Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a genre of literature characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. The genre originated from the early 1930s works of Robert E. Howard. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre.

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.

Sword and sorcery is grounded in real-world social and societal hierarchies, and is grittier, darker, and more violent, with elements of cosmic or Lovecraftian creatures that aren't a staple of mainstream fantasy. The main character is often a barbarian with antihero traits.

The Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction records an example of "sword and sorcery" from 1953, where it appears in a headline of a review of an L. Sprague de Camp novel. In the 6 April 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine Ancalagon, American author Fritz Leiber re-coined the term 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. Howard. Moorcock had initially proposed the term "epic fantasy". Leiber replied in the journal Ancalagon (6 April 1961), suggesting "sword-and-sorcery as a good popular catchphrase for the field". He expanded on this in the July 1961 issue of Amra, commenting:

I feel more certain than ever that this field should be called the sword-and-sorcery story. 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!

The term "heroic fantasy" has been used to avoid the garish overtones of "sword and sorcery". This name was coined by L. Sprague de Camp. However, it has also been used to describe a broader range of fantasy, including High fantasy.

Heavily influenced by the adventure genre, the settings of sword and sorcery often revolve around Alternate history, pulling influences from early 20th century Archaeology and Theosophy. The setting can be an Earth in the mythical past or distant future, an imaginary other world or an alien planet. Sword and sorcery stories are also influenced by Horror, Mythology, Folklore, and Science Fiction. The technological level of most sword and sorcery settings is similar to that of the ancient or medieval periods with an emphasis on swordplay.

The Protagonist is usually an antihero who fights against supernatural evil and the occult. Unlike fantasy, the magic of a sword and sorcery story comes at a substantial cost, or what can be described as a hard magic system. Although the main character mostly behaves heroically, he may ally with an enemy or sacrifice an ally in order to survive. A hero's main weapons are cunning and physical strength. Magic, on the other hand, is usually only used by the villains of the story, who are usually wizards, witches, or supernatural monsters. A recurring theme in the genre is a damsel in distress. Although Robert E. Howard was known for writing strong female protagonists such as Agnes and Valeria, the 1960s onward saw an emphasis on male protagonists and underdeveloped female characters by the popular authors of the time. This issue has declined in recent years.