Shem is a location in the Red Sonja comic series. It is a country of the Hyborian Age between the nations of Koth and Stygia
Geography[]
A southern kingdom bounded on the west by the Western Ocean, on the east by the Eastern Desert, on the south by Stygia, and on the north by Argos, Koth and Khoraja.
History[]
Anciently the lands of Shem were part of the Old Stygian Empire. Nomadic savages of the eastern borders of Shem-Stygia, called the Sons of Shem, slowly attained a higher level of culture through contact with the Stygians. The genes of Hybori and Stygians combined with those of west-drifting Shemites to produce a fierce, hybrid people who established the city-states of western Shem after casting off the yoke of Koth.
Some of the Shemite gods include Ishtar, Anu, and Bel, god of thieves. The people of Shem seem to believe in the concept of genius loci, that is, the incarnation of a god in an object that bears their mark or resemblance. Many Shemites own or carry small statues of their gods with them.
The desert nomads of Shem have a very distinct notoriety among other peoples. They are known for their covetuousness and duplicity and being skilled liars and merciless killers. Shemites are highly skilled with bows, especially their composite Shemite bows with range of five hundred yards.