Chronology of Conan’s Stories
The 21 original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard are listed below in approximate (best guess) chronological sequence in the Hyborian Age (Conan’s internal world timeline / in-story career progression). This order reflects Conan’s life arc: teenage thief → pirate → mercenary/adventurer → war leader → king. Publication was non-chronological. Howard wrote them out of sequence, starting with the king stories.
The Frost-Giant’s Daughter (alt: “Gods of the North”)
~ Conan age 15–17: Earliest exploit, post-battle in the far north.
Pub: March 1934 (Weird Tales, as “Gods of the North”; full version later).
In the blood-red aftermath of a savage skirmish amid the snow-swept hills of the north, where the axes of the Aesir had hewn a crimson path through the ranks of the Vanir, Conan the Cimmerian stood alone among the frozen dead, his black mane stiff with frost and his blade still smoking. Then he saw her — Atali, the Frost-Giant’s daughter, a slender naked figure of ivory skin and flame-pale hair gleaming against the white desolation, her eyes cold blue fire and her laughter like shattering ice. She fled across the drifts with the swiftness of a deer, and the hot blood surged in Conan’s veins, driving him to pursue the seductive phantom deeper into the icy wastes. Forgetting cold, forgetting death, forgetting all but the maddening vision of that white form, the Cimmerian plunged after her into the frozen realm where no mortal man should tread, drawn by her mocking laughter toward the hidden halls of her giant kin and the doom that waited in the heart of the eternal ice.
The God in the Bowl
~ Early thief years in Nemedia (~17–19).
Pub: Unpublished in lifetime; first full 1952 (Space Science Fiction).
Under the cold moon of Numalia, Conan the Cimmerian stole like a panther through the silent halls of the great museum, intent on filling his hands with gold from its ancient treasures. But as he moved among the dusty relics of forgotten ages, a low, wet slithering broke the stillness. From the deepest vault rose an unspeakable horror older than mankind — a gigantic, translucent abomination of writhing tentacles and glowing eyes, a living nightmare from the black gulfs beyond the stars. The God in the Bowl had awakened, and in that shadowed chamber the young barbarian stood alone with steel in hand, facing an ancient evil that hungered for his soul.
The Tower of the Elephant
~ Young thief in Zamora (~19).
Pub: March 1933 (Weird Tales).
Under the velvet black of a Zamboula night, Conan the Cimmerian slipped like a shadow through the twisting streets and over the high wall of the sorcerer’s garden, drawn by tales of a fabulous jewel said to lie within the fabled Tower of the Elephant. The young barbarian moved with the silent grace of a hunting panther, scaling the smooth marble sides of the slender spire until he reached a window high above the sleeping city. Inside the moonlit chamber he found not gold or gems, but a horror beyond mortal imagining — the towering, alien form of Yag-Kosha, an ancient being from the outer gulfs, chained and tormented by the sorcerer Yara, who drew his unnatural power from the glowing crimson Heart of the Elephant. In that silent tower, amid the reek of ancient evil and the soft weeping of a captive god, the Cimmerian’s sword flashed once in a pact of mercy and vengeance, setting loose forces older than the world itself.
Rogues in the House
~ Shortly after Tower, still a young thief (~19–20).
Pub: January 1934 (Weird Tales).
In the shadowed city of Belverus, Conan the Cimmerian became entangled in a web of political intrigue when the Red Priest Nabonidus sought to use him as a disposable tool in a deadly game of palace betrayal. Hired to eliminate a rival, the Cimmerian instead found himself trapped inside the Scarlet Citadel alongside the cunning thief Murilo. There, in the blood-red halls and black dungeons beneath the tower, they faced Nabonidus’s most monstrous pet — a huge, semi-human ape trained to kill on command. Steel clashed against claw and fang as Conan fought his way through sorcery, treachery, and the slavering brute, carving a red path to freedom while the schemes of priests and nobles collapsed in ruin around him.
The Hall of the Dead (fragment only by Howard)
~ Early adventures (often placed here).
Pub: Posthumous completion.
Deep in the black, silent hills of Zamora, Conan the Cimmerian rode alone into a forgotten valley where ancient ruins brooded under a sullen moon. Drawn by tales of lost treasure, the young barbarian explored the crumbling halls of a dead city older than the Hyborian Age. The air was thick with dust and the smell of long decay as he moved through silent corridors lined with crumbling statues and broken columns. But the deeper he ventured, the more he sensed he was not alone. Something vast and unnatural stirred in the darkness ahead — a guardian horror left by the city’s long-vanished builders. Steel in hand, Conan pressed on into the Hall of the Dead, where the shadows themselves seemed to watch and wait with hungry patience.
Black Colossus
~ Mercenary phase (~20–22).
Pub: June–July 1933 (Weird Tales).
When the ancient sorcerer Xaltotun rose from the dust of three thousand years to crush the Hyborian kingdoms beneath the restored empire of Acheron, Conan the Cimmerian stood as king of Aquilonia and led his armies against the gathering storm. At the head of his knights and spearmen, the barbarian monarch rode forth across the plains to meet the resurrected wizard and his dark host. With sword in hand and battle-cry on his lips, Conan hurled his warriors against sorcery older than the world itself, facing both living men and the unholy legions summoned by Xaltotun’s terrible power. In that hour of doom, the Cimmerian fought not only for his throne but for the very soul of the western world, his savage will and flashing steel the last bright blade against the returning shadow of Acheron.
Queen of the Black Coast
~ Pirate years begin (~21–23).
Pub: May 1934 (Weird Tales).
Hunted by the law of Argos for the slaying of a judge, Conan the Cimmerian fled to the sea and joined the crew of the Tigress, a black-sailed pirate ship commanded by the fierce and beautiful Belit, the wild Queen of the Black Coast. From the moment their eyes met on the deck, a savage flame kindled between the barbarian and the tigerish Shemite woman. Together they swept the western ocean like a storm, plundering merchant ships, burning coastal towns, and laughing in the face of death. Under the hot sun and crimson sails, Conan found not only a lover but a kindred spirit whose heart burned as fiercely as his own for gold, blood, and the wild freedom of the sea.
The Slithering Shadow (alt: “Xuthal of the Dusk”)
~ Pirate/early mercenary (~23).
Pub: September 1933 (Weird Tales).
Fleeing across the burning desert after a raid gone wrong, Conan and the thief Natala stumbled half-dead with thirst upon the lost city of Xuthal — a gleaming white metropolis of towers and domes rising like a mirage from the sands. Inside its silent streets and cool marble halls they found a strange, decadent people who lay in drugged slumber induced by the black lotus, dreaming away their lives in golden luxury while a monstrous horror stalked the corridors at night. As shadows lengthened and the city’s inhabitants sank deeper into their narcotic stupor, Conan and Natala discovered the true master of Xuthal: a gigantic, slithering shadow — a living nightmare of coiling darkness and glowing eyes that fed upon the sleeping dreamers. In the moonlit halls of that accursed city, the Cimmerian’s sword clashed against an ancient evil older than man, while the slithering shadow drew ever closer through the perfumed gloom.
The Pool of the Black One
~ Pirate adventures (~23–24).
Pub: October 1933 (Weird Tales).
After a bloody mutiny aboard a Zingaran ship, Conan the Cimmerian found himself among a crew of hard-bitten buccaneers who had turned pirate. Driven by tales of fabulous treasure, they sailed to a mysterious, uncharted island shrouded in green jungle and ancient evil. There, amid crumbling black ruins older than the Hyborian Age, the crew sought a legendary hoard of jewels and gold. But the island held a far darker secret: a colossal, inhuman being of living shadow and liquid darkness — the Black One — an ancient god-like entity that rose from a still, black pool to claim its due. As the buccaneers’ greed turned to screams and slaughter, Conan stood alone with steel in hand against a horror from the outer gulfs, fighting not merely for treasure, but for his very soul in the heart of that accursed island.
Iron Shadows in the Moon (alt: “Shadows in the Moonlight”)
~ Pirate phase (~24).
Pub: April 1934 (Weird Tales).
Fleeing the slave galleys of Turan, Conan the Cimmerian was shipwrecked on a fog-shrouded island in the Vilayet Sea. There, amid the black stone ruins of a city older than the Hyborian Age, he encountered a band of desperate survivors who spoke in terrified whispers of a monstrous horror that stalked the island at night. As darkness fell, an immense, iron-black shadow rose from the ancient halls — a living nightmare of metal and sorcery, an indestructible being forged by forgotten gods. The Iron Shadow moved with terrible purpose, crushing men like insects and leaving only broken corpses in its wake. Trapped on the island with no escape, Conan faced the monstrous entity with only his sword and savage will, fighting a horror that no steel could slay and whose very touch meant death.
The Devil in Iron
~ Transitional mercenary (~25).
Pub: August 1934 (Weird Tales).
Shipwrecked on a fog-shrouded island in the Vilayet Sea, Conan the Cimmerian became entangled in a deadly intrigue woven by the beautiful and treacherous Octavia. The island held the ruins of an ancient city, and at its heart stood a demonic statue of black iron — a colossal, inhuman figure that was no mere carving but a living horror from an elder age. The statue housed the soul of a monstrous being that could animate its iron body at will, crushing men like insects and spreading terror across the island. Caught between the jealous chieftain Jelal-ed-din and the seductive Octavia, Conan was drawn deeper into a web of betrayal, lust, and ancient sorcery. In the end, the Cimmerian faced the Devil in Iron itself, matching his savage strength and barbarian cunning against a creature that no ordinary blade could slay.
The People of the Black Circle
~ Hill chief/mercenary (~25–26).
Pub: Sept–Oct–Nov 1934 (Weird Tales, serial).
In the savage Himelian Mountains, where the wind howled like wolves through the passes, Conan the Cimmerian led a band of fierce Afghuli hillmen in a daring raid. Their target was the veiled princess Yasmina, sister of the king of Vendhya, who traveled under heavy guard. Using stealth and savage cunning, Conan kidnapped the beautiful princess from the heart of her escort and carried her off into the high, mist-shrouded peaks. But the abduction plunged him into a deadly web of sorcery and ancient evil. The dreaded Black Circle — a cult of necromancers led by the dark master Khemsa — pursued them with black magic and demonic servants. Amid towering cliffs and haunted valleys, Conan fought not only mortal warriors but the very powers of darkness itself, protecting the proud princess while matching his steel and barbarian will against the black sorcery of the Himelians.
A Witch Shall Be Born
~ Later mercenary (~26–27).
Pub: December 1934 (Weird Tales).
In the desert kingdom of Khauran, Conan the Cimmerian found himself caught in a nightmare of sorcery and betrayal when the evil twin sister Salome, a witch of terrible power, seized the throne from her gentle twin, Queen Taramis. Using dark magic, Salome impersonated the queen, unleashed a reign of terror, and crucified Conan on a desert cross as punishment for defying her. Left to die under the burning sun, the Cimmerian survived through sheer barbarian endurance and was rescued by his loyal Zuagir raiders. With cold fury in his heart, Conan gathered his desert warriors and marched against the usurping witch-queen. In a final clash of steel and sorcery, the Cimmerian faced Salome and her demonic allies, determined to restore the rightful queen and wash the throne of Khauran clean with the blood of the witch who dared wear a crown she had stolen.
Jewels of Gwahlur (alt: “Teeth of Gwahlur”)
~ Treasure hunter (~27).
Pub: March 1935 (Weird Tales).
Deep in the steaming jungles of Keshan, Conan the Cimmerian hunted the legendary Teeth of Gwahlur — a fabulous hoard of priceless gems said to lie hidden in the lost city of Alkmeenon. Guided by greed and tales of untold wealth, he slipped past savage guards and entered the ancient, vine-choked ruins where golden altars and silent temples brooded under the green canopy. But the city was not empty. Shadowy guardians, degenerate ape-like creatures, and the sinister high priest Gorulga moved through the darkness, ready to kill any intruder who sought the sacred jewels. As Conan stalked the moonlit halls and descended into hidden vaults, he discovered that the Teeth of Gwahlur were guarded by more than men or beasts — something older and far more terrible lurked in the heart of the ruins. Steel in hand and wolfish grin on his lips, the Cimmerian pressed on, determined to claim the gems or die trying in the silent, deadly city of the lost kingdom.
Shadows in Zamboula (alt: “Man-Eaters of Zamboula”)
~ Wandering (~27–28).
Pub: November 1935 (Weird Tales).
In the decadent, vice-ridden city of Zamboula, where torchlight flickered on silk-veiled dancers and the air reeked of lotus and spiced wine, Conan the Cimmerian walked the shadowed streets amid a web of intrigue and lurking horror. Hired as a guard, he soon found himself entangled in a deadly plot involving the beautiful Zabibi and the sorcerer Totrasmek, high priest of Hanuman. By night the city belonged to cannibals — dark, silent figures who crept from hidden quarters to drag sleeping victims away for their ghastly feasts. As Conan moved through moonlit alleys and perfumed chambers, he faced both human treachery and the monstrous servants of the ape-god, matching his savage cunning and flashing steel against sorcery, seduction, and the hungry shadows that stalked the city after dark. In Zamboula, even the bravest man could vanish without a trace, devoured by the night itself.
The Vale of Lost Women
~ Mid-mercenary (~28).
Pub: 1967 (The Magazine of Horror).
Deep in the savage jungles of the Black Kingdoms, Conan the Cimmerian rode into the hidden Vale of Lost Women — a secret valley where the women of a vanished race were held captive by a brutal tribe of black warriors. Drawn by tales of white-skinned beauties enslaved in the green hell, the Cimmerian came alone, sword in hand and murder in his eyes. Amid vine-choked temples and blood-stained altars he found the captives — proud, golden-haired women condemned to lives of degradation and eventual sacrifice to a monstrous jungle god. With savage fury Conan carved a red path through the warriors, freeing the prisoners and unleashing chaos in the valley. As spears flew and war-drums thundered, the barbarian fought not for gold or glory, but for the fierce joy of battle and the raw satisfaction of setting the captives free from their green prison.
Red Nails
~ Late pirate/mercenary (~28–30).
Pub: July–Aug–Oct 1936 (Weird Tales, serial).
Deep in the trackless southern jungles, Conan and the fiery swordswoman Valeria stumbled through a hidden pass and emerged into a broad, enclosed valley where an ancient city of green stone and crimson spires stood silent under a brooding sky. Xuchotl, the lost city of the dragon, was a bizarre, self-contained world cut off from the outside for centuries. Inside its massive walls two rival clans of yellow-skinned degenerates waged an endless, ritualistic war, painting their doors with fresh human blood and hunting one another through the marble corridors like beasts in a cage. As Conan and Valeria explored the empty halls and blood-stained chambers, they discovered a decadent, dying race trapped in a nightmare of hatred and madness. Steel in hand, the two warriors became caught in the savage feud, fighting side by side against treachery, ancient sorcery, and the last remnants of a once-proud people slowly devouring themselves in an orgy of crimson vengeance.
Beyond the Black River
~ Frontier scout (~30).
Pub: May–June 1935 (Weird Tales, serial).
On the wild frontier of Aquilonia, beyond the Black River, Conan the Cimmerian served as a scout and fighter in the desperate struggle against the savage Picts. The painted warriors came swarming out of the dark, trackless forests like wolves, their war-drums throbbing through the night as they butchered settlers and burned lonely forts. Stationed at Fort Tuscelan, Conan and a handful of Aquilonian soldiers stood against an overwhelming horde. When the fort fell in a storm of blood and fire, the Cimmerian fought his way through the howling savages, matching his savage cunning and flashing steel against the relentless tide of Pictish fury. In the end, only his barbarian endurance and wolfish ferocity allowed him to survive the nightmare on the border, where civilization’s thin line was drowned in a crimson flood.
The Black Stranger
~ Pirate/treasure (~30–31).
Pub: Posthumous full (1987; earlier revised).
On the lonely coast of Zingara, Conan the Cimmerian sailed with a crew of hard-bitten Barachan pirates in search of the legendary treasure of Count Tranicos. Guided by an old map, they landed on a fog-shrouded beach and plunged into the dense jungle, following a hidden trail that led to a forgotten cove. There, beneath the roots of ancient trees, they unearthed the long-lost hoard — chests of gold, silver, and jewels that glittered like stars in the moonlight. But the pirates’ greed soon turned to murder and betrayal as old rivalries flared and knives flashed in the darkness. Standing amid the blood and betrayal, Conan alone remained true to the code of the sea, ready to claim the treasure with his sword or die fighting for it on that wild, forgotten coast.
The Phoenix on the Sword
~ King of Aquilonia (~40+).
Pub: December 1932 (Weird Tales).
Now King of Aquilonia, Conan the Cimmerian sat upon the throne he had won with his sword, yet even in the heart of his glittering capital Tarantia, dark forces moved against him. A conspiracy of treacherous nobles and the resurrected sorcerer Thoth-Amon plotted to assassinate the barbarian king and restore the old blood to the throne. On the night the killers struck, Conan fought like a cornered lion in his own chambers, his great sword cleaving through flesh and bone. But the true danger was far older and more terrible than mere steel — an ancient evil awakened by sorcery, a monstrous shadow from the outer gulfs that came slithering through the corridors of power. In the end, the Cimmerian king stood alone against both human treachery and cosmic horror, proving once more that the barbarian who had seized a crown could hold it with the same savage strength that had won it.
The Scarlet Citadel
~ Kingship (~40+).
Pub: January 1933 (Weird Tales).
Betrayed and captured by the treacherous King Strabonus of Koth and his ally Tsotha-lanti, the sorcerer who ruled from the Scarlet Citadel, Conan the Cimmerian was thrown into the deepest dungeons beneath the blood-red tower. Chained and left to die in darkness, the barbarian king found himself surrounded by horrors born of foul sorcery — monstrous creatures bred in the pits and the slithering shadow of ancient evil. Yet even in captivity, Conan’s savage will refused to break. With raw strength and barbarian cunning he fought his way free through blood and nightmare, carving a red path upward through the Scarlet Citadel itself. In the end, the Cimmerian emerged from the sorcerer’s lair with steel in hand and death in his eyes, ready to repay his captors with fire and steel for the treachery they had dared against a king.
The Hour of the Dragon (novel, alt Conan the Conqueror)
~ Late kingship (~40+).
Pub: Dec 1935–Apr 1936 (Weird Tales, serial).
When the ancient sorcerer Xaltotun rose from the dust of three thousand years and unleashed the dark power of lost Acheron, Conan the Cimmerian lost his throne of Aquilonia in a single night of sorcery and betrayal. Cast down from the crown he had won with his sword, the barbarian king became a hunted fugitive in his own land. Driven by savage pride and burning rage, Conan set out on a desperate quest across the Hyborian world to reclaim his kingdom. From the frozen north to the serpent-haunted south, through battles, treachery, and forbidden sorcery, the Cimmerian fought his way back toward Tarantia. In the end, sword in hand and fury in his heart, Conan faced the resurrected wizard and the gathered might of his enemies, determined that no man — and no dead sorcerer — would keep the crown from the barbarian who had taken it by right of steel.
Additional related Howard material often bundled:
- Cimmeria (poem) — ~1932; pub. 1934 It first appeared in The Howard Collector (Winter 1965) according to some sources, but earlier amateur appearances in 1934 fanzines circulated among weird fiction fans have been referenced in Howard scholarship. The 1934 printing was in a small, non-professional fan magazine produced by and for pulp/weird fiction enthusiasts.
- The Hyborian Age (essay) — Parts 1936; full 1938 (fan pub).
- First partial publication: Serialized in the fanzine called The Phantagraph.
- Part 1: February 1936 (Volume 4, Number 3)
- Part 2: August 1936 (Volume 4, Number 5)
- Part 3: October–November 1936 (Volume 5, Number 1)
- First complete publication: 1938 as a standalone fan publication (fan pub) titled The Hyborian Age, issued by the Los Angeles–New York Cooperative Publications (often abbreviated as LANY Cooperative), a fan group that produced amateur booklets.
The Hyborian Age (Facsimile Edition)
These 21 are the core canon by Howard alone (no posthumous completions or pastiches).
Eye Of Balor Magazine 