The Scarlet Citadel

"The Scarlet Citadel"
Short story by Robert E. Howard
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Fantasy
Publication
Published inWeird Tales
Publication typePulp magazine
PublisherRural Publishing Corp.
Publication dateJanuary 1933
Chronology
SeriesConan the Cimmerian
 
The Phoenix on the Sword
 
The Tower of the Elephant

"The Scarlet Citadel" is one of the original short stories starring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard and first published in the January, 1933 issue of Weird Tales magazine. In the fictional Hyborian Age, a middle-aged Conan battles rival kingdoms. The wizard Tsotha-lanti ensnares King Conan, who escapes a dungeon with unexpected aid.

The story was republished in the collections King Conan (Gnome Press, 1953) and Conan the Usurper (Lancer Books, 1967). It has more recently been published in the collections The Conan Chronicles Volume 2: The Hour of the Dragon (Gollancz, 2001) and Conan of Cimmeria: Volume One (1932–1933) (Del Rey, 2003).