This is a revised and expanded version of my Necronomicon Mythosessay. My fist essay, written off the top of my head (I didn't have anyof my books with me), contained a few small errors. I have corrected all the errors I could find in it, but I can't guarantee this version is perfect. The Necronomicon Mythos of H.P.Lovecraft have a strange type of quasi-reality. It is generally believed by Lovecraft scholars that the Necronomicon was created as a literary device by HPL for his fiction. Despite this fact, some people believe that it is an actual book. The Necronomicon has gained a strong "mythic power" independent of its origins. The Necronomicon is not real, nor is it unreal. This mysterious book hovers somewhere in between. This essay is intended to explore some aspects of the "mythic power" of the Necronomicon and its pantheon. This will be done by exploring the conection of these mythos with actual Arab myth and magick as well the Necronomicon's ties to modern magick. Contents: Part 1 : The Necronomicon Mythos According to HPL Part 2 : The Necronomicon and Ancient Arab Magick PART ONE THE NECRONOMICON MYTHOS ACCORDING TO HPL This section is a short summery of some of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft's major ideas relating to the Necronomicon and its associated Myths. This section is intended as a general introduction for readers who are not familiar with HPL's fiction. Today, the Necronomicon is perhaps the most infamous book (real or fitional) on myth and magick in the wolrd. Perhaps the best way to start is by quoting HPL from _The history and Chronology of The Necronomicon_. "Original title Al Azif-Azif being the word used by the Arabs to designate that nocturnal sound (made by insects) supposed to be the howling of demons." "Composed by Abdul Alhazred, a mad poet of Sanaa, in Yemen, who is said to have flourished in the time of the Ommiade Caliphs, circa A.D. 700. He visited the ruins of Babylon and the subterranean secrets of Memphis and spent ten years alone in the great southern desert of Arabia-the Roba el Khaliye or 'Empty Space' of the ancients and 'Dahna' or 'Crimson Desert' of the modern Arabs, which is held to be inhabited by protective evil spirits and monsters of death. Of this desert many strange and unbelievable marvels are told by those who pretend to have penetrated it. In his last years Alhazred delt in Damascus, where the Necronomicon (Al Azif) was written...Of his madness many things are told. He claimed to have seen the fabulous Irem or city of Pillars, and to have found beneath the ruins of a certain nameless desert town the shocking annals and secrets of a race older than mankind." Later the Al Azif was translated into Greek under the Greek title Necronomicon (the title is definitely not in Latin as is often claimed). This title is translated as "the Book (or image) of the Practices of the Dead"; Necro being Greek for Dead and Nomos meaning practices, customs or rules (as in astronomy). The title Necronomicon absolutely does not translate as Book of Dead Names (as Colin Wilson has mistakenly and repeatedly stated). In order for it to mean Dead Names it would have to be Latin/Greek hybrid (besides HPL flatly indicated the first translation is the correct one). Still later(possibly in the 1200's) it was translated into Latin but retained it's Greek title. The Latin text came into the possession of Dr. John Dee in the sixteenth century. Dr. Dee made the only English translation of the Necronomicon known. The Necronomicon contains dark secrets about the real nature of the Earth and the universe. According to the Necronomicon the Earth was once ruled by the Old Ones, powerful beings from other worlds or other dimensions. HPL in _the Dunwich Horror_ attributes this quote to the Necronomicon "Nor is it to be thought, that man is either the oldest or the last of Earth's masters, or that the common bulk of life and substance walks alone. The Old Ones were, the Old Ones are, the Old Ones shall be not in the spaces we know but between them, They walk serene and primal undimensioned and to us unseen. Yog-Sothoth know the gate. Yog-sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He Knows where the Old Ones broke Through of old, and Where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no man can behold Them as They tread. By their smell can men sometimes know them near, but of their semblance can no man know, saving only in the features of those They have begotten on mankind; and of those are there many sorts, differing in likeness from mans truest eidolon to that shape without sight or substance which is Them. They walk unseen and foul in lonely places where the Words have been spoken and the Rights howled through at their seasons...Yog-Sothoth is the key to the gate whereby the spheres meet. Man rule now where They rule once; They shall soon rule where man rule now. After summer is winter, after winter summer. They wait patient and potent, for here they shall reign again." The Necronomicon STRONGLY hints that there is a cult or group of cults that worships the Old Ones and seeks to aid them gain control of this planet. One of the tactics attempted by this cult is to breed human and Old One offspring that will then multiply and ingress into terrestrial life until the Old Ones return to there pre-ordained position. Some branches of the cult venerate a deity called Cthulhu. Cthulhu is a dragon-like "god" with a face that is a mass of tentacles. Cthulhu is dead (dormant) but dreaming in the abyss (the Pacific Ocean). It is not certain whether or not Cthulhu is an Old One. At one point Cthulhu is referred to as a Cousin of the Old Ones. At another the deity is called the high priest of the Old Ones; both of these labels might imply that Cthulhu may not be exactly like the Old Ones. The cult seeks to raise Cthulhu in order to usher in the day when the Old Ones will control the world. When Cthulhu rises men will be wild and free beyond good and evil. However, if Cthulhu rises only partialy from the ocean but it is not yet the correct time there are terrible bouts of madness. The center of the Cthulhu cult "lay amid the pathless deserts of Arabia, where Irem, City of the Pillars dreams hidden and untouched" The cult places special emphasis on dreams, which they say can sometime contain the thoughts of this "deity" There are many other important gods mentioned in the Necronomicon. One group or these deities, the Other Gods seem to be true Gods (unlike the Old Ones and Cthulhu who seem simply to be very powerful entities). Among the most important of Other Gods is Yog-Sothoth and Azathoth. Yog-Sothoth is co-terminous with ALL time and space. In _Through the gates of the Silver Key_ Lovecraft (with Co-author E. Hoffman Price) describes Yog-Sothoth thus: "an All in One and One in All of limitless being and self- the last, utter sweep which has no confines and which outreaches fancy and mathematics alike." Past, present, future all are one in Yog-Sothoth. Of equal or greater importance is Azathoth. Evidence that Azathoth is at least equal with Yog-Sothoth is that Azathoth is the "Lord of All" while Yog-Sothoth is "All in One, One in All" Azathoth is the "ultimate nuclear chaos," at "the center of infinity." It is the Throne of Azathoth that emits the aimless waves, "whose chance combining gives each frail cosmos its eternal law." It is Extremely noteworthy that the concept of Azathoth is very closely related to the latest models in Quantum Physics. There are also some notable parallels between HPL's ideas about Chaos and the new Chaos Mathematics. Azathoth the ultimate nuclear chaos that emits the random waves that govern the universe seems to be the principle opposite of Yog-Sothoth who embraces the expanses of infinity. Whereas Yog-sothoth is infinitely large, Azathoth seems to be an supremely compact "quantum" Chaos at the center of infinity. HPL researcher Philip A. Shreffler states in _The H.P. Lovecraft Companion_ that the acting principles of Yog-Sothoth and Azathoth are "infinite expansion and infinite contraction" respectively. The heart and soul of the Other Gods is Nyarlathotep the Mighty Messenger. It is as their messenger that Nyarlathotep makes the will of the Other Gods known on earth. It is through Him that all traffic with Azathoth must go. Nyarlathotep has a thousand forms. He is called the Crawling Chaos. Shub-Niggurath the Black Goat of the Woods is a type of "perverse fertility deity." Shub-Niggurath also is called the Goat with a thousand young. Judging by how frequently it is mentioned Shub-Niggurath is a very important deity in the Necronomicon mythos, . There is obviously a connection between the cult of Shub-Niggurath and the many Goat cults of antiquity. Beside Cthulhu, the Old Ones and the Other Gods there are numerous minor races of creatures in the Necronomicon such as the shoggoths. A shoggoth is a shapeless congerie of "protoplasmic bubbles." The shoggoths were created by the Old Ones as servitors. They can assume any form they need to accomplish their assigned task. They are unruly servants, becoming more intelligent with time eventually gaining a will of their own. Shoggoth are sometimes, according to HPL, seen in drug-induced visions. Another race is the Deep Ones who are a type of amphibious creature resembling a mixture of a fish, a frog and man. The Deep Ones worship a god called Dagon. Dagon is a deity resembling a giant Deep One. Dagon and the Deep Ones seem to be Allied in some way with Cthulhu. Another minor group is the ghoul. Ghouls are corpse eating monsters that are very manlike except for there canine or monstrous facial features. It is possible for a man to be transformed into a ghoul under the right circumstances This concludes my short summery of HPL's major ideas on the Necronomicon and it's Associated myths. This is by no means exhaustive but it should give you enough general information to address the rest of this essay with a good point of reference. PART TWO THE NECRONOMICON AND ANCIENT ARAB MAGICK Many years ago when I first started researching Lovecraft's fiction I read of HPL's love of Arab myth. Lovecraft admitted using Arab mythology as a source in many sources including several of his letters. I could not understand why "scholars" writing on Lovecraft's stories did not explore this area. I decided that it was probably due to ethno-centric bias and took it upon myself to look into HPL's Arab sources. Early on I found that most of HPL's major themes seem, at least in part, to be derived from Arab mythology. I even found that many of the places, names and titles used in Lovecrafts's fiction are directly connected to Arab myth and magick. Lovecraft was an extraordinarily erudite bibliophile who loved Arab mythology when young. He also was good friends with a man who was considered one on the best scholars in the West on Arab myth. In addition had numerous friends who shared his interest in Arab mythology. Lovecraft, given his interest in Arab mythology and the availability of interesting documents through his friends, probably owned a book much like Al Azif (Necronomicon) in content if not in title. To some people this may sound like a difficult assertion to accept without support. I, myself, am this type of person. The reason I make this assertion is that I feel it is very well supported. I hope you will share this feeling when you are done reading this essay. The pressence of Arab myth and magick in HPL's fiction may help to explain why these tales have such a covincing aspect. This might be part of the key to the mythic power of the Necronomicon and it's associated myths. In this respect it does not matter whether Arab material was included through syncronicity or through consciouss inclution. The very fact that ancient and powerful mythic material is present in Lovecraft helps to explain it's odd quasi-real character. I will now detail some of the information, referred to above, that connects HPL's accounts of the Necronomicon and its myths with real Arab mystical and magickal traditions HPL wrote that the Necronomicon was written by Abdul Alhazred, who was called the "Mad Poet." Alhazred visited the lost city "Irem of the Pillars" (the center or the cult of Cthulhu) and encountered many strange and magickal things there. Lovecraft placed Irem in the Rub al Khali. When he was very old, Alhazred recorded what he had learned in his book of poetry _Al Azif_ (later retitled Necronomicon). Irem is very important to Arab magick. "Irem Zhat al Imad" (Irem of the Pillars) is the city's name in Arabic. It is popularly believed by the Arabs that Irem was built by the Jinn under the direction of Shaddad, Lord of the tribe of Ad. The tribe of Ad, according to legend, was a mighty race roughly equivalent to the Hebrew "Nephilim" (giants). In some versions of this myth Shaddad and the Jinn built Irem before the time of Adam. The Muqarribun (Arab magicians) have important beliefs about Irem and it's significance. The Muqarribun, whose traditions predate Islam, believe that Irem is a locale on another level of reality, rather than a physical city like NY or Tokyo. (Why Irem is important to the Muqarribun and how they use it will be more fully explained shortly.) The "Pillars" in "Irem of the Pillars" has a hidden meaning. Among Arab mystics pillar is a code name for "elder" or "old one." Thus "Irem of the Pillars" is really "Irem of the Old Ones." (It is noteworthy that several Lovecraft "scholars" erroneously claim that HPL created Irem, just as they claim he created the Necronomicon, as part of his fiction.) In Arab legend Irem is located in the Rub al Khali just as HPL said it was. To the Muqarribun the Rub al Khali also has a "hidden" meaning (incidentally the art of encoding and decoding "hidden" meanings in Arab mystical or magickal writing is called Tawil). Rub al Khali translates as "the EMPTY Quarter" In this case Empty refers to the VOID and is the same as AIN in the Cabbalistic traditions. Rub al Khali is the "secret" door to the Void in Arab magickal traditions. It is the Exact Arab equivalent to DAATH in the Cabbala. To the Muqarribun the Rub al Khali is the secret gate (Daath) to the Void (Ain) in which is the "city of the Old Ones" This is Incredibly close to Lovecraft, who made many references to a gate connected with the "Old Ones." Further Lovecraft claimed that the Old Ones were from Outside (another dimension of reality) and linked them with the "infinite void." By stating this about the "Old Ones" and connecting them to Irem and the Rub al Khali Lovecraft tapped into the very core of an almost unknown (but important) area of ancient Arab magick. What makes this even more interesting is that there is no way to know about the "hidden" meaning of Irem unless you have done some serious research into Arab magickal and mystical traditions. Thus Lovecraft either made one of the luckiest (most syncronistic) guesses in fiction or was actually familiar (from his reading) with some of the deeper aspects of the Muqarribun magickal traditions. The "Rub al Khali" (not the physical desert, but the Arab equivalent of the "plane" of Daath) was entered in an altered state of consciousness by the Muqarribun. This state is some where between dreams and the complete absence of thought. Irem represents that part of the "Empty Quarter" that acts as the connection to the Void. It is in this place (Irem) that the communion with the Void and that which inhabits it can happen. The "monsters of death" and protective spirits Lovecraft mentions are the Jinn (see below). The Muqarribun can interact with these entities when he is in the "Rub al Khali" or "Irem." When the Muqarribun passes through Irem to the Void he achieves Annihilation (fana). Annihilation is the supreme attainment in Sufi and Muqarribun mysticism. During Annihilation the magicians entire being is devoured and absorbed into the Void. The self or "soul" (nafs i ammara) is utterly and completely destroyed by this process. This is probably the sources of stories regarding the soul eating demons (associated with Irem) in Arab legend. This should be compared to Lovecraft in _through the Gates of the Silver Key_ in which Irem is a type of portal to the Outside. A close comparison of this story with the Muqarribun ideas, discussed above, will again show that HPL seems to have had a good knowledge of Arab magick. Next lets look at Alhazred's title. HPL wrote that Alhazred's title was "Mad Poet." "Mad" is usually written "majnun" in Arabic. Majnun means "mad" today. However in the eighth century (Alhazred's time) it meant "Possessed by Jinn." To be called Mad or Possessed by Demons would be highly insulting to orthodox Muslims. The Sufis and Muqarribun, however, regard Majnun as complimentary title. Indeed they even go so far as to call certain Sufi heroes Majnun (Possessed by Jinn). The Jinn were powerful creatures of Arab myth. The Jinn, according to legend, came down from heaven (the sky) in the time before Adam. They therefore pre-exist mankind and thus are called "Preadamites." "Infidel pagans" worship these beings because they are so incredibly powerful. According to legend, the Jinn can "beget young on mankind." The Jinn apparently want great influence on Earth and are usually invisible to normal men. Much of the magick used in Arab countries concerns the Jinn (protection spells against or spells to call them up). The Jinn are obviously virtually identical with Lovecraft's Old Ones. Lets look at the title "Mad Poet" some more. Jinn inspire poets in popular Arab myth. This is why Mohammed was so vehement in denying that he was a poet. He wanted it known that his revelation came from "God" and not the Jinn. So the word "mad" in the title "the Mad Poet" indicates that Alhazred had made "Contact" with the Jinn (the Old Ones). "Poet" Implies that his writings were directly inspired by them. "Mad Poet"(The One Possessed by Jinn, Whose writings are inspired by JInn) is entirely consistent with what Lovecraft wrote about Alhazred. Anyone unfamiliar with Arab magick and mysticism could not know the significance of "the Mad Poet" in Arabic. This again seems to indicate an extraodinnary syncronicity or that Lovecraft had a Knowledge of rare information on Arab magick. Lovecraft wrote that Alhazred's Necronomicon was a book of poetry originally titled _Al Azif_. This also shows a deep connection to Arab magick and mysticism that would not be apparent to someone unfamiliar with these subjects. Al Azif is translated as "the book of the howling of the Jinn." This title is remarkably consistent with the meaning of "the Mad Poet" in Arabic (The One Possessed by Jinn and Whose Writings Are Inspired by the Jinn). It is Also important that the Al Azif was said to be written in poetic verse. The Necronomicon (Al Azif) was concerned with many religio-magickal and mystical subjects. Nearly all Arabic books on religion or mysticism were written as poems. This includes orthodox works (such as the Quran) as well as Sufi and Muqarribun writings. The name Cthulhu provides an Important and fascinating parallel with Arab magickal practice. Cthulhu is very close to the Arabic word Khadhulu (also spelled al qhadhulu). Khadhulu is pronounced c'athulu with the "c'" sound similar to the "ch" in the Scottish "loch." The "th" is like the "th" in "the" and the "u"s are long. Khadhulu (al qhadhulu) is translated as "Forsaker" or "Abandoner." Many Sufis and Muqarribun writings make use of this term (Abandoner). In Sufi and Muqarribun writings "abandoner" refers to the power that fuels the practices of Tajrid "outward detachment" and Tafrid "interior solitude." Tajrid and Tafrid are forms of mental "yoga," used in Arab systems of magick, to help the magician free himself from (abandon) cultural programming. In Muqarribun texts Khadhulu is the power that makes the practices of Tafrid and Tajrid possible for the magician. Although I was familiar with the use of "abandoner" in Arab mystical and magickal writings I was unaware (until a several years ago) that Khadhulu appears in the Quran. I owe the knowledge Khadhulu shows up in the Quran (in a very significant way) to William Hamblin. In the Quran chapter 25 verse 29 it is written, "Mankind, Shaitan is Khadhulu" this verse has two orthodox interpretations. The first is that Shaitan will forsake man. The other orthodox interpretation is that Shaitan causes men to forsake the "straight path of Islam" and the "good" ways of their forefathers. The orthodox Muslim would view forsaking Islamic culture as sinful and ungodly. However Muqarribun and Sufis, as already discussed feel abandoning culture is vital to spiritual growth. The identification of Shaitan of the Islamic tradition is very important. By the time Mohammed was writing Shaitan was being called "the Old Serpent (dragon)" and "the Lord of the Abyss." The Old Serpent or Old Dragon is, according to experts such as E.A. Budge and S.N. Kramer, Leviathan. Leviathan is Lotan. Lotan traces to tietan. Tietan, we are told by the authorities on Near Eastern mythology is a Later form of Tiamat. According to the experts the Dragon of the Abyss called Shaitan is the same Dragon of the Abyss named Tiamat. Scholars specializing in Near Eastern mythology have stated this time and again. Why is this important? It's importance is in the fact that HPL described Cthulhu as dragon-like and sleeping in the abyss (ocean). Leviathan/Tiamat is also said to be sleeping or dormant. The Identification of Shaitan the Old Dragon Lord of the Abyss with Khadhulu in the Quran is thus a very fascinating parallel with Lovecraft. The connection of the "Abandoner" with the Dragon is strengthened somewhat by a few lines from "The Book of Annihilation" an Arabic text on magick. One of these lines translates as, "the dragon is an abandoner for he leaves all that is sacred. The dragon goes here and there without pause" While this line is obviously symbolic (most likely referring to the practice of Tafrid) it does serve to further establish a connection between the Dragon of Near Eastern myth with Khadhulu in Arab magick. The ancient dragon of the abyss (Tiamat) traces back to Sumeria. Sumeria is the oldest civilization known to have existed. If the Khadhulu of Arab mysticism is synonymous with the Dragon of mythology (which the evidence suggests it might be) then Khadhulu has been "worshipped" for a very long time. The numerous parallels between Cthulhu and the Muqarribun's Khadhulu are strong enough to suggest that Lovecraft expanded on Arab myth to create his deity Cthulhu. Ideed, there is other evidence (which I have detaled in previous posts) that tends to generally support the idea that Khadhulu as the "Dragon of the abyss" has been a part of the magickal traditions of the Near East for a very long time. Lets closely examine the material on Arab magick. I believe it leads to one conclusion. Lovecraft used material on Arab magick and myths to a great degree in his stories. Lovecraft used Irem in a manner that parallels the Muqarribun use before this information was generally available. The Rub al Khali (Roba el Khaliye) is in truth important to the Muqarribun. The Jinn are exact counterparts of the "Old Ones." Lovecraft's description of Alhazred is VERY consistent with the Arabic meaning of the "Mad Poet". The Al Azif (the howling of the Jinn) is obviously related to Alhazred's title: "The One Who is Possessed by Jinn and Whose Writings Are Inspired by Jinn." Al Azif being a book of poetry is consistent with the fact that almost all mystical or prophetic writings in Arabic are poems. Khadhulu's association with the sleeping Dragon of the Abyss is VERY close to Lovecraft's dragon-like Cthulhu who lays dreaming in the abyss (ocean). All this seems to indicate that Lovecraft used a great deal of Arab mythology in his stories and it may even indicate that he had sources of material (given to him by his scholarly friends?) not commonly available. It appears HPL expanded on some of the material, in his sources, in his fiction. Please note that this in no way detracts from his considerable creativity. HPL's stories are great not because of few isolated elements but rather because of the way Lovecraft could blend the individual pieces into a whole. In addition to the material above there are numerous other instances in which Lovecraft borrowed from Arab and Near-Eastern mythology. Lovecraft probably expanded on Arab and other near eastern myth when creating his Deep Ones and Dagon. Arab myth mentions mysterious fish-men from the sea of Karkar. These fish-men are probably derivative of the myths related to the actual Near Eastern god Dagon. Dagon is a Philistine deity that appears as a giant fish-man. Dagon is a later version of the Babylonian Oannes. Oannes (Dagon) was the head of group of semi-divine fish-men. The Fish-Man zootype still plays an important role in some systems of magick. Clearly Dagon and the Deep Ones are direct expansions on Arab and Near Eastern mythology familiar to Lovecraft. The Ghoul is another obvious example of Arab mythology that has worked its way into Lovecraft's fiction. The Ghoul is derived from the Arabic ghul. The ghul is a man-like creature with monstrous facial features. It inhabits desolate and lonely places especially graveyards. The ghuls which inhabit graveyards feast on the corpses there. This obviously is the source of Lovecraft's ghouls. To this day the corpse eating ghul has a distinct role in the magickal practices of Arabs and others. The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young traces back to ancient Egypt and Sumeria. While both Egypt and Sumeria had Goat cults it was probably the Egyptian version that was most influential. The so-called Goat of Mendes was a "black" incarnation of Asar. The cult was fertility based. Aspects of these Goat cults were absorbed into Arab magical systems. For instance The Aniz tribe is designated as the Goat. (Anz "goat" and Aniz are cognates.) The Aniz are called the Goat because their founder practiced fertility based magick. The Symbol of this cult is a torch between two Goats horns. This symbol has become important in western magickal traditions. THE BARBAROUS NAMES Alhazred is said (by HPL) to have journeyed to Egypt in search of occult secrets. This is consistent with the time frame that it was supposed to have occurred in. Between the fourth century and the tenth century scholars in the Near East interested in magickal matters viewed Egypt as an invaluable source of information. During this time many corrupt Egyptian words and phrases entered magickal writings. Gnostic, Coptic, and Greco-Egyptian word formulas were incorporated in great number into existing Arab magickal systems. The barbarous names often only vaguely resemble their Egyptian forebears. For instance, Asar Un Nefer became Osorronophris. Although the name has been badly corrupted the original can still be deciphered. Often Egyptian words and their corrupt counterparts can have even less phonetic similarity than this example. It has been suggested that some of the Barbarous names used in Lovecraft's fiction might indeed be corrupt Egyptian word formulas. Particularly Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth, and Nyarlathotep are said to have an Egyptian origin. (Note the obviously Egyptian endings "thoth" and "hotep.") I was given a privately printed document called _The Rites of the Gods_. This document consists of several short rituals and an introduction. It is said to be a translation of an Arabic document. I feel that this, however, is very unlikely. I will have to remain skeptical of this booklet's Arabic origin and its antiquity until I have some solid evidence (such as an Arabic Original). It is more probably a modern attempt to reconstruct "ancient rituals" dedicated to the Other Gods. Although I regard this document as probably apocryphal the introduction contains some very interesting and possibly accurate speculation on the origin of the names Yog-Sothoth and Azathoth. _The Rites of the Gods_ suggests the following origins for these names. AZATHOTH Azathoth is said to be derived from Asa-thoth. _The Rites..._ states that Asa translates as source from ancient Egyptian and Thoth (Tehut) is of course the popular god name. However, Asa is an alternate name of Thoth. A friend who knows much more about Egyptian mythology than I do assures me that Asa, the god, is indeed closely associated with the concept of "source" (he is considered the "source" because of his association with the beginning of time). Ausaa-Thoth or Aasaa-Thoth is translated as the intelligence of Thoth. YOG-SOTHOTH According to _The Rites of the Gods_ Yog-Sothoth is derived from Yak-Set Thoth. This is supposed to translate as follows Yak means: "one" or "union" (Yak, or perhaps more correctly Iak, and Yog seem on the surface to be quite different. This is an illusion the "og" in Yog is pronounced like dog. The vowel sound "a" in Yak is pronounced "ah." Thus the vowel sound in both words is identical. K and G are based on the same root sound. K and G are formed in exactly the same way by the tongue and pallet. The only difference is the way the air is released at the end. Yak and Yog are phonetic equivalents. To prove this to yourself try saying Yog (as in dog) then Yak (as in hawk) alternately. They sound quite similar.) Set is of course the deity Set and Thoth is again the god Thoth. Thus Yak-Set Thoth translates as "Set and Thoth are one" or "the union of Set and Thoth." Set and Thoth are the dark and light aspects of the moon respectively in Egyptian mythology. According to _The Rites of the Gods_ the magickal significance of the name Yak-Set Thoth is "the union of opposites in a lunar-vaginal context." NYARLATHOTEP No translation for Nyarlathotep was offered in the introduction to _The Rites of the Gods_. I first realized, many years ago, that Ny and Hotep were Egyptian words meaning "not" and "peaceful" respectively. "Not peaceful" certainly seemed to fit Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep. I still didn't know what "Arlat" could mean. I am again indebted to William Hamblin for the complete translation. Ny means "not" Har means "at" or "through" Lut "gateway" or "place of judgment" and Hotep means "peace" or "rest." Thus Nyharluthotep translates as "there is no peace through the gateway" or "there is no peace (rest) at the place of judgment." The magickal functions of Nyharluthotep are very close to those of Thoth (tehut). In fact, some people suggest that they may indeed represent the same force. The Thoth-Nyharluthotep equivalence will probably clarify the meaning of the name Asa-Thoth. (Please note that just because I used information from William Hamblin's writings in this post does NOT mean that Mr. Hamblin shares any of the views in this post) It is very interesting that the Barbarous names associated with the Necronomicon do not only have an Egyptian sound but seem to made of actual Egyptian word and obey Egyptian Grammar. Corrupt Egyptian words and phrases often appear in Arab magickal texts. The Appearance of what certainly seems to be real barbarous name in Lovecraft's fiction should cause one serious thought. Did HPL derive these names from a rare book on Arab magick? Could it simply be syncronicty? Best Regards |