Simon Necronomicon
Encyclopedia
The Simon Necronomicon is written by an unknown author, but is introduced by a man identified only as "Simon". Stories presented are a blend of Mesopotamian myths, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyria
n and a storyline of unknown authenticity about a man known as the "Mad Arab."
The book was released in 1977 by Schlangekraft, Inc..
, Aleister Crowley
and Babylonian mythology, as well as draw parallels to other religions (such as Christianity
, Wicca
, Satanism
and Hebrew Mythology
). Some of the discussion is based on ideas concerning the connection between Crowley and Lovecraft first put forward by Kenneth Grant
.
titled The Testimony of The Mad Arab. The Testimony is in two parts, forming a prologue and an epilogue to the core Necronomicon. The author describes himself as a "Mad Arab".
The prologue explains how the Arab first came to know of the existence of the dark secrets he is writing down, as he accidentally witnesses an arcane ritual performed by a Death Cult
that worships Tiamat
, in which both the demons Kutulu
and Humwawa
are conjured and are offered human sacrifices.
In the epilogue, the Mad Arab is haunted by premonitions of his gruesome death. He realizes that the horrors of the Necronomicon are enraged and seek revenge for his revealing of their existence to the world. The epilogue is littered with non sequiturs and arcane incantations—all of which are in vain, as horrendous monsters swarm about. He is unable to sign his work, thus remaining nameless.
) as mentioned in the book include the following:
) mentioned in the book include the following:
and conjuration
. Many magical incantation
s, seal
s and rituals are described. Most of these are used to ward off evil or to invoke the Elder Gods to one's aid. Some of them are curses to be used against one's enemies. The incantations are written in a mix of English and ancient Babylonian with a few possible misspellings in the Sumerian words. There are also several words among the "Babylonian" that do not appear to be Babylonian or any known language.
The many magical seals in the book usually pertain to a particular God or demon, and are used when invoking or summoning the entity
. In some cases there are specific instructions on how to carve the seals and amulets, including the materials that should be used and the time of day it should be carved; in other cases, only the seal itself is given.
For some rituals, the book mentions that sacrifices should be offered. One ritual in particular describes a human sacrifice
of eleven men, needed to enchant a sword that can summon Tiamat (p. 160-161).
Both the introduction and the book's marketing make sensational claims for the book's magical power. The back blurb claims it is "the most potent and potentially, the most dangerous Black Book known to the Western World", and that its rituals will bring "beings and monsters" into "physical appearance". The book's introduction gives readers frequent warnings that the powers it contains are potentially life threatening, and that perfect mental health is needed; otherwise the book is extremely dangerous. It claims a curse
hit those who helped publish the book. It also claims that the Golden Dawn
methods of magical banishing
will not work on the entities in this book.
. Chief among them is Tiamat. The Elder Gods are younger entities, children of the Ancient Ones, who rebelled against them and prevailed.
Included in the Simon Necronomicon is a story that is a variant of the Enuma Elish
, the Babylonian creation epic. It relates how Marduk
(Leader of the Elder Gods) slew Tiamat (Queen of the Ancient Ones), clove her body in two and created the Heaven and the Earth from the two halves. The Elder Gods also created mankind from the blood of Kingu (an Ancient One). Other Ancient Ones are imprisoned beneath the Earth or beyond the Heavens. With the exception of the terms "Elder Gods" and "Ancient Ones" (which were first popularized by the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft), many of these stories are derived from authentic myths.
Simon's introduction claims that Lovecraft's mythos tells of the struggle between good and evil, as personified by the good Elder Gods and the evil Great Old Ones. The theme of "cosmic war" derives instead from the apocryphal Book of Enoch
, cited by Lovecraft in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature
.
According to Simon, the Ancient Ones now lie "not dead but dreaming", awaiting a day when they may return to life. To do this, they are dependent upon the positions of the stars
as well as the sacrifice
s of their mortal followers. These ideas largely run parallel to the Cthulhu Mythos, so much so that critics claim that this is an obvious attempt to reconcile the Simon Necronomicon with Lovecraft's well-known stories such as The Call of Cthulhu
. The Armageddon
and Apocalypse
of Judeo-Christianity are also referenced: Following the conflagration of the End Times
, the flesh of the vanquished Leviathan
is to be served up to the victorious survivors.
A crucial difficulty with the Necronomicon's authenticity is the question of how Lovecraft would have learned about the book before 1921, and why he would have maintained that he invented it. Some proponents, such as Kenneth Grant
, assert that Lovecraft was an unconscious medium
(lucid dreamer) who learned about a real book in his dreams; others cite potential links between Lovecraft and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
(or other magical orders).
forces meant it has been frequently condemned as black magic
by Christian
groups. One example is Patricia Pulling
who in her book, The Devil's Web: Who Is Stalking Your Children For Satan? (published by Vital Issues Press, 1989) warned against the Simon Necronomicon. According to Pulling, the book was used regularly by teenagers. She urges police officers to open interrogations of suspected teenage occultists with the question, "Have you read the Necronomicon, or are you familiar with it?"
The book has featured as courtroom evidence in the murder trials of Roderick Ferrell and Glen Mason, with suggestions that it played a part in Satanic
human sacrifices. Ferrell, it is claimed, used the book during cult rituals.
and Anton LaVey
. Some attribute it to James Wasserman http://studio31.com/jimw.htm, a well-known producer and designer of occult books and protege of Samuel Weiser, the largest publisher of occult books in America (Wasserman has been associated with the recent re-publishing of many of the works of Aleister Crowley
). The more likely author would be nonfiction writer Peter Levenda, a possibility "Simon" (whether intentionally or accidentally) does little to deny in Dead Names. Levenda had not yet officially published any books at the time of the first printing. He has subsequently done so, publishing nonfiction works on the topic of the influence of occult secret societies
on international politics. The U.S. Copyright Office identifies Levenda as the author and copyright holder of Gates of the Necronomicon.
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n and a storyline of unknown authenticity about a man known as the "Mad Arab."
The book was released in 1977 by Schlangekraft, Inc..
Simon's introduction
The introduction to the book (comprising about 80 pages of a total of 263) is the only part that Simon indicates that he wrote. It relates how Simon and his associates were said to have been introduced to a copy of the Greek Necronomicon by a mysterious monk. The introduction also attempts to establish links between H. P. LovecraftH. 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....
, Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
and Babylonian mythology, as well as draw parallels to other religions (such as Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
, Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
and Hebrew Mythology
Canaanite religion
Canaanite religion is the name for the group of Ancient Semitic religions practiced by the Canaanites living in the ancient Levant from at least the early Bronze Age through the first centuries of the Common Era....
). Some of the discussion is based on ideas concerning the connection between Crowley and Lovecraft first put forward by Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order.-Occult background:Grant's occult experiences began in 1939...
.
The Testimony of the Mad Arab
In addition to an introduction, the book uses a frame storyFrame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
titled The Testimony of The Mad Arab. The Testimony is in two parts, forming a prologue and an epilogue to the core Necronomicon. The author describes himself as a "Mad Arab".
The prologue explains how the Arab first came to know of the existence of the dark secrets he is writing down, as he accidentally witnesses an arcane ritual performed by a Death Cult
Death cult
The term Death cult may refer to:*The Cult, Death Cult was an early name for this British rock band*Death Cult , a compilation album featuring all the songs from Death Cult*A synonym for the term destructive cult...
that worships Tiamat
Tiamat
In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
, in which both the demons Kutulu
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...
and Humwawa
Humbaba
In Akkadian mythology Humbaba or Huwawa , also Humbaba the Terrible was a monstrous giant of immemorial age raised by Utu, the Sun...
are conjured and are offered human sacrifices.
In the epilogue, the Mad Arab is haunted by premonitions of his gruesome death. He realizes that the horrors of the Necronomicon are enraged and seek revenge for his revealing of their existence to the world. The epilogue is littered with non sequiturs and arcane incantations—all of which are in vain, as horrendous monsters swarm about. He is unable to sign his work, thus remaining nameless.
Elder Gods
The Elder Gods (forces of goodGood
Good may refer to:* Good and evil - The distinction between positive and negative entities* Good - Objects produced for market* Form of the Good - Plato's macrocosmic view of goodness in living* Good...
) as mentioned in the book include the following:
- NannaNanna-Mythology:* Nanna or Sin , god of the moon in Sumerian mythology, also called Suen* Nanna , goddess and wife of the god Baldr in Norse mythology-People:* Nanna , a Scandinavian female name...
- NeboNeboNebo may refer to:* Nebo , a Babylonian god* Nabau, a Biblical townNebo: In ancient times Nebo, or Nabu was the Chaldean deity of the Babylonians and Assyrians...
- InannaInannaInanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
or IshtarIshtarIshtar is the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex. She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna and to the cognate north-west Semitic goddess Astarte.-Characteristics:... - Shammash
- NergalNergalThe name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth : "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal"...
- MardukMardukMarduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi , started to...
- NinurtaNinurtaNinurta in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology was the god of Lagash, identified with Ningirsu with whom he may always have been identical...
Ancient Ones
The Ancient Ones (forces of evilEvil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
) mentioned in the book include the following:
- TiamatTiamatIn Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
- AbzuAbzuThe abzu also called engur, literally, ab='ocean' zu='to know' or 'deep' was the name for fresh water from underground aquifers that was given a religious quality in Sumerian and Akkadian mythology...
- KinguKinguKingu, also spelled Qingu, meaning "unskilled laborer," was a god in Babylonian mythology, and — after the murder of his father Apsu — the consort of the goddess Tiamat, his mother, who wanted to establish him as ruler and leader of all gods before she was slain by Marduk. Tiamat gave Kingu the 3...
- KutuluCthulhuCthulhu 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...
- Azag-ThothAzathothAzathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. Its epithets include Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan and the Blind Idiot God.-Inspiration:...
- IshnigarrabShub-NiggurathShub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young”, is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft...
- NingishzidaNingishzidaNingishzida is a Mesopotamian deity of the underworld. His name in Sumerian is translated as "lord of the good tree" by Thorkild Jacobsen....
- Nammtar (or NamtarNamtarIn Mesopotamian mythology Namtar was a hellish deity, god of death, and the messenger of An, Ereshkigal, and Nergal.Namtar was the son of Enlil and Erishkigal and was considered responsible for diseases and pests...
) - Humwawa (or HumbabaHumbabaIn Akkadian mythology Humbaba or Huwawa , also Humbaba the Terrible was a monstrous giant of immemorial age raised by Utu, the Sun...
) - PazuzuPazuzuIn Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought.- Iconography :...
- The Seven Maskim, also spelled Masqim, the Liers-In-Wait
Magic
Much of the book is a guide to magicMagic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and conjuration
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
. Many magical incantation
Incantation
An incantation or enchantment is a charm or spell created using words. An incantation may take place during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer, and may invoke or praise a deity. In magic, occultism, witchcraft it may be used with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person...
s, seal
Sigil (magic)
A sigil is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose. A sigil is usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures, each with a specific meaning or intent.- Name and origin :...
s and rituals are described. Most of these are used to ward off evil or to invoke the Elder Gods to one's aid. Some of them are curses to be used against one's enemies. The incantations are written in a mix of English and ancient Babylonian with a few possible misspellings in the Sumerian words. There are also several words among the "Babylonian" that do not appear to be Babylonian or any known language.
The many magical seals in the book usually pertain to a particular God or demon, and are used when invoking or summoning the entity
Entity
An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, although it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.An entity could be viewed as a set...
. In some cases there are specific instructions on how to carve the seals and amulets, including the materials that should be used and the time of day it should be carved; in other cases, only the seal itself is given.
For some rituals, the book mentions that sacrifices should be offered. One ritual in particular describes a human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
of eleven men, needed to enchant a sword that can summon Tiamat (p. 160-161).
Both the introduction and the book's marketing make sensational claims for the book's magical power. The back blurb claims it is "the most potent and potentially, the most dangerous Black Book known to the Western World", and that its rituals will bring "beings and monsters" into "physical appearance". The book's introduction gives readers frequent warnings that the powers it contains are potentially life threatening, and that perfect mental health is needed; otherwise the book is extremely dangerous. It claims a curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
hit those who helped publish the book. It also claims that the Golden Dawn
Golden Dawn
Golden Dawn may refer to:In popular culture:* Golden Dawn , an Austrian black metal band* The Golden Dawn , a 1960s psychedelic band* The Golden Dawn , an indie pop/rock band* Golden Dawn , a 1930 musical...
methods of magical banishing
Banishing
In Ceremonial magic, banishing refers to one or more rituals intended to remove non-physical influences ranging from spirits to negative influences...
will not work on the entities in this book.
Good versus evil
A main theme of the book is the struggle between good and evil. The principal forces of good are the "Elder Gods"; of evil, the "Ancient Ones". These two groups are populated with authentic Mesopotamian gods and monsters as well as fictitious ones. The Ancient Ones are older and represent primeval chaosChaos (cosmogony)
Chaos refers to the formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, more specifically the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth....
. Chief among them is Tiamat. The Elder Gods are younger entities, children of the Ancient Ones, who rebelled against them and prevailed.
Included in the Simon Necronomicon is a story that is a variant of the Enuma Elish
Enûma Elish
The is the Babylonian creation myth . It was recovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1849 in the ruined Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh , and published by George Smith in 1876.The Enûma Eliš has about a thousand lines and is recorded in Old Babylonian on seven clay tablets, each holding...
, the Babylonian creation epic. It relates how Marduk
Marduk
Marduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi , started to...
(Leader of the Elder Gods) slew Tiamat (Queen of the Ancient Ones), clove her body in two and created the Heaven and the Earth from the two halves. The Elder Gods also created mankind from the blood of Kingu (an Ancient One). Other Ancient Ones are imprisoned beneath the Earth or beyond the Heavens. With the exception of the terms "Elder Gods" and "Ancient Ones" (which were first popularized by the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft), many of these stories are derived from authentic myths.
Simon's introduction claims that Lovecraft's mythos tells of the struggle between good and evil, as personified by the good Elder Gods and the evil Great Old Ones. The theme of "cosmic war" derives instead from the apocryphal Book of Enoch
Book of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel...
, cited by Lovecraft in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature
Supernatural Horror in Literature
"Supernatural Horror in Literature" is a long essay by the celebrated horror writer H. P. Lovecraft surveying the field of horror fiction. It was written between November 1925 and May 1927 and revised in 1933-1934. It was first published in 1927 in the one-shot magazine The Recluse...
.
According to Simon, the Ancient Ones now lie "not dead but dreaming", awaiting a day when they may return to life. To do this, they are dependent upon the positions of the stars
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
as well as the sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
s of their mortal followers. These ideas largely run parallel to the Cthulhu Mythos, so much so that critics claim that this is an obvious attempt to reconcile the Simon Necronomicon with Lovecraft's well-known stories such as The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu
The Call of Cthulhu is a short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales, in February 1928.-Inspiration:...
. The Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
and Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
of Judeo-Christianity are also referenced: Following the conflagration of the End Times
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
, the flesh of the vanquished Leviathan
Leviathan
Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...
is to be served up to the victorious survivors.
Textual Authenticity
According to one book on the topic, The Necronomicon Files, several portions of the Necronomicon bear striking similarities to other works mentioned in its bibliography, such as R. C. Thompson's The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia and Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament -- to an extent that it appears unlikely that separate translations could have arrived at the same result. In addition, two members of the Magickal Childe scene, Khem Caigan (the Necronomicons illustrator) and Alan Cabal, an American occultist, have independently stated that the book was widely known as a hoax in the local occult community. Simon has yet to produce any other individuals who are willing to back up his version of events.A crucial difficulty with the Necronomicon's authenticity is the question of how Lovecraft would have learned about the book before 1921, and why he would have maintained that he invented it. Some proponents, such as Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order.-Occult background:Grant's occult experiences began in 1939...
, assert that Lovecraft was an unconscious medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
(lucid dreamer) who learned about a real book in his dreams; others cite potential links between Lovecraft and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development...
(or other magical orders).
Accusations of black magic and connections to murder
The sensational claims for the book's power and its avowed connection to evilEvil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
forces meant it has been frequently condemned as black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
by Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
groups. One example is Patricia Pulling
Patricia Pulling
Patricia A. Pulling was an anti-occult campaigner from Richmond, Virginia, and the founder of Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons , an advocacy group that was dedicated to the regulation of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons and other such games.-Biography:Pulling formed the organization...
who in her book, The Devil's Web: Who Is Stalking Your Children For Satan? (published by Vital Issues Press, 1989) warned against the Simon Necronomicon. According to Pulling, the book was used regularly by teenagers. She urges police officers to open interrogations of suspected teenage occultists with the question, "Have you read the Necronomicon, or are you familiar with it?"
The book has featured as courtroom evidence in the murder trials of Roderick Ferrell and Glen Mason, with suggestions that it played a part in Satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
human sacrifices. Ferrell, it is claimed, used the book during cult rituals.
Possible attribution
The authorship of the Simon Necronomicon has been attributed to figures as diverse as Sandy PearlmanSandy Pearlman
Sandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and once was a record company executive...
and Anton LaVey
Anton LaVey
Anton Szandor LaVey , born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician...
. Some attribute it to James Wasserman http://studio31.com/jimw.htm, a well-known producer and designer of occult books and protege of Samuel Weiser, the largest publisher of occult books in America (Wasserman has been associated with the recent re-publishing of many of the works of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
). The more likely author would be nonfiction writer Peter Levenda, a possibility "Simon" (whether intentionally or accidentally) does little to deny in Dead Names. Levenda had not yet officially published any books at the time of the first printing. He has subsequently done so, publishing nonfiction works on the topic of the influence of occult secret societies
Secret society
A secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
on international politics. The U.S. Copyright Office identifies Levenda as the author and copyright holder of Gates of the Necronomicon.
Dead Names
In 2006, Avon published Simon's Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (ISBN 0-06-078704-X), in which he details the history of the Necronomicon and attacks his critics who claim the book is a hoax. The book's conclusions are considered suspect by his critics.Related links
- Babylonian mythology
- Cthulhu MythosCthulhu MythosThe 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...
- NecronomiconNecronomiconThe Necronomicon is a fictional grimoire appearing in the stories by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft's 1924 short story "The Hound", written in 1922, though its purported author, the "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred, had been quoted a year earlier in...
- Sumerian mythology
External links
- Comments on the Necronomicon. An article by Kalyn Tranquilson comparing the Simon Necronomicon with actual Mesopotamian myths.
- A Meditation on the Simon Necronomicon and its Rituals and Gates, Being an Argument Against such Practices in 5 Parts. An analysis of the Simon Necronomicon, with a focus on the gate-walking rituals.
- Necronomicon Files Daniel Harms and John Wisdom Gonce III's Necronomicon Files website.
- The Doom that Came to Chelsea by Alan Cabal which describes the creation of Simon's Necronomicon
- Audio Interviews with 'Simon' and Peter Levenda re: Dead Names and the Necronomicon
- Papers in The Attic a blog written by Necronomicon Practitioner Warlock Asylum