I ran across an excellent article the other day and I thought I would share it with you. I often hear people refer to the Necronomicon as a real, legitimate book that is a source for black magic. The book itself is a creation of the author H.P. Lovecraft, first appearing in the February 1924 issue of "Weird Tales" in a story entitled "The Hound". The author, often referred to as "The Mad Arab" was another figment of Lovecraft's imagination. The book does not exist and yet many say it does. Why? My opinion is because it doesn't take much to convince a bunch of people something is real. Legends exist because it doesn't take much to get people going.

From the article:

"In 1927, Lovecraft set down the history of the accursed Necronomicon in an essay. The book, he said, was "composed by Abdul Alhazred, a mad poet of Sanaá, in Yemen, who is said to have flourished during the period of the Ommiade caliphs, circa 700 A.D." Written in the last years of Alhazred's life, the blasphemous tome, originally titled Al-Azif, contained all the secrets that the poet had discovered during his long study of dark arts in the wastes of Arabia. The book was translated into Greek and Latin during the Middle Ages but suppressed by the Church, though a few copies are said still to exist down to the present day, hidden away in secret places where few can obtain them.

"I must confess," Lovecraft wrote in a 1934 letter, "that this mostrous & abhorred volume is merely a figment of my own imagination!" In fact, Lovecraft said that the very concept of the Necronomicon came to him in the course of a dream. Ironically, that subconscious origin for the blasphemous tome would become a key ingredient in the growing myth of the book."



There you have it..from the author himself. Completely made up fantasy. The reality is that the book does not exist. But I will still hear people swear up and down that this book is real. This article goes into the details of how the concept began and how the Necronomicon came to be "the greatest book never written".

http://jcolavito.tripod.com/lostcivilizations/id25.html

And some quotes from Lovecraft's letters regarding the book http://www.hplovecraft.com/creation/necron/letters.asp

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"When you feel like a toad on the highway of life... and everyone seems like a steel-belted radial... when you're lyin' there squished in an assortment of bodily fluids... at least you left your mark." ~Arnie Dogan, "The Red Green Show"

scarygirl67,

"The greatest book never written." I'm impressed with your well thought out description of the book. I had no idea that it was fiction, but it really made "The Evil Dead" movie a real hit. Now, that movie is a "classic" of one sort or another. Bruce Campbell was very entertaining.

I've really enjoyed reading your insights. You should consider being a published writer. I think you've got a lot of potential!

Yeah it sort of bugs me when people take the book seriously. I knew a guy who was a satanist (i think in theory not so much as in practice) but he studied the book and didn't understand when i told him that the copy he got from Books-A-Million may as well have been from the fantasy section next to Harry Potter though I imagine the tone was somewhat darker. I've seen groups on the interwebs that actually worship Cthulhu. A fictional being.... I hope....

@Jeff..thank you. I love to write and I do have several articles published..one even made it to an updated version of a book about Ancient America. But I can't take credit for saying 'the greatest book never written'..that was a quote from the article. Definitely one I agree with! And yes DE, there are cults that worship Cthulhu. Back in my dumb high school days, a guy I liked was doing that. Keep in mind..I was trying to rebel, and my parents were pretty laid back..I had to really reach to make them mad! (the Cthulhu guy did it). But this book was a creation from an author that was so convincing in his stories..and I just know if he were alive he would be laughing at all of the people who believe it. After all..this is a man who didn't even believe in God or religion..for a religion to be based on one of his fictional books is hilarious.

Yes and no. I agree that the Necronomicon was a fabrication, however the true origin of the beliefs contained therein actually differs fron H.P. Lovecrafts fantasy novels and subsequent admissions of it's completely fictional origins.

Further research shows that much of the content, even some of the rituals were taken from the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead written by several unnamed scribes in 1600 A.D. The Tibetan Book of the Dead (or 'Bardo Tholol') was later translated and transcribed from this text. They are a compendium of beliefs and rituals used for transitioning the about to or newly passed on individual. It is even believed and has been for centuries that a few of the transitional death rituals contain the power to resurect it's subjects.

Portions of what is written in the ancient texts are what truly fueled Lovecraft's Necronomicon. In that, it instills beliefs and opens doorway through the human subconscious and into the spiritual plane. The power of belief is an incredible thing and that is in inself what can make Lovecrafts expedition into the spiritual gateways a very real possibility. Whether or not it is factual information, it still offers the reader alot of information on the psychology of not only demons, but the ways in which people choose invite them into their lives.

It's only 'real' if you make it real. It's all in the power of belief.

I have read the comparisons and I do see the point you bring up. And being a writer, he put his own spin on anything he personally read. You have to wonder...was it fueled by the desire to mess with the heads of an entire generation? (cuz it worked...)

Bet Cthulhu could still kick the crap out of Xenu...

(01-20-2012 05:27 PM)dyingenglish Wrote:  Bet Cthulhu could still kick the crap out of Xenu...

On 'is worst day he could!

Had to make this. I'm a geek...

I'd like to suggest that our belief in something true or not, can have a profound influence on one's life. I want to mention Adolph Hitler. He had some ideas that earned him a spot as a world leader. Ideas can also change our perspective of what we consider and adopt as the truth.

Recall that there are many books that never made it into the Bible..., a book that untold millions have accepted as THE truth. I'm learning now that the entire contents of that book are rarely ever addressed in any formal church. I'm not inclined to look for another book..., I've not yet completed my study and application of the Bible I already have. I believe that most people rely heavily on church doctrine alone.

There are simply too many church doctrines to suit me.

I've narrowed the scope of my own search for the truth. The Bible will likely keep me occupied for the duration of my life. I can live and die with that..., it is already much more than I require, and I'm glad I have it.

Let's not forget that we each and all have free will. I appreciate this truth, and the right of people to choose their own path. I'm careful to avoid offending others that have made a choice not like my own.

On the other hand, I presently enjoy the freedom I have to speak openly about my beliefs. In our country, this freedom we all enjoy may not always be taken for granted. A lot of people have died protecting this freedom..., it cost a lot of lifes. Let's not forget them, and their sacrifice. If we forget what this cost, we might end up doing it all over again.