Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?

Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?
, page 1
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread878054/pg1
Pages: << 1
4 >>
ATS Members have flagged this thread 25 times

Topic started on 3-9-2012 @ 08:32 PM by Xoanon
Hello again ATS,

For some of you, this thread is going to be immediately interesting, but I am
afraid that many of you will be left scratching your head wondering, What is
a Necronomicon, and why do I care?.
Well, there is the strong possibilty that someone you know, maybe one of
your children or grandchildren, will someday come waltzing in to the room,
all smug with their goth little selves, and slap down a copy of this hoary old
grimoire, declaring, Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!.
And you are going to want to know what to do. I hope to give you the ammo
here on this thread to Deny Ignorance, should you ever encounter The
Necronomicon.
For those that do not know and are unaware that there is a problem in the
first place: I would suggest that you merely Google (Google spellcheck will,
of course, correct your spelling of Necronomicon, if you don't get it right
),
1
Is the Necronomicon real?, or something thereabouts, and see what

happens.
Now, what is it?...
The Necronomicon was simply a literary device that H.P. Lovecraft used to
enrich his stories, give them depth and gravitas, and to link them together in
a meaningful way. H.P.L. Attributed the writing of The Necronomicon to
'Abdul Alhazred', who was a childhood persona developed when Lovecraft
was a boy.
Lovecraft actually mentions the tome very few times, and briefly, at that, in
his works of fiction. Which is important to know for keeping things in
perspective. Lovecraft attracted the admiration of many other writers in his
brief stay on Earth, and what became known as "Lovecraft's Circle", quickly
developed around him once his stuff started getting published. The circle
included Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and others.
2
And it was this intense fan base, made up greatly of other writers, that
propelled the Necronomicon to the level of a literary hoax. And still fuels the
preponderance of the legend to this day.
Is it real?
No. I am going to keep this part short and I am going to draw from two
sources: one for Lovecraft's invention, and another for the modern
publication that seems to persist in being controversial.
As I said, The Necronomicon is entirely the invention of Lovecraft. Abdul
Alhazred was a boyhood alter-ego. And I am going to let Howard speak for
himself here. These are actual letters written between Robert E. Howard (the
creator of the Conan novels) and H.P. Lovecraft...
August 14th, 1930

The Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred is likewise something which must yet be
written in order to possess objective reality. Abdul is a favourite dream-character of mine
indeed that is what I used to call myself when I was five years old and a transported devotee of
Andrew Langs version of the Arabian Nights.
A few years ago I prepared a mock-erudite synopsis of Abduls life, and of the posthumous
vicissitudes and translations of his hideous and unmentionable work Al Azif...a synopsis which
I shall follow in future references to the dark and accursed thing.
Long has alluded to the Necronomicon in some things of hisin fact, I think it is rather good fun
to have this artificial mythology given an air of verisimilitude by wide citation."
May 7th, 1932
"As for writing the NecronomiconI wish I had the energy and ingenuity to do it! I fear it would
be quite a job in view of the very diverse passages and intimations which I have in the course of
time attributed to it!
I might, though, issue an abridged Necronomiconcontaining such parts as are
considered at least reasonably safe for the perusal of mankind!When von Juntzs Black
Book and the poems of Justin Geoffrey are on the market, I shall certainly have to think about the
immortalisation of old Abdul!"
www.hplovecraft.com...
I think that is pretty funny that H.P.L. Seems to have invented the 'Mythos'
sense of humor, as well.
3
Anyhow, you can all see there plain as dirt that Lovecraft himself had the
time and the wherewithal to make it clear that the Necronomicon is purely
his own invention and not some ancient text with spells that might protect
humanity from the impending onslaught of Cosmic forces and entities that
want to make us dinner and steal our planet (which was never ours in the
first place).
Now, on to the modern version, which is the tougher nut to crack.
The Simon Necronomicon.
This is the one that causes problems. It was published in 1977 and is
commonly referred to as The Simon Necronomicon. Inside, one discovers
that the book is merely introduced by Simon, and Simon denies authorship.
This is the one that you may find being carried around by a friend or loved
one. Let's take an axe to it, shall we?
In short, although he will swear up and down it is not him, the author of the
Simon Necronomicon is Peter levenda; yes, the same guy that wrote Sinister
Forces. I like him, he is a great guy, and he wrote the book in question.
There were a lot of people hanging around a particular book store in the mid
to late 70's that was called the Magickal Childe. Peter Levenda was one of
them and it was at the magickal Childe bookstore that the Simon
Necronomicon was developed. Like I said, there were lots of folks hanging
4
around, how do I know? Because one of them was Alan Cabal, who wrote a
very good article called The Doom That Came To Chelsea, and in that article,
Cabal drops the dime on Simon/Levenda.
edit on 3-9-2012 by Xoanon because: .
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 08:40 PM by Xoanon
Ultimately, ATS, the best I can do is to is to hand you the axe and point to the tree,
you will have to do the chopping.
That is because Simon/Levenda is masterful at damage control and has actually
been rather forthcoming, on radio and in print, about his involvement in the Simon
Necronomicon. In the end he will say that he was 'involved but did not write the
book'.
So I am going to let Simon/Levenda go first followed by Alan Cabal. Here is Peter
levenda being interviewed by Tracy Twyman at Dagobert's Revenge magazine...
Peter Levenda
The story is told, I think, in other places and I have been asked this before -- also on the Internet
-- so to summarize: in the 1970s a couple of Eastern Orthodox monks pulled off the biggest rare
book heist in the history of the United States.
It was a continuing crime, the books being taken from libraries and private collections all over the
country (and, it was said, Canada and Mexico). They were finally busted, and did federal time,
but most of the books were never recovered.
The Necronomicon was part of this swag as were a lot of occult books. It was in Greek,
handwritten, but the problem was that much of the Greek was unintelligible. My modest
contribution to this was recognizing that some of the Greek was an attempt to phoneticize
Babylonian and Sumerian words.
I am not one of the people arguing that this Necronomicon is THE Necronomicon, or that
Lovecraft was even aware that it existed. I think Lovecraft heard the name through one of his
friends in the Golden Dawn, and used it creatively.
quintessentialpublications.com...
Well, Simon/Levenda, Alan Cabal tells a different story...
Alan Cabal
In 1977, the book made its debut in the window of Hermans little shop of horrors in Chelsea (ed.
Magickal Childe books). It generated a scene of its own, a scene bursting with mad, unfocused
creativity and slapstick mayhem. Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea had just published their
Illuminatus trilogy, and interest in secret societies and occult lore was sweeping through
counterculture circuits.
Into this bubbling swamp of spiritual fecundity stepped Peter Levenda, aka "Simon." Charming,
soft-spoken and aloof, well-versed in all aspects of occult theory and practice, he eased his way
to the center of the scene.
The Necronomicon was a team effort. Herman provided the sponsorship, while the design and
layout were the work of Jim Wasserman of the OTO, a raving cokehead from Jersey named
Larry Barnes whose daddy had the production facilities and a fellow who called himself Khem
Set Rising (who also designed the sigils). The text itself was Levenda's creation, a synthesis of
Sumerian and later Babylonian myths and texts peppered with names of entities from H.P.
Lovecraft's notorious and enormously popular Cthulhu stories.
Levenda seems to have drawn heavily on the works of Samuel Noah Kramer for the Sumerian,
and almost certainly spent a great deal of time at the University of Pennsylvania library
researching the thing. Structurally, the text was modeled on the wiccan Book of Shadows and the
Goetia, a grimoire of doubtful authenticity itself dating from the late Middle Ages."
Simon" was also Levenda's creation. He cultivated an elusive, secretive persona,giving him a
fantastic and blatantly implausible line of bull# to cover the books origins. He had no telephone.
He always wore business suits, in stark contrast to the flamboyant Renaissance fair, proto-goth
costuming that dominated the scene.
www.scribd.com...
There you go ATS, there is more to come, but that should suffice, for the moment,
to help us get some perspective on the background of the Necronomicon, and
maybe assuage our eldritch horror a bit.
X.
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 08:40 PM by phroziac
So its not real.
reply to post by phroziac
Nay, my fine friend, it existeth not.

I think.
X.
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:00 PM by Druscilla
I thought The Necronomicon was the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Phraseology and style of writing would seem to indicate such.
Okay, nevermind, my speed skim read different.
Necronomicon = H.P.Lovecraft.
Then, there's always the Bruce Campbell contribution
edit on 3-9-2012 by Druscilla because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:02 PM by JValhalla
When I here Necronomicon I automatically think.

"This is my boom stick"
Great thread and research I have always wondered if there was a real book. All my
investigation led to a dead end. Thanks for this. S/F
reply to post by Druscilla
I thought The Necronomicon was the work of H.P. Lovecraft.
"As for writing the NecronomiconI wish I had the energy and ingenuity to do it! I fear it would
be quite a job in view of the very diverse passages and intimations which I have in the course of
time attributed to it! I might, though, issue an abridged Necronomiconcontaining such parts as
are considered at least reasonably safe for the perusal of mankind! When von Juntzs Black
Book and the poems of Justin Geoffrey are on the market, I shall certainly have to think about the
immortalisation of old Abdul!"
H.P.L. in correspondence to Robert E. Howard.
www.hplovecraft.com...
No. He only ever referred to it as though it were an existing text in his own fiction
writing.
So since it does not exist, I have to ask...
The Phraseology and style of writing would seem to indicate such.
What phraseology and writing style? Have you got a copy of The Necronomicon?
X.
reply to post by JValhalla
These days, me too. I am glad you found something that you were looking for in the
thread. Thanks for coming by.
X.
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:27 PM by Druscilla
Originally posted by Xoanon
What phraseology and writing style? Have you got a copy of The Necronomicon?
X.
I read it once back in Highschool back to back with some H.P. Lovecraft along with
some Clive Barker stories when I was on a horror kick.
The style of writing, in such close conjunction with reading H.P. Lovecraft gave me
the impression that the work was indeed his.
reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 10:45 PM by Puck 22
A small appendix to the story of the Necronomicon I'm fairly sure Lovecraft's fans
will enjoy because despite the fact it is true it sounds like something Lovecraft
himself might have written.
A little over twenty years ago a paperback came out called something like 'Bizarre
Murders'.
One of the murders it described was that of a cult leader and his family, a wife and
two daughters.
The nature of the cult was never discovered as after the murder all the members
disappeared and none were ever found.
It has been over twenty years so forgive an old memory but either the husbands
arms had been removed and the arms of his family hacked in an unsuccessful
attempt to remove them or the other way around. The wife and daughter had their
arms removed and an attempt was made to remove his. I really don't remember.
What makes this murder relevant to this thread is that the leader of the cult claimed
to be writing a 'true history of the world' as it was dictated to him at two or three
every morning by a demon.
Although the accounts of the story spell the name several different ways it is
referred to at least twice as 'The Necronomicon'.
This, by the way, all occurred when H.P.L. was only 11-years-old and so it is
doubtful anyone drew any inspiration from him.
The Necronomicon? The Starry Wisdom Sect? An attempt to remove evidence of
webbed digits?
Of course not. Let's not get silly. Just coincidences. Nothing to see here. Let's all
move along now.
For what it's worth.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 02:29 PM by reficul
what do you mean its not real?!!!!

i even bought the necronomicon spell book so i would have a complete set!!!!
i too purchased this book when i was getting heavy into h.p.l.
i actually still have my original copy,along with the really cheesy spell book that
came along later.
(you too can accumulate wealth and power and love!!!
)
my favorite necronomicon will always be the one from 'evil dead'!
"the book was inked in human blood,and bound in human flesh"
cool thread!!!!
just to recap the back cover:
"this is the testimony of all that i have seen,and all that i have learned...
for this is the book of the dead,the book of the black earth,that i have writ down at
the peril of my life"
wow! scary stuff eh!
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 02:38 PM by Ophiuchus 13
OP I wonder if its related to the Codex Gigas
10
or the Devils bible?

edit on 9/4/12 by Ophiuchus 13 because: (no reason given)
reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
Hi Ophiuchus13
I am going to say no, the Codex Gigas is not the Necronomicon...
According to one version of a legend that is already recorded in the Middle Ages the scribe was a
monk who broke his monastic vows and was sentenced to be walled up alive. In order to forbear
this harsh penalty he promised to create in one single night a book to glorify the monastery
forever, including all human knowledge.
Near midnight he became sure that he could not complete this task alone, so he made a special
prayer, not addressed to God but to the fallen angel Lucifer, asking him to help him finish the
book in exchange for his soul. The devil completed the manuscript and the monk added the
devil's picture out of gratitude for his aid. In tests to recreate the work, it is estimated that
reproducing only the calligraphy, without the illustrations or embellishments, would have taken 5
years of non-stop writing
This whole story is suspect as I happen to have it on good report that the monk
was not walled up alive.
No, the Codex Gigas appears to be purely a hoax related to medieval Europe, while
the Necronomicon is full of Mesopotamian mythology and spells in what scholars
seem to think is Sumerian.
Totally nothing to worry about in either case.
Thanks for coming by.
11
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:04 PM by Ophiuchus 13
reply to post by Xoanon
Thanks I always wondered if there was a relation
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:23 PM by Wookiep
Klaatu, verata, n....necktie....ni*cough*

One of the best movies ever.
Yes, it's true, Necronomicon is nearly a household word since it has been taken up
by popular culture and satirized in movies.
One of the things that I hope to express on this thread is that there are folks out
there that take it very, very seriously.
I am going to add some posts to the thread soon that will highlight this for you all.
In the meantime, here is the actual interview that I cited above where Tracy
Twyman interviews Peter Levenda, who is Simon, the author of the Simon
Necronomicon, even though he denies it.
He begins to speak of the book at 44 seconds.
Enjoy...
YouTube Link
edit on 4-9-2012 by Xoanon because:
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:18 PM by something wicked
12

reply to post by phroziac
Nay, my fine friend, it existeth not.

I think.
X.
Well..... it doesn't, Lovecraft uses it as part of his folklore. Does the ring exist that
Tolkein spoke of? You can debate about where Lovecraft stands in modern literature,
but he introduced a mythos, that's all. Having said that, on ATS people will deny
Atlantis is Plato's invention even though there is no mention of it before him so - this
I guess is the place where such things can be debated without regard to fact.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:29 PM by BIHOTZ
Yeah its fiction. But....

Like all good fiction it draws from truth for inspiration.
Love craft was a good writer that told a good story. He used all sorts of sources and
people for inspiration.
But yeah. Fiction.
He probably knew a real Arab that practiced jinn magic (which i still done) for
inspiration for his mad Arab character.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:56 PM by CallYourBluff
Manson thinks otherwise.

YouTube Link
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:56 PM by abeverage
You have forgotten The Book of Eibon, De Vermis Mysteriis, The G'harne Fragments,
The Parchments of Pnom, and many more! Having attended Miskatonic University
13
(GO C'POD's!!!) you do not have to be a Goth to browse the restricted section of the
Library.
Being there are genuine copies of the aforementioned works, you must be a
graduate student working on a thesis, a professor or a wealthy alumni/benefactor of
the University to be allowed access, due to the nature of the material and the age of
the manuscripts.
Living in Arkham or its surrounding arears may also get you access. If you are
granted access your research must state that any of the reference materials will not
be uttered, thought, or otherwise incantated in any sort of way. If you are a
translator that you will not dwell too long on the text your translating
Again...If you are a translator it is asked that you will not dwell too long on the text
youre translating and best to believe any visions or apparitions you may see are
only illusion or hallucinations. If you do happen to summon something, open a portal
or bring about the end of your sanity you will most likely be left to your own devices
as the University has a strict non-involvement policy after a few events in the
1920s-30's
Now as for the text being real, well there are some private collectors that would
have you believe they are fantasy so they will keep making millions or Billions. There
is a reasons there are Gates to the other realms and Gates is one of the richest men
here.
But do not bother yourself with such nonsense, keep thinking they are make-believe
made up writings of a silly author(s) and stay in the shallow end of the pool
otherwise you might drown.
YesKeep your research to the interwebs and word of mouth, and stay on that path,
best not to dig to deep unless you are prepared to lose all you have ever known
uncovering the horrid truth
edit on 4-9-2012 by abeverage because: (no reason given)
Pages: << 1
2 3 4 >> ^^TOP^^
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:08 PM by Maroboduus
Are there seriously people who believe the Necronomicon is real???
If so, those people are complete and utter morons. It takes about 2 seconds of
research to find out it was invented by Lovecraft. Good lord....
edit on 4-9-2012 by Maroboduus because: (no reason given)
14
reply to post by abeverage
What are you, 12 years old? It must be nice to live in a complete fantasy land. Tell
me, how was Miskatonic University? It must be interesting, attending a fictitious
college in a fictitious town....
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:21 PM by ainsley
Interesting post!
I dug my tome out a few days ago, I have only read a few stories from it. Here's
some pics;
15
16
17
I have a lot of reading and research to do, I wasn't aware it was so "esoteric" !
Renewed my interest op ty.
ains,
edit on 4-9-2012 by ainsley because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:24 PM by abeverage
Originally posted by Maroboduus

reply to post by abeverage
What are you, 12 years old? It must be nice to live in a complete fantasy land. Tell me, how was
Miskatonic University? It must be interesting, attending a fictitious college in a fictitious town....
18

Nope I am not 12, but I have been told I age well and look the same after 20 or so
years
Oh The tuition is very easy on the ole pocket book!
Originally posted by JValhalla

Great thread and research I have always wondered if there was a real book. All my investigation led
to a dead end. Thanks for this. S/F
What???
If you google Necronomicon, the first thing that pops up is the Wikipedia entry. And
the VERY FIRST SENTENCE of that article states:
The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire
How hard was that?

Man alive....
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:40 PM by thomasblackraven
Any thoughts on the presentation put forth in Dead Names: The Dark History of the
Necronomicon? Some of the police reports are quite interesting regarding the
connections of the individuals involved...
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:43 PM by reject
I had a paperback copy which I burned after bad luck seemed to start to hound me.
Then my sister got one which she also asked me to throw away for her.
I don't know why but the nature and intentions of those that created it may have
imbued it with something negative.
19
It doesn't matter if it was written in modern times.

Stay away from it.
edit on 4-9-2012 by reject because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:43 PM by hotbread
I think none of those witchcraft books are real.
Hello all,
I must apologize. Tracy Twyman must really like interviewing Peter Levenda because
the YouTube interview I posted is not the same as I have cited in the OP.
No big though, he is going over essentially the same story and I think that he goes
into better detail and lets himself hang out a little more in the interview from the
video that I posted.
I have gone ahead and pulled out some of Peter/Simon's story so we can read it
here...
Peter Levenda, very, very likely author of The Simon Necronomicon, being interviewed by
Tracy Twyman regarding Peter's involvement in the production of The Simon
Necronomicon in the 1970's...
Referring here to the 'monks' that supposedly were heisting books from public and private
libraries, I hope you remember that part from the OP...
"Andrew knew about this, he knew what they were up to all along as they were kicking stuff back
to him. he really didn't mind it too much as long as he wasn't involved in the actual theft."
"Andrew's interest was always in books of an occult nature, so he had a small growing collection
of old tomes of various kinds and as it turns out he had stacks of things in boxes, old manuscripts
and that sort of thing".
20
"And I was over one day and the rest is history...

...opened up the box and saw, um, a manuscript with a Greek name,Necronomicon, ya know, we
thought it had something to do with death"
"You have to understand that we did not read H.P. Lovecraft, we had no knowledge of it in the
1970's, it just wasn't part of our lifestyle to read occult fiction and gothic horror and stuff. It just
wasn't there, we didn't know.
So for us it meant nothing. Just that it had something to do with the dead, and there were some
strange sigils and stuff in it; it looked pretty cool, you know, and that was really the discovery of it,
you know, it was just right there so we said, "Let's do something with this".
So there we go. You can see how slippery Levenda/Simon is when it comes to all of
this. In this interview he is claiming now to be the person that discovered the
manuscript by accident, even though he was aware enough to know that 'Andrew'
had a collection of old occult tomes. My question is, why didn't 'they' 'do something'
with any of the other ancient, stolen, tomes of great antiquity in 'Andrew's'
collection?
Also, people that don't know anything about the occult, as Levenda/Simon claims,
do not throw around specialized jargon like 'occult tomes' and especially 'sigil'.
Geez.
edit on 4-9-2012 by Xoanon because:
reply to post by reject
I had a paperback copy which I burned after bad luck seemed to start to hound me. Then my sister
got one which she also asked me to throw away for her.
I don't know why but the nature and intentions of those that created it may have imbued it with
something negative.
Was it the Simon version? The one in the second picture near the bottom of the OP?
21
That one is notorious for generating stories like your own and that is part of the
reason that I started this thread. I was not really kidding when I suggested in the
OP that a friend or loved one might bring one of these home.
I am going to see if I can gather other anecdotes about the Simon Necronomicon
from the web and post them here if I am able to.
I hope that others will share their stories of the Simon version, if they have them
and are willing.
Thanks for sharing.
X.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:54 PM by Snippy23
I notice that the 'Simon' Necronomicon is priced at 0.32p (50c) on Amazon UK.
Probably not worth the money.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 06:12 PM by old_god
Originally posted by JValhalla

When I here Necronomicon I automatically think.
Great thread and research I have always wondered if there was a real book. All my investigation led
to a dead end. Thanks for this. S/F
Boom
Stick
22
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 06:12 PM by old_god
Originally posted by hotbread

The real ones will exist in some collectors vault somewhere
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 06:13 PM by reject
I don't know. The sigil looks the same though.

I read the whole damn thing; a lot of it doesn't have continuity and a lot of it are
symbols...its the one that says somewhere "don't stare into the abyss because it
stares back.." and about "the ancient ones who are dead BUT DREAMING."
Its supposed to be Sumerian but I got the impression it was somehow linked to
native American mythology as well.
My bad luck continues to this day.
Curiosity kills the cat. So, stay away. Nothing good comes of it.
reply to post by thomasblackraven
Any thoughts on the presentation put forth in Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon?
23
Some of the police reports are quite interesting regarding the connections of the individuals
involved...
Thanks for asking TBR,

I have just become aware of 'Simon's' book. It looks a lot more like something that
Levenda would write, right?
So in 'Dead Names' we now have 'Simon' telling the story of Levenda as told by
Cabal in my OP.
No kidding, it's as simple as that. Weird, huh? I don't know why Levenda persists in
the subterfuge; I imagine he must have the same concerns as Fred Gettings who
goes around writing books as 'David Ovason'.
Too funny. Do you keep up with all this occult stuff,. yourself, TBR?
As far as murders and occult crimes that have involved the Necronomicon, there are
the heinous murders of Naomi Ruth Queen and Richard Wendorf at the hands ofRod
Ferrell and his cult.
When authorities caught up to them, they found a copy of the Simon Necronomicon
in his possessions, and later it was claimed that Ferrell used the Necronomicon in
cult rituals. But it should be kept in mind that investigators found a copy of Anne
Rice's Interview With The Vampire right there along with it.
Originally posted by hotbread

There are many authentic grimoires (Key of Solomon, Book of Sacred Magic of
Abramelin the Mage, etc), but the Necronomicon is assuredly not one of them.
As to the Simon Necronomicon, it is widely known to be a hoax.
Any perceived ill effects linked to it are ONLY that: perception. You are reading too
much into things and linking them to that book when no causality actually exists. It
is a hoax, through and through. It can't cause anything bad to happen to you or
24
anybody else. Trying to link it to murders and such because perpetrators happened
to own it is bad logic, at best. They weren't evil/didn't commit evil acts because they
owned it; they owned it because they were actively trying to play up their view of
themselves as being evil.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 06:30 PM by connorromanow
maybe one of your children or grandchildren, will someday come waltzing in to the room, all smug
with their goth little selves, and slap down a copy of this hoary old grimoire, declaring, Ph'nglui
mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!.
if i ever meet anyone that can properly pronounce that whole phrase ill be
impressed and scared
but im glad there is a thread like this because ive seen around three different copies
of the necronomicon at one book store,
I hope that the core folks that are reading this go over those Lovecraft letters very
carefully, much is revealed in them...
"Long has alluded to the Necronomicon in some things of hisin fact, I think it is rather good fun
to have this artificial mythology given an air of verisimilitude by wide citation."
"Long" is...
Frank Belknap Long (April 27, 1901 - January 3, 1994) was a prolific American writer of horror
fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction.
25
Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and
science fiction short stories, including early contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos.
During his life, Long received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (at the 1978 World
Fantasy Convention), the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement (in 1987, from the Horror
Writers Association), and the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award (1977).
en.wikipedia.org...
I truly hope that devotees of American fiction, like myself, are enjoying this as much
as I am. If so, the link that is attached to Lovecraft's letters in the OP will take you
to an entire collection of H.P.L.'s correspondence. The man was an incredible writer,
before anything else.
X.
reply to post by connorromanow
but im glad there is a thread like this because ive seen around three different copies of the
necronomicon at one book store,
Thank you, connorronamow, I appreciate the validation, I would not want people to
take my offer of help too lightly.
X.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 06:35 PM by silent thunder
Interesting thread OP. I've long been fascinated b grimores, but like you and most
people, I am convinced the Necro is a clever hoax.
26
A few years ago I bought a book called Dead Names that preports to tell the story
of the Orthodox book thieves and the whole Magikal Chylde scene, but it sits
neglected on my bookshelf, yet to be read - in a large part due to the fact I think
this book-about-a-book is also a hoax and designed as apologetica to shore up the
"Simon" myth. Still, it might make a good fiction read some dark and stormy eve.
Pages: << 1
5 >>
^^TOP^^
I honestly thought about buying one as joke, but i dont know anyone else who reads
lovecraft
Yes, there are whole books of letters that Lovecraft wrote. You can buy them on
Amazon, or any bookstore. He never claimed the Necronomicon to be real.
There is no debate about whether it is a hoax; it is KNOWN to be a hoax. He
admittedly created it to use in his fiction. Writers such as August Derleth took it and
ran with it to create the entire Cthulu mythos.
Why are people questioning whether or not it is a hoax when it is a proven fact that
it was a figment of Lovecraft's imagination? This thread is flabbergasting me. If only
there was some sort of vast information network where people could look this sort of
thing up....if there was such a thing (let's call it the "internet"), i bet it would take a
grand total of 2 seconds to find this information....
reply to post by CallYourBluff
Manson thinks otherwise.
27
YouTube Link
Hi CallYourBluff,
I watched the video, mainly because I just can't get enough of the lore surrounding
The Necronomicon, so I wanted to get Marilyn's story too.
The Simon Necronomicon was released for public consumption in 1977 (same year
Star Wars came out). It was released as a paperback, keep that in mind, it's
important in a moment.
So, Marilyn Manson was born in 1969, he went to an Episcopalian school until tenth
grade, that puts him at about 13 or 14 when the events in the story he tells
happened.
So, that would have been 1983 or 1984, plenty of time for a kid to get ahold of even
a second hand copy of the Simon Necronomicon which sold like evil little hot cakes. I
was thinking that we might have something here if the experience that Manson
describes had happened before the publication of Levenda/Simon's book. But it does
not look like it.
Also, at 7:38 you see Manson pantomime a bit with his hands the way he was
holding the book when the 'thing' happened to him. It looks like it was a small
paperback that he was holding, to me, and not a giant tome as shown in the T.V.
dramatization.
Just to be thorough.
X.
reply to post by silent thunder
28
in a large part due to the fact I think this book-about-a-book is also a hoax and designed as
apologetica to shore up the "Simon" myth. Still, it might make a good fiction read some dark and
stormy eve.
Yep, that is exactly it. The book you have was 'written' by Simon, who is Peter
Levenda. And I agree, the books, and Simon/Levenda's back story make for really
entertaining reading. There is not much I have ever read by Peter Levenda that I
haven't liked.
Glad you found something that you liked on the thread, thanks for being here.
X.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 07:24 PM by Q33323
reply to post by Druscilla
Lol... I'll swallow your soul!
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 07:29 PM by Phenomium
All I know is that I read off some of this stuff when I was about 18. That night lights
cut off in my house by themselves when I was in the house alone and I heard
someone whisper my name through an inside window of my house, when all the
doors were locked and windows were shut. I was experimenting that night because
my parents had left. I am 40 now and I have had demons haunting me ever since.
They still do to this day. They are terrible looking. I really did nothing else to bring
this on myself, no Ouija, nothing. That was the only occult thing I ever messed
with..so it has to be that.
edit on 4-9-2012 by Phenomium because: (no reason given)
reply to post by Maroboduus
29
Yes, there are whole books of letters that Lovecraft wrote. You can buy them on Amazon, or any
bookstore. He never claimed the Necronomicon to be real. There is no debate about whether it is a
hoax;
Why are people questioning whether or not it is a hoax when it is a proven fact that it was a figment of
Lovecraft's imagination? This thread is flabbergasting me.
Well Maroboduus King of Marcomanni,

Folks on ATS just like to share stuff that they know about for the entertainment of
other members. Sometimes its about stuff they don't know about and would like to
learn more of.
And some folks like to be entertained by being presented with questions about
things that they know a lot about, by people that have the same interests that they
do, so that they can suspend their disbelief for a while and bask in a favorite subject
as a lion basks in the sunshine, belching and farting after a meal of gazelle.
That is often what we do at ATS, serve up hot media drenched UGC for the
delectation of our brothers and sisters.
Now, what's up my friend? What can I do for you?
X.
reply to post by Phenomium
Do you remember what the cover looked like? Did it look like the color picture at the
bottom of the first post of the OP, on the first page?
Thanks in advance.
X.
30
Sorry to be so negative, but it's dumb-founding to me when people say stuff like "i
tried to find out if it was real, but everything was a dead end." Like i said, it literally
takes 2 seconds of research to find multiple sources showing it is fake. The first
sentence on the first website that pops up says it is fake. It's not like its lack of
validity is obscure information or something.
Basically, i just find it absurd when people claim to have an interest in something,
and yet somehow don't know anything about it whatsoever. I honestly can't relate to
claiming interest in something and willingly remaining ignorant about it. If you truly
have an interest in something, then shouldn't you actually try to be informed about
it? Doesn't that seem reasonable? Deny ignorance, right? So take some time to
freaking learn about stuff!
And like i've said numerous times before....i'm just a bitter old jerk. So don't mind
me.
(My annoyance wasn't aimed at you, by the way. Like i said: i just hate it when
people claim to be interested in something, yet make no effort whatsoever to
actually learn about it. I honestly can't understand that mindset.)
Hello My Friend,
Basically, i just find it absurd when people claim to have an interest in something, and yet somehow
don't know anything about it whatsoever. I honestly can't relate to claiming interest in something and
31
willingly remaining ignorant about it. If you truly have an interest in something, then shouldn't you
actually try to be informed about it? Doesn't that seem reasonable? Deny ignorance, right? So take
some time to freaking learn about stuff!
Listen, I am a little dumbfounded as to why this thread is so popular myself but...

I think that part of the attraction here might be that people do know that the
Necronomicon is a literary hoax but they don't know what exactly makes it so. The
problem is that Simon Necronomicon, as you can see, there are all sorts of horrible
anecdotes about it. It is the one that is involved in many occult crimes and the one
that outcast teenagers keep under their bed or in a drawer.
And pulling apart the morass that Levenda has made of the situation has been no
cake walk. But now with all the resources spread so thin on the web it is easy to nail
him.
You'll notice in the OP that I spend little time on Lovecraft's obvious creation and
move on to the tougher nut to crack, which is The Simon Necronomicon. For years
stubborn people have pointed to it as being real because its origins could not be
nailed down. Well, they can and we did that here in this thread. Levenda wrote it.
And like i've said numerous times before....i'm just a bitter old jerk. So don't mind me.
I think you are just fine.

Thanks for posting.
Have a good one.
X.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 07:57 PM by rebelv
I first read the book back in 1992 or so and at that time never heard of H.P.
Lovecraft, except that I knew he had been a writer.
Nothing ever bad happened to me from reading the book, and the symbols in the
book seem to coincide with little that I've studied in the occult since, except for the
"pentagrammy" thing.
32
However, in the years since, (and I still have the pocket book copy), a lot of the
Sumerian texts have since been translated, and I am amazed at how much the
stories and "gods" in this book, co-insides with Sumerian texts supposedly not
translated until after it was published.
I have tried to do spells and incantations with the book and never got any results
which I guess is good for me, since I am still alive and not crazy (although, some
will probably try to argue that point)
However, I will point out, that it does say in the book that you must not engage in
any sexual activity (even with yourself) I think for at least 30 days, and I never
believed in the book enough to actually go 30 days celibate from all sexual activity,
so maybe that's why the spells didn't work and in this case, if the book be a true
book of summoning very bad demons then I guess my lack of self control regarding
masturbation, saved my life and sanity (how ironic, since they used to say that
masturbation lead to insanity)
REBEL V
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 08:13 PM by EarthCitizen23
Levenda is brilliant and it would not surprise me to see that the Necronomicon as a
Tulpa, thoughtform
that did exactly what a Tulpa does,, gains a life of its own by the sheer power of
thought put into it.
I find myself in his description of those of us who look behind the Curtain. So no
matter what you have to enjoy the Brilliance of mind that creates such things.
(From Sinister Forces)
. The people we trust are those who can measure the measurable. The people we distrust are those
who point to the invisible and shout to get our attention. Our world is marching calmly to an obscure
and unknowable end because we, the people, hear the drum, feel the beat, know our place in line.
Thats better, somehow, than jumping off the path into the dark forest where God dwells like a hungry
tiger. There is too much personal responsibility in jumping out of line, and if you then try to jump back
in, you will nd you have lost your place and your fellow marchers no longer want you to join them.
You are dirty; you are crazed; you have seen what they are afraid to see.
edit on 9/4/2012 by EarthCitizen23 because: source of quote added
33
Sorry dude...i wasn't trying to criticize the thread itself, or imply that it shouldn't be
popular. Just flabbergasted that people who take an interest in these things haven't
bothered to learn anything about them. This was just the culmination of feeling the
same way about numerous threads today. I just tend to get a little worked up
sometimes.
Trust me, my grumpiness is much more endearing once you get to know me, haha.
Picture a cranky yet endearing old man, then make him 28 years old. I mean well
enough, i just (admittedly) get annoyed too easily.
It IS an interesting subject, though.
I'm going to go ahead with a S & F, because i feel bad now....
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 08:31 PM by mike dangerously
Ah,The Necronomicon! I have a copy myself and have heard accounts that the thing
actually works.As for me the jury is still out on that.Still an interesting read and
good thread.
S&F
Originally posted by rebelv

However, in the years since, (and I still have the pocket book copy), a lot of the Sumerian texts have
34
since been translated, and I am amazed at how much the stories and "gods" in this book, co-insides
with Sumerian texts supposedly not translated until after it was published.
The Simon Necronomicon was released in the mid-70's.

They started translating the Sumerian texts, with varying success, in the mid1800's. I believe most of the mythology had been translated by the 1940's....
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 08:44 PM by ipsedixit
Things like the Necronomicon start to work when people start to believe in them.
Some people venerate Elvis Presley so much that they have had "experiences"
related to Elvis, interventions on the spiritual or mental plane by him.
Religion is activated by belief.
If one venerated fire hydrants, set up a shrine to them, prayed to them, always
acknowledged them and looked to them for guidance, it wouldn't be too long before
they started providing guidance. A fire hydrant religion wouldnt necessarily be a bad
thing. They are generally solid and dependable.

Do you remember what the cover looked like? Did it look like the color picture at the bottom of the first
post of the OP, on the first page?
Thanks in advance.
X.
As I recall, it was a black paperback book with that weird star thing on the front. I
thought it was fascinating, it was also a bit of peer pressure that caused me to buy
the book. I tried to summon some demon of the death out of curiosity. Don't know if
I pronounced the words right, but something happened and I have been paying for it
ever since. I am used to the demons, but somehow I can't seem to get "really" used
to them because they keep me awake at night and it costs me my effectiveness in
life and my vocational insurance. I have some serious bags under my eyes. It's not
the paper or ink that is read from, rather the words that are spoken, that are the
danger. The only way I can truly sleep is to be knocked out by alcohol or sedated by
some kind of pill. Otherwise, sober...I am game. I went 8 years without alcohol and
35
they schooled me. I don't know if the creator, whomever he was, was a legitimate
occultist, I know what is. I don't care about the source or how credible he is, we all
wear masks in society and show people who we want them to believe we are. Who
make this book, I have no clue. The results...no doubt. Don't mess with this stuff
unless you want the rest of your life to be sleepless nights of terror..Hell in the
sheets and some outside of the sheets. Mostly while you sleep though, think that's
when they are strongest. At night. 3:00 am and forward..Hell even 2:30 they make
an appearance. I hate this. I really do. It isn't about lying or being cool or a hoax or
anything of the nature...it is about, don't do this crap..it isn't cool, it will F*k up your
life, it will make you tired on a daily basis, either the alcohol will get you or the
demons will, either way you are tired at work the next day.....your wife will question
your sanity, your kids will think you are cool and start drifting into a "Gothic"
lifestyle, horror is normal to you and there is no empathy....except fo those who
truly deserve it. Call me a sociopath....but it all started when I read a few passages
of this book. The demons have made it quite clear since.....they are going nowhere.
reply to post by EarthCitizen23
Levenda is brilliant and it would not surprise me to see that the Necronomicon as a Tulpa,
thoughtform that did exactly what a Tulpa does,, gains a life of its own by the sheer power of thought
put into it.
Yes indeed, a Tulpa, you have a very well informed imagination, EarthCitizen23.
I would like to use your post as an example of how far folks will go to legitimize the
Necronomicon. Which, of course, does not exist. At all. No way. Honest.
As I said earlier, I would like to get in to discussing some of the people behind the
cults that swear by the validity of The Necronomicon.
British occultist and head of a renegade version of the O.T.O, Kenneth Grant,
believed that Lovecraft's Necronomicon could be accessed on the astral plain; yes,
that's right, an Astral Necronomicom.
Please bear with me here, I want to illustrate as best I can how all these authors
36
have been tying one another in to a matrix that has been fomenting this
Necronomicon hoax since the letters started with H.P.L. in the late 20's. They are
very dodgy and as slippery as a worshipper of Dagon.
When you are the head of an organization that claims to have secret knowledge
regarding something people are interested in and want (Grant was the head of the
O.T.O. in Britain) people listen to you. And this is what Grant was saying...
That there was a secret powerful connection between Crowley and Lovecraft in that
they both made contact with the 'Elder Gods' (*scoff*), Crowley through his magick
and Lovecraft through dreaming his stories. Grant claimed to have the connection as
well, and claimed that it was given to him directly from Crowley. Grant told people
that they could make the connection too, and wrote some books about it that sell
quite well to this day.
So you see how that allows Grant to tap both Lovecraft and Crowley simultaneously
as he tries to create some validity for himself. This was all pre-1977 which was when
Simon/Levenda released his Necronomicon.
still with me?
Now! To complicate the issue, Levenda uses Grant's allusions to an Astral
Necronomicon in the introduction to the Simon Necronomicon, tying the whole thing
together. And then others did the same, Like Donald Tyson.
See? the Necronomicon is so real that it doesn't even exist. It is in 'The Astral'
So no, EarthCitizen23, I think that we can safely strike Tulpa off the list of
candidates for The Necronomicon, regardless of how refreshing and quasi-brilliant
your idea may be.
Go on back to the books now, nothing to see here.
X.

reply to post by EarthCitizen23
37
Levenda is brilliant and it would not surprise me to see that the Necronomicon as a Tulpa, thoughtform that did exactly what a Tulpa
does,, gains a life of its own by the sheer power of thought put into it.
Yes indeed, a Tulpa, you have a very informed imagination, EarthCitizen23.

I would like to use your post as an example of how far folks will go to legitimize the Necronomicon.
Which, of course, does not exist. At all. No way. Honest.
As I said earlier, I would like to get in to discussing some of the people behind the cults that swear by
the validity of The Necronomicon.
British occultist and head of a renegade version of the O.T.O, Kenneth Grant, believed that
Lovecraft's Necronomicon could be accessed on the astral plain; yes, that's right, an Astral
Necronomicom.
Please bear with me here, I want to illustrate as best I can how all these authors have been tying one
another in to a matrix that has been fomenting this Necronomicon hoax since the letters started with
H.P.L. in the late 20's. They are very dodgy and as slippery as a worshipper of Dagon.
When you are the head of an organization that claims to have secret knowledge regarding something
people are interested in and want (Grant was the head of the O.T.O. in Britain) people listen to you.
And this is what Grant was saying...
That there was a secret powerful connection between Crowley and Lovecraft in that they both made
contact with the 'Elder Gods' (*scoff*), Crowley through his magick and Lovecraft through dreaming
his stories. Grant claimed to have the connection as well, and claimed that it was given to him directly
from Crowley. Grant told people that they could make the connection too, and wrote some books
about it that sell quite well to this day.
So you see how that allows Grant to tap both Lovecraft and Crowley simultaneously as he tries to
create some validity for himself. This was all pre-1977 which was when Simon/Levenda released his
Necronomicon.
still with me?
Now! To complicate the issue, Levenda uses Grant's allusions to an Astral Necronomicon in the
introduction to the Simon Necronomicon, tying the whole thing together. And then others did the
same, Like Donald Tyson.
See? the Necronomicon is so real that it doesn't even exist. It is in 'The Astral'
So no, EarthCitizen23, I think that we can safely strike Tulpa off the list of candidates for The
Necronomicon, regardless of how refreshing and quasi-brilliant your idea may be.
Go on back to the books now, nothing to see here.
38
X.
I'm not in the occult. I dabbled with it one time. I couldn't care less about the
intricacies of who did what, when, where or how....I make my claim that this crap
screwed my life up to this day and demons do not stop, as I speak. HG Wells,
Crowley, Levanda (whoever that is)...doesn't matter. I have a personal account of
this crap haunting me from the age of 18-40. It doesn't get easier either. I would
say do it yourself, just to make a point...but I wouldn't wish this on an enemy. Don't
do it. If you say it doesn't happen though, and you don't know for a fact,...the
problem is that it breaks down the walls of doubt to where people will try for
themselves, to find out, and then.....it's too late. Just don't say either. These
demons want to just destroy you...nothing more. You might be curious...but they
know EXACTLY what they want to do.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 09:44 PM by toltecnightmare
Originally posted by ipsedixit

Things like the Necronomicon start to work when people start to believe in them. Some people
venerate Elvis Presley so much that they have had "experiences" related to Elvis, interventions on the
spiritual or mental plane by him.
Religion is activated by belief.
If one venerated fire hydrants, set up a shrine to them, prayed to them, always acknowledged them
and looked to them for guidance, it wouldn't be too long before they started providing guidance. A fire
hydrant religion wouldnt necessarily be a bad thing. They are generally solid and dependable.
you literally said exactly what I was thinking... except the part about the mighty fire
hydrant... fire hydrant IS everywhere!
Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?, page 4
39
go
Pages: << 1
5 >>

Originally posted by phroziac

So its not real.
I'll have to say, I like you man. You just look like "Big Bang Theory Type"....and I
am more of a jock type but with YOUR principles...it is indeed real. To dabble in this
is to betray the rest of your life. It is one of those instances where you have to make
a decision,...to do or ...not to do....and the rest of your life will be a testament to
your decision. I tell you this is real and I have not doctorate in HG wells or Levante
or whoever the hell wrote or pitched this book or title, but I have been haunted for
22 years for reading off just one of these passages.
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 10:16 PM by ipsedixit
There are a lot of people like Phenomium who have had their lives changed by "spirit
stuff", whether they wanted the changes or not.
Necromancy has been practiced for thousands of years on this planet in a very large
number of forms. This is a huge subject. Paradoxically one could almost say that it is
a subject the less said about the better.
There are too many egotistical dabblers (speaking from first hand experience now)
who blunder into more than they can handle in this area. I could talk a lot about this
but discretion is the wiser course. I know what suffering can be experienced as a
result of mistakes made in this area of inquiry.
edit on 4-9-2012 by ipsedixit because: (no reason given)
reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 10:41 PM by HomerinNC
I've been to the Magickal Childe back in the late 80's when I was into the occult and
Paganism, used to buy all my incense there. Cool store.
40
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 04:35 AM by Taupin Desciple
This response is from a literary standpoint only. I'm not debating whether the book
is fiction or not. It is. And it's a very good piece of fiction as well. The problem is,
IMO, it's too good.
Even while he was alive, people would ask Lovecraft where they could get their
hands on the original. That's the mark of a good fiction writer; leaving people
wondering. One way fiction writers do that is to pepper their stories with real names,
places, dates, etc.....All of these historical facts though are not presented in an
accurate timeline. For instance, he can drop the name of a monk and say that monk
did something in 500 AD when in fact that monk didn't do anything until 1,200 AD.
The monk existed, there's proof of it, just not in the time frame that Lovecraft
suggested. So if you don't know your history, it's going to come across as real.
This book is reality based fiction. There were too many real occultists, like Waite,
involved with it for it not to be. Besides, all you have to do is look at the history of
certain points in that book to see that certain places and people actually did exist
and you'll see that. Maybe that was Simon's doing. Fiction writers for years have
done this. Rice does it, King, Koontz and every other fiction writer worth their salt
does it. But the most important aspect of that book is fact that Necromancy does
exist. It existed back before religion was even thought of. Back then, this practice
wasn't seen as either good or evil. It simply was what it is. Religion is what put
those labels on it.
www.newadvent.org...
Let me put this in a different perspective. You have a fiction writer like King and
then a science fiction writer like Asimov. King will make the fiction look realistic
because everything written is placed on earth and, roughly, in this day and age.
Asimov couldn't do that with a book about, say, populating Saturn. Kings premise
was realistic to begin with while Asimov's was not.
Therein lies the uniqueness of The Necronomican. The premise is somewhere
between realistic and not. Lovecraft however was somehow able to bridge that gap
and turn that gray area into a very believable work of fiction. Now, let me backtrack
a little. Necromancy is real. Has been for a very long time now and everyone knows
it. Who are you, or anyone else for that matter, to say that the sigils and
incantations are not real? This is where this book gets real sticky and I for one don't
recommend it for that reason alone.
41
I'm not saying that the sigils and incantations are real and I'm not saying they're
not. I'm not qualified to make that call. But the fact that this is a reality based piece
of fiction makes it to where I'm not about to go taking the directions of the book and
finding out for myself. And that's another thing you have to keep in mind here OP.
This book is not your typical piece of fiction. And being a Lovecraft fan, I think you
know it. If anything, it reads like a how-to manual with a history of the ingredients.
How many fiction books do you know of that are written in that format? Of those,
how many are questioned as being real or not?
The fact is, I don't think Lovecraft realized just how good that book was going to be
when he wrote it. (On top of everything else I mentioned, people say that book was
written in the vein of The Book Of Shadows. Even a literary novice will tell you there
is no "one" Book Of Shadows. If you don't know what it is, look this one up yourself,
this post is getting long winded as it is.) He took a style of writing with a subject
matter that is controversial to begin with, and put it in a format to make it look even
more realistic. Sometimes I think that "book" was the ultimate inside joke between
him and a buddy The only one's, by the way, who will ever know just how real that
book actually is.
Lovecraft went on record as saying the book was a figment of his imagination. (
Maybe what Simon did was take Lovecraft's' collection of writings and
correspondences and put them in a book format?) Fair enough, but what he didn't
say was that no book of fiction is ever 100% fake. At least not the type of fiction
we're talking about here. Even Asimov can put in one of his books the density of
gravity on Saturn and have it factual. The question is, which parts of The
Necronomican are real and which aren't.
Again, it was the ultimate inside joke I think. On one hand you want to get to the
bottom of it all, but on the other hand................you don't.
lovecraftbookclub.wordpress.com...
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 05:11 AM by Suspiria
Through nameless aeons and inconceivable dimensions I used to own the Simon
one.
Think one of my younger friends swiped it though hoping to become some uber leet
necromancer or something.
He's now a security guard.
As for the Evil dead one, yes you can get some fabulous replicas, and yes I want
one.
42
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 07:26 AM by mardukiscoming
Great thread.As a teenager I was into alot of wierd,dark stuff.I borrowed a few
books from an acquaintance and one of them was the "Necronomicon".Don't know
which one.I can't remember.Probably the Simon one.I,personally,could not make
any sense of it.
Hello everyone,
I am scouring the web at the moment, looking for personal anecdotes of the Simon
Necronomicon for our entertainment.
But I want to take a moment to share something with you all.
You will remember that I mentioned British occultist Kenneth Grant and his mighty
contributions to the lore and madness surrounding the Simon Necronomicon.
Essentially, it was Kenneth Grant's story of the Astral Necronomicon, and the
magickal connection between Lovecraft and Crowley, that gave Simon/Peter levenda
the literary traction that he needed for his tremendous spoof.
I would like to copy the obituary from Starfire Publications linked by Dan Harms,
foremost researcher in to the Necronomicon to our thread here...
Kenneth Grant died on 15th January 2011 after a period of illness. Our condolences go first and
foremost to his family, whose privacy is something which we all wish to respect at this difficult
time.
Kenneth Grant is best knownto Papers readers for his influential role in bringing together occult
practice with the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, thus inspiring the Simon Necronomicon (yes, yes, two
monks and so on) and a great deal of modern magical practice. Kenneth Grant, in our few
interactions, was always a gentleman, even when I was being youthful and brash. He will be
missed.
danharms.wordpress.com...
43
And I would like to dedicate this song to all three of them, H.P. Lovecraft,
Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant...
and yes, I believe that Peter Levenda should be included with them from
here on out and forever more.
I am very grateful to all of these writers for making life here in our temporary home
tolerable and for pointing the way to being eaten first when our Cosmic Overlords
return.
I am especially thankful to Mr. Levenda for working so hard to keep it all alive. Sorry
I had to smash up your literary hoax. But that has to be done to make room for
mine, and all those to come. Let's get writing.
YouTube Link
Iaaaa!
X.
So, does anybody who is familiar with authentic grimoires and occult practices have
a copy of the Necronomicon? I'm now curious as to whether they copied any real
sigils from other grimoires to make it seem authentic. I would, if i was planning on
writing a fake grimoire and claiming it to be real....
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 01:28 PM by Suspiria
This little site might help you along on your quest.

warlockasylum.wordpress.com...
44
Heya,
The text itself was Levenda's creation, a synthesis of Sumerian and later Babylonian myths and texts
peppered with names of entities from H.P. Lovecraft's notorious and enormously popular Cthulhu
stories.
Levenda seems to have drawn heavily on the works of Samuel Noah Kramer for the Sumerian, and
almost certainly spent a great deal of time at the University of Pennsylvania library researching the
thing. Structurally, the text was modeled on the wiccan Book of Shadows and the Goetia,
-Alan Cabal. The Doom That Came to Chelsea
www.scribd.com...
Now, without consulting Levenda it is anyones best guess. But Levenda is no slouch,
in fact he is as meticulous as a man can be while hoaxing a volume that is supposed
to reside on the Astral
No, seriously, the man is a machine, just read Unhloy Alliances (Nazi Occultism) and
you will see what I mean. he makes Jimm Marrs look like .59 cent pulp fiction
(writing-wise).
So yeah, there is likely a smorgasbord of all kind of 'real' stuff in there that he
carefully cobbled together from other places.
But I would like to also take the opportunity to address something that Taupin
Disciple has brought up. You will notice that Cabal claims that the Wiccan Book of
Shadows was used as structural inspiration for Simon's Necronomicon.
Listen guys, follow me now, this is how thick the literary/occult hoaxes get with
these guys...
There is no Wiccan Book of Shadows before or beyond Gerald Gardner, the 'father'
of modern wicca. Gardner started publishing books in about 1954 and this Book of
Shadows is a feature and device of the movement that he created, not an historical
book with any lineage.
45
And it is widely believed that Gardner at least had help from Crowley. After Crowley
'restored' magick, his next project was witchcraft but he never got it off the ground.
It is believed that Gardner was in correspondence with Crowley before Gardner
moved back to Britain in 1945.
All one has to do is read Gardner and do the hermeneutics, I know that it only
stands as my opinion, (which is shared by others that, of course, cannot be present
on this thread) but all of the structure that Gardner uses for his 'Wiccan' covens was
lifted from the writings of A. Crowley and have been modified.
So when Cabal says Book of Shadows? He is guessing or drawing from his own
limited experience with these 'special' types of books.
Levenda was and is way too slick to have fallen for that, he would not have used
such an obvious hoax as a template, he probably just went right for the Crowley,
and crowley based much on the Greek Magical Papyri.. In fact I would not be
surprised if he just went straight for the papyri.
Hope that made sense.
X.
reply to post by Suspiria
The Underworld in ancient Sumer was known by many names, among them ABSU or Abyss,
sometimes as Nar Mattaru, the great Underworld Ocean, and also as Cutha or KUTU as it is
called in the Enuma Elish (the Creation Epic of the Sumerians).
The phonetic similarity between Cutha and KUTU and Chthonic, as well as Cthulhu, is striking.
Judging by a Sumerian grammar at hand, the word KUTULU or Cuthalu (Lovecrafts's Cthulhu
Sumerianised) would mean The Man of KUTU (Cutha); the Man of the Underworld; Satan or
Shaitan, as he is known to the Yezidis (whom Crowley considered to be the remnants of the
Sumerian Tradition).
The list of similarities, both between Lovecrafts creations and the Sumerian gods, as well as
between Lovecrafts mythos and Crowleys magick, can go on nearly indefinitely, and in depth,
for which there is no space here at present.
46
That is an awesome link, Suspiria, but you are undoing all of my hard work.
...Yezidis (whom Crowley considered to be the remnants of the Sumerian Tradition).

Oh boy, I am going to let this slide but not without making the error very apparent
to all of you that have been following along.
Crowley never spoke of the Yezidi, ever.
The Yezidi thing was introduced by Kenneth Grant, whom I mentioned earlier.
Do you see how folks get confused? Fortunately I have been riding herd on this
whole publishing circus from my late teens, so it is really hard to pull one over on
me. Yes, I was once interested in the subject matter, but now I am mostly
interested in the writing and the personalities.
Anyhow, I thought that you would all find that little discrepancy interesting.
X.
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 01:57 PM by Suspiria
Hehe I'm sorry it's not my intention. I use it purely to show just how clever and
"deep" this whole thing has become.
If it's helpful to future writers then more power to their elbow. I just hope I'm
47
hovering at the bookshelf in Another World when the baby bat spotty chaos lords
and ladies got nuts over it.
reply posted on 5-9-2012 @ 02:10 PM by Titen-Sxull
I love Lovecraft. One of the most interesting things about him is that his ideas and
the motifs and style he used went on to inspire so much of our modern horror, sci-fi
and fantasy today. I can hardly see a horror movie without interjecting Lovecraft
somewhere or other. ALIEN is a great example, as is the movie The Thing (which
was based on a short story called Who Goes There that has Lovecraft's stink all over
it). The theme of human curiosity leading to calamity and the rising of some dark
unknown truth is a fantastic theme and one that Lovecraft used very effectively.
As for the Necronomicon it's one of those great devices that can be anything the
author or writer needs at the time. In the Evil Dead films it raises demons and spirits
while in Lovecraft's own works it seems to relate more to the "Old Ones" of the
Cthulhu mythos (decidedly aliens, not demons).
The book doesn't really exist though many books by the name Necronomicon have
been written since Lovecraft invented it.
Originally posted by Suspiria

This little site might help you along on your quest.
They use the fact that the Simon Necronomicon has a resemblance to Lovecraft,
which in turn resembles Sumerian mythology, as proof that the Simon
Necronomicon has actual links to Sumeria. That is beyond stupid. The obvious
conclusion (and truth of the matter) would be that it resembles Lovecraft because it
was copied from his writings, and Lovecraft's fiction resembles mythology because it
was directly influenced by it.
But i do find it amusing that one of the sources they are using to attempt to prove
48
the validity of the Simon Necronomicon is....the Simon Necronomicon....

Also, it keeps talking about Kutulu being a real ancient Sumerian god. There is no
Sumerian god named Kutulu, outside of the author's imagination. Kutulu is not a
Sumerian word at all. Mayhaps they should actually bother reading Sumerian
mythology instead of taking the author's word for it, and using his own book to
prove itself as being real. Or something like that.
(No offense, Suspiria. Not criticizing you for posting it.)
phroziac
I'll have to say, I like you man. You just look like "Big Bang Theory Type"....and I am more of a jock
type but with YOUR principles...it is indeed real.
To dabble in this is to betray the rest of your life. It is one of those instances where you have to make
a decision,...to do or ...not to do....and the rest of your life will be a testament to your decision.
49
Phenomium, I agree with you; he can write too. I am also a 'jock' type outwardly,
but inside, I am a boiling, gurgling mass of extreme geekiness. There is something
Irresistible about phroziac.
I say we start a cult and call ourselves 'Phrozians' for a while, at least till we get
board, then maybe we can turn on him and eat him.
Just a suggestion.
X.
reply posted on 6-9-2012 @ 12:20 AM by Xoanon
Welllllll,
That was fun.
Thank you all for coming by and contributing, it is always nice to meet, in some
small way , the others that will be around us when we are all eaten reasonably
firstish this December
So I wanted to conclude by re-posting the Peter Levenda quote that EarthCitizen23
shared with us.
The people we trust are those who can measure the measurable. The people we distrust are
those who point to the invisible and shout to get our attention.
Our world is marching calmly to an obscure and unknowable end because we, the people, hear
the drum, feel the beat, know our place in line. Thats better, somehow, than jumping off the path
into the dark forest where God dwells like a hungry tiger.
There is too much personal responsibility in jumping out of line, and if you then try to
jump back in, you will nd you have lost your place and your fellow marchers no longer
want you to join them. You are dirty; you are crazed; you have seen what they are afraid to
see.
-Peter Levenda. Sinister Forces: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft
sinisterforces.info...
50
Can I hear an , Amen?!
reply posted on 6-9-2012 @ 01:57 AM by Maroboduus
aw man, are you done with the thread?

I was enjoying it, despite my earlier negativity....
Oh wait...
YouTube Link
There we go.
x.
reply posted on 7-9-2012 @ 05:25 AM by reject
this site claims the necronomicon is real and was "incorporated" by Crowley's "The
Book of the Law" which was in turn "incorporated" by Lovecraft's "The Call of
Cthulhu."
Pages: << 1
5 >>
^^TOP^^
Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?, page 5
go
Pages: << 2
5 >>

reply posted on 17-9-2012 @ 09:58 PM by Guyfriday
51
Sorry, but after lurking in the shadows of ATS I have to post something on this;
The book doesn't exist (as many have said), but the idea of a book like this could
exist. Please let me explain:
The idea of finding a "Lost Book of Wisdom" out in the desert is very possible. Many
nomatic tribes in the Arabian Desert hide books that have been past down for 100s
of years within a clan. Some of these books pre-date the rise of Islam in Arabia (so
yes they are very old books out in the desert)
Due to the nature of these little known religons (at the time), a person who came
across one of these books may have misunderstood the contents of what they have
found.
While the idea of using a recurring mystery book wasn't exclusive to Lovecraft (look
up "The King in Yellow") His short stories seem to have hit a nerve better than any
other writer has.
I think thats the biggest mystery about it is, "Why does this one non-book affect so
many people the way it does?"
Thank you for reading.
reply to post by Guyfriday
You are welcome.
I think that's the biggest mystery about it is, "Why does this one non-book affect so many people the
way it does?"
Yes, you've got it. I like to think that that is what this whole thread is about. It does
not provide many answers but I think that it concentrates the subject in such a way
that we might be able to see something we have not in relation to your question, or
maybe see the same stuff, only more clearly and in more detail.
There are some pretty funky posts on this thread, I hope you'll take the time to
check them all out.
52
Thanks for stopping by,

X.
Pages: << 2
5 >>
^^TOP^^
53

Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Al Azif: Is The Necronomicon Real?

ATS Members have flagged this thread 25 times

Hello again ATS,

Is the Necronomicon real?, or something thereabouts, and see what

August 14th, 1930

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 08:40 PM by Xoanon

Well, Simon/Levenda, Alan Cabal tells a different story...

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 08:40 PM by phroziac

So its not real.

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 08:42 PM by Xoanon

reply to post by phroziac

Nay, my fine friend, it existeth not.

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:00 PM by Druscilla

I thought The Necronomicon was the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:02 PM by JValhalla

When I here Necronomicon I automatically think.

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:08 PM by Xoanon

reply to post by Druscilla

I thought The Necronomicon was the work of H.P. Lovecraft.

The Phraseology and style of writing would seem to indicate such.

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:09 PM by Xoanon

reply to post by JValhalla

"This is my boom stick"

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 09:27 PM by Druscilla

Originally posted by Xoanon

reply posted on 3-9-2012 @ 10:45 PM by Puck 22

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 02:29 PM by reficul

what do you mean its not real?!!!!

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 02:38 PM by Ophiuchus 13

OP I wonder if its related to the Codex Gigas

or the Devils bible?

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:01 PM by Xoanon

reply to post by Ophiuchus 13

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:04 PM by Ophiuchus 13

reply to post by Xoanon

Thanks I always wondered if there was a relation

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:23 PM by Wookiep

Klaatu, verata, n....necktie....ni*cough*

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 03:28 PM by Xoanon

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:18 PM by something wicked

Originally posted by Xoanon

Nay, my fine friend, it existeth not.

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:29 PM by BIHOTZ

Yeah its fiction. But....

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:56 PM by CallYourBluff

Manson thinks otherwise.

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 04:56 PM by abeverage

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:11 PM by Maroboduus

reply to post by abeverage

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:21 PM by ainsley

reply to post by Xoanon

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:24 PM by abeverage

Originally posted by Maroboduus

edit on 4-9-2012 by Maroboduus because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:33 PM by Maroboduus

Originally posted by JValhalla

The Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire

How hard was that?

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:40 PM by thomasblackraven

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:43 PM by reject

reply to post by Xoanon

It doesn't matter if it was written in modern times.

reply posted on 4-9-2012 @ 05:43 PM by hotbread

reply to post by Xoanon

Klaatu, verata, n....necktie....nicough