Dreams of The Cats of Ulthar

“It is said that in Ulthar, which lies beyond the river Skai, no man may kill a cat; and this I can verily believe as I gaze upon him who sitteth purring before the fire. For the cat is cryptic, and close to strange things which men cannot see. He is the soul of antique Aegyptus, and bearer of tales from forgotten cities in Meroe and Ophir. He is the kin of the jungle’s lords, and heir to the secrets of hoary and sinister Africa. The Sphinx is his cousin, and he speaks her language; but he is more ancient than the Sphinx, and remembers that which she hath forgotten.”

The Cats of Ulthar

1920

H.P. Lovecraft

 

 

 

 

 

Ulthar is a village in the Dreamlands of Earth. Its people are known for their simplicity, superstitious nature and reverence of cats. In the village, it was forbidden for any citizen of the land to harm or kill a cat.

The Dream Cycle is a series of short stories and novellas by author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937) – the style and setting of this series was inspired by the fantasy stories Lord Dunsay. Written between 1918 and 1932, they are about the “Dreamlands”, a vast alternate dimension that can only be entered via dreams.

I have recently posted a Dreamlands prose poem composition (a postcard correspondence from “Tourists” visiting the Dreamlands realm) on the Asemic Tarot blog:

asemic postcards 193 & 195 – The Dreamland Tours

Yuggoth’s Black Forest – Eldritch Haiku

Beneath blackened boughs reeking quays – the peals gathered
great wailing branches

 

dusty is this void –
winging weird limbs rise wild chimes
the near deep – vessel’s lips

 

in this defaced waste –
blackness standing like a dog
still in the forest

 

alleys of formless fog
strange tossed trails through dark twisting woods – beguiled steps

 

 

here the Deep-chaos
inhospitable ground dankly charred
moving shapes

 

 

into the crazed Hither
no rock can only scream
how soon it must creep

 

two dead aeons’ eyes –
storms crawling dimly drearly
to the Elder One

 

 

Process Note:

 Taking lines from H. P. Lovecraft’s Fungi from Yuggoth sequence, I put them through Haiku generating software, Interactive Haiku Generator. I then took the mangled results and macheted them into a variety of haiku forms (See 65 Haiku Rules).

The Clark Ashton Derlilyth House

Miskatonic University’s Historical Society has announced that The Clark Ashton Derlilyth House restoration has been restarted. The most recent construction supervisor, Azorthoth E. Waite, has materialized outside the structure, now that the portal has been appropriately stabilized.

As has been reported, the five previous construction supervisors were unable to either close or stabilize, what is called The Derlilyth Portal. With the return of Supervisor Waite, a memorial for his five predecessors will be scheduled promptly.

Clark Ashton Derlilyth was a renowned folklorist and metapsycholoist, as well as a noted poet and translator. His books, especially, The High House of Carcosa, and At The Mountains on The Borderlands, are celebrated as remarkable prose poetry, that provide insightful exploration of metapsychology, and mythopoeic manifestations.

 

At The Mountains on The Borderlands, is believed to be crucial in effectively stabilizing The Derlilyth Portal. The poet supposedly created the portal during the time he was working on the volume. In any case, the stabilization and ongoing work on the house has created a greater demand for all of Clark Ashton Derlilyth’s works. The publisher, Enigma Pilgrimage, say they have kept up with the demand.

 

The photographs seen here demonstrate the effects of the portal on the exterior of the house, and the nearby area. This problem has now been eliminated, however, extra caution is still needed when working on the interior’s reconstruction.

Ghostly Graffiti artists in Arkham

As has been reported, there have been Ghostly Graffiti artists active in Arkham. First reported on the Miskatonic campus near the Other-When Portal Department, the artists and their artwork has spread to various parts of this fair city. Please use the highest degree of caution if you happen upon either the artists or their work. Remember both the artists and their graffiti work shift locations randomly during the night. In either case, do not get too close, as the consequence on mental health and dimensional integrity can be quite dramatic.

Please note that there has been confusion over the two photos previously printed in the Shoggoth Examiner. The first photo is that of the Ghostly Graffiti artists, the second is an example of their artwork.

 

Note: Our photographer, Charles Dexter Chambers, and his family wish to thank all who sent thoughts and prayers. The bombardment of psychic-aether speeded up his recovery. He still on occasion hears Cassilda and The Azgothia Pretty Pretty Boys singing a discordant version of Hotel California.

 

The Bride of Cthulhu ~ 3 wedding portraits

 

 

 

It was a phantasmagorical wedding. The bride’s veil was writhing in waves. Her voice full of excitement, it could be heard past the curvature of spacetime, and into the infinite eldritch fields and maddening twisted plains that extrude out of unfathomable depths to the outer edges of The Dreamlands.

Wedding Portraits by The Arkham Photography Studio