![H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/H._P._Lovecraft%2C_June_1934.jpg)
The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
title of ', is a
fictional
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, ...
grimoire
A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
(textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the
horror writer
H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's
1924 short story "
The Hound
"The Hound" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in September 1922 and published in the February 1924 issue of ''Weird Tales''. It contains the first mention of Lovecraft's fictional text the ''Necronomicon.''
Plot
The story opens with ...
", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in Lovecraft's "
The Nameless City
"The Nameless City" is a short horror story written by American writer H. P. Lovecraft in January 1921 and first published in the November 1921 issue of the amateur press journal ''The Wolverine''. It is often considered the first story set in ...
". Among other things, the work contains an account of the
Old Ones, their history, and the means for summoning them.
Other authors such as
August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the ...
and
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 ...
also cited the ' in their works. Lovecraft approved of other writers building on his work, believing such common allusions built up "a background of evil
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 ...
." Many readers have believed it to be a real work, with booksellers and librarians receiving many requests for it; pranksters have listed it in rare book catalogues, and a student smuggled a card for it into the
card catalog
A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libraries is also c ...
of the
Yale University Library
The Yale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Originating in 1701 with the gift of several dozen books to a new "Collegiate School," the library's collection now contains approximately 14.9 mill ...
.
Capitalizing on the notoriety of the fictional volume, real-life publishers have printed many books entitled ' since Lovecraft's death.
Origin and etymology
How Lovecraft conceived the name ' is not clear—Lovecraft said that the title came to him in a dream.
Although some have suggested that Lovecraft was influenced primarily by
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 ...
' collection of short stories ''
The King in Yellow'', which centers on a mysterious and disturbing play in book form, Lovecraft is not believed to have read that work until 1927.
Donald R. Burleson has argued that the idea for the book was derived from
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
, though Lovecraft himself noted that "mouldy hidden manuscripts" were one of the stock features of
Gothic literature
Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...
.
Lovecraft wrote that the title, as translated from the
Greek language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Al ...
, meant "an image of the law of the dead", compounded respectively from ' "dead", ' "law", and ' "image".
Robert M. Price
Robert McNair Price (born July 7, 1954) is an American New Testament scholar. His most notable stance is arguing in favor of the Christ myth theorythe claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on bi ...
notes that the title has been variously translated by others as "Book of the names of the dead", "Book of the laws of the dead", "Book of dead names" and "Knower of the laws of the dead". S. T. Joshi states that Lovecraft's own etymology is "almost entirely unsound. The last portion of it is particularly erroneous, since ' is nothing more than a neuter adjectival suffix and has nothing to do with ' (image)." Joshi translates the title as "Book considering (or classifying) the dead."
Lovecraft was often asked about the veracity of the ', and always answered that it was completely his invention. In a letter to
Willis Conover
Willis Clark Conover, Jr. (December 18, 1920 – May 17, 1996) was a jazz producer and broadcaster on the Voice of America for over forty years. He produced jazz concerts at the White House, the Newport Jazz Festival, and for movies and televisi ...
, Lovecraft elaborated upon his typical answer:
Now about the "terrible and forbidden books”—I am forced to say that most of them are purely imaginary. There never was any Abdul Alhazred or ', for I invented these names myself. Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...
devised the idea of Ludvig Prinn and his ''De Vermis Mysteriis
''De Vermis Mysteriis'', or ''Mysteries of the Worm'', is a fictional grimoire created by Robert Bloch and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Creation
Ludvig Prinn's ''Mysteries of the Worm'' first appeared in ...
'', while the ''Book of Eibon
Many fictional works of arcane literature appear in H. P. Lovecraft's cycle of interconnected works often known as the Cthulhu Mythos. The main literary purpose of these works is to explain how characters within the tales come by occult or esot ...
'' is an invention of Clark Ashton Smith's. Robert E. Howard is responsible for Friedrich von Junzt and his ''Unaussprechlichen Kulten
''Unaussprechlichen Kulten'' (also known as ''Nameless Cults'' or the ''Black Book'') is a fictional book of arcane literature in the Cthulhu Mythos. The book first appeared in Robert E. Howard's 1931 short stories " The Children of the Night ...
''.... As for seriously-written books on dark, occult, and supernatural themes—in all truth they don’t amount to much. That is why it’s more fun to invent mythical works like the ' and ''Book of Eibon''.
Reinforcing the book's fictionalization, the name of the book's supposed author, Abdul Alhazred, is not even a grammatically correct
Arabic name
Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughout ...
. What is transliterated as "Abdul" in English is actually a noun in the nominative form ''ʿabdu'' (, "servant") and the definite article ''al-'' () and amounts to "servant of the" with the article actually being part of the second noun in the construct, which in this case is supposed to be "Alhazred" (traditional Arabic names do not follow the modern first name-surname format). But "Alhazred", even if considered as a corruption of ''al-ḥaḍrāt'' (, "the presences") though it seems unlikely, itself is a definite noun (i.e., a noun prefixed by the definite article) and thus "Abdul Alhazred" could not possibly be a real Arabic name. Lovecraft first used the name "Abdul Alhazred" as a pseudonym he gave himself as a five-year-old, and very likely mistook "Abdul" to be a first name while inventing "Alhazred" as an Arabic-sounding surname.
Fictional history
![History of the Necronomicon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/History_of_the_Necronomicon.jpg)
In 1927, Lovecraft wrote a brief
pseudo-history
Pseudohistory is a form of pseudoscholarship that attempts to distort or misrepresent the Recorded history, historical record, often by employing methods resembling those used in scholarly History, historical research. The related term cryptohisto ...
of the ''Necronomicon''. It was published in 1938, after his death, as "
History of the ''Necronomicon''". According to this account, the book was originally called ', an Arabic word that Lovecraft defined as "that nocturnal sound (made by insects) supposed to be the howling of demons", drawing on a footnote by Rev.
Samuel Henley
Samuel Henley D.D. (1740 – 1815) was an English clergyman, school teacher and college principal, antiquarian, and man of letters.
Life
Born in England, he began his career when he was recruited as a professor of moral philosophy for the Colleg ...
in Henley's translation of ''
Vathek
''Vathek'' (alternatively titled ''Vathek, an Arabian Tale'' or ''The History of the Caliph Vathek'') is a Gothic novel written by William Beckford. It was composed in French beginning in 1782, and then translated into English by Reverend Sam ...
''. Henley, commenting upon a passage which he translated as "those nocturnal insects which presage evil", alluded to the diabolic legend of
Beelzebub
Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Cana ...
, "Lord of the Flies" and to
Psalm 91
Psalm 91 is the 91st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." In Latin, it is known as 'Qui habitat". As a p ...
:5, which in some 16th century English Bibles (such as
Myles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale, first name also spelt Miles (1488 – 20 January 1569), was an English ecclesiastical reformer chiefly known as a Bible translator, preacher and, briefly, Bishop of Exeter (1551–1553). In 1535, Coverdale produced the first ...
's 1535 translation) describes "bugges by night" where later translations render "terror by night". One Arabic/English dictionary translates ' () as "whistling (of the wind); weird sound or noise". Gabriel Oussani defined it as "the eerie sound of the
jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
in the wilderness". The tradition of ' () is linked to the phenomenon of "
singing sand
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
".
In the "History", Alhazred is said to have been a "half-crazed Arab" who worshipped the Lovecraftian entities
Yog-Sothoth
American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) created a number of fictional deities throughout the course of his literary career. These entities are usually depicted as immensely powerful and utterly indifferent to humans who can barely begin to c ...
and
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...
in the early 700s CE. He is described as being from
Sanaá in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
. He visited the ruins of
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
, the "subterranean secrets" of
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
and the
Empty Quarter
The Rub' al KhaliOther standardized transliterations include: / . The ' is the assimilated Arabic definite article, ', which can also be transliterated as '. (; ar, ٱلرُّبْع ٱلْخَالِي (), the "Empty Quarter") is the sand des ...
of
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...
. In his last years, he lived in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
, where he wrote ' before his sudden and mysterious death in 738, which, according to
Ibn Khallikan
Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin Ibrāhīm bin Abū Bakr ibn Khallikān) ( ar, أحمد بن محمد بن إبراهيم بن أبي بكر ابن خلكان; 1211 – 1282), better known as Ibn Khallikān, was a 13th century Shafi'i Islamic scholar w ...
, happened when he was "seized by an invisible monster in broad daylight and devoured horribly before a large number of fright-frozen witnesses". In subsequent years, Lovecraft wrote, the ' "gained considerable, though surreptitious circulation amongst the philosophers of the age." In 950, it was translated into
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and given the title ' by Theodorus Philetas, a fictional scholar from
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
. This version "impelled certain experimenters to terrible attempts" before being "
suppressed and
burnt" in 1050 by
Patriarch Michael (a historical figure who died in 1059).
After this attempted suppression, the work was "only heard of furtively" until it was translated from Greek into
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
by Olaus Wormius. (Lovecraft gives the date of this edition as 1228, though the real-life Danish scholar
Olaus Wormius
Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Lati ...
lived from 1588 to 1624.) Both the Latin and Greek text, the "History" relates, were banned by
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 ...
in 1232, though Latin editions were apparently published in 15th century
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and 17th century
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. A Greek edition was printed in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in the first half of the 16th century. The
Elizabethan
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
magician
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 ...
(1527 – c. 1609) allegedly translated the book—presumably into English—but Lovecraft wrote that this version was never printed and only fragments survive.
(The connection between Dee and the ' was suggested by Lovecraft's friend
Frank Belknap Long
Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 – January 3, 1994) was an American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known ...
.)
According to Lovecraft, the Arabic version of ' had already disappeared by the time the Greek version was banned in 1050, though he cites "a vague account of a secret copy appearing in San Francisco during the current
0thcentury" that "later perished in fire". The Greek version, he writes, has not been reported "since the burning of a certain
Salem man's library in 1692", an apparent reference to 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 ...
. (In the story "The Diary of Alonzo Typer", the character Alonzo Typer finds a Greek copy.) According to "History of the '" the very act of studying the text is inherently dangerous, as those who attempt to master its arcane knowledge generally meet terrible ends.
Appearance and contents
The ''Necronomicon'' is mentioned in a number of Lovecraft's short stories and in his novellas ''
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 or ...
'' and ''
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' is a short horror novel (51,500 words) by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's lifetime. Set in Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, it w ...
''. However, despite frequent references to the book, Lovecraft was very sparing of details about its appearance and contents. He once wrote that "if anyone were to try to write the ''Necronomicon'', it would disappoint all those who have shuddered at cryptic references to it."
In "The Nameless City" (
1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
), a rhyming
couplet
A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...
that appears at two points in the story is ascribed to Abdul Alhazred:
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die.
The same couplet appears in "
The Call of Cthulhu
"The Call of Cthulhu" is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928.
Inspiration
The first seed of the story's first chapter '' ...
" (
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
), where it is identified as a quotation from the ''Necronomicon''. This "much-discussed" couplet, as Lovecraft calls it in the latter story, has also been quoted in works by other authors, including
Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley (born 2 December 1937) is an English author of horror fiction. He came to prominence in the 1970s writing in the Cthulhu Mythos created by American writer H. P. Lovecraft but featuring the new character Titus Crow, and went on to ...
's ''The Burrowers Beneath'', which adds a long paragraph preceding the couplet.
In his story "
History of the ''Necronomicon''", Lovecraft states that it is rumored that artist R. U. Pickman (from his story "
Pickman's Model
"Pickman's Model" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft, written in September 1926 and first published in the October 1927 issue of ''Weird Tales''.
It has been adapted for television anthology series twice: in a 1971 episode of ''Night Gallery' ...
") owned a Greek translation of the text, but it vanished along with the artist in early 1926.
The ''Necronomicon'' is undoubtedly a substantial text, as indicated by its description in "
The Dunwich Horror
"The Dunwich Horror" is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of '' Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusett ...
" (
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
). In the story,
Wilbur Whateley
"The Dunwich Horror" is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of ''Weird Tales'' (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts. ...
visits
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 ...
's library to consult the "unabridged" version of the ''Necronomicon'' for a spell that would have appeared on the 751st page of his own inherited, but defective, Dee edition. The ''Necronomicon'' passage in question states:
Nor is it to be thought...that man is either the oldest or the last of earth's masters, or that the common bulk of life and substance walks alone. The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, and the Old Ones shall be. Not in the spaces we know, but between them, they walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen. Yog-Sothoth
American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) created a number of fictional deities throughout the course of his literary career. These entities are usually depicted as immensely powerful and utterly indifferent to humans who can barely begin to c ...
knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They had trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread. By Their smell can men sometimes know Them near, but of Their semblance can no man know, saving only in the features of those They have begotten on mankind; and of those are there many sorts, differing in likeness from man's truest eidolon to that shape without sight or substance which is Them. They walk unseen and foul in lonely places where the Words have been spoken and the Rites howled through at their Seasons. The wind gibbers with Their voices, and the earth mutters with Their consciousness. They bend the forest and crush the city, yet may not forest or city behold the hand that smites. Kadath
The Dream Cycle is a series of short stories and novellas by author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937). Written between 1918 and 1932, they are about the "Dreamlands", a vast alternate dimension that can only be entered via dreams.
Geography
The D ...
in the cold waste hath known Them, and what man knows Kadath? The ice desert of the South and the sunken isles of Ocean hold stones whereon Their seal is engraven, but who hath seen the deep frozen city or the sealed tower long garlanded with seaweed and barnacles? Great Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...
is Their cousin, yet can he spy Them only dimly. Iä! Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath is a fictional deity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. She is often associated with the phrase "The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The only other name by which Lovecraft referred to her was "Lord of the Wood" in ...
! As a foulness shall ye know Them. Their hand is at your throats, yet ye see Them not; and Their habitation is even one with your guarded threshold. Yog-Sothoth
American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) created a number of fictional deities throughout the course of his literary career. These entities are usually depicted as immensely powerful and utterly indifferent to humans who can barely begin to c ...
is the key to the gate, whereby the spheres meet. Man rules now where They ruled once; They shall soon rule where man rules now. After summer is winter, after winter summer. They wait patient and potent, for here shall They reign again.
The ''Necronomicon''s appearance and physical dimensions are not clearly stated in Lovecraft's work. Other than the obvious
black letter
Blackletter (sometimes black letter), also known as Gothic script, Gothic minuscule, or Textura, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 until the 17th century. It continued to be commonly used for the Danish, Norweg ...
editions, it is commonly portrayed as bound in leather of various types and having metal clasps. Moreover, editions are sometimes disguised. In ''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'', for example, John Merrit pulls down a book labelled ''
Qanoon-e-Islam
''Qanoon-e-Islam: or, the Customs of the Moosulmans of India'' (later published as ''The Qānūn-i-Islām; the customs of the Musalmāns of India'') is a book describing the culture and rituals of Indian Muslim
Islam is India's second-l ...
'' from
Joseph Curwen
''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' is a short horror novel (51,500 words) by American writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's lifetime. Set in Lovecraft's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, Provi ...
’s bookshelf and discovers to his disquiet that it is actually the ''Necronomicon''.
Many commercially available versions of the book fail to include any of the contents that Lovecraft describes. The
Simon ''Necronomicon'' in particular has been criticized for this.
Locations
According to Lovecraft's "History of the ''Necronomicon''", copies of the original ''Necronomicon'' were held by only five institutions worldwide:
* The
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 ...
* The
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 ...
*
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 ...
of
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 ...
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
* The
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 ...
* The library of the fictional
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 ...
in the also fictitious
Arkham
Arkham () is a fictional city situated in Massachusetts. An integral part of the Lovecraft Country setting created by H. P. Lovecraft, Arkham is featured in many of his stories and those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers.
Arkham House, a publis ...
,
The Miskatonic University also holds the Latin translation by Olaus Wormius, printed in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
in the 17th century.
Other copies, Lovecraft wrote, were kept by private individuals. Joseph Curwen, as noted, had a copy in ''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'' (1941). A version is held in
Kingsport in "
The Festival" (
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
). The
provenance
Provenance (from the French ''provenir'', 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses i ...
of the copy read by the narrator of "
The Nameless City
"The Nameless City" is a short horror story written by American writer H. P. Lovecraft in January 1921 and first published in the November 1921 issue of the amateur press journal ''The Wolverine''. It is often considered the first story set in ...
" is unknown; a version is read by the protagonist in "
The Hound
"The Hound" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in September 1922 and published in the February 1924 issue of ''Weird Tales''. It contains the first mention of Lovecraft's fictional text the ''Necronomicon.''
Plot
The story opens with ...
" (
1924).
Hoaxes and alleged translations
![Necronomicon prop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Necronomicon_prop.jpg)
Although Lovecraft insisted that the book was pure invention (and other writers invented passages from the book for their own works), there are accounts of some people actually believing the ''Necronomicon'' to be a real book. Lovecraft himself sometimes received letters from fans inquiring about the ''Necronomicon''s authenticity.
Pranksters occasionally listed the ''Necronomicon'' for sale in book store newsletters or inserted phony entries for the book in
library card catalogues (where it may be checked out to one '
A. Alhazred', ostensibly the book's author and original owner).
The Vatican also receives requests for this book from those who believe the
Vatican Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
holds a copy.
In 1973, Owlswick Press issued an edition of the ''Necronomicon'' written in an indecipherable, apparently
fictional language
Fictional languages are the subset of constructed languages (conlangs) that have been created as part of a fictional setting (e.g. for use in a book, movie, television show, or video game). Typically they are the creation of one individual, while ...
known as "Duriac". This was a limited edition of 348. The book contains a brief introduction by
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp (; November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000) was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and works of non-fiction, including biog ...
.
The line between fact and fiction was further blurred in the late 1970s when a book purporting to be a translation of "the real" ''Necronomicon'' was published. This book, by the pseudonymous "Simon," had little connection to the fictional
Lovecraft Mythos but instead was based on
Sumerian mythology. It was later dubbed the "
Simon ''Necronomicon''".
Going into trade paperback in 1980 it has never been out of print and has sold 800,000 copies by 2006 making it the most popular ''Necronomicon'' to date. Despite its contents, the book's marketing focused heavily on the Lovecraft connection and made sensational claims for the book's magical power. The blurb states it was "potentially, the most dangerous Black Book known to the Western World". Three additional volumes have since been published — ''The Necronomicon Spellbook'', a book of pathworkings with the 50 names of
Marduk
Marduk (Cuneiform: dAMAR.UTU; Sumerian: ''amar utu.k'' "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) was a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon. When Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of ...
; ''Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon'', a history of the book itself and of the late 1970s New York occult scene; and ''The Gates of the Necronomicon'', instructions on pathworking with the Simon ''Necronomicon''.
A hoax version of the ''Necronomicon'', edited by George Hay, appeared in
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
and included an introduction by the paranormal researcher and writer
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his phil ...
.
David Langford
David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...
described how the book was prepared from a computer analysis of a discovered "cipher text" by
Dr. 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, divination, a ...
. The resulting "translation" was in fact written by
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
ist Robert Turner, but it was far truer to the Lovecraftian version than the Simon text and even incorporated quotations from Lovecraft's stories in its passages.
Wilson also wrote a story, "The Return of the Lloigor", in which the
Voynich manuscript
The Voynich manuscript is an illustrated codex hand-written in an otherwise unknown writing system, referred to as 'Voynichese'. The vellum on which it is written has been carbon-dated to the early 15th century (1404–1438), and stylistic anal ...
turns out to be a copy of the ''Necronomicon''.
With the success of the Simon ''Necronomicon'' the controversy surrounding the actual existence of the ''Necronomicon'' was such that a detailed book, ''
The Necronomicon Files'', was published in 1998 attempting to prove once and for all the book was pure fiction. It covered the well-known ''Necronomicon''s in depth, especially the Simon one, along with a number of more obscure ones. It was reprinted and expanded in 2003.
In 2004, ''Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred'', by Canadian occultist Donald Tyson, was published by
Llewellyn Worldwide
Llewellyn Worldwide (formerly Llewellyn Publications) is a New Age publisher based in Woodbury, Minnesota. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereb ...
. The Tyson ''Necronomicon'' is generally thought to be closer to Lovecraft's vision than other published versions. Donald Tyson has clearly stated that the ''Necronomicon'' is fictional, but that has not prevented his book from being the center of some controversy. Tyson has since published ''
Alhazred'', a novelization of the life of the ''Necronomicon''s author.
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...
, the British occultist, disciple of
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
, and head of the
Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis, suggested in his 1972 book ''The Magical Revival'' that there was an unconscious connection between Crowley and Lovecraft. He thought they both drew on the same occult forces; Crowley via his magic and Lovecraft through the dreams which inspired his stories and the ''Necronomicon''. Grant claimed that the ''Necronomicon'' existed as an
astral
Astral may refer to:
Concepts of the non-physical
* Astral body, a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers
* Astral journey (or ''astral trip''), the same as having an ''out-of-body experience''
* Astral plane (AKA astral world), a ...
book as part of the
Akashic records
In the religion of theosophy and the philosophical school called anthroposophy, the Akashic records are a compendium of all universal events, thoughts, words, emotions and intent ever to have occurred in the past, present, or future in terms of ...
and could be accessed through
ritual magic
Ceremonial magic (ritual magic, high magic or learned magic) encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic. The works included are characterized by ceremony and numerous requisite accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an e ...
or in dreams. Grant's ideas on Lovecraft were featured heavily in the introduction to the
Simon ''Necronomicon'' and also have been backed by Tyson.
In popular culture
![AIP Press Photo - Dunwich Horror](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/AIP_Press_Photo_-_Dunwich_Horror.jpg)
*The ' makes minor appearances in many films, television shows and a few video games, and a version of it known as the '' Ex-Mortis'' is featured as a primary plot point in the ''
Evil Dead
''Evil Dead'' is an American horror film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series. The series revolves around the ''Necronomicon Ex-Mortis'', an ancient Sumerian text that wreaks havoc upon a gro ...
'' film series. The book in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise is also called ''Naturom Demonto''. Unlike Lovecraft's original, the ''Evil Dead'' version is portrayed as having outright inherent magical properties triggered through incantations, while some expanded universe stories such as ''
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
''Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'' is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular ''Evil Dead'' fi ...
'' portrays the book as being actually
sentient
Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...
, capable of conversing with
Ash Williams
Ashley Joanna "Ash" Williams is a fictional character and the protagonist of the '' Evil Dead'' franchise. Created by Sam Raimi, he is portrayed by Bruce Campbell and is the only character to appear in each entry of the series, including a post- ...
and other characters.
*In 1993 The ' used in ''The Evil Dead'' films makes an appearance in the
Friday the 13th entry ''
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday''; this is because the director wanted to suggest that the ' was used in the resurrection of
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees () is a character (arts), character from the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Pamel ...
in some form.
*In 1994 The ' used in The Evil Dead films makes an appearance in ''
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings''.
*Another difference is that the '' Ex-Mortis'' is portrayed as being written in the
Sumerian language
Sumerian is the language of ancient Sumer. It is one of the oldest attested languages, dating back to at least 3000 BC. It is accepted to be a local language isolate and to have been spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is modern-day ...
, unlike Lovecraft's original which was originally written in Arabic.
*The ' appears in the 1991 film, ''
Cast a Deadly Spell'', as a "book of esoteric spells" which the main character, a private eye named H. Phillip Lovecraft, is tasked with locating.
*''
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 ...
'' is a 1994 film anthology of three Lovecraft stories, directed by
Brian Yuzna
Brian Yuzna is an American producer, director, and writer. He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror film genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as ''Re-Animator'' (1 ...
,
Christophe Gans
Christophe Gans (born 11 March 1960) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter who specializes in horror and fantasy movies.
Life and career
Gans was born in Antibes, France. As a teenager, he spent a large portion of his time crea ...
and Shusuke Kaneko.
*The 1993
Shadow of the Comet
''Shadow of the Comet'' (later repackaged as ''Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet'') is an adventure game developed and released by Infogrames in 1993. The game is based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and uses many elements from Lovecra ...
video game references the ''Necronomicon'' as a material relevant to the most evil of all the great ones, Yog Sothoth.
*In the 1995 ''
Prisoner of Ice
''Prisoner of Ice'' (also ''Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice'') is an adventure game developed and released by Infogrames Multimedia for IBM PC compatibles and Macintosh in 1995 in America and Europe. It is based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu ...
'' video game, the ' was used as a weapon to defeat the final boss.
*The ' appears in the comic book ''
Afterlife with Archie
''Afterlife with Archie'' is a comic book published by Archie Comics beginning in 2013, depicting a zombie apocalypse that begins in the town of Riverdale in an alternative reality. It is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa,[ ...]
''.
*The ' appears in the in-character bibliography of
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...
's 1976 novel, ''
Eaters of the Dead
''Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922'' (later republished as ''The 13th Warrior'' to correspond with the film adaptation of the novel) is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton, the ...
''.
*
Philippe Druillet
Philippe Druillet (; born 28 June 1944) is a French comics artist and creator, and an innovator in visual design.
Biography
Philippe Druillet was born in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France, but spent his youth in Spain, returning to France in 1952 ...
illustrated a version of the ' in the October 1979 issue of
''Heavy Metal'' (September 1978 for the original ''Métal Hurlant'' issue).
*The ' appears in the video game ''
Crusader Kings II
''Crusader Kings II'' is a grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. Set in the Middle Ages, the game was released on February 14, 2012, as a sequel to 2004's '' Crusader Kings''. On ...
'' as an artifact the player may obtain.
*While not referred to by name, in
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's 1987 novel ''
The Eyes of the Dragon
''The Eyes of the Dragon'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Stephen King, first published as a limited edition slipcased hardcover by Philtrum Press in 1984, illustrated by Kenneth R. Linkhauser. The novel would later be published for the ...
'' the evil wizard
Flagg owns a massive spellbook written by the mad wizard Alhazred in a distant land. To read from this book for too long was to risk madness
[. Original quote from ''The Eyes of the Dragon'' by Stephen King: "He sat down, turned over his hourglass, and began to read from a huge book of spells. Flagg had been reading from this book – which was bound in human skin – for a thousand years and had gotten through only a quarter of it. To read too long of this book, written on the high, distant Plains of Leng by a madman named Alhazred, was to risk madness."]
*A parody of the book appears in
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels.
Pratchett's first nov ...
's
Discworld
''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat pla ...
series as ''The Necrotelecomnicon'' (the Phonebook of the Dead), also known as the ''Liber Paginarum Fulvarum'' (the Book of Yellow Pages) written by Achmed the I-Just-Get-These-Headaches, a clear parody of Abdul Alhazred.
Commercially available imitations
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
Notes
Bibliography
:Primary sources
* Definitive version.
**''The Case of Charles Dexter Ward''
**"The Statement of Randolph Carter"
* Definitive version.
**"The Festival"
**"The Hound"
**"The Nameless City"
* Definitive version.
**"The Dunwich Horror"
*
:Secondary sources
*Harms, Daniel and Gonce, John Wisdom III. ''Necronomicon Files: The Truth Behind Lovecraft's Legend'', Red Wheel/Weiser (July 1, 2003), pp. 64–65,
*
*
*
*
External links
"The Dan Clore ''Necronomicon'' Page" Everything You Never Wanted to Know about the ''Necronomicon'' (''Al Azif'') of the Mad Arab Abdul Alhazred but Weren't Afraid Enough to Know Better than to Ask!
* Low, Colin
(September 1995)
*
*
*
*
{{Authority control
Fictional books within the Cthulhu Mythos
Demonological literature
Fictional elements introduced in 1922