Robert E. Howard opened the sword-and-sorcery genre with his "Conan" cycle. A member of the Mythos circle who corresponded with Lovecraft, he wove the shadow of cosmic horror into his hero tales.
His mode, where vigorous action and cosmic nihilism coexist, shows that the Mythos was woven not from one color but from writers of many temperaments.
His stage is the invented prehistoric Hyborian Age, ranged over by heroes such as Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull of Valusia, Bran Mak Morn the last Pictish king, and the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane. The related entries below lead to each figure and world, and the original-text link to the sources.