Search Results for: spears of clo

Spears of Clontarf

Howard’s first version (as Spears of Clontarf) finally saw print in a chapbook in 1978, and his Grey God Passes version was also published posthumously in the anthology collection titled Dark Mind, Dark Heart in 1962.

The Cairn on the Headland

A short story with elements of fantasy and horror. As often in Howard’s stories, there is a link to the Cthulhu Mythos, in this case, mixed also with elements of both Norse Mythology and Catholic Christianity.

It has a rather convoluted history, being in effect an adaptation of Howard’s earlier story Spears of Clontarf, a historical adventure story by Howard focusing on the Battle of Clontarf (1014) and featuring Turlogh Dubh O’Brien or Black Turlogh, a fictional 11th Century Irishman created by Howard. Howard later rewrote “Spears” as “The Grey God Passes”, which was very similar to Spears of Clontarf, but with added fantasy elements. Howard failed to sell the story in either version during his lifetime.

The Grey God Passes

“The Grey God Passes” is a vivid tale set during a tumultuous period in Irish history, focusing on the Battle of Clontarf and the symbolic end of the Norse gods’ influence over the region.

The story begins with Conn, a thrall (slave), confronting a mysterious stranger who knows of Conn’s killing of his master, Wolfgar Snorri’s son. The stranger, later revealed to be Odin, the Grey God, hints at an impending war in Ireland and vanishes after predicting doom and the fall of gods.

The Shadow Kingdom

“The Shadow Kingdom”, the first of his Kull stories, set in his fictional Thurian Age. It was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in August 1929.

Beyond the Black River – 2

“Beyond the Black River” is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian. First published in Weird Tales magazine, May-June 1935. The story was republished in the collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Warrior (Lancer Books, 1967). It has since been published a numerous times in many languages. It’s set in the pseudo-historical Hyborian Age and concerns Conan’s battle against a savage tribe of Picts in the unsettled lands beyond the infamous Black River.