The Fire of Asshurbanipal

"The Fire of Asshurbanipal" is a short story by Robert E. Howard that first appeared in the December 1936 issue of Weird Tales. Although connected to the Cthulhu Mythos, the story ends with a suggestion that the events in the story have a rational explanation.
The Fire of Asshurbanipal is a gem rumored to be in the clutches of a skeleton on a throne in a lost city in the Arabian desert--"the ancient City of Evil spoken of in the Necronomicon of the mad Alhazred." Although the jewel is supposed to be cursed, it's sought by Steve Clarney, "a lean and wiry American," and Yar Ali, his Afghan companion. When they find the city and its treasure, they are ambushed and held captive by an old enemy of Clarney's, Nuredin el Mekru. Seizing the gem and smashing the skull of its skeletal guardian, Nuredin is struck dead, an apparent victim of the curse--but after Nuredin's minions flee in terror, Clarney points out that Nuredin was bitten by an adder that had been sleeping in the skull.
== Publication History ==
After its appearance in Weird Tales, "The Fire of Asshurbanipal" was included in several collections of Howard's fiction, including Skull-Face and Others (Arkham House, 1946), Wolfhead (Lancer Books, 1968), Cthulhu: The Mythos and Kindred Horrors (Baen Books, 1987), Nameless Cults: The Cthulhu Mythos Fiction of Robert E. Howard (Chaosium, 2001), The Haunter of the Ring & Other Tales (Wordsworth Editions, 2007), The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard (Del Rey / Ballantine, 2008), Black Hounds of Death (Cosmos Books / Dorchester Publishing, 2008), and The Cthulhu Stories of Robert E. Howard (WordFire Press, 2020). It's also been featured in Mythos anthologies like Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos (Fedogan & Bremer, 1992) and The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Tales (Wildside Press, 2012).Internet Speculative Fiction Database, "Title: The Fire of Asshurbanipal".
== References ==
Category:Robert E. Howard works
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works