The Strange Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft

Perhaps it was inevitable with a man of H.P. Lovecraft's weird caliber. Still, nearly a decade ago in late 1997, a very worrisome time loomed for Lovecraft admirers. This followed a sinister blow against Lovecraft's mortal remains by an apparently juvenile group of vandals, who attempted to dig into his grave at Swan Point Cemetery. Fortunately, they made it no more than three feet into the deep grave, not even hitting the solid concrete slab that continues to protect his coffin, according to cemetery officials. The incident lives on as dark lore among Lovecraft communities, Swan Point itself, and even Rhode Island tourist guides.

In the confused days of late '97, the inferno continued to rage despite numerous announcements concerning the safety of Lovecraft's remains by Swan Point security. This was only worsened by the circulation of a bad spirited (and again, likely juvenile) post on an internet forum. An unknown poster claimed to have acquired Lovecraft's skull, and even boasted he would offer it to the highest bidder. This generated a great deal of outrage and nausea, emotional imprints still preserved on the old online archives of alt.horror.cthulhu, now a Google Group. Eventually, most of the furor died down, as word of Swan Point's security procedures made general notice, and the incident passed into Lovecraftian history.

Still, this most infamous, direct assault on Lovecraft's grave is not the only impression left near the Old Gent's resting place. As the same alt.horror.cthulhu from late '97 attests, Providence residents and tourists to Swan Point noted all sorts of bizarre ephemera surrounding the Philips family plot. These rumors hint at Lovecraftian scrawlings, tree carvings of occult incantations, and even a few chunks missing out of headstones around the gravesite. The famous "that is not dead" couplet from the Necronomicon is often said to adorn HPL's tombstone in greasy marker, as seen in the picture above, circa 2000. A tree adjacent to the grave was said to be so riddled with carved Lovecraft quotes and occult symbols that Swan Point had it ripped up several years ago. As can be imagined, the murky incident of 1997 serves as a warning for Swan Point security, even though nothing on a similar scale has followed since. Similarly, it hasn't yet stopped the relatively minor, redundant graffiti appearing at Lovecraft's grave.

While just about everyone condemns the failed attempt to unearth HPL, admirers will likely remain divided over what role, if any, quotes from the Necronomicon and other ephemeral graffiti should have at Lovecraft's memorial. As the late '97 alt.horror.cthulhu entries attest, Lovecraftian fans were bitterly divided over these actions, setting a precedent for today. As a closing oddity, Lovecraft himself, for better or worse, was not above what might be considered to be grave vandalism by some. Willis Conover, a correspondent of HPL's, reportedly sent him some fragments of bone from an American Indian burial mound, which Lovecraft allegedly kept on his desk. More telling, both Lovecraft's biography by S.T. Joshi and Volumes 1 and 2 of the Selected Letters mention a few instances where HPL discussed his own funereal temptations, most notably where he wrote, "I was strongly tempted by an entire slab of the 1840 period." It remains unclear, but doubtful whether Lovecraft ever acted on his impulses. However, given Lovecraft's passionate antiquarianism, it seems unfair to wholly attack his tastes. By the same token, if everyone acted on such morbid pullings, there would only be a stump left of Lovecraft's headstone. It is just one more paradox in the queer history of HPL's unusual posthumous existence--one that is stranger, and a good deal more active, than many others could ever imagine for themselves.

-Grim Blogger