# Balthus — Conan Stories character guide

> Balthus in Conan Stories by Robert E. Howard.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the youth Balthus

**First appearance:** 0041-beyond-the-black-river

## Snapshot

A young Aquilonian frontiersman whose first real battle becomes a brutal education in Pictish warfare and the cost of the border.

## Who they are

Balthus rides with Conan and a handful of borderers into Pictish territory, only to be ambushed and taken alive by warriors whose numbers and strange alliances hint at something far worse than a raid. Bound and bleeding, he watches the shaman Zogar Sag dance before the captives and feels his courage tested against a fear that has nothing to do with death. His greenness makes him the reader's eyes in a land where survival depends on learning fast or dying slow.

## Relationships

### [Conan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/characters/conan)

_friendship_

Balthus is a loyal companion and ally to Conan, fighting alongside him in battle.

### [Conan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/characters/conan)

_friendship_

Balthus is a loyal companion and ally to Conan, fighting alongside him in battle.

### [Conan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/characters/conan)

_friendship_

Balthus is a loyal companion and ally to Conan, fighting alongside him in battle.

## In the story

### [Beyond the Black River](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/beyond-the-black-river)

A young Aquilonian frontiersman who fights alongside Conan, representing the spirit of civilization's outposts.

### [I: Conan Loses His Ax](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/i-conan-loses-his-ax)

A young Aquilonian wayfarer who accompanies Conan, witnessing the Pict attack and the demon's tricks.

### [II: The Wizard of Gwawela](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/ii-the-wizard-of-gwawela)

Young Aquilonian from the Tauran, eager to join Conan's raid.

### [III: The Crawlers in the Dark](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/iii-the-crawlers-in-the-dark)

The young Aquilonian left to guard the canoe; he discovers his companion murdered and is attacked and knocked unconscious.

### [IV: The Beasts of Zogar Sag](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/iv-the-beasts-of-zogar-sag)

Captured and bound to a stake, Balthus witnesses the aftermath of the ambush and Zogar Sag's demonic summonings.

### [V: The Children of Jhebbal Sag](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/v-the-children-of-jhebbal-sag)

Struggles with the alien environment, feels lonely and out of place, but fights alongside Conan against Picts and a leopard.

### [Red Axes of the Border](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/vi-red-axes-of-the-border)

Follows Conan, struggles with exhaustion and hunger, and questions the morality of Conan's trick on the Pict.

### [VII: The Devil in the Fire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/vii-the-devil-in-the-fire)

Balthus is mentioned when the demon mimics his voice to lure Conan, but he is not physically present in the chapter.

### [VIII: Conajohara No More](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/chapters/viii-conajohara-no-more)

Mentioned as having made a heroic last stand with his dog, killing seven Picts before dying.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/characters/balthus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/conan_stories_se/characters