Aklo
Encyclopedia
Aklo is a fictional language.
, possibly an artificial cipher or one used by a non-human race, associated with the writing of forbidden texts and evil cultists.
Aklo was invented by Arthur Machen
in his 1899 story "The White People
." It was later used in the works of H. P. Lovecraft
who was a great admirer of Machen's work, appearing in his Cthulhu Mythos
stories "The Dunwich Horror
" and "The Haunter of the Dark
."
In The Illuminatus! Trilogy
by Robert Shea
and Robert Anton Wilson
, Aklo appears as a language used in Black Mass
es and by the Illuminati
.
Alan Moore
later used Aklo in his short story and 2003 comic The Courtyard
. In his adaptation, Aklo is not just an alien language, but a key that opens doors inside the human mind. Like a supernatural alternative to phenomena such as Project MKULTRA
, Alan Moore's version of Aklo contains certain trigger words or phrases which, when spoken in the right order while the listener has entered a different state of mind, usually reached through drugs, have a deep and permanent impact on the person. The first "dose" of Aklo forms a connection with the first level of a collective memory bank, whose origin from an inner or outer source contains memories and knowledge which are completely alien and inhuman in nature. This level makes the person ready and receptive to sink to a second level when receiving another dose of new trigger words, causing a new flow of hidden memories. After three doses, the main character in the story is no longer the same person as he used to be, and, although his behavior and new world view make perfect sense to him, he is actually behaving like a man that has lost all contact with reality.
The Pathfinder RPG, published by Paizo, uses Aklo as the language of several subterranean, otherworldly, or otherwise Lovecraftian species in the game's universe, such as aboleths
and gibbering mouthers
.
Overview
Aklo is a secret languageLanguage
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, possibly an artificial cipher or one used by a non-human race, associated with the writing of forbidden texts and evil cultists.
Aklo was invented by Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
in his 1899 story "The White People
The White People
"The White People" is a fantasy-horror short story by the Welsh writer Arthur Machen. Written in the late 1890s, it was first published in Horlick's Magazine—of which Machen's friend A. E...
." It was later used in the works of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
who was a great admirer of Machen's work, appearing in his Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
stories "The Dunwich Horror
The Dunwich Horror
"The Dunwich Horror" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales . It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts...
" and "The Haunter of the Dark
The Haunter of the Dark
"The Haunter of the Dark" is a horror story in the Cthulhu Mythos genre. It was written by H. P. Lovecraft in November 1935, and published in the December 1936 edition of Weird Tales...
."
In The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex-, and magick-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both...
by Robert Shea
Robert Shea
Robert Joseph Shea was an American novelist and former journalist best known as co-author with Robert Anton Wilson of the science fantasy trilogy Illuminatus!. It became a cult success and was later turned into a marathon-length stage show put on at the British National Theatre and elsewhere. In...
and Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
, Aklo appears as a language used in Black Mass
Black Mass
A Black Mass is a ceremony supposedly celebrated during the Witches' Sabbath, which was a sacrilegious parody of the Catholic Mass. Its main objective was the profanation of the host, although there is no agreement among authors on how hosts were obtained or profaned; the most common idea is that...
es and by the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
.
Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
later used Aklo in his short story and 2003 comic The Courtyard
Alan Moore's The Courtyard
Alan Moore's The Courtyard is a 2-issue comic book mini-series adaptation of a 1994 prose story written by Alan Moore, published in 2003 by Avatar Press...
. In his adaptation, Aklo is not just an alien language, but a key that opens doors inside the human mind. Like a supernatural alternative to phenomena such as Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA
Project MKULTRA, or MK-ULTRA, was the code name for a covert, illegal CIA human experimentation program, run by the CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence. This official U.S. government program began in the early 1950s, continued at least through the late 1960s, and used U.S...
, Alan Moore's version of Aklo contains certain trigger words or phrases which, when spoken in the right order while the listener has entered a different state of mind, usually reached through drugs, have a deep and permanent impact on the person. The first "dose" of Aklo forms a connection with the first level of a collective memory bank, whose origin from an inner or outer source contains memories and knowledge which are completely alien and inhuman in nature. This level makes the person ready and receptive to sink to a second level when receiving another dose of new trigger words, causing a new flow of hidden memories. After three doses, the main character in the story is no longer the same person as he used to be, and, although his behavior and new world view make perfect sense to him, he is actually behaving like a man that has lost all contact with reality.
The Pathfinder RPG, published by Paizo, uses Aklo as the language of several subterranean, otherworldly, or otherwise Lovecraftian species in the game's universe, such as aboleths
Aboleth
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, aboleths are a fictive race of malevolent, eel-like aberrations with potent psionic abilities...
and gibbering mouthers
Gibbering mouther
In the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, a gibbering mouther is a horrific aberration which feeds on the bodily fluids and "sanity" of its victims...
.