Necronomicon question

[Spirit of '22]

People always talk about it like its some scary and dark book of evil demons... I have it, and the invocations are of the Sumerian pantheon. A mid-Eastern Jupiter doesnt sound too evil to me.

[Spirit of '22]

Anyway, my question is, why is it mentioned like its some kind of black bible of evil spirits? Its just fuckin Marduk... the whole point of Marduk is that he defeated the evil.

[Cassiel]

Well, when H.P. Lovecraft (who many say wrote the Necronomicon as a sort of creative writing project) wrote about the Necronomicon in many of his writings it was a dark and scary thing. The reason it's so scary is because one, it's called the Necronomicon, it has a creepy feel to it. Two, it does have some crazy stuff in it, like the stuff about the dark Ancient Ones who lie insane and dangerous outside of our cosmos.

[Dr. Cranium]

Just a work of fiction, thus not too scary.

[SmokeWhiskey]

It's all Sam Raimi's and Bruce Campbell's fault.

[Craftian]

I don't think Lovecraft wrote the Necronomicon, because it doesn't exist.

Everything I've heard suggests that all the "Necronomicons" you see are really just cheap attempts to cash in on Lovecraft/Evil Dead.

[DuctTape20]

What exactly is this book and where can I get a copy? It sounds interesting.

[Cassiel]

DuctTape it's called "The Necronomicon" and you can buy it any bookstore that has an "occult/new age" section.

[Lokil]

How can there be three editions of the book. And do you use it?

[UrbnTbone]

The point is, when Lovecraft wrote, he didn't put a copyright on "necronomicon" so it was an easy lead for any writer with a sense for business.

You don't even need to be a writer, you just register the copyright then you sell the idea or get someone to write anything that more or less makes sense with some basic occult knowledge, and you're in business, the eye of an ever-paying pyramid.

You can earn your whole life on a book like that, because it relies on H.P.L. being famous and you being smart enough to copyright the name of the book, before anyone else did it.

[VeneFrigus]

You automatically have a copyright on anything original you write.

[UrbnTbone]

quote:Originally posted by VeneFrigus:

You automatically have a copyright on anything original you write.

Necronomicon was not a title for any HPL's book, just one book mentioned in there.

Now the copyright may or not be deposited on any of the names in a book. I guess Hary potter has anything original in it, copyrighted... But for authors a bit older, the jungle was not that tough and the market was less global and extended so they didn't bother depositting just anything...

BTW as AM put it once, it is possible that necronomicon is a general term for necromancy books, with any book on the topic deserving the title.

UrbnT

It only actually is mentioned in a few of Lovecraft's stories, and not much of what is in the book is really described at all.

The Necronomicon was supposedly penned by the mad Arab Abdul al Hazred. This is a Lovecraftian creation as well, since the name "Abdul" in arabic is actually Abd al, meaning a name like "Abd al al Hazred" would never have existed.

There's no copyright because after Lovecraft's death, Arkham House Publishers claimed all copyright to Lovecraft's works, but under the Copyright Act of 1978, works before 1976 whose copyrights were not renewed 28 years after publication lost copyright protection. All Lovecraft material is now public domain because the original copyrights were never renewed.

http:../../www.gizmology.net/lovecraft/copyrights.htm

And that Necronomicon crap about spells and summoning demons is such bullshit that even "real" occultists think its hogwash.

[Spirit of '22]

I know. But my point is, the things you summon are Gods- the good ones, of Sumeria. Marduk is just a mid-eastern Jupiter. Why do people consider this evil?

Because they're pagan gods?

Some of the "spirits" in the Necronomicon are (according to the book) warriors who killed thousands in the battle against the Ancient Ones. In the copy I have, it gives descriptions of the traits of each of the fifty names. There are four that it tells you not to summon because of how much they kill, how easily and without regard they kill, and one for the manner in which he does it. There is also one that says that the gods tremble at the mention of his name, I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to see him. The "power" of these spirits, demons, or names of Marduk whatever you want to call them would be all but unstoppable. I have never done it, know nothing other than what is written in my obviously Lite version of the book, and don't have experience with magick, this is just the way I interpretted what I have read.

[ArmsMerchant]

quote:Originally posted by Craftian:

I don't think Lovecraft wrote the Necronomicon, because it doesn't exist.

Everything I've heard suggests that all the "Necronomicons" you see are really just cheap attempts to cash in on Lovecraft/Evil Dead.

Right on! As I understand it, Lovecraft came up with the name and some spurious quotes. (He also invented "The King in Yellow," which never got much attention.)

Raimi/Cmpbell did a good job of using existing material, I dunno if they actually went over the line and plaigerized.