Cyril Nadar - Week 13 - Shall Dry and Die in / Lost Carcosa
Along the shore the cloud waves break,
The twin suns sink behind the lake,
The shadows lengthen
In Carcosa
Strange is the night where black stars rise,
And strange moons circle through the skies
But stranger still is
Lost Carcosa
Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flaps the tatter of the King,
must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa
Song of my soul, my voice is dead;
Die thou, unsung, as tears unshed
Shall dry and die in
Lost Carcosa
Cassilda’s Song in The King in Yellow
“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents,” was a quote from H.P Lovecraft who is often considered the father of cosmic horror—or Lovecraftian horror. In Lovecraftian horror, the fear does not come from the physical shape of the monsters, but what they represent and the insignificance of humanity in the face of gods. We cannot possibly comprehend the plans of god-like entities.
Similarly to Lovecraft, the author Robert W. Chambers wrote The King in Yellow which inspired Lovecraft to write his mythos. He also wrote of an entity (properly named the King in Yellow or Hastur) which shows the maddening effect of knowing something that should have been left alone.
Even though Hastur is in the Cthulhu Mythos, there are some fundamental differences in character between the cosmic entities in Chambers and Lovecraft’s. In Lovecraft's horror, the Great Old Ones are indifferent toward humans. They do not care for our existence. In Chambers' depiction of horror, Hastur is not indifferent. He is malevolent and cunning — torturing people slowly by giving them a glimpse of the divine kingdom of Carcosa. Carcosa’s twin suns, black stars, and Lake Hali — covered in a viscous abhorrent mist.
The idea that our core drive of learning more about the world being humanity's greatest weakness is unsettling and strange. It doesn’t make sense, it shouldn't make sense. And that is why it works, why it induces fear. Ignorant to the true nature of the cosmos, but knowing enough to not seek it.
Do not seek Carcosa — its twin suns and black stars. The lake that stands still, with its everpresent mist. The King lies in Carcosa, in sweet Carcosa, in lost Carcosa. He knows of the putrid things. He sits upon his yellow throne — watching us in his divine kingdom. You shall dry and die with unshed tears — In Lost Carcosa.
Cyril, this blog is extremely well written and I commend you for how well-read you come off. The first thing that really struck me upon reading your blog was the statement that Lovecraftian monsters represent the “insignificance of humanity in the face of gods.” The idea of gods is one that I have spent a long time thinking about. While I am not religious, I have always had a vast interest in the belief of gods; their all powerful nature and the vast loyalty of their supporters despite people having never seen them before has always been a powerful thought in my head. I find it extremely interesting that people are able to commit themselves so deeply into the idea of something and I think that speaks to the power a god has. As you state in your blog, this power can be misused as gods are not always what we think of them as. I also think your statement of humans’ drive for learning being our greatest weakness is extremely well stated. It really is interesting to think about knowledge being used as a weapon or rather the desire for knowledge harming us in some way. Curiosity is something that is ingrained in all of us innately; a baby’s way to explore the world is by putting things in their mouth; we grow up asking endless questions to the people around us. I have never thought of the potential ramifications it could have but it really is interesting to think about. I also think ending your blog with words directly from the song at the beginning is extremely impactful; I enjoyed reading this blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Cyril! I absolutely loved your blog this week and the way in which you present it. The quote you include from Lovecraft was especially fascinating. I think it’s interesting that ignorance is being framed as a kind of mercy, because usually we are taught to see knowledge as power. Here, knowledge is actually creating instability instead of giving us control. I like to think of this as ignorance protecting the mind from being overwhelmed with knowledge that it is not ready or capable of processing.
ReplyDeleteEven according to ancient mythology, our strong desire to understand the world is seen as a source of harm. When I read your vivid descriptions about Carcosa, the first thing that came to mind was the story of Pandora, the first mortal woman in Greek mythology who was unable to resist the temptation of curiosity and therefore opened a jar that released evil into the world. Similarly, in Chambers’ description, humans are naturally drawn to Carcosa in spite of its clear danger.
And this danger is not something we are forced to endure, it is something that we willingly go out of our way to seek out because of our own curiosity. We as humans are inclined to stay in our comfort zones where it is safe, as part of pure instinct. And yet, we are also simultaneously drawn to the unknown, even when we are aware that it may be dangerous. As strong as the desire to remain safe and comfortable is, curiosity is a force so powerful that it can often override the comfort-seeking parts of ourselves. Thank you for sharing!