Hyborian Age

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The Hyborian Age is a phrase used by author Robert E. Howard to refer to a specific epoch in a fictional timeline used for many of the Sword & Sorcery tales of his artificial legendry; in particular, the stories of Conan the Barbarian.

The word "Hyborian" is a transliterated contraction by Howard of the Ancient Greek "hyperborean," referring to a "barbaric dweller beyond the boreas (north wind)." Howard stated that the geographical setting of the Hyborian Age is that of our earth, but in a fictional version of a period in the past that predates surviving historical records, circa 14,000 BC to 10,000 BC.

Although Robert created the world, he allowed others to play in it; the Hyborian Age is considered part of the Cthulhu Mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith wrote his own stories set in the Hyborian Age, before Conan. It is also, separately, considered canon to the Marvel Comics multiverse as well.