Antiquity refers to the world where a number of Barron's stories take place, originally introduced in the opening of [[The Croning]], featuring a darker version of the fairytale character [[Rumpelstiltskin]]. --- ### __Time & Place__ Antiquity seems to be some sort of dark fantasy, alternative history version of America, with most of its stories taking place in an 'mirror universe' East Coast and [New York State more specifically](https://twitter.com/LairdBarron/status/1419671450747908098) It's hard to pinpoint the exact time period or era of Antiquity. The first chapter of The Croning seems to be set during medieval times, while the Antiquity story [[Uncoiling]] features more advanced weaponry like grenades and rifles, such as the 1800's Boyer. Meanwhile, the Antiquity story [[The One We Tell Bad Children]] features similar levels of technology but also mentions modern-day actor Clint Eastwood. As [Barron himself has stated](https://twitter.com/LairdBarron/status/1419675407754924037): "It's an impossible mix of eras. Antiquity exhibits the nature of a dream experienced by a dying, well-read mind." This poses some questions. Does Antiquity merely _exhibit_ the nature of a dream, or are these stories themselves in fact the actual dreams of a familiar (dying, well-read) character? Perhaps Antiquity is a dream world conjured up by a comatose [[Isaiah Coleridge]]. Or something like that. The references to present day movie actors definitely has me thinking that Antiquity is a dream world, birthed by someone's subconsciousness. [According to Barron himself](https://twitter.com/LairdBarron/status/1470467531249004549), there is a narrative explanation for all the timeline ambiguity which is yet to be revealed. --- ### __Universe & Alter Egos__ The Antiquity world is not entirely separate from the rest of Barron's works and has some definite references to [[Old Leech]]. This ties Antiquity into the overarching universe or [[Multiverse]] of Barron's works. With the birth of Antiquity, Barron introduced the concept of [[Alter Ego|Alter Egos]] to his universe. Certain recurring characters from his fiction seem to have Antiquity counterparts. The most notable example of this is the cast of characters from the [[Isaiah Coleridge Series]] featuring in the Antiquity story Uncoiling. While these can't possibly be the exact same people, they do show the same core character traits and names. [[Blackwood's Baby]]'s protagonist [[Luke Honey]] apparently also has an [Antiquity alter ego](https://twitter.com/LairdBarron/status/1459252364465090576), but I haven't encountered him yet. The [[Croatoan]] also makes an appearance in the Antiquity story Uncoiling. --- ### __Overview__ The following stories are set in Antiquity: The first chapter of [[The Croning]], featuring a twisted version of the fairytale character [[Rumpelstiltskin]]. [[A Clutch]] [[Oblivion Mode]] [[Ode to Joad the Toad]] [[The One We Tell Bad Children]] [[Uncoiling]] [[Bitten By Himself]] #Antiquity