"History of the ''Necronomicon''" is a short text written by
H. P. Lovecraft in
1927
Events January
* January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General.
* January 7
* ...
, and published in 1938.
It describes the origins of the
fictional book
A fictional book is a text created specifically for a work in an imaginary narrative that is referred to, depicted, or excerpted in a story, book, film, or other fictional work, and which exists only in one or more fictional works. A fictional ...
of the same name: the occult grimoire ''
Necronomicon
The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first menti ...
'', a now-famous element of some of his stories. The short text purports to be non-fiction, adding to the appearance of "pseudo-authenticity" which Lovecraft valued in building his
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
oeuvre. Accordingly, it supposes the history of the ''Necronomicon'' as the inspiration for
Robert W. Chambers
Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895.
Life
Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...
' ''
The King in Yellow'', which concerns a book that overthrows the minds of those who read it.
Text
The text tells how the ''Necronomicon'' was penned by the mad Arab
Abdul Alhazred
The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first menti ...
under the title ''Al-Azif''. Alhazred died after being devoured by invisible demons in front of a terrified crowd. His work was subsequently suppressed, though survived. No original Arabic copies survive, nor any Greek translations. Only five Greek to Latin translations (retitled the ''Necronomicon'') are held in libraries (
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
,
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...
,
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...
,
Widener Library
The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, housing some 3.5million books in its "vast and cavernous" stacks (library architecture), stacks, is the centerpiece of the Harvard College Libraries (the libraries of Harvard's Harvard Faculty of Arts an ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, and
Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham, a fictional town in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River (also fictional). After first appearing in H. P. Lovecraft's 1922 story "Herbert West–Rea ...
), though private copies do exist.
Character name
Lovecraft created the name of the character Abdul Alhazred from a number of sources. As a child, Lovecraft was inspired by the novel ''
One Thousand and One Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' and took an interest in
Arabic culture
Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The various religions the Arab ...
.
At the age of five, he developed the pseudonym "Abdul Alhazred" while playing, which was perhaps given to him by the family lawyer. It is speculated that the name could also be derived from an old family who lived in Providence at the same time as Lovecraft, the Hazards. The name could also be a pun as it phonetically sounds like "all-has-read" due to Lovecraft's love of reading, or a reference to the "hazards" of the ''Necronomicon''.
![Abdul Alhazred writing the Necronomicon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Abdul_Alhazred_writing_the_Necronomicon.jpg)
In the Arabic language, the name "Abdul Alhazred" is not grammatically correct. The suffix ''"-ul"'' and the prefix ''"al-"'' both refer to the article "the", essentially repeating it twice. In Arabic translations of "History of the ''Necronomicon''", his name appears as "Abduallah Alhazred" or sometimes "Abd Al-Hazred". In the
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
itself and when being referenced by scholars or other authors, the "Mad Arab" is always spelt using capitalization, suggesting that the "Mad Arab" is a proper noun and a title.
Publication
"History of the ''Necronomicon''" was posthumously published by the Rebel Press in 1938, a year after Lovecraft's death. Only 80 copies of the original edition were ever printed, but very few still exist today. No copies of the original edition are held in universities or libraries, not even the
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
library, which has one of the largest collections of artifacts associated with Lovecraft. Most reprint versions of the short story have been published by
Necronomicon Press
Necronomicon Press is an American small press publishing house specializing in fiction, poetry and literary criticism relating to the horror and fantasy genres. It is run by Marc A. Michaud.
Necronomicon Press was founded in 1976, originally ...
in the 1970s. "History of the ''Necronomicon''" is one of the only Lovecraft stories to be rarely included in collected reprints and editions of his works.
Before publication, Lovecraft sent the fictional history he would write in "History of the ''Necronomicon''" in a letter to fellow
Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
author and confidant
Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...
. Lovecraft would write "In particular I have drawn up some data on the celebrated & unmentionable ''Necronomicon'' of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred...Once a man read through the copy in the library of Miskatonic University at Arkham—read it through & fled wild-eyed into the hills...but that is another story!".
Pseudobiblia
Pseudobiblia is a type of storytelling device in which an imaginary narrative is presented as non-fiction, often using fictional citations or texts, sometimes referred to as a fictional book. Pseudobiblia can be used to establish
verisimilitude
In philosophy, verisimilitude (or truthlikeness) is the notion that some propositions are closer to being true than other propositions. The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be closer ...
, to add realism to a larger, connected story or to make connections to the real world. Lovecraft's use of pseudobiblia is very prevalent in History of the ''Necronomicon'', which was written while Lovecraft was writing for the horror pulp fiction magazine,
Weird Tales
''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...
. Pseudobiblia was used extensively by the different writers for Weird Tales, who often engaged collaboratively in each other's works. The serialized nature of the medium prevented Lovecraft from crafting a new fictional setting, so pseudobiblia allowed him to world build within the restrictions of the pulp format.
Additionally, there are examples in medieval Arabic literature of supernatural fiction stories being presented as non-fiction, a genre called "marvel tales", which Gonce described as "part travelog, part historical treatise, and part grimoire". ''One Thousand and One Nights'' is influenced by this genre of Arabic literature, which may also explain Lovecraft's propensity to use pseudobiblia in his works, according to Gonce.
Lovecraft would regularly cite genuine scholarly sources alongside fictitious ones of his own creation, such as "History of the ''Necronomicon''". Lovecraft writes that the ''Necronomicon'' was suppressed and burned by
Patriarch Michael I and
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
, who are both real, historical figures. However, it was named the ''Necronomicon'' and translated into Greek by scholar Theodorus Philetas, who is entirely fictional. Additionally, the novella ''
At the Mountains of Madness
''At the Mountains of Madness'' is a science fiction-horror novella by American author H. P. Lovecraft, written in February/March 1931 and rejected that year by ''Weird Tales'' editor Farnsworth Wright on the grounds of its length. It was ori ...
'' is another Lovecraft text that employs pseudobiblia. The narrator of the story attempts to dissuade a group of explorers from venturing on a voyage to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
and provides a detailed, alternative prehistory of the world that is foundational to the cosmology of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Lovecraft would reference and would be referenced by the other authors who wrote for Weird Tales in their own fictional stories, which Lovecraft would encourage as it creates "a background of evil verisimilitude", as he wrote in a letter. For example, fellow Weird Tales author Clark Ashton Smith's ''Book of Eibon'' draws heavy inspiration from Lovecraft's own ''Necronomicon'', which Lovecraft himself celebrates as he thought it would be of the most "blackest and most appalling significance" for the readers who realized the connection between the two books.
John Engle argues that the pseudobiblia of "History of the ''Necronomicon''" has resulted in people believing the story to be genuine, both casual readers and occultists who have included aspects of Lovecraft's works in their own occult practices despite Lovecraft himself scorning genuine occultists. For example, "History of the ''Necronomicon''" states that
John Dee
John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, teacher, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divinatio ...
translated the ''Necronomicon'' into English. Dee is a real historical mathematician and occultist who is still studied and revered by occultists today. Hoaxers have created fake Dee-translated ''Necronomicons'' that can be found online and are often presented as genuine occult texts or genuine first edition copies.
Lovecraft himself appeared to be conscious of this potential implication of his use of pseudobiblia, as he believed if the internal cosmology of his Cthulhu Mythos was to be realistic, he must construct it "with all the care and verisimilitude of an actual hoax". In 1936, a fake review of a new translation of the ''Necronomicon'' appeared in the Branford Review, a small-town newspaper in New York. Lovecraft said about this fake review, "If the ''Necronomicon'' legend continues to grow, people will end up by believing in it and accusing me of faking when I point out the true origin of the thing!" The original writer of this fake review is Donald Wollheim, an author and editor who was a fan of Lovecraft that began writing to him around the time his fake review of the ''Necronomicon'' was published. Wollheim would later publish a number of Lovecraft's works in his fanzine before his death. The Lovecraft scholar Kendrick Kerwin Chua argued that this false review inspired Lovecraft to write "History of the ''Necronomicon''", which is untrue because it was written in 1927 but published posthumously.
Criticism
History of the ''Necronomicon'' has been criticized for depicting
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
ern culture and histories in harmful ways, particularly when combined with the pseudobiblia of the text. Gabriel McKee argues that Lovecraft's depiction of the Middle East "as a place of mystery and strangeness" reinforces the public's lack of awareness and knowledge about the region. According to critics, it inadvertently promotes historical illiteracy as it mystifies or, in some extreme cases, demonizes the ancient world. The pseudobiblia and intertextual nature of "History of the ''Necronomicon''" invites fans and authors to alter genuine Middle Eastern histories and attribute abstract moral notions like "good", "evil", or "satanic" to historical sites and figures. It can promote
anti-intellectualism
Anti-intellectualism is hostility to and mistrust of intellect, intellectuals, and intellectualism, commonly expressed as deprecation of education and philosophy and the dismissal of art, literature, and science as impractical, politically mo ...
surrounding Middle Eastern culture, religion, and history, despite the fact much is known about it by academics in the fields of anthropology and ancient history. This confusion about Lovecraft's works has resulted in official courts of law using a defendant's connection to Lovecraftian literature as evidence for prosecution and the appropriation of Middle Eastern culture in Western cults and supernatural circles.
The origins of Lovecraft's misappropriation of Middle Eastern cultures and histories lie potentially with his
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
view points. Lovecraft associated magic and superstition with "Mongoloid peoples" and scholar Erik Davis argues that his fear of
miscegenation
Miscegenation ( ) is the interbreeding of people who are considered to be members of different races. The word, now usually considered pejorative, is derived from a combination of the Latin terms ''miscere'' ("to mix") and ''genus'' ("race") ...
and
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
can be seen throughout his works. The character of Abdul Alhazred is also a product of this mystification and orientalist understanding of the Middle East, according to essayist Ifran Ali, as Islam was seen in the West as a "mysterious, fringe religion" at the time. Alhazred, who is an apostate Muslim, authored the ''Necronomicon'', a book to summon eldritch entities, which can be seen as a mischaracterization of Islam and the Middle East more generally. Ali argues this furthers Islamophobia as it associates Islam with the occult who are implicitly insane or odd.
Response to criticism
Other literary critics have argued that the setting of "History of the ''Necronomicon''" in the Middle East turns the text into a critique of
modernism
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
and how Western academia treats non-Western historical artifacts. Haley agrees that the mystification of the Middle East in "History of the ''Necronomicon''" reinforces the representation of the region as strange and foreign, but rather than it expressing Lovecraft's xenophobia, it critiques how history is approached by academics. Abdul Alhazred's title as the "Mad Arab" shows how non-Western scholars are othered and deemed "mad" for their practices and methodologies that do not align with traditional understanding.
The ''Necronomicon'' is crafted in an empty desert as its creation falls outside the realm of the approved methodologies and research of Western academia. When the ''Necronomicon'' appears throughout history it is suppressed by the authorities due to its heretical nature and often appears in times when there are perceived occult activities, such as in the belonging of a man during the
Salem witch trials
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...
. However, by the 20th century, copies of the Necronomicon can be found in various Western universities, which, according to Haley, shows how the same institutions that have historically demonized and persecuted non-Western artifacts they have not understood will arbitrarily decide it is worth studying, as "it is no longer an item to be feared, but a curiosity to be studied and examined".
Literary critic Ian Almond argues that the differences in analyzing Lovecraft's xenophobia in his works are a reflection of his own conflicting thoughts, simultaneously revealing his own racist assumptions about Arabic culture but also venerating it, given his love of ''One Thousand and One Nights''.
Traditional Christian beliefs about Arabic culture in the Middle Ages held that the Middle East was a place of unholy, dark magics. Almond argues Lovecraft balances this belief with a
Rosicrucian
Rosicrucianism is a spiritual and cultural movement that arose in Europe in the early 17th century after the publication of several texts purported to announce the existence of a hitherto unknown esoteric order to the world and made seeking its ...
view of the Middle East as a place with alternative sources of knowledge, information and spirituality compared to traditional Christian dogma. Lovecraft was an
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
, but also held xenophobic ideas, so, according to Almond, an understanding of Lovecraft's worldview is incomplete without an acknowledgment of both sides of his writings.
References
External links
*
*
{{Works of H. P. Lovecraft
1927 short stories
Short stories by H. P. Lovecraft
Fantasy short stories
Cthulhu Mythos short stories