The Shadow of the Vulture
| "The Shadow of the Vulture" | |
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| Author | Robert E. Howard |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical fiction short story |
| Published in | The Magic Carpet Magazine |
| Media type | Pulp magazine |
| Publication date | January 1934 |
"The Shadow of the Vulture" is a short story by American writer Robert E. Howard, first published in The Magic Carpet Magazine, January 1934. The story introduces the character of Red Sonya of Rogatino, who later became the inspiration for the popular character Red Sonja, archetype of the chainmail-bikini clad female warrior.
Unlike Howard's better-known fantasy work, "The Shadow of the Vulture" is historical fiction, set in the 16th century. It uses the career of sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (also known as Sultan Suleiman I), the aftermath of the Battle of Mohács (1526) and the later Siege of Vienna of 1529 as a backdrop for imaginary characters and events.
In Istanbul, the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent sends home the members of an Austrian diplomatic envoy whom he has kept imprisoned for nine months. He recognizes one of the members, however; a knight by the name of Gottfried von Kalmbach, who had seriously wounded him during the Battle of Mohács. The sultan’s grand vizier Ibrahim entrusts the widely feared soldier, Mikhal Oglu, with hunting down von Kalmbach and retrieving his head.
Mikhal Oglu and his warriors raid the countryside between the Ottoman Empire and Vienna in preparation for Suleiman’s attack on the city. They attack a small Danubian village, in which von Kalmbach had been sleeping off the previous night’s drinking. He fights his way free, and rides for Vienna, where the townspeople are preparing for the arrival of Suleiman.
The full Ottoman army arrives, and the siege begins. Von Kalmbach fights the encroaching Turkish soldiers atop the walls. He meets a belligerent, red-haired woman who fights alongside the men – ‘Red’ Sonya of Rogatino, revealed to be the sister of Suleiman’s favourite harem-girl, Roxelana. When one fight against a number of Turks proves to be overwhelming, she comes to von Kalmbach’s aid.
Later, there is a lull in the siege and the defenders content themselves with drinking wine in the city square. Red Sonya insults von Kalmbach, and an argument breaks out. Drunk and furious, von Kalmbach spurs the men into an impromptu attack on the Ottoman encampment outside the city. Coincidentally, the drunken raid thwarts a surprise attack planned by the sultan, to have been assisted by traitors within the walls of Vienna.
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