Seriously Spooky Art

Ghoulish Vibes

Whether it's a ghoul, phantom, revenant, or "what have you," this picture gave me some serious Lovecraft vibes. It reeks of...something. The source is Meta via Spectral Insomnia. The artist is unknown.

And Speaking Of Cthulhu

HPLHS - Author's Picture

When you join the HP Lovecraft Historical Society, you will occasionally receive freebies and/or early or discounted offers on various mythos-related merchandise. Plus, you'll get a membership card and a frameable (pictured partially) membership certificate. Whenever you pay your yearly membership fee, you'll receive a "Cthulhu-gram" with a membership sticker that goes on your membership card.

Cthulhu Shirt

Cthulhu T-shirt - Author's Picture

I have a new, or rather newish, picture of a T-shirt that was gifted to me. It shows Cthulhu, a fictional entity created by H.P. Lovecraft. Cthulhu defies attempts at descriptions, but ultimately he is an alien high priest. He is ringed by symbols and words (on the shirt).

The most visible words are "Cthulhu r'lyeh wgah ngal fhtagn." The sentence "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" can be translated as, "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." As always, I urge you to visit the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society. Be sure to join if you're so inclined. It doesn't cost much.

Faster Not Bigger

I don't know about bigger, but if Cthulhu is around, I'd say "faster boat."

Source: Meta via Lovecraftians.

Deep Ones - Happy Halloween!

Deep Ones

The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The Deep Ones. Lovecraftian Mythos. I don't know the title of this work, and I don't know the artist. It does work for a final 2025 Halloween image, in my opinion. Happy Halloween!

Image Source: Meta via H.P. Lovecraft Appreciation Group.

Dagon

Dagon

In the very nice art, we see a picture of Dagon. H.P. Lovecraft wrote a popular story called Dagon. There was also a movie released under the same name. Did you know that Dagon, or an idol with that name, appears in the Bible? I think this image qualifies as Halloween art.

Image Source: Meta via Cthulhu & Co. Artist: Sabrina Tobal

Cthulhu Pumpkins

Cthulhu Pumpkins

Just in time for Halloween, we find Cthulhu Pumpkins! I think these are fantastic pieces of artwork. The OP said of this image, "Happy October! Here are some Cthulhu pumpkins."

Image Source: Meta via Lovecraft Ezine Podcast.

Fall Season

Fall Is Not Nigh, It's Here!

It's that time of the year! It's time (for me) to think about watching some classic horror movies. I do it every Fall, starting now until around Halloween. By classic, I mean 1930s and 1940s horror movies; the ones that aren't really scary. I don't like the modern slasher, zombie, or gory movies. They make me jumpy. I think I'll try to include a movie or two that has been inspired by H.P. Lovecraft (again, as long as it's relatively tame). Happy Fall! Oh, and Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

Image Source: Meta via H.P. Lovecraft Appreciation Group

Nile - As He Creates so He Destroys

As He Creates so He Destroys

From the channel of Nile.

Every once in awhile, I like to slip in a song that no one would expect me to know. This song is about a Lovecraftian deity named Azathoth. :-)

Provided to YouTube by Nuclear Blast

As He Creates so He Destroys · Nile

Ithyphallic

℗ 2007 Nuclear Blast

Released on: 2007-07-20

Composer: Dallas Toler-Wade

Lyricist: Karl Sanders

Cthulhu Statuette

Author's Collection

Cthulhu is supposed to be sleeping in "the nightmare corpse-city of R'lyeh," but it looks like this guy is awake and sitting amongst random structures that might be non-Euclidean in nature. Of course, I don't know for certain because I'm not a mathematician.

“In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” - H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

"Johansen’s voyage had begun just as he told it to the vice-admiralty. The Emma, in ballast, had cleared Auckland on February 20th, and had felt the full force of that earthquake-born tempest which must have heaved up from the sea-bottom the horrors that filled men’s dreams. Once more under control, the ship was making good progress when held up by the Alert on March 22nd, and I could feel the mate’s regret as he wrote of her bombardment and sinking. Of the swarthy cult-fiends on the Alert he speaks with significant horror. There was some peculiarly abominable quality about them which made their destruction seem almost a duty, and Johansen shews ingenuous wonder at the charge of ruthlessness brought against his party during the proceedings of the court of inquiry. Then, driven ahead by curiosity in their captured yacht under Johansen’s command, the men sight a great stone pillar sticking out of the sea, and in S. Latitude 47° 9′, W. Longitude 126° 43′ come upon a coast-line of mingled mud, ooze, and weedy Cyclopean masonry which can be nothing less than the tangible substance of earth’s supreme terror—the nightmare corpse-city of R’lyeh, that was built in measureless aeons behind history by the vast, loathsome shapes that seeped down from the dark stars. There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults and sending out at last, after cycles incalculable, the thoughts that spread fear to the dreams of the sensitive and called imperiously to the faithful to come on a pilgrimage of liberation and restoration. All this Johansen did not suspect, but God knows he soon saw enough!" - H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

Read The Call of Cthulhu at the H.P. Lovecraft Archive. 

Collectible Knife

Author's Collection

Author's Collection

I got this knife many years ago. I was friends with a family who had a kind-hearted daughter with a sweet spirit. She was about 15 years old. They knew I collected knives. They went on a vacation somewhere and the girl saw this knife and just had to get it for me. I don't know where she bought it. She's now grown and has two children of her own.

I kept the knife displayed in a curio cabinet at one time, thinking it was just a weird-looking showpiece. Later I realized it could be something right out of a Lovecraftian adventure, so now it's on a shelf with other mythos-related items. I get the distinct sense that it could be some island-themed weapon, though I'm not sure. I was thinking Polynesian, but I can't find anything from that culture that looks like this. So, I don't know what it is. The blade is flimsy, but after all these years, it's still surprisingly sharp. I could probably put an edge on it if I wanted to (I don't).

The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers

The King In Yellow by Robert Chambers (Overview, no spoilers)

The following contains rough descriptions of some (not all) of the stories in The King In Yellow by Robert Chambers. The book was published in 1895 and has had influence on other authors, including H.P. Lovecraft. "The King in Yellow" refers to a (imaginary) play, a supernatural entity, and the book by Chambers. Also associated with this is something called "the yellow sign."

In order of appearance:

1. The Repairer Of Reputations

The main character is Hildred Castaigne, a mentally unstable and unreliable narrator who obtains and reads the play called The King In Yellow. The story has been called a horror story with "motifs of the Yellow Sign and the King in Yellow." The tale takes place in 1920, at a time when the United States has become intolerably ethnocentric. I must confess that I had to read, and then reread, the story. I found the reading to be dry, but worth the effort. There are ten stories in the collection, but only four relate to the King In Yellow mythos.

The Repairer Of Reputations is preceded by the Table Of Contents and Cassilda's Song from a mysterious play called The King In Yellow:

"Along the shore the cloud waves break,

The twin suns sink behind the lake,

The shadows lengthen

In Carcosa.

 Strange is the night where black stars rise,

And strange moons circle through the skies

But stranger still is

Lost Carcosa.

Songs that the Hyades shall sing,

Where flap the tatters of the King,

Must die unheard in

Dim Carcosa.

Song of my soul, my voice is dead;

Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed

Shall dry and die in

Lost Carcosa."

Cassilda's Song in "The King in Yellow," Act I, Scene 2.

2. The Mask

The story can be described as a love story containing elements of fantasy and alchemy (the narrator defines it as chemistry). It has a pleasant ending. It refers to The King In Yellow, with quotes from the same before the story starts:

Camilla: You, sir, should unmask.

Stranger: Indeed?

Cassilda: Indeed it's time. We all have laid aside disguise but you.

Stranger: I wear no mask.

Camilla: (Terrified, aside to Cassilda.) No mask? No mask!

The King in Yellow, Act I, Scene 2.

3. In The Court Of The Dragon

The narrator is on the run from a mysterious organist. The King In Yellow himself appears in this story.

In the Court of the Dragon | The Yellow Site | Fandom

4. The Yellow Sign

The source of the cryptic saying, "Have you found the Yellow Sign?"

https://kinginyellow.fandom.com/wiki/The_Yellow_Sign_(story)

5. The Demoiselle D'Ys

While it doesn't refer specifically to KiY material, I include it because it's an excellent story. It's a love story with elements of time travel.

That's the end of the list, but, again, a few more stories appear in the book. They are not horror or supernatural-oriented tales.

More reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_in_Yellow

https://kinginyellow.fandom.com/wiki/The_King_In_Yellow_(The_Book)

Read it for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8492

Hastur, The King in Yellow

Hastur, The King In Yellow

The King in Yellow, AI-Generated image.

The King In Yellow refers to a book of short stories, some of which are disturbing in nature, written by Robert W. Chambers. His writings were admired by such persons as H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, et al.

The King In Yellow can refer to Chamber's book, a two-part play revealed in the book (watching the second part will drive one insane), and a mysterious entity called the King In Yellow.

Some main characters, places, and things mentioned by Chambers: The King in Yellow, Camilla, Cassilda, Carcosa, the Lake of Hali, and the Yellow Sign. Check the following pages for much more information.

As always, Wikipedia gives a good overview:

The King in Yellow - Wikipedia

The original book is in the public domain and is available at Project Gutenberg:

The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers | Project Gutenberg

This site contains a great overview of the material.

The King In Yellow (play) | The Yellow Site | Fandom