Abstract
H.P. Lovecraft crafted an intricate mythos which initially did not find success until after his death, and his works, most notably “The Call of Cthulhu” (1928), were regarded to be a landmark towards the relevancy of occultism both in the field of literature and religious belief. The short story was regarded to be the staple of “cosmic horror” which Lovecraft applied to almost all of his stories. The paper analyze how “The Call of Cthulhu” influenced the belief of modern occultism, which can be inferred from the literary elements in the story. Further analysis will also identify how Lovecraft portrayed the subgenre “cosmic horror” to enhance the elements of occultism within the short story. In relation to the previous elements, the paper examine how a particular cult, Typhonian Order, was influenced by the elements of occultism used in the story.
Highlights
Snyder’s (2017) analysis on the short story regarding the usage of “fear of the unknown” is elaborated in this paper as one of the pervasive elements used in the story, with the difference that this paper focuses on how the element itself portrays occultism in the time period of the short story’s creation, as Snyder’s paper only briefly touched upon the presence of occultism in the element
Even the practice of occultism itself is said to be open to anyone that wanted to adhere to the belief, a view shared by Jorgensen & Jorgensen (1982), who elaborated that “almost anyone may begin an occult practice” (Lovecraft, 1928, p. 378), it required further commitment should one wish to be considered as an occultist. This can be taken as another example of how Lovecraft used several elements of occultism in his story and twisted them to conform to the theme of his story, which resulted in the perceived negative portrayal of the elements of occultism in the short story
It is one that Grant believed to be true and incorporated within his own belief and teachings, subsequently adapted by the order which he presided over until his death in 2011. Another direct reference made by Grant (1999) to the short story can be seen in his theory on the secret spell, or codewords, of opening “gates”, which can be related to relics of past civilizations
Summary
“ the cult, by appropriate rites, must keep alive the memory of those ancient ways and shadow forth the prophecy of their return” (Lovecraft, 1928, p. 170). 6) in his literature, including “The Call of Cthulhu” (1928) The paper mentions his other works such as “The Dunwich Horror” (1928) with no particular focused analysis for the elements of the occultism influenced by the short stories. Bolton (2011) elaborated further that the Lovecraftian Mythos itself can be used as a reference point for a whole new system of occultism theory, as it contains elaborate systems of rituals which can be realistic enough to be practiced in real life Both articles included his other works including The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1936), and other cults including the Esoteric Order of Dagon and the Lovecraftian Coven, the latter of which will be referenced in this analysis as one of the examples of the cults influenced by the short story. It can be inferred that, unlike traditional occultism, modern occultism derives its values from various other belief systems and is open to multiple interpretations, which explains the ensuing influence of the short story, “The Call of Cthulhu,” on Typhonian Order’s modern occultism
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