History Literature / AWitchShallBeBorn

* ReligionOfEvil: Salome institutes one, tearing sown the icons of Ishtar in the temple and replacing them with horrible figurines of long-dead evil gods.

* SexSlave: One thing Salome wants.

* DistressedDude: Conan is crucified.

%%* EvilLaugh: Salome.
%%* EvilSorcerer: Salome.

* HotWitch: Salome.

%%* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown
* KlingonPromotion: How Conan takes the control of the tribe.

%%* ReligionOfEvil: Salome institutes it.
%%* RightfulKingReturns

%%* TheUsurper: Salome.

%%* TheCaligula: Salome.

* ColdBloodedTorture: Used freely on Taramis.

%%* DamselInDistress: Taramis.
* DecadentCourt: What Salome creates.

* WitchSpecies: Salome was born a witch.

* TheDragon: Constantius to Salome, specifically chosen for his lack of morals.

* CirclingVultures: Conan is crucified out in the desert, and [[VillainBall no guard is placed on him]] because they'll scare off the vultures, and Constantius wants them to [[EatenAlive feast on Conan before he dies]] (as in [[Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982 the movie]], Conan kills a vulture who tries feasting on him too early). Some passing desert nomads admire his toughness and rescue him, figuring he'll be a useful addition to their ranks. The story ends with Conan (now chief of the nomad tribe) leaving Constantius to the same fate, knowing the city-raised sellsword won't last nearly as long as he would and [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating no-one's coming to save him]].

%%* EvilTwin: [[RuleOfThree Salome again.]]

* TheCaligula: Salome.

* DamselInDistress: Taramis.

* EvilLaugh: Salome.
* EvilSorcerer: Salome.
* EvilTwin: [[RuleOfThree Salome again.]]

* FaintInShock: Tamaris faints at the height of her rescue. After months of ColdBloodedTorture and [[GoMadFromTheIsolation isolation]], having your sister try to feed you to a monster and and the finding yourself in the middle of a battle do make a good excuse.

* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown

* ReligionOfEvil: Salome institutes it.
* RightfulKingReturns

* TheUsurper: Salome.

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: What Salome creates.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: At the end of the story, Conan gives Constantius a taste of his own medicine by having him crucified like Constantius did to him. Constantius is nowhere near as enduring of the pain as Conan is.

Generally considered one of the weaker Conan stories, mainly for it's lack of ShowDontTell and underdeveloped characters, as well as a significant lack of poetic storytelling which Creator/RobertEHoward had become known for (he had just finished writing his first novel, Literature/TheHourOfTheDragon, and rushed out ''A Witch Shall Be Born'' quick [[MoneyDearBoy to pay his bills]]). Still, it's not without it's merits.

* {{Curse}}: Why the witch is born.

* HumanSacrifice: Part of the ReligionOfEvil.

* MeaningfulName: All witch women from the cursed bloodline are given the name Salome, and it's implied that a future Salome is the same one mentioned in The Bible that cause the death of John The Baptist (sure enough, this Salome also likes presenting people with severed heads).

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Conan's crucifixion, which inspired a similar scene in the first Conan movie.
* CrystalBall: Salome scorns using it for study, but does communicate with it.

* BigDamnHeroes: Conan and his men arrives just in time to save Valerius and Taramis from the toad-like monster summoned by Salome.
* BrainFever: Valerius during the After Action Patchup, to give him an excuse to babble.

* {{Reincarnation}}: Salome will be born again thousands of years later, have the same name, and cause the beheading of John The Baptist.

Queen Taramis is woken in the middle of the night by a woman looking just like her, who reveals that she is Salome, Taramis's twin, and the born witch who stems from the curse on the royal family. She has let in an unscrupulous mercenary captain Constantius, and with his aid, seized the city and exiled Taramis to the dungeon.

* EvilTwin: Salome.

* HumanoidAbomination: The Witches of Khauran; they are born from some ancient curse that bedevils the royal family, marked by a red crescent-moon shape on their chests. [[OneGenderRace Always female]], they have an instinctive knack for foul sorcery and dark rites, compounded by a total [[LackOfEmpathy lack of empathy]] and intense [[TheHedonist hedonistic]] urges. This is why the royal family kills the the Witches at birth, for if one were to live, she would be compelled to usurp control of Khauran and would subsequently ruin it in pursuit of her own endless desires for selfish indulgence and perverse pleasures.

* HumanoidAbomination: The Witches of Khauran; they are born from some ancient curse that bedevils the royal family, marked by a red crescent-moon shape on their chests. [[OneGenderRace Always female]], they have an instinctive knack for foul sorcery and dark rites, compounded by a total lack of empathy and intense hedonistic urges. This is why the royal family kills the the Witches at birth, for if one were to live, she would be compelled to usurp control of Khauran and would subsequently ruin it in pursuit of her own endless desires for selfish indulgence and perverse pleasures.

* {{Curse}}: Why the witch is born.

* {{Ungrateful B|astard}}itch: Valerius, who's nowhere as strong nor experienced as Conan risks his life several times and manages to rescue his beloved queen Taramis and kill Salome. Taramis doesn't even ''look'' at him when everything's over and has eyes only for Conan.
** Though Conan recommends Valerius as the new chief of the guard.

* TheCaligula: Salome

* DeadlyDecadentCourt: What Salome creates

* EvilLaugh: Salome
* EvilSorcerer: Salome
* EvilTwin: Salome

* HotWitch: Salome