Kush was a coastal nation of Hyboria that lay to the south of Stygia. It was the northernmost of the Black Kingdoms and the one best known among the Hyborians. Consequently they had applied the demonym to the entire subcontinent south of Stygia, which would later become the eastern half of the continent of Africa. They assumed all locals to be Kushites, causing some misunderstandings.[1]


Ancient days

According to Mgotu, Kush existed before man climbed down from the trees, and the Elder Ones ruled over all there.[2]

Age of Conan

Kush was where an unconscious Conan landed after the shipwreck of a Zingaran Freighter.[3]

The initial contact between Kush and the Hyborian Kingdoms started with the pirates of the Barachan Isles. They first conducted raids in the area and then tried to establish trade contacts. The Kushites had much to offer to the Hyborian traders, such as gold, silver, ivory, pearls, and slaves. In exchange they received goods otherwise unavailable to them, such as silks, sugar, and certain types of swords.

The coastal shores of Kush were home to entire tribes of slavers, which profited from the international slave trade; meanwhile, its plains and savannas were home to traditional nomadic hunters and herders. The major city and capital of the kingdom was Meroe.

The ruling class of the kingdom resided in lavish palaces within the inner walls of the capital. They were dusky-skinned people, descendants of the Stygian settlers who established the city. The chief deity of the ruling class was Set.

The outer areas of Meroe were the domain of socially inferior, black-skinned natives. They traded in pottery, brass, iron spearheads, and beer. Their chief deity was Derketa, Queen of the Dead. The traditional ruling class oppressed their social inferiors and tended to overtax them. By the time of Conan, thes practices inspired uprisings and social upheavals.[1]

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