Lovecraftian Thing a Day No. 253: Another Curious Little Cthulhu Idol

Joe Broers entrusted me with this bronze-finish Cthulhu idol, though from whence he procured it I do not know. Extensive analysis has failed to identify the exact metal or alloy of which the thing is composed, although texts indicate a distinctly non-terrestrial origin. Another curious property of the item - as attested to by the above images - is the weird purple glow or light which emanates from it under certain conditions. It is speculated that this is a consequence of how the idol's unique and non-terrene composition warps the curvature of space-time in a manner that some of the world's best astophysicists have been at a loss to explain.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.252: A Little Green Cthulhu Idol

This plastercast Cthulhu icon - which I painted a dark shade of sea green - was gifted to me by Maria Strutz many years ago. Whilst it is now safely ensconced within my cabinet of curiosities, since coming into my possession it has acquired an unusual and somewhat sinister history: since coming many are the times it has rested silent and uncaring upon a makeshift alter in some unlit and desolate, liminal space; numberless eldritch sacraments has it witnessed, where the Words have been spoken and the Rites howled through at their Seasons...

As a consequence of these ritual applications, the icon has become somewhat chipped and worn - although I like think this renders it all the more characterful.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.251: Yragael/Urm & Lone Sloane\Delirius

Its something of an understatement to say that these two books - bought for me by my parents during a day out to Windsor in the late-1970s - pretty much consolidated a radical re-evaluation of the fantasy genre that had started a few months earlier when I read my first Michael Moorcock novel (The Knight of Swords). I was about 11 at the time. These were two early instancs of what today we would term as graphic novels, illustrated by Philippe Druillet. I has never quite ready anything like Yragael/Urm (and still haven't); the influence of Moorcock is here, the imagery is phantasmagorical, and the story virtually incomprehensible - to my 11 year old mind, that spoke of profundity. Whether or not that was or is the case, the tales of Yragael and his desendent Urm demonstrated to me at that young age that something very different could be done with the fantasy genre.

All of that aside, A Lovecraftian tone looms large in both these works: Yragael/Urm begins with a story of cosmogenesis seemingly involving monstrous gods and vast, Lovecraftian tracts of space and time; said monstrous gods also seem to be manifest in the monolithic architecture of the world, and at one point the protaganist Yragael encounters some sort of cosmic being, leading to the appearance of a massive Cthulhu-like entity. Urm, ostensibly a sequel to Yragael, is perhaps more overtly Lovecraftian insofar as Urm himself - possibly Yragael's son - is mislead into facilitating the return of Lovecraftian dark gods into the world. At least, I think that's what it is about...

Lone Sloane/Delirious is more in the line of classic space opera - except that early on eponymous hero the is cast into a void where a sleeping black god lurks; eldritch symbols beyond human comprehension or articulation are evoked, and Loan Sloane ends up wandering around the cosmos on a weird space-throne, making statements like 'I have talked with demons and at times gods have granted me audience!'. Amidst trans-dimensional hopping, other cosmic beings and weird gods are also encountered. Lovecraft also gets a mention in the introduction by Jacques Bergier.

Whilst the Cthulhu Mythos is definitely not explicit in either of these tomes, the mood of cosmic pessimism and the stylistic intimations of a Lovecraftian universe that permeate both books certainly speaks to Lovecraft's influence - unsurprising given that Druillet was also a contributor to the issue of Heavy Metal dedicated to Lovecraft. Whilst neither of these books are, then, pure Lovecraft, if you are looking for something very different with a definite Lovecraftian timbre, they are certainly worth investigating.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.250: NecronomiCon 2013 Elder Sign Sticker

Unfortunately heightened busyness and constant interruptions over the past couple of days mean that more substantive entries to the Lovecaftian Thing a Day will have to wait a little longer. Until then, here's an Elder Sign sticker from NecronomiCon 2013. Nice.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No. 249: Tablet of Dagon

Today we present a portion of a clay tablet dedicated to Dagon, parts of which were cast into the sea off the coast of Dunwich (UK) over a decade ago as part of an apocalyptic ritual which is rumoured to have has precipitated a huge shift within global geopolitics - one that will supposedly lead to the return of the Old Ones. I was not present at said ritual as I was...elsewhere - secreting another fragment of the tablet in a place of particular power and significance. I did, however, directly witness and experience what some claim to have been the aftershocks of the ritual. Needless to say, such a powerful artefact is now safely ensconced behind a particularly nasty and efficatious occult firewall. Until the time is right, that is.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.248: Influence of Anxiety

Another refrain from NecronomiCon 2015 - the postcard flyer for the Influence of Anxiety exhibition put on by Brown University at the John Hay Library, primarily covering the literary correspindence between Lovecraft and Bloch. Interestingly, the exhibit contained a number of original artworks by Bloch depicting various Mythos entities; unfortunately there was a rather odd copyright policy in force for the duration of the exhibit, which meant that it was permissible to photograph the Lovecraft items on display, but not those of Bloch. The image on the postcard flyer - shown at the exhibition - is entitled 'Iaa Shub Niggurath Y'a'. Interestingly, one of the Bloch artworks on display (entitled Kadath, although actually depicting something akin to a Mi-Go) - and which he sent to Lovecraft - was drawn on the reverse side of a poster promoting Jewish Day on July 3rd, 1933 at the Centre of Progress International Exposition in Milwaukee. It seems that Lovecraft managed not to explode into a paroxysm of bigoted rage when appraising Bloch's artwork on this occasion - although he appears to have been unsurprisingly critical of the exposition regarding its advocacy of modernist progess...

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.247: Greetings from Lovecraft Country

I picked up this set of rather nice Lovecraft-themed postcards during NecronomiCon 2015 from the HPLHS stall. The images are by Darrell Tutchton, with whose work readers may be familiar from the covers of the HPLHS' Dark Adventure Theatre series of audio dramas. Nice.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.246: The Whisperer in Darkness

For no better reason than I was rewatching it last night, the HPLHS' adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness is not quite as true to the source material as their classic version of The Call of Cthulhu, but is a rather fine film nonetheless. I also believe that The Whisperer in Darkness may be the only film ever made thusfar in which Charles Fort appears as a character, which might be some small claim to fame. Regardless, The Whisperer in Darkness is one of the better of the Lovecraft cinematic adaptations, and can now be downloaded from iTunex.

Lovecaftian Thing a Day No. 245: In Lovecraft's Shadow

If I'm honest, The Lovecraftian Thing a Day has become a little pedestrian of late - in part due to my being particularly busy during this time of the year. Excuses aside, over the past weeks keeping this blog updated daily has come to feel like a bit of a chore, such that I've tended to grab some random object from my shelves and scribble a few ineffectual lines about it. The bad news is that this may continue for the next few days; the good news is that, as of early next week, I mean to assert more rigorous quality control over the content during the final four months of the series. That said, today's offering is another random shelf-grab: In Lovecraft's Shadow: The Cthulhu Mythos Stories of August Derleth, published by Moran & Mycroft in 1998. Regardless of what one might thinks of Derleth, this is a beautifully produced volume with cover art and interior illustrations by Stephen Fabian. Although it should be added that is not a complete collection of Derleth's Mythos tales.

For all of Derleth's faults - especially his attempt to authoritatively define the Mythos in a distinctly counter-Lovecraftian manner - I retain a soft spot for his writing, which I consider to be not-too-terrible. In addition to which, the criticism levelled at Derleth of trying to assert absolute interpretive jurisdiction (not to mention proprietry rights) over Lovecraft's work is something which one or two well-know and vocal contemporary Lovecraft scholars might productively reflect on. Especially as far as their self-assured assumption of unquestionable expository ownership over his life and work are concerned...

On a less controversial (and more personal) note, I believe this may have been one of the very last books I purchased from the long-lamented Fantasy Centre - which used to be one of the UK's best genre/specialist bookshop - before that fine establishment closed its doors for good. Sad times.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.244: Terror!

With today's post we are exactly two-thirds of the way through this year of Lovecraftian Thing a Day blog entries. I would have liked to have offered something a little more special in celebration of the fact, but it is late and I am rather tired - added to which, this came in the post today: Peter Haining's history of  horror illustrations from the pulps. There is a nice section on Weird Tales and Lovecraft is well represented (as evidenced by Hannes Bok's classic illustration of 'Pickman's Model' featuring prominently on the cover); also an interesting illustration for Bloch's 'Notebook Found in a Deserted House', which I've also included above. Well, I'm afraid that I can no longer ignore the insistent call of the Dreamlands' restless deeps, so that is where we will leave things until tomorrow.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.243: Religion, The Occult, and the Paranormal

I recently found out that a four volume collection from Routledge - entitled Religion, the Occult, and the Paranormal - has reprinted my ethnographic essay 'Alien Selves: Modernity and the Social Diagnostics of the Demonic in 'Lovecraftian Magick''.

I was contacted by someone from Routledge a few years ago about this, and heard nothing else from them after being promised a nominal payment for the reprint (which I don't recall ever receiving - but then neither did I receive anything akin to a contributor's agreement allowing the reprint to go ahead in the first place!). Even so, I suppose I should be pleased that one of my pieces - and what is probably the first ethnographic essay on Lovecaftian occulture - now appears in a Routledge volume...the only problem being that the collection is now listed on Amazon for the princely sum of £1127.71, and on Routledge's own website for £900.00! So much for the additional exposure! Alternatively, you can still find the article in issue 2 of the Journal for the Academic Study of Magic, which is still available from Mandrake for £19.99 - or you could just download it for free from acadmia.edu! Regular readers who go in for this sort of thing might also be interested to know that a few more of my Lovecraftian pieces should be appearing in various academic publications prior to NecronomiCon 2017; I have also been invited to contribute an essay on Lovecraftian Magic (along with other things) to what looks to be a major academic work on contemporary esotericism. Nice.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.242: Lovecraft Centenary Print

Though we are a few days late for Lovecraft's birthday, I thought this limited edition print by Dave Carson would suffice by way of celebrating. I'n not entirely sure where I purchased this from, but I have a vague memory of finding this in a stall in the now-defunct Kensington Market in London.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.241: NecronomiCon 2015 Commemorative Booklet

Around this time last year I had just returned from a trip to the US for NecronomiCon 2015. Bringing a close to this week of NecronomiCon remembrances is the commemorative convention booklet from last year. The booklet contains sketches and short biographies of the guests - I was actually invited as a guest for a panel on Lovecaft and the occult; this, however, occured at the last minute, so unfortunately I didn't appear in the booklet - here's hoping for NecronomiCon 2017!

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.240: Lovecaft Bust Commemorative Postcard

NecronomiCon 2013 also saw the unveiling of the bronze bust of Lovecraft - created by Bryan Moore - in the Providence Athenaeum on Benefit Street. I was fortunate enough to be present at the unveiling, as well as a contributor (in a very small way) to the project's Kickstarter campaign. In the latter regard, I received the above postcard commemorating the project. 

Since 2013 and the wake of the controversy surrounding the WFA, I have become somewhat conflicted regarding representations of Lovecraft - despite the fact that I own a number of them. Ultimately, I am glad that I supported this project. Lovecraft is, I believe, worthy of memorialising; but with a crucial proviso: that, whilst recognising his hugely important contribution to literature, this kind of remembrance does not constitute an excuse to unreflectively lionise and ennoble the man; rather, it should provoke ongoing critical interrogation of the (racialised) politics of his life and work and, crucially, in doing so endorse a direct engagement with the continuing significance of those politics within the field of modern weird literature and beyond.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.239: The Black Goat of the Woods

Today's item can be found in the studio of artist Tobias Oliver, who procured it from friend of the Ghooric Zone, Joe Broers. Ensconced in a secret location surrounded by ominously domed hills deep within the Scottish Highlands, I recently had the opportunity to visit Tobias' home and workplace. During my stay Tobias made mention of the fact that this statuette of Shub Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, has been the locus of various weird and unsettling phenomena - notably an unpleasantly fecund plague of black flies which infested his workspace - during the time that it has overseen his work on various occult artefacts and esoteric projects.

Many thanks to Tobias Oliver and Graham Liney for their hospitality during my stay at their home.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.238: Ars Necronomicon 2013 Flyer

Not much to add to the title of today's Lovecraftian Thing a Day other than to say this was a postcard-style flyer produced to advertise the excellent Ars Necronomicon art exhibition which took place during NecronomiCon 2013. The exhibition was located throughout three sites in Providence - one of which being the Cohen Gallery at Brown University, situated in the Granoff building in Angell Street which - as I recall - was built on the site of one of Lovecraft's former residences.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.237: 'I Am Providence' Bag

More loot from NecronomiCon 2013: this time, a canvas shoulder bag with 'I Am Providence' emblazoned upon it.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.236: NecronomiCon 2013 Cthulhu Prayer Breakfast Hymnal

Today we present the hymnal booklet handed out at the NecronomiCon 2013 Cthulhu Breakfast, allowing breakfasters to participate in the proceedings as led by the Cthulhu Hymnal Choir. Nice.

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.235: NecronomiCon 2013 Programme.

More ephemea fom NecronomiCon 2013: the convention schedule & programme. Tomorrow I'm off on holiday for a few days and, whilst there will be regular Ghooric Zone transmissions during this period, I'm afraid that posts are likely to be as similarly brief as today's. Be seeing you!

Lovecraftian Thing a Day No.234: NrconomiCon 2013 Commemorative Booklet

Addition memories of NecronomiCon today. This is the commemorative booklet produced for NecronomiCon 2013, and it really is a thing of beauty. With vey high production values, the cover itself is extremely unusual in that it possesses a very soft, rubbery - but-suede-like - quality. Akin to what I would imagine the flensed hide of a Night Gaunt might feel...