs of Darkness") to possess her and force her to kill her husband, although it can only manage to do this on brief occasions. His plan backfires, however, as he promised the spirit the soul of either Evelyn or James Gordon in payment for its services. Kirowan convinces him that, as he had no authority to give their souls, the spirit will come for Vrolok's soul instead. Despite the fact that the spirit's task has not yet been completed, this gambit weakens Vrolok's control enough that the spirit is able to take advantage and, indeed, Vrolok's soul.

Links to Conan

The Serpent Ring of Set was introduced in the very first Conan story, The Phoenix on the Sword with a similar description. In that story, it is reclaimed by its most famous owner, the Stygian wizard Thoth-Amon, who is named as such in this story. This establishes a link between the Conan and Kirowan stories, and through them links to many other works by Robert E. Howard, including Kull and Bran Mak Morn.

References

↑ Works of Robert E. Howard, retrieved 20 August 2007
↑ REHupa, retrieved 20 August 2007

External links

Works by Robert E. Howard

Adventure

El Borak	"Blood of the Gods" "The Coming of El Borak" "The Country of the Knife" "The Daughter of Erlik Khan" "Hawk of the Hills" "The Lost Valley of Iskander" "North of Khyber" "Son of the White Wolf" "Three-Bladed Doom"

Fantasy

Conan	"Beyond the Black River" "Black Colossus" "The Black Stranger" "Cimmeria" "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" "Iron Shadows in the Moon" "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 Zamboula" "The Snout in the Dark" "The Tower of the Elephant" "The Vale of Lost Women" "A Witch Shall be Born" "Wolves Beyond the Border" "Xuthal of the Dusk"

Solomon Kane	"The Right Hand of Doom"

Kull	"By This Axe, I Rule" "Exile of Atlantis" "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune"

Bran Mak Morn	"The Children of the Night" "Worms of the Earth"

Comedy

Sailor Steve Costigan	"Alleys of Peril" "Blow the Chinks Down!" "Breed of Battle" "The Bull Dog Breed" "Champ of the Forecastle" "Circus Fists" "Dark Shanghai" "Fist and Fang" "General Ironfist" "Night of Battle" "The Pit of the Serpent" "Sailor's Grudge" "The Sign of the Snake" "The Slugger's Game" "Sluggers on the Beach" "Texas Fists" "The TNT Punch" "Vikings of the Gloves" "Waterfront Fists" "Winner Take All"

Breckinridge Elkins	"A Gent from Bear Creek"

Horror

John Kirowan	"The Children of the Night" "The Haunter of the Ring" "The Black Stone"

Other

Other stories	"Almuric" "Black Canaan" "Pigeons from Hell" "Post Oaks & Sand Roughs" "The Shadow of the Vulture" "Skull-Face" "The Sowers of the Thunder" "The Twilight of the Grey Gods"

Other characters	Cormac Fitzgeoffrey James Allison Red Sonya Dark Agnes de Chastillon Steve Harrison Turlogh Dubh O'Brien Kirby O'Donnell The Sonora Kid

Poetry	Echoes from an Iron Harp (1972)

See also	List of works by Robert E. Howard List of poems by Robert E. Howard "The Hyborian Age"

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