The Hyborian World of Conan

Incredibly detailed map of the homeworld of Conan the Barbarian.

The story of Conan the Barbarian began in 1932, when Robert Howard first wrote the character to life in a serial comic publication called “Weird Tales.” At the time of Howard’s suicide in 1936, he had written 21 complete stories about the sword-wielding hero. The copyright to the character was passed through numerous hands in the ensuing decades, and lawsuits between conflicting claims continue to pop up occasionally. The franchise has expanded greatly and has been adopted across multiple media like television, novels, video games, and live-action films.

This detailed map of the Hyborian World, setting for Conan the Barbarian, was published in 1977 by Starmont House. It was issued to accompany a ‘A Gazetteer of The Hyborian World of Conan with a chronology of the Conan and Kull stories.’. The eye-catching image presents an engaging overview of multiple continents and geographic landforms. The pseudo-historical ‘Hyborian Age’ occurred before written history, and the map reflects a stylized interpretation of Pangea. Several names, such as Meroe, Kush, Zembabwei, and Iranistan are clearly inspired by real-life locations. Cimmeria, the birthplace of Conan, can be seen in the upper left. Other features like landmarks, battle sites, cities, and decorative vignettes add depth to the lore and cartographic ‘authenticity.’