“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.
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“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.
Published by the REH Foundation Press to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf. Facsimile copies. The letter to Harry Bates was written sometime in 1931, and sent as a cover for Howard’s submission of SPEARS OF CLONTARFT to Soldier of Fortune magazine. This is the earliest known draft.
Howard first wrote a version of this story called “Spears of Clontarf”, but it was rejected by “Soldiers of Fortune” magazine. He then added fantasy elements to the story so as to be able to submit it to the Weird Tales magazine under the title The Grey God Passes, where it was also rejected by editor Farnsworth Wright in December, 1931. He then rewrote it a third time, as a horror story called The Cairn on the Headland, and that version was published in the January, 1933 issue of Strange Tales.
Howard first wrote a version of this story called “Spears of Clontarf”, but it was rejected by “Soldiers of Fortune” magazine. He then added fantasy elements to the story so as to be able to submit it to the Weird Tales magazine under the title The Grey God Passes, where it was also rejected by editor Farnsworth Wright in December, 1931. He then rewrote it a third time, as a horror story called The Cairn on the Headland, and that version was published in the January, 1933 issue of Strange Tales.
Contains a letter that Howard wrote to Adventure. It was printed in the December 30th, 1923 issue.
Contains a letter that Howard wrote to Adventure. It was printed in the August 20th, 1924 issue. Volume 48, number 2. Written circa July 1924.







