The Necronomicon

[Ian Whateley]

I have a theory on the Necronomicon. It is commonly represented as a real babyhide-bound, hand-eatin grimoire, but, somehow, I think those illustrations lack a little subtlety. I don't think that the most unspeakable of all books would look like something from a B horror film (okay, they got it from Lovecraft, but still...). Perhaps De Vermis Mysteriis might, but no the Necronomicon. I also don't think it is (at first glance) a manual on the summoning of the Elder Gods-if it was just that, it shouldn't be in Harvard's Rare Books Collection, nor would it have been idly browsed by the characters of ATMOM.

Of the quotes from the Necronomicon, the most famous is a couplet. Abdul himself is described, not as a mad wizard, but a mad poet. I think these are clues to the true nature of the Necronomicon.

I think the Necronomicon was originally created as a volume of somewhat outre poems by Abdul Alhazred, and as such it has been reprinted. While the subject of the poems is somewhat macabre, it is no more so than those of Poe or Lovecraft. It is only on deeper readings that patterns begin to emerge. This is why Wilbur Whateley had such trouble with translations. You'd think "10 pints of goat's blood on the left" would translate pretty well; poetry, not so well.

To a careless observer, the Necronomicon would be nothing more than slightly disturbing poetry. To one who gains more experience, such as the characters of ATMOM, horrible meanings would become clear. And to one who truly knew how to look, blasphemous secrets of the universe and the means to invoke great magic would be woven into the poetry. And, of course, even the most experienced cultist could never tell if he really saw through to the deepest layer of meaning, which is why the book is so disturbing in the first place.

[miz redavni]

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