The Thing in the Crypt

"The Thing in the Crypt" is a short story written by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian created by Robert E. Howard.

Publication history

*"Conan" (Lancer Books, 1967, later reissued by Ace Books)
*"The Conan Chronicles" (Sphere Books, 1989)

Plot summary

Conan is a young man who has joined a band of warriors from the northern country of Asgard and takes part in a raid against the Hyperboreans to the east. He is captured by them but does not remain a prisoner for long. Escaping his chains and slaying his captors, he makes his way south but finds himself pursued by a pack of hungry wolves. Conan, armed only with a broken length of chain, manages to fight them off until he is able to find refuge in the hills. There he discovers the entrance to a buried crypt and, finding himself in a chamber into which the wolves are strangely unwilling to follow him, Conan lights a fire and soon discovers a grisly occupant. Enthroned on a square boulder of black stone is the large mummified corpse of a man, apparently a great warrior or chieftain of ancient times. Noticing a great iron sword that lay across the dead man's knees, Conan takes the weapon and claims it for himself. Exulting in his newfound sense of power, he hears the sound of a dry creaking and turns to face the mummy as it begins rising from its throne, standing to its full height and advancing toward the young barbarian. Conan, his mind filled with the shadows of horror, stands his ground and engages in a desperate battle against the walking corpse. Finding that the wounds he inflicts are not enough to kill a creature that is already dead, he eventually manages to hurl the mummy into the fire, utterly destroying it. Not wanting to spend the night in the haunted crypt, Conan emerges outside with his new weapon and, seeing no sign of the wolves, continues on his journey.

Miscellaneous

The scenes in the story involving Conan's flight from the wolves and his discovery of the crypt, sword and mummy parallel those in the film "Conan the Barbarian" (1982) directed by John Milius. However, in the film the mummy does not come to life.