This accurately describes the points of culture-level and supernatural element and also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-and-sword (historical adventure) story-and (quite incidentally) from the cloak-and-dagger (international espionage) story too! I feel more certain than ever that this field should be called the sword-and-sorcery story. He expanded on this in the July 1961 issue of Amra, commenting:

Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon (6 April 1961), suggesting 'sword-and-sorcery as a good popular catchphrase for the field'. Moorcock had initially proposed the term 'epic fantasy'. The main character is often a barbarian with antihero traits.Īmerican author Fritz Leiber coined the term 'sword and sorcery' in 1961 in response to a letter from British author Michael Moorcock in the fanzine Amra, demanding a name for the sort of fantasy-adventure story written by Robert E. Sword and sorcery is grounded in real-world social and societal hierarchies, and is grittier, darker, and more violent, with elements of cosmic, often Lovecraftian creatures that aren't a staple of mainstream fantasy. Sword and Sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of 'good vs evil' in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny. In parallel with 'sword and sorcery', the term 'heroic fantasy' is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre. The term 'sword and sorcery' was coined by Fritz Leiber In the May 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine Amra, to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Sword and sorcery commonly overlaps with heroic fantasy. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) or heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Howard's Conan the Barbarian story 'Red Nails' Fantasy

Not to be confused with Sword and sandal, a genre of Italian costume adventure epic films

Draconic sorcerer age of wonders 3