

The original title for Alhazred's book was "Al Azif," a reference to the noise made by insects at night, though some scholars (both real people in our world and fictional characters within the mythology itself) say it's also the sound of the demons howling. In the next section, we'll learn more about the mad Arab. In this article, we'll explore the fictional author of the "Necronomicon," the various translations Lovecraft mentions in his fiction, the real and fictional locations where you would be able to find a copy - if it really existed - and the hoaxes and homages inspired by Lovecraft's clever creation. Many of Lovecraft's stories end with one or more characters descending into madness, and quite a few of them did so after perusing the "Necronomicon." Lovecraft stressed that these beings were so beyond human comprehension that even considering them for more than a moment could warp your mind. Nevertheless, this history of the youngest days of our world and the otherworldly beings who controlled it is so horrifying that, according to Lovecraft, reading the book could drive you insane.

Lovecraft said the title meant "the book of the customs (or laws) of the dead," but a more literal translation is "the book of dead names." Later on, other authors would give the "Necronomicon" its reputation as a book of spells, but apart from some very vague descriptions of summoning rituals, that doesn't seem to have been Lovecraft's original intent. In other words, the book is a fictional history about our world and the creatures that eons ago ruled the Earth and other realms. The reader discovers that Cthulhu is only distantly related to the other Old Ones and that he can "spy Them only dimly." Cthulhu, a monster who lies sleeping at the bottom of the ocean, also gains a mention in this passage. In "The Dunwich Horror," Lovecraft inserts a lengthy excerpt from the "Necronomicon" about the Old One known as Yog-Sothoth. He calls them the Old Ones, a term that Lovecraft used for more than one group of strange creatures. So what's in this book? From what Lovecraft tells us in his stories, it seems that Alhazred mostly wrote about a race of extraterrestrial creatures with cosmic powers. 738 after being eaten by one or more invisible monsters. Lovecraft tells us that the author of the book was the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, who perished in A.D. This might be why people refer to the book in the same fashion: the "Necronomicon." Many fans of the mythos think of the "Necronomicon" as the Bible of Lovecraft's pantheon. Lovecraft mentions the book in 18 of his stories, more than any other mystical book (real or otherwise) that he references. The "Necronomicon" plays an important role in the Cthulhu mythos - the mythology behind much of Lovecraft's work involving extraterrestrial beings of immense power.
