Beyond doubt, the most important work of HP Lovecraft is the series of books he wrote between the years of 1925-1935. Lovecraft is such an influential author that many people view his work to be based on ancient writings or myths and argue that what he wrote may indeed be real. At the center of these views is a mysterious book. In his writings, Lovecraft talks about “Necronomicon,” purportedly written by “Mad Arab” Abd-ül Alhazred, and gives citations from this book. Lovecraft’s style is so impressive that a book, never in existence, is believed to be real by many people. Although Lovecraft admitted that he invented the book himself, those who think the book is real did not give up their claims.
What Is Inside Necronomicon?
For those who believe in the existence of the book, it is the paramount work opening the doors of other realms and involving formulas for the evocation of creatures living there. The book also recounts about the Old Ones. These are powerful creatures from ancient times. In fact, Lovecraft said these creatures “had always existed and always would exist.” The book frequently mentions some formulas, which remind us of ancient Mesopotamian gods/goddesses, and said to call forth creatures from other realms.
The meaning of the book’s title still remains a mystery. “Necro” means dead in Latin. We can say that Lovecraft coined a name that is half Latin, half Greek.
Today, there are many fictional Necronomicon books on the market; however, according to many people, this book had really existed and even passed into the hands of persons such as John Dee or Nostradamus. Yet, it is still not known how this book passed to Lovecraft. Believers say that he found this book thanks to the mysterious connections of Sonia Green, a pulp fiction writer and ex-wife of Lovecraft. Again, believers note that the original copy written in Arabic by Abd-ül Alhazred in Eighth-Century Damascus was lost. Its Latin Translation, produced in 1487, circulated in Europe and reached the hands of the period’s celebrities; whereas, the translation obtained by Lovecraft was from the seventeenth century.
Origins of the Myth
Although Necronomicon is said to be a fictional book, there is a reason why so many people believed in its existence: During the Middle Ages, these kinds of Babel-origin evocation books purportedly existed—many of which passed around in Arabic that could not be understood. In other words, it was not so hard to believe that someone had actually written this kind of a book.
Undoubtedly, the basic motivation for believing is the millennial desire of humans to dominate nature and his attempt to use magic with this goal in mind. However, in paganism, the religion of our ancestors and probably the system closest to human nature, the point is to harmonize with nature. Those who overstate and turn this into a desire for dominating nature became the creators of “ancient” book sagas having spread by word-of-mouth for thousands of years.
Eventually, Necronomicon became an imagination of a non-existent book by a brilliant writer and a legend created by those who believe in it. It also has an important place in the ambitious search of the human race, while each age creates its own Necronomicon.
