The Temple of Dagon

Lovecraft exhibition at the Maison d’Ailleurs

Aleister — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:36:55 +0000

The Maison d’Ailleurs, a science fiction museum in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, is planning a Lovecraft exhibition for October 2007, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the author’s death. The show is based upon the “Commonplace Book”, a set of notes and ideas written by Lovecraft, and will showcase works by several writers, artists, and illustrators. A listing of the authors/artists being featured can be found on The Hooded Utilitarian.

Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson

Aleister — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 23:09:45 +0000

While I am not a practitioner of tarot, I am most certainly a fan of anything related to Lovecraft and the mythos. In particular, I enjoy lovecraft inspired artwork because it is a subject that lends itself very well to visual interpretation. It is for this reason that I was very happy to be contacted about reviewing the Necronomicon Tarot.

(click on any image for a larger view)

The Necronomicon Tarot was created by prolific modern occult author Donald Tyson, and illustrated by fantasy artist Anne Stokes, whose work has been featured on products from Wizards of the Coast, creator of the popular card game Magic: The Gathering. The deck is produced by Llewellyn Worldwide, a New Age publisher founded in 1901 that produces a wide range of books on such subjects as astrology, magick, paganism, and much more.

What’s Inside?

Upon opening the box, I was pleasantly suprised to find not only the deck, but a bag, and a 200+ page book.

The book, Secrets of the Necronomicon, starts off with an introduction by the author which gives some background information, such as how the cards tie into the mythos, and specific features of the deck. Not having much experience with tarot, I found this very informative. The book itself is very well organized, and contains the following chapters: Necronomicon, Cthulhu Mythos, Correspondences, Trumps, Court Cards, Number Cards, and Divination.

The Necronomicon and Cthulhu Mythos chapters give the reader some insight into the author’s interpretation of the mythos, and set the stage for the interpretation of the cards themselves, which are individually listed with detailed information on each, including a description, as well as meanings. I cannot imagine a more complete companion to this deck.

As for the deck itself, I was very pleased. The quality of the printing and attention to detail rate very high, and the artwork itself shows that Anne truely has talent for capturing the spirit of the mythos while adding her own style to each card. The themed cards (wands, cups, swords, etc..) fit together extremely well, while still being very unique. Each card is backed with an image of a tentacled monstrosity - quite fitting indeed. Overall I am very impressed with the artwork used for this deck. A semi-translucent bag for the deck is also included, which is a nice touch.

Summary

This beautiful, well thought out set would be a perfect addition to any collection - whether you collect tarot decks, mythos inspired art, or both! I would certainly recommend this set to fans of Lovecraft and the mythos, regardless of whether or not they are into tarot, as the artwork itself makes this a wonderful item to have.

Details

Necronomicon Tarot by Donald Tyson
Illustration by Anne Stokes
Includes 200+ page book, 78 card deck, and bag
ISBN: 0-7387-1086-5
Ordering Information

Please Welcome Richard Allen Poppe

Aleister — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 19:47:18 +0000

We are happy to announce the inclusion of Richard Allen Poppe to the Featured Artists section of the Temple of Dagon. From a young age, Richard has been interested in horror, and his Lovecraft inspired pieces capture the true feel of the mythos. He works primarily in polyester resin, as well as mixed media, and his unique work will surely gain him even more fans at the Temple. Take a look at his gallery and let him know what you think.

Giant Fungus Challenges Traditional Ideas Of Individuality

Hodgson — Fri, 04 May 2007 17:30:15 +0000

“The underground fungusÂ [is] estimated to be between 2000 and 8500 years old . . . .Â [It] spreads mainly along tree roots, but also through the soil using shoestring-like structures called rhizomorphs . . . .Â Researchers thought that individual fungus organisms grew in distinct clusters in the forest, marked by the ring-shaped patches of dead trees that they spotted during overhead flights. No one expected to find that the well-separated clusters represented one contiguous organism.

Read story here.

Other stories claim that the fungus is the world’s largest organism.

Information on the fungus at wikipedia–proceed at your own risk.

That Ark?

Andrew — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:31:59 +0000

Can you guess who caused the deluge? Well the Sage of Wales has the real tale.

Mystery fossil turns out to be giant fungus

Hodgson — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:29:35 +0000

20-foot-tall organism evaded classification for more than a century. Story here.

The Shaft

Andrew — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:22:47 +0000

I have published a historical tale of deep ones incursion right after the Norman invasion of 1066. Its is called The Shaft and see if you can determine how it gets its power?

The Strange Poles of Saturn

Hodgson — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:30:25 +0000

“Bizarre hexagon spotted in Saturnâ€™s clouds” and “Freak One-Eyed Monster Storm Spotted on Saturn”.

On the Rise with The Eldritch Gazette

WLaputka — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 04:06:28 +0000

The Eldritch Gazette has announced that it will finally be unveiling its latest Issue, which falls on its May 15th yearly anniversery, on its up and coming web base, now currently based on the popular server myspace.com.

With the issue, as well as the website, all form of submission towards the strange and macabre fictions, art works are beings asked for. If you would like to submit a peice or manuscript, you can contact Senior Editor Woodruff Laputka at:

Eldritchgaz@msn.com

All interested in aiding in graphic/ web design need only apply their interests to an email, sent to the same address above.

New work by Irene Castro

Aleister — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:01:01 +0000

Featured artist Irene Castro has sent us some updated photographs of her paintings on display, as well as some new works never before seen at the Temple. Irene’s vivid use of color and imaginative landscapes are quite unique. Be sure to take a look.