Transcribe
Translate
Acolyte, v. 3, issue 2, whole no. 11, Summer 1945
Page 16
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
cultures of the American aborigines of yesteryear, and that there were similarities between his gods and those of the early Mexican Indians. Lovecraft's next communication showed rare humor, and I got the impression that the Lovecraft Theology was a source of considerable amusement and secret mirth to him; also that anyone with any kind of imagination could invent any number of odd-gods and there would always be people willing and eager to believe in them. He seemed to be bubbling over with a deep Jovian inner laughter because supposedly intelligent readers of his tales took his gods for granted as real existing powers. I further sensed that his attitude was that Man "created god in his own image and likeness" to serve his own ends and purposes. I felt a sardonic impulse at play here, but one which with all its burden of tremendous knowledge faced the future with a courage and fortitude unmatched in my experience. Lovecraft, the "man who created the gods who created men"; wa smy instinctive thought as I gleaned his lines. Moreover, Lovecraft seemed to have pride in the fact that he portrayed his gods so realistically that many of his credulous readers believed in them as implicitly and emphatically as a Fakir Fanatic. He said he had letters from people expressing overwhelming faith and fear with all the rabidity of frenzied zealots who considered him the high-priest of an archaic cult rescued in these latter years from the oblivion of doubt. But it was his Gargantuan sense of humor which led him to "feed the poblacho fodder for their figments of the imagination." Lovecraft put in a post-script asking me if I had any ideas or suggestions from my knowledge of the Mexican deities who would make suitable candidates for his pantheon. ((Note. It might be mentioned as an aside that August Derleth, in The Trail of Cthulu, applies the Aztec name of Huitzilopochtli to Cthulhu, and that much of this story centers around a Peruvian manifestation of Cthulhu and his minions. FTL)) I sent him several clay and jade figurines of Aztec and Mayan gods and godlings that I had gotten in Quintana Roo, Mexico; and some publications on the subject, including the splendid brochure put out by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Then after a few moments contemplation, i sent him the following list of extremely Lovecraftian gods. Chiming-Agua. Aviolent diety and keeper of the Cosmic Light. Creator of the colossal Black Avians that Distribute light about the Universe during the daytime and who gobbled it up every night. Cen-Teatl. A gigantic, squat, frog-like female with a thousand udders, whose embrace was fatal to the Elder Gods and the Ghoul Gods of the Aztec Lethe (World of Oblivion). Tonantzin. Supreme Being in the form of an ever-sneering serpent whose long sinewy body coils about the entire firmament. The eggs she lays are solar orbs and planets. Cannibal-like, she devours her own children and hence is oftimes called "The Star-Eater". Camazotz. Mayan vampire bat-god who flys into the reeking pits and caverns of the Abysmal Cesspools of Creation to drag forth the vile monstrous maggot life dwelling therein. He drops these revolting entities on planets whose inhabitants refuse to worship him. The maggot life-forms smother the fated orbs with their slime and spittle before sucking out the steaming, living viscera of the earth-bodies. Kinich-Kakimo. Fiery visaged Lord of the Overworlds, whose chief duty is to hew out meteors from the mighty solar orbs in the Celestial Mansions. He also chops the tributary planets into form from great suns with his flint axe. No-Ek. (Star-Killer) Who sets the stars dancing down the corridors of space and time to their doom in the charnal cellars of creation. As each star reaches the Portals of Mitla (or Cosmic Slaughterhouse) it is felled with a soul-shattering blow by Noh-Ek's brother. -- 16 --
Saving...
prev
next
cultures of the American aborigines of yesteryear, and that there were similarities between his gods and those of the early Mexican Indians. Lovecraft's next communication showed rare humor, and I got the impression that the Lovecraft Theology was a source of considerable amusement and secret mirth to him; also that anyone with any kind of imagination could invent any number of odd-gods and there would always be people willing and eager to believe in them. He seemed to be bubbling over with a deep Jovian inner laughter because supposedly intelligent readers of his tales took his gods for granted as real existing powers. I further sensed that his attitude was that Man "created god in his own image and likeness" to serve his own ends and purposes. I felt a sardonic impulse at play here, but one which with all its burden of tremendous knowledge faced the future with a courage and fortitude unmatched in my experience. Lovecraft, the "man who created the gods who created men"; wa smy instinctive thought as I gleaned his lines. Moreover, Lovecraft seemed to have pride in the fact that he portrayed his gods so realistically that many of his credulous readers believed in them as implicitly and emphatically as a Fakir Fanatic. He said he had letters from people expressing overwhelming faith and fear with all the rabidity of frenzied zealots who considered him the high-priest of an archaic cult rescued in these latter years from the oblivion of doubt. But it was his Gargantuan sense of humor which led him to "feed the poblacho fodder for their figments of the imagination." Lovecraft put in a post-script asking me if I had any ideas or suggestions from my knowledge of the Mexican deities who would make suitable candidates for his pantheon. ((Note. It might be mentioned as an aside that August Derleth, in The Trail of Cthulu, applies the Aztec name of Huitzilopochtli to Cthulhu, and that much of this story centers around a Peruvian manifestation of Cthulhu and his minions. FTL)) I sent him several clay and jade figurines of Aztec and Mayan gods and godlings that I had gotten in Quintana Roo, Mexico; and some publications on the subject, including the splendid brochure put out by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Then after a few moments contemplation, i sent him the following list of extremely Lovecraftian gods. Chiming-Agua. Aviolent diety and keeper of the Cosmic Light. Creator of the colossal Black Avians that Distribute light about the Universe during the daytime and who gobbled it up every night. Cen-Teatl. A gigantic, squat, frog-like female with a thousand udders, whose embrace was fatal to the Elder Gods and the Ghoul Gods of the Aztec Lethe (World of Oblivion). Tonantzin. Supreme Being in the form of an ever-sneering serpent whose long sinewy body coils about the entire firmament. The eggs she lays are solar orbs and planets. Cannibal-like, she devours her own children and hence is oftimes called "The Star-Eater". Camazotz. Mayan vampire bat-god who flys into the reeking pits and caverns of the Abysmal Cesspools of Creation to drag forth the vile monstrous maggot life dwelling therein. He drops these revolting entities on planets whose inhabitants refuse to worship him. The maggot life-forms smother the fated orbs with their slime and spittle before sucking out the steaming, living viscera of the earth-bodies. Kinich-Kakimo. Fiery visaged Lord of the Overworlds, whose chief duty is to hew out meteors from the mighty solar orbs in the Celestial Mansions. He also chops the tributary planets into form from great suns with his flint axe. No-Ek. (Star-Killer) Who sets the stars dancing down the corridors of space and time to their doom in the charnal cellars of creation. As each star reaches the Portals of Mitla (or Cosmic Slaughterhouse) it is felled with a soul-shattering blow by Noh-Ek's brother. -- 16 --
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
