Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

by Harms, Daniel

  [24] Though the author/translator claims that this is the true work, the version given leaves out so many of the commonly accepted quotations that it is difficult to proclaim its veracity or fraudulence. Many of the same arguments could also be made against the Hay manuscript.

  [25] Carter is believed to have copied these segments from an actual copy of the English translation in Dee’s own handwriting. He intended to complete the entire book, but a tremendous number of notes dealing with the volume’s rituals was stolen from him and he was forced to give it up. The completed portions of his rendering were reprinted after his death in the Candlemas 1990 issue of Crypt of Cthulhu. (“The Doom of Yakthoob”, Carter.)

  APPENDIX B: LOCATIONS OF THE NECRONOMICON

  (This is a list of places where the Necronomicon was or still may be found, as well as people who might have a copy. It should be noted that many of these copies vanished during World War II, and those that still own the book are quick to dismiss casual inquiries as to whether they have it.)

  Algiers—During his imprisonment, Cervantes might have made a Spanish translation of the Necronomicon, presumably from a manuscript in the library of one of his captors (see 1576-9). (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Alhazred, Abdul—Some have said that a copy of Alhazred’s Al Azif could be found in the tomb of its author, the location of which is unknown. If this is true, Professor Laban Shrewsbury bore it away from its hiding place on his expedition to Alhazred’s resting place. (“The Keeper of the Key”, Derleth.)

  Baghdad—A private collector in this city may have a copy of the Arabic version. (“The Plague Jar”, Mackey.)

  Berlin—Rumors has it that a copy rests in a collapsed Nazi bunker just past the Brandenburg Gate in East Berlin. The Nazis were also said to have a copy bound in the skin of concentration camp victims. It is unknown whether these are one and the same. (“The Necronomicon FAQ”, Low; “The Existing Copies: A Bibliobiography”, Owings.)

  Bibliotheque Nationale—Holds the Olaus Wormius edition of 1622. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft.)

  Brichester University—Owned a copy of the Necronomicon until the Sixties, when it was burned. (The Darkest Part of the Woods, Campbell.)

  British Museum—Holds one of the few 15th century Latin printings in existence, as well as Henrietta Montague’s English scholarly translation. Access to both volumes is severely limited, however. Though some thought at one time that a copy of the Al Azif existed among the uncatalogued documents, this rumor has been proven false. (Cthulhu by Gaslight, Barton; “The Necronomicon”, Herber; “The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft; “History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft; “Billy’s Oak”, Lumley; The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley.)

  Cairo—Though Saladin is known to have brought a copy of the Al Azif here, it is unknown where it might be. The Egyptian Museum here is reputed to own a copy of the Al Azif, though one source holds that it is incomplete. The Al-Azhar University is believed to have a copy, but its spokesmen have denied it. (Cairo Guidebook, Anderson; “The Lurker at the Threshold”, Derleth and Lovecraft; “Cairo”, DiTillio and Willis; “The Plague Jar”, Mackey.)

  Cassionsville—Louis Gold, a bookseller in this small Midwestern town, once owned a Greek copy of the Necronomicon. As Gold was an infamous hoaxer, the authenticity of this book has been called into question. (Peace, Wolfe.)

  Cluny—A collection in this French monastery held three or more copies, but all of these have been lost. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Columbia University—The library at this school once held a copy, but it vanished. It is unknown if it was replaced, and if so, how reliable the new version might be. (Peace, Wolfe.)

  Constantinople—Theodorus Philetas translated the Necronomicon into Greek from an Arabic manuscript at the Imperial Library here. The original volume is believed to have been destroyed. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Curwen, Joseph—This reputed sorcerer vanished following in a raid on his home in 1771. He owned a copy of the Latin Necronomicon bound in a cover bearing the title Qanoon-e-Islam. If this is true, this volume passed through the hands of the Phillips family of Providence, R.I. and now rests in the vaults of Miskatonic University. (“The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”, Lovecraft.)

  Damascus, Syria—One might expect that a copy of Al Azif would be found in the city where the book was completed, but it is said that Saladin bore away this copy to Cairo. (Cairo Guidebook, Anderson.)

  Dee, John—This scholar and mystic is rumored to have owned a 15th century Latin printing of the Necronomicon. Those who catalogued his library after his death, however, did not find it. (“Eyes for the Blind”, Hallett and Isinwyll.)

  Dexter, Ambrose—A medical doctor and noted nuclear physicist from Providence, Dexter bore away the 17th century Latin printing of the Necronomicon from the Starry Wisdom Church before the city levelled that structure. (“The Shadow from the Steeple”, Bloch; “The Haunter of the Dark”, Lovecraft.)

  Dreamlands—At least one copy of the book, written in glyphs, exists in this alternate dimension. (Mythos: Dreamlands expansion, Krank and Vogt.)

  Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois—A copy of unknown language and edition is preserved in the library of this institution. (“The Horror from the Depths”, Derleth and Schorer.)

  Glastonbury—The existence of an Arabic manuscript at this monastery has never been confirmed. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Harvard University—It has been said that Widener Library keeps a 17th century Latin edition. Some evidence, however, suggests that someone stole or destroyed this book sometime in the middle of this century. (“To Arkham and the Stars”, Leiber; “The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft; “History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft.)

  Hauptman, Baron—Doctor Dee saw a copy of the Greek Necronomicon owned by this Romanian nobleman. A priest stole this book from its owner in 1627, and nothing more has been heard of it. (“Castle Dark”, Herber.)

  Hindu-Kush Mountains—An Arabic copy was supposedly hidden in these peaks near Tibet. (“The Existing Copies: A Bibliobiography”, Owings)

  Jerusalem—No one knows what happened to the copy of Al Azif that the Templars were supposed to have guarded. (“Glozel est Authentique”, Rawling.)

  Kester Library—Holds one of the few surviving copies of the 15th century printing of Olaus Wormius. (“The Salem Horror”, Kuttner.)

  Leonardo da Vinci—Leonardo received a Latin copy from Ludovico Sforza, but this vanished after his death. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Louvain—The Guildhall in this Belgian town held copies in seven different languages, but these were consumed by fire when the Germans burnt this landmark in 1914. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Louvre—This famous Parisian museum kept a Latin copy, but it had vanished by 1373. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  McCook, Nebraska—The private collector J. Pierce Whitmore who lives here may have a copy. If he is the “celebrated American millionaire” Lovecraft refers to, this is one of the 15th century German editions. (“The Necronomicon”, Duschnes; “History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft.)

  Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia—This Hungarian collection at one time owned a copy of Alhazred’s Al Azif, but this document burned in a fire at the home of Professor Sadowsky of the University of Sofia. (“Further Notes on the Necronomicon”, Hamblin.)

  Mexico—A bibliophile in this country may own an Italian copy of the book. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Miskatonic University Library—The library at this institution holds the most complete 17th century Latin printing in this hemisphere, purchased from the library of Providence businessman Whipple Phillips. In 1924, Miskatonic obtained a partial English manuscript titled Al Azif from the estate of Ambrose Dewart. In 1928, they received Wilbur Whateley’s holdings, including a fragmentary copy of Dee’s translation, but some say that the ownership of the latter is in litigation. (The Lurker at the Threshold, Derleth and Lovecraft; “The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft.)
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br />   Monte Cassino—The library here is believed to have held a Greek or Latin copy, but if so, it was destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Monterey, California—The public library here holds a Xeroxed copy of portions of the Latin translation. (“The Color from Beyond”, Cabos.

  Oakland, California—A copy of Al Azif might have been held by a private collector in the early decades of this century, but if this is so, it was probably destroyed in an accidental fire. (“History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft; “The Return of the Sorcerer”, Smith.)

  Oxford—The Bodleian Library here held Dee’s original manuscript, which was donated by Elias Ashmole. In the spring of 1934, however, persons unknown broke into the library and stole the book. (“The Necronomicon FAQ”, Low.)

  Pickman family—This family of Salem, Massachusetts owned a Greek copy, which disappeared with the artist Richard Upton Pickman. Since it has been rumored that he has taken up residence in the Dreamlands, this may be a line of research for an enterprising dreamer to pursue. (“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, Lovecraft; “History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft; “Pickman’s Model”, Lovecraft.)

  Prague, Czech Republic—If John Dee did make his translation from a book he found in the library of King Rudolph II, that work may still be here. (The Necronomicon, Hay, ed.)

  Salzburg, Austria—The Nazis may have buried a collection of occult works, possibly including the Necronomicon, somewhere near this town. (“The Necronomicon FAQ”, Low.)

  San Marcos of Lima—A Greek translation printed in Italy is kept at this Peruvian university. (“Out of the Ages”, Carter; “The Lurker at the Threshold”, Derleth and Lovecraft.)

  Shrewsbury, Laban—This investigator of the links between mythologies across the world and the Cthulhu Mythos is said to have taken an incomplete Arabic edition from the tomb of Abdul Alhazred himself sometime around 1940. It is rumored that he may be found at the Great Library of Celaeno. (“The Keeper of the Key”, Derleth.)

  Starry Wisdom Church of Providence, Rhode Island—The cult held a 17th century Olaus Wormius edition here, but Doctor Ambrose Dexter removed it in 1935, at the same time he removed the Shining Trapezohedron. (“The Shadow from the Steeple”, Bloch; “The Haunter of the Dark”, Lovecraft.)

  State University of Saint Petersburg—One of the few surviving copies of the Kitab al-Azif is said to be here. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Szolyhaza, Hungary—A copy is held in a private collection in this small town, but the exact edition is unknown. (“The Second Wish”, Lumley.)

  University of Buenos Aires—This institution holds a 17th century printing of Olaus Wormius’s translation. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft.)

  University of Sofia—This school in Bulgaria may possess a copy of Al Azif. (Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  Vatican—It is rumored that a copy of the Necronomicon rests within the Papal Archives, but details are lacking. (“The Lurker at the Threshold”, Derleth and Lovecraft.)

  University of Isfahan, Iran—This institution holds a fragmentary copy of an unspecified edition (“The Key of the Poet”, Kane)

  Zebulon Pharr Collection—Pharr was a famous West Coast occultist and anthropologist of the late 19th century. His library is rumored to contain a Latin copy of the Necronomicon, but even the most reputable institutions have been denied access to this collection. (“Statue of the Sorcerer”, Elliott and Edwards.)

  APPENDIX C: CONTENTS OF THE NECRONOMICON

  (This list does not give the contents of any of the commercially available Necronomicons; rather, it consists of items which would, according to the latest research, be in such a volume.)

  * The famous couplet:

  That is not dead which can eternal lie,

  And with strange eons even death may die.

  In the original Arabic, it is translated as:

  That thing is not dead which has the capacity to continue to exist eternally, And if the abnormal (bizarre, strange) ones (things, times) come, then death may cease to be.

  (“Notes on a Fragment of the Necronomicon”, Hamblin; “The Nameless City”, Lovecraft.)

  * A formula for calling Yog-Sothoth can be found on page 751. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft.)

  * On page 224 is the Hoy-Dhin chant, which is necessary to call the Black. Unfortunately, the rest of this procedure is in the Cthaat Aquadingen. (“The Horror at Oakdeene”, Lumley.)

  * Page 984 has a passage in the Naacal tongue. (Selected Letters IV, Lovecraft.)

  * A copy of the Elder Sign. (“Castle Dark”, Herber.)

  * The Vach-Viraj chant, which is used against Nyogtha. (“The Salem Horror”, Kuttner.)

  * A formula for calling Nyogtha himself. (“The Salem Horror”, Kuttner.)

  * A ritual that will accelerate the change of a human into a deep one. (“The Tomb of Priscus”, Mooney.)

  * The story of how Kish and his followers escaped Sarnath before that city’s destruction. (“Zoth-Ommog”, Carter.)

  * An exorcism in which a hundred names of ghosts and demons are named. (This formula did not appear in the Wormius translation.) (“The Return of the Sorcerer”, Smith.)

  * a spell allowing the caster to switch minds with a victim. (“The Thing on the Doorstep”, Lovecraft.)

  * a way to create a gate in the place of the Sphinx beneath the pyramids of Giza, that will send a person directly to Nyarlathotep. (“Cairo”, DiTillio and Willis.)

  * the Voorish Sign. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft).

  * the Mao rite. (“The Plain of Sound”, Campbell)

  * the Zoan ritual, which protects its user against Mnomquah. (“Something in the Moonlight”, Carter.)

  * a chart showing the positions of various celestial objects (which is partial and outdated). (“The Horror from the Bridge”, Campbell.)

  * a series of stories about a certain ghoul, including the Episode of the Vault under the Mosque, the climax of which has been torn out of the Harvard and Miskatonic copies. (Selected Letters III, Lovecraft.)

  * a line of stars, signifying something even the mad Arab was reluctant to record. (Selected Letters III, Lovecraft.)

  * a spell that may be used to dispel Bugg-Shash when he comes to this dimension. (“The Kiss of Bugg-Shash”, Lumley.)

  * information on Yomagn’tho, That Which Relentlessly Waits Outside. (“The Feaster from the Stars”, Berglund.)

  * and possibly the key to telepathy. (“I Know What You Need”, King.)

  See Al Azif; Alhazred, Abdul; Armitage, Henry; Azathoth; Barzai; the Black; Confessions of the Mad Monk Clithanus; Cthulhu in the Necronomicon; Cultus Maleficarum; Ibn Schacabao; Kara-Shehr; Mad Berkley’s Book; Monstres and their Kynde; Nephren-Ka; Notes on the Necronomicon; Nug-Soth; Original Notes on the Necronomicon; Othuyeg; Pharos of Leng; Philetas, Theodorus; Reflections; R’lyeh Text; Sadowsky, Phileus; S’lghuo; That is not dead …; tomb-herd; Tond; ‘Umr at-Tawil; Von Junzt, Friedrich Wilheim; Whateley, Wilbur; Wormius, Olaus; Yakthoob.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the space to assemble a complete bibliography of all the works listed below, including publication information on their various appearances. Those seeking them should probably start with Chris Jarocha-Ernst’s A Cthulhu Mythos Bibliography & Concordance and a good Internet search engine.

  Adair, Christopher Smith. “The Voice of the Animals” (2006).

  Adams, Benjamin. “Not to Force the Rhymes” (1997), “The Second Movement” (1996).

  Aletti, Steffan B. “The Last Work of Pietro de Apono” (1969).

  Altman, Steven-Elliot. “A Case of Royal Blood” (2003).

  Ambuehl, James. “Arkham Pets” (2006), “The Bane of Byagoona” (1996), “The Deep-Lord Awakens” (1998), “Huitloxopetl IX: Pickman’s God” (1997); “Reflections of Dust and Death” (1997), “Sculpture” (1984), “The Shadow of the Sleeping God” (1999), “The Snakefarm” (1998), “The Star-Seed” (199
6), “The Terror of Toad Lake” (1997).

  —and Simon Bucher-Jones. “The Case of the Curiously Competent Conjurer” (2002).

  —and Robert M. Price. “Wrath of the Wind-Walker” (1997).

  Anderson, Marion. Cairo Guidebook (1995).

  -—and Phil Anderson. “Rigid Air” (1992).

  Aniolowski, Scott D. “An Early Frost” (1994); “Cold War” (1994), “Eyes of a Stranger” (1993), “Fade to Grey” (1991), “I Dream of Wires” (1995), Malleus Monstrorum (2007), “La Musique de la Nuit” (1996), “The Marsh Mansion” (1992), “The Sundial of Amen-Tet” (1990), Ye Booke of Monstres (1994).

  —and L. N. Isinwyll and Herbert Hike. “Where a God Shall Tread” (1990).

  —and Gary Sumpter. Ramsey Campbell’s Goatswood (2001).

  —and Michael Szymanski. “The Temple of the Moon” (1986).

  Aniolowski, Scott D. et. al. The Art of Playing Mythos (1996), “Mysterious Manuscripts” (1991).

  Anonymous. “Return of the Elder Gods” (1978). Article on magick.

  Antunes, Sandy. Miskatonic University (1995).

  Arnold, Herb. “Those Beneath the Waves” (1972).

  Asamatsu Ken. “The Plague of St. James Infirmary” (2005).

  Attansio, Albert A. “Glimpses” (1975), “A Priestess of Nodens” (1995), “The Star-Pools” (1980), “Time in the Hourless House” (2003).

  Az0th. Letter to the author (1994).

  Ballon, Bruce. “Coming of Age” (2001), “The Truth Shall Set You Free” (2001), “The Wild Hunt” (2001).

  Barton, William. Cthulhu by Gaslight (1986), “The Curse of Chaugnar Faugn” (1990), “The Killer out of Space” (1986), “The Yorkshire Horrors” (1988).

  Bastienne, Paul. “The King in Yellow” (1987).

  Baugh, Matthew. “Mysterious Dan’s Legacy” (2006).

  Behrendt, Fred. “Mansion of Madness” (1990), “Sacraments of Evil” (1993).

  Berglund, E. P. “The Crystal” (1997), “A Dangerous High” (2006), “Dream-Sendings” (1995), “Feast with a Few Strangers” (1974), “The Feaster from the Stars” (1977), “Huitloxopetl IV: Vision of Madness” (1974), “Memories” (2000), “The Sand Castle” (1981), “Sword of the Seven Suns” (1978), “Wings in the Night” (1975).