Derleth Mythos Breakdown from Lovecraft is Missing

If you've ever sought a straightforward overview of the enduring controversy over H.P. Lovecraft's fiction and August Derleth's injection of his own ideas into the Cthulhu Mythos, then look no further than this new article from Lovecraft is Missing. The piece covers the strange case of the Cthulhu Mythos, from the promotion of the term by Derleth following Lovecraft's death to today's notions of what is meant by "Lovecraftian" and "Cthulhu Mythos." Derleth's alterations to the Mythos and the very idea of these words, for better or worse, still seem to comprise the outer ring of popular culture's understanding of Lovecraft.

This can be seen across the internet, as Cthulhu is held up (more often than not humorously) as a symbol of the ultimate cosmic evil, rather than an entity whose prime "evil" lays in extreme indifference to the puniness of mankind. The conscious malevolence of Cthulhu and other Old Ones is a predominantly a creature of Derleth's mind, not Lovecraft's.

Zealous readers of Lovecraft and the posthumous Cthulhu Mythos already know this dualistic introduction of good-evil into Lovecraftiana stemmed from Derleth, and many of these same readers seek newer Mythos works that consciously seek to omit Derlethian good and evil. However, few followers of Lovecraft's life and literary career can fail to note the hefty role played by Derleth and company after HPL's death in promoting his fiction to a wider audience--a point of order Derleth's crusaders use as the basis for defending him today. This debate may sound arcane and confusing to the newly or little initiated in the world of Lovecraft and broader weird fiction. Fortunately, the article at Lovecraft is Missing effectively spells out the historic actions that sparked this debate. So, head over for a breakdown of the facts, whether you're looking at them for the first time or just seeking a refresher.

-Grim Blogger

Blast Magazine: Losing at Lovecraft

Ray Huling of the "Blast Magazine Blog" has written a fairly extensive commentary on the board game Arkham Horror and his personal involvement with the author's fiction. Huling's article is an exemplary breakdown of Lovecraftian themes and symbols, especially in the context of the game he analyzes. Further, it's an observant foray into looking at a complex relationship long held between Lovecraft and games of all types: namely, how well Lovecraft's stories translate to gaming, or even whether they should translate that well. Huling also scratches the surface of feedback into the Lovecraftian genre through his literary transformation into gaming and back again.

Besides being a quality read on the immediate subject matter, I think it represents a good example of where Lovecraft scholarship has yet to tread. There are still towers of lines to be typed about how popular culture has affected Lovecraft the literary phenomena, but at least the foundation is being laid in insightful blog posts like Huling's contribution.

-Grim Blogger

Discussion on H.P. Lovecraft at Pulpfest

A discussion on H.P. Lovecraft is due to be held at 11:00 PM on July 31st at the Pulpfest 2009 Convention in Columbus, Ohio. The talk will be headed by Ian Lohr, editor of a series of Lost Pulp Classics by the Howling Wolf small press. Further details are available below, or at the linked Pulpfest website. The convention runs from July 31-August 2, 2009 at Columbus' Ramada Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

Today recognized as a master of supernatural fiction, during his lifetime Lovecraft was an impoverished writer who subsisted on canned pork and beans while spinning what would become some of the most widely respected tales to emerge from the pulp market. In such stories as "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Colour Out of Space," and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," Lovecraft combined the elements of Gothic horror with the emerging field of science fiction to create some of the most unique fiction of his day or any day.

In his voluminous correspondence, Lovecraft encouraged other writers to develop further the ideas he was exploring in his own fiction. Soon, Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard and others were refining their colleague’s "Yog-Sothery," now better known as the Cthulhu Mythos.

Lovecraft’s influence is felt even today in the fiction of Poppy Z. Brite, Neil Gaiman, Stephen King and others as well as in other areas of popular culture such as film, comic books, role-playing games, Scandinavian heavy metal music and a wide array of contemporary mythologies.

So join Ian as the witching hour approaches for an evening of cosmic horror, pop culture and philosophy.

-Grim Blogger

Zalgo on Youtube

Not surprisingly, the pseudo-Lovecraftian phenomena of Zalgo has migrated to Youtube the past few months. Zalgo, as previously discussed on this blog, is best described as the psychotic (and often humorous) vandalizing of popular cultural icons and internet memes with near Lovecraftian madness embodied in the phrase/deity ZALGO. He comes? Oh, yes, and now in video form.

The clips below feature the Old One like entity's finest appearances on Youtube to date. The Zalgo carnival has seemingly settled into a slower, but no less insidious type of growth the past few months since initially bursting onto the internet from the black pools of websites like 4chan.org and SomethingAwful. Still, interest in the emotional cocktail generated by Zalgo media will probably remain great in the short term, especially if these recent films are any indication.







-Grim Blogger

Weird News: Latvians Pledge Souls for Loans

As the world economy plummets further (yes, the media's late green shoots are poorly crafted fables), it's not as easy to get credit. Particularly in countries like Latvia, where government resources are not as abundant to pump into institutions "too big to fail" for the sake of keeping the debt web strong and sticky. Now, however, some particularly ghoulish financiers have raised the stake by offering loans to borrowers willing to pledge their immortal souls to the banking daemons of this world--and perhaps others. While this probably draws on old superstitions as a clever deterrent to defaulting on the loans, it's hard to imagine even the most rational spendthrifts feeling wholly at ease when agreeing to these otherworldly terms.

Would You Pledge Your Soul as Loan Collateral?

RIGA (Reuters) - Ready to give your soul for a loan in these difficult economic times? In Latvia, where the crisis has raged more than in the rest of the European Union, you can.

Such a deal is being offered by the Kontora loan company, whose public face is Viktor Mirosiichenko, 34.

Clients have to sign a contract, with the words "Agreement" in bold letters at the top. The client agrees to the collateral, "that is, my immortal soul."

Mirosiichenko said his company would not employ debt collectors to get its money back if people refused to repay, and promised no physical violence. Signatories only have to give their first name and do not show any documents.

"If they don't give it back, what can you do? They won't have a soul, that's all," he told Reuters in a basement office, with one desk, a computer and three chairs.

Wearing sunglasses, a black suit and a white shirt with the words "Kontora" (office) emblazoned on it, he reaches into his pocket and lays out a sheaf of notes on the table to show that the business is serious and not a joke.

Latvia has been the EU nation worst hit by economic crisis.

Unemployment is soaring and banks have sharply reduced their lending, meaning that small companies offering easy loans in small amounts have become more popular.

Mirosiichenko said his company was basically trusting people to repay the small amounts they borrowed, which has so far been up to 250 lats ($500) for between 1 and 90 days at a hefty interest rate.

He said about 200 people had taken out loans over the two months the business was in operation.

-Grim Blogger