Black Sphinx of Nebthu

Lore & Background

Following the events of 'The Witch of the Mists', King Conan of Aquilonia leads a military expedition across Zingara, Argos, and Shem before entering Stygia to confront his arch-enemy, Thoth-Amon. Accompanying him are his son, Prince Conn, Conan's generals Trocero and Pallantides, and Diviatix, a white druid from the Pictish Wilderness, who promises divine support for Conan. The goal of his expedition is the ancient city of Nebthu, site of a massive sphinx depicting the hyena god of chaos and rumored haunt of Thoth-Amon's Order of the Black Ring.

Reader's Guide

After discovering an entryway inside the sphinx, Conan descends into the depths, reaching a vast chamber where he confronts the massed assembly of wizards. Thoth-Amon and his fellow sorcerers initially prove themselves to be too powerful for Conan. But Conan had taken the precaution of bringing along a magical jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman. With the jewel in his hand, Conan's Pictish ally is more than a match for the Stygians. Many of the wizards are killed or driven mad by the Heart's powers, but Thoth-Amon manages to unleash the monstrous hyena of chaos against Conan's accomplice. Unfortunately for him, the hell-hound is incapable of fine discrimination. The first army it encounters, and therefore destroys, is that of Stygia. His sanctum in ruins and now persona non grata in his own country, Thoth-Amon is forced to flee, seeking refuge with his last remaining ally - the King of Zembabwei. Rather than rest content and return to Aquilonia, Conan is determined to settle accounts once and for all and take his army in pursuit to the heart of what would now be called Africa.

Did You Know?

• The story was first published in the July 1973 issue of the magazine The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
• It first appeared in book form in the Ace Books paperback collection Conan of Aquilonia in May 1977.
• The first British edition was published by Sphere Books in October 1978.

Publication & Distribution History

Black Sphinx of Nebthu is a fantasy short story penned by the American writing duo L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, continuing the sword-and-sorcery saga of Conan the Barbarian, the iconic hero originally conceived by Robert E. Howard. The tale first saw print in the July 1973 issue of the magazine Fantastic, giving it an initial audience among genre readers of that era. Its transition to book form came in May 1977, when Ace Books included it in the paperback collection titled Conan of Aquilonia. That volume proved durable, earning multiple reprints that carried it through 1994, a span of nearly two decades of availability. Across the Atlantic, British readers first encountered the story in October 1978, when Sphere Books issued its own edition. The story's placement within a collected volume rather than a standalone publication reflects the mid-1970s publishing landscape for Conan material, where de Camp and Carter's contributions were often bundled into anthologies that traced the hero's arc from his days as a wandering swordsman to his reign as king.

The Expedition to Nebthu

The narrative picks up in the wake of the events depicted in The Witch of the Mists, with Conan now firmly seated as King of Aquilonia. Rather than consolidating his rule at home, he launches an ambitious military campaign that threads through Zingara, Argos, and Shem before crossing into the fabled land of Stygia. His stated objective is the ancient city of Nebthu, home to a colossal sphinx carved in the likeness of the hyena god of chaos. The city is also rumored to shelter the operations of Thoth-Amon's sinister Order of the Black Ring, making it both a spiritual and strategic target. Conan's retinue includes his son Prince Conn, two trusted generals named Trocero and Pallantides, and an unusual addition: Diviatix, a white druid hailing from the Pictish Wilderness, who pledges the backing of his gods to the campaign. The expedition thus blends royal succession, military conquest, and occult warfare into a single sweeping march toward the heart of Stygian sorcery.

The Heart of Ahriman & the Turning Point

Once Conan discovers a hidden entryway within the sphinx and descends into the depths beneath Nebthu, he arrives in a vast underground chamber where the full assembly of Thoth-Amon's wizards awaits. In direct confrontation, the sorcerers prove overwhelmingly more powerful than the king, and the battle seems lost before it truly begins. However, Conan had anticipated this imbalance and brought with him a specific countermeasure: the magical jewel known as the Heart of Ahriman, the same artifact that had helped him regain his throne during the events of The Hour of the Dragon. Placing the jewel in the hands of his Pictish ally Diviatix, the tide shifts dramatically. The Heart's raw power overwhelms the Stygian sorcerers, killing many and driving others to madness. What begins as a desperate defensive stand transforms into a rout, giving Conan the upper hand he needed to break the Order of the Black Ring's hold on the region.

Thoth-Amon's Downfall & the Pursuit

Despite the Heart of Ahriman's devastating effect on the wizard assembly, Thoth-Amon retains enough cunning to mount a final, desperate counterstrike. He unleashes the monstrous hyena of chaos upon Conan's Pictish companion, hoping to eliminate the source of the jewel's power. The plan backfires catastrophically: the hell-hound, as the story notes, is incapable of fine discrimination. The first military force it encounters is not Conan's small party but the full army of Stygia itself, which it proceeds to annihilate. With his sanctum in ruins and his homeland now hostile to his presence, Thoth-Amon is reduced to a fugitive, seeking refuge with his last remaining ally, the King of Zembabwei. Conan, far from accepting this partial victory and returning home to Aquilonia, resolves to end the threat permanently. He leads his surviving forces in pursuit deep into the heart of what would now be called Africa, carrying the conflict beyond the familiar borders of the Hyborian world and setting the stage for further confrontation with the sorcerer-king.