De Vermis Mysteriis
Encyclopedia
De Vermis Mysteriis, or Mysteries of the Worm, is a fictional grimoire
created by Robert Bloch
and incorporated by H. P. Lovecraft
into the lore of the Cthulhu Mythos
.
"The Shambler from the Stars" (1935
), in which a character reads a passage from the book and accidentally summons an extradimensional horror.
Bloch, then a teenager, corresponded with Lovecraft about the story prior to its publication, in part to get permission to kill off a character based on the older writer. While giving his enthusiastic blessing, Lovecraft also suggested that the book featured in the story, named by Bloch as Mysteries of the Worm, be referred to instead by the Latin equivalent De Vermis Mysteriis.
Lovecraft also provided Bloch with a bit of Latin to use as an invocation from the book: "Tibi, magnum Innominandum, signa stellarum nigrarum et bufaniformis Sadoquae sigillum"--which can be translated as "To you, the great Not-to-Be-Named, signs of the black stars, and the seal of the toad-shaped Tsathoggua
".
during the height of the witch trials (in the late 15th or early 16th centuries).
Prinn, Bloch writes, maintained that he was captured during the Ninth Crusade
in 1271, and attributed his occult knowledge to studying under the "wizards and wonder-workers of Syria
" during his captivity. Bloch also associates Prinn with Egypt
, writing that "there are legends among the Libya
n dervish
es concerning the old seer's deeds in Alexandria."
At the time of his execution for sorcery, Bloch has Prinn living "in the ruins of a pre-Roman tomb that stood in the forest near Brussels...amidst a swarm of familiars and fearsomely invoked conjurations." In this forest, there were "old pagan altars that stood crumbling in certain of the darker glens"; these altars were found to have "fresh bloodstains" when Prinn was arrested.
. The story also notes that that book contains references to "such gods of divination as Father Yig
, dark Han, and serpent-bearded Byatis
"--this last the first mention of a Cthulhoid
entity later developed by Ramsey Campbell
.
In a subsequent series of Cthulhu Mythos stories connected with Ancient Egypt
, Bloch expanded on the contents of De Vermis Mysteriis. "The Faceless God" (1936) notes that Prinn "awesomely implies his knowledge" of Nyarlathotep
, "the oldest god of all Egypt". In "The Brood of Bubastis", "The Secret of Sebek", and "Fane of the Black Pharaoh" (all published in 1937), Bloch refers to a chapter of Prinn's book called "Saracenic Rituals", which is said to have "revealed the lore of the efreet and the djinn, the secrets of the Assassin sects, the myths of Arabian ghoul-tales, the hidden practices of dervish cults" and "the legends of Inner Egypt". These stories use Prinn's chapter as a device to provide backstory on the cults of Bubastis
and Sebek, and on the Pharaoh Nephren-Ka's worship of Nyarlathotep.
In later, non-Mythos horror stories, Bloch still occasionally made reference to his invented tome. Bloch's "The Sorcerer's Jewel" (1939) briefly mentions "Prinn's chapter on divination" as a potential source for information on "The Star of Sechmet", a mysterious crystal. The book plays a larger role in "Black Bargain" (1942), in which it is described as
"Philtre Tip" (1961), quite literally a shaggy dog story, cites "Ludvig Prinn's Grimoire, in the English edition", as the source for the recipe for a love potion. Bloch quotes Prinn for the first time since "The Shambler from the Stars": "The meerest droppe, if placed in a posset of wine or sack, will transforme ye beloved into a veritable bitche in heate."
" (written as a sequel to Bloch's "The Shambler from the Stars") as a "hellish" book found with other forbidden texts in the Starry Wisdom Church in Providence, Rhode Island
. In "The Diary of Alonzo Typer", ghostwritten by Lovecraft for William Lumley, it is likewise part of an occult library in the van der Heyl house in Attica, New York
. And in Lovecraft's "The Shadow Out of Time
", the possessed protagonist Wingate Peaslee reads (and makes marginal notes in) a copy of the book possessed by the Miskatonic University
library.
In a 1936 letter to fellow Mythos writer Henry Kuttner
, Lovecraft mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man".
has suggested that Kuttner, by giving the name "Abigail Prinn" to the villain of his short story "The Salem Horror", may have been suggesting that the Salem
witch Abigail was a descendant of the Brussels sorcerer. In any case, Kuttner explicitly made use of De Vermis Mysteriis in his 1939 short story "The Invaders", in which the disregarding of the book's precautions ("the Pnakotic pentagon, the cabalistical signs of protection...") brings forth the horrors of the story's title--said to be described by Prinn as "the dwellers in the Hidden World".
In his short story "The Adventure of the Six Silver Spiders" (1950), August Derleth
includes De Vermis Mysteriis among a group of Cthulhu Mythos volumes discovered in a book catalog by his detective character Solar Pons
--though in the context of the story, all the books turn out to be fictional.
Both Ludwig Prinn and the De Vermis Mysteriis are mentioned by name in The Illuminatus! Trilogy
(1975), as being connected to the Illuminati
.
De Vermis Mysteriis is featured in a Lovecraftian story by horror
writer Stephen King
entitled "Jerusalem's Lot
" (1978)—part of the Night Shift
collection, wherein the main character, Charles, touches the book and releases a gigantic white worm, which was worshiped by the town's previous inhabitants. It is also implied that book is found by Mark and Susan in the novel/semi-sequel 'Salem's Lot. In a passage, Mark finds a book in the Marsten House and asks Susan to translate it for him. She doesn't know what it says, but she says its in Latin, possibly referencing the book's title.
De Vermis Mysteriis also appears in the novel The Keep (1981) by F. Paul Wilson
.
In Price's own "Wilbur Whateley Waiting" (1987), a character declares himself to be a descendant of both Ludvig and Abigail Prinn.
Prinn and his book both appear in Brian Lumley
's 1987 short story "Lord of the Worms".
De Vermis Mysteriis also appears as a deadly tome in the 1992 video game Alone in the Dark
.
The book is also referenced (as Des Vermis Mysteriis) in the 2004
movie
Hellboy
. It contains a description of the Ogdru Jahad
, gods otherwise not connected to the Cthulhu mythos.
In Kim Newman
's short story "The Gyspies in the Wood" (2005), Charles Beauregard, an agent of the Diogenes Club
, mentions that he owns a copy of the book.
In Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon a copy of the De Vermis Mysteriis can be found while looking at the many books in library sections located at the back of Irina Boczow's office after returning to Budapest for the second time.
De Vermis Mysteriis is a song by Industrial Music
act Flint Glass
.
In the visual novel/anime/manga series Demonbane
, De Vermis Mysteriis appears as the grimoire
possessed by the lich
-like sorcerer Tiberius.
Grimoire
A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
created by Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
and incorporated by 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....
into the lore of the 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...
.
Creation
The tome first appeared in Bloch's short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"The Shambler from the Stars" (1935
1935 in literature
The year 1935 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* June 15 - W. H. Auden enters a marriage of convenience with Erika Mann.* July 30 - Allen Lane founds Penguin Books to publish the first mass market paperbacks in Britain....
), in which a character reads a passage from the book and accidentally summons an extradimensional horror.
Bloch, then a teenager, corresponded with Lovecraft about the story prior to its publication, in part to get permission to kill off a character based on the older writer. While giving his enthusiastic blessing, Lovecraft also suggested that the book featured in the story, named by Bloch as Mysteries of the Worm, be referred to instead by the Latin equivalent De Vermis Mysteriis.
Lovecraft also provided Bloch with a bit of Latin to use as an invocation from the book: "Tibi, magnum Innominandum, signa stellarum nigrarum et bufaniformis Sadoquae sigillum"--which can be translated as "To you, the great Not-to-Be-Named, signs of the black stars, and the seal of the toad-shaped Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. He is the creation of Clark Ashton Smith and is part of his Hyperborean cycle....
".
Ludwig Prinn
In "The Shambler from the Stars", De Vermis Mysteriis is described as the work of Ludwig Prinn, an "alchemist, necromancer, [and] reputed mage" who "boasted of having attained a miraculous age" before being burned at the stake in BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
during the height of the witch trials (in the late 15th or early 16th centuries).
Prinn, Bloch writes, maintained that he was captured during the Ninth Crusade
Ninth Crusade
The Ninth Crusade, which is sometimes grouped with the Eighth Crusade, is commonly considered to be the last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land. It took place in 1271–1272....
in 1271, and attributed his occult knowledge to studying under the "wizards and wonder-workers of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
" during his captivity. Bloch also associates Prinn with Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, writing that "there are legends among the Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
es concerning the old seer's deeds in Alexandria."
At the time of his execution for sorcery, Bloch has Prinn living "in the ruins of a pre-Roman tomb that stood in the forest near Brussels...amidst a swarm of familiars and fearsomely invoked conjurations." In this forest, there were "old pagan altars that stood crumbling in certain of the darker glens"; these altars were found to have "fresh bloodstains" when Prinn was arrested.
Contents
In its first appearance, Bloch describes the book as containing "spells and enchantments", particularly those that can summon strange entities. One such spell, included in a "chapter dealing with familiars," summons the titular "shambler from the stars"--referred to in the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game as a star vampireStar vampire
A star vampire is a monster in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being first appeared in Robert Bloch's short story "The Shambler from the Stars", which was originally published in the September 1935 issue of Weird Tales.-Summary:...
. The story also notes that that book contains references to "such gods of divination as Father Yig
Yig
Yig is a deity in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. He appears as a serpent man, serpent with bat-like wings, or as a giant snake....
, dark Han, and serpent-bearded Byatis
Byatis
Byatis is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos. The Great Old One was first mentioned in Robert Bloch's short story "The Shambler From the Stars", originally published in the September 1935 issue of Weird Tales...
"--this last the first mention of a Cthulhoid
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
entity later developed by Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell
John Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction author.Since he first came to prominence in the mid-1960s, critics have cited Campbell as one of the leading writers in his field: T. E. D. Klein has written that "Campbell reigns supreme in the field today", while S. T...
.
In a subsequent series of Cthulhu Mythos stories connected with Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, Bloch expanded on the contents of De Vermis Mysteriis. "The Faceless God" (1936) notes that Prinn "awesomely implies his knowledge" of Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
, "the oldest god of all Egypt". In "The Brood of Bubastis", "The Secret of Sebek", and "Fane of the Black Pharaoh" (all published in 1937), Bloch refers to a chapter of Prinn's book called "Saracenic Rituals", which is said to have "revealed the lore of the efreet and the djinn, the secrets of the Assassin sects, the myths of Arabian ghoul-tales, the hidden practices of dervish cults" and "the legends of Inner Egypt". These stories use Prinn's chapter as a device to provide backstory on the cults of Bubastis
Bubastis
Bubastis , also known as Tell Basta or Egyptian Per-Bast was an Ancient Egyptian city, the capital of its own nome, located along the River Nile in the Delta region of Lower Egypt...
and Sebek, and on the Pharaoh Nephren-Ka's worship of Nyarlathotep.
In later, non-Mythos horror stories, Bloch still occasionally made reference to his invented tome. Bloch's "The Sorcerer's Jewel" (1939) briefly mentions "Prinn's chapter on divination" as a potential source for information on "The Star of Sechmet", a mysterious crystal. The book plays a larger role in "Black Bargain" (1942), in which it is described as
- something...that told you how you could compound aconite and belladonna and draw circles of phosphorescent fire on the floor when the stars were right. Something that spoke of melting tallow candles and blending them with corpse-fat, whispered of the uses to which animal sacrifices might be put. It spoke of meetings that could be arranged with various parties most people don't...even believe in...[with] cold deliberate directions for traffic with ancient evil....
"Philtre Tip" (1961), quite literally a shaggy dog story, cites "Ludvig Prinn's Grimoire, in the English edition", as the source for the recipe for a love potion. Bloch quotes Prinn for the first time since "The Shambler from the Stars": "The meerest droppe, if placed in a posset of wine or sack, will transforme ye beloved into a veritable bitche in heate."
H. P. Lovecraft
Lovecraft, who enjoyed sprinkling references to his friends' fictional creations in his own Cthulhu Mythos efforts, repeatedly mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis in his stories. It appears in "The Haunter of the DarkThe 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...
" (written as a sequel to Bloch's "The Shambler from the Stars") as a "hellish" book found with other forbidden texts in the Starry Wisdom Church in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. In "The Diary of Alonzo Typer", ghostwritten by Lovecraft for William Lumley, it is likewise part of an occult library in the van der Heyl house in Attica, New York
Attica, New York
Attica is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Attica , New York, in Wyoming County*Attica , New York, in Wyoming and Genesee Counties...
. And in Lovecraft's "The Shadow Out of Time
The Shadow Out of Time
The Shadow Out of Time is a novella by Americanhorror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written between November 1934 and February 1935, it was first published in the June 1936 issue of Astounding Stories.-Plot summary:...
", the possessed protagonist Wingate Peaslee reads (and makes marginal notes in) a copy of the book possessed by the Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham; a fictitious town which is said to exist in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River . After first appearing in the H. P...
library.
In a 1936 letter to fellow Mythos writer Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and horror.-Early life:Henry Kuttner was born in Los Angeles, California in 1915...
, Lovecraft mentioned De Vermis Mysteriis as one of the books that "repeat the most hellish secrets learnt by early man".
Later appearances
Robert M. PriceRobert M. Price
Robert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, including...
has suggested that Kuttner, by giving the name "Abigail Prinn" to the villain of his short story "The Salem Horror", may have been suggesting that the Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
witch Abigail was a descendant of the Brussels sorcerer. In any case, Kuttner explicitly made use of De Vermis Mysteriis in his 1939 short story "The Invaders", in which the disregarding of the book's precautions ("the Pnakotic pentagon, the cabalistical signs of protection...") brings forth the horrors of the story's title--said to be described by Prinn as "the dwellers in the Hidden World".
In his short story "The Adventure of the Six Silver Spiders" (1950), August Derleth
August Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
includes De Vermis Mysteriis among a group of Cthulhu Mythos volumes discovered in a book catalog by his detective character Solar Pons
Solar Pons
Solar Pons is a fictional detective created by August Derleth as a pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.-Approach:On hearing that he had no plans to write more Holmes stories, the young Derleth wrote to Conan Doyle, asking permission to take over the job...
--though in the context of the story, all the books turn out to be fictional.
Both Ludwig Prinn and the De Vermis Mysteriis are mentioned by name 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...
(1975), as being connected to 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...
.
De Vermis Mysteriis is featured in a Lovecraftian story by horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
entitled "Jerusalem's Lot
Jerusalem's Lot
"Jerusalem's Lot" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in King's 1978 collection Night Shift.-Setting and style:"Jerusalem's Lot" is an epistolary short story set in the fictional town of Preacher's Corners, Maine, in 1850...
" (1978)—part of the Night Shift
Night Shift (book)
Night Shift is the first collection of short stories by Stephen King, first published in 1978. Many of King's most famous short stories were included in this collection.-Stories collected:-Details:...
collection, wherein the main character, Charles, touches the book and releases a gigantic white worm, which was worshiped by the town's previous inhabitants. It is also implied that book is found by Mark and Susan in the novel/semi-sequel 'Salem's Lot. In a passage, Mark finds a book in the Marsten House and asks Susan to translate it for him. She doesn't know what it says, but she says its in Latin, possibly referencing the book's title.
De Vermis Mysteriis also appears in the novel The Keep (1981) by F. Paul Wilson
F. Paul Wilson
Francis Paul Wilson is an American author, primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer . Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog while still in medical school , and continued to write science fiction...
.
In Price's own "Wilbur Whateley Waiting" (1987), a character declares himself to be a descendant of both Ludvig and Abigail Prinn.
Prinn and his book both appear in Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
's 1987 short story "Lord of the Worms".
De Vermis Mysteriis also appears as a deadly tome in the 1992 video game Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark (video game)
Alone in the Dark is a 1992 survival horror video game developed by Infogrames. The game has spawned several sequels as part of the Alone in the Dark series , and was one of the first survival horror games, after the 1989 Capcom game, Sweet Home...
.
The book is also referenced (as Des Vermis Mysteriis) in the 2004
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Hellboy
Hellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
. It contains a description of the Ogdru Jahad
Ogdru Jahad
The Ogdru Jahad are fictional characters in Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic. They are the Dragon of Revelation, and are destined to bring about the end of the world. Though the Ogdru Jahad are the ultimate antagonists in the series, they are not themselves active, their release from imprisonment...
, gods otherwise not connected to the Cthulhu mythos.
In Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Kim Newman is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's Dracula at the age of eleven—and alternate fictional versions of history...
's short story "The Gyspies in the Wood" (2005), Charles Beauregard, an agent of the Diogenes Club
The Diogenes Club
The Diogenes Club is a fictional gentleman's club created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and featured in several Sherlock Holmes stories, most notably "The Greek Interpreter"...
, mentions that he owns a copy of the book.
In Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon a copy of the De Vermis Mysteriis can be found while looking at the many books in library sections located at the back of Irina Boczow's office after returning to Budapest for the second time.
De Vermis Mysteriis is a song by Industrial Music
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
act Flint Glass
Flint Glass
Flint Glass is an experimental electronic project by French electronic musician Gwenn Trémorin. Flint Glass' debut album was released on Brume Records, which was co-founded by Trémorin and Boris Volant from the experimental collective Atelier112.-Discography:...
.
In the visual novel/anime/manga series Demonbane
Demonbane
is a series by Nitroplus with mecha and Cthulhu Mythos elements. Beginning as an eroge for the PC, it was ported into a PlayStation 2 non-eroge remake, a sequel visual novel, a prequel novel, a television anime adaptation and a conversion to manga...
, De Vermis Mysteriis appears as the grimoire
Grimoire
A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
possessed by the lich
Lich
In modern fantasy fiction, a lich is a type of undead creature. Often such a creature is the result of a transformation, as a powerful magician or king striving for eternal life uses spells or rituals to bind his intellect to his animated corpse and thereby achieve a form of immortality...
-like sorcerer Tiberius.