History
Origin in the 8th century[]
The Necronomicon was a powerful tome of black magic created by Abdul Alhazred, the Mad Arab,[6][5] in the 8th century.[7] It was one of the most powerful tomes on magic,[8] and presumably magnified Alhazred's powers.[6]
The Necronomicon was derived from a small part of lore from the Shiatra Book of the Damned (The Darkhold),[9] or was based[5]/patterned after it.[6] The Darkhold was created by Chthon, one of the Elder Gods.
The Atlantean Logomancer theorized that both the Necronomicon and the Darkhold, as well as the Oracles of Zoroaster and other mystic scrolls and books, were in fact just imperfect copies of the ancient writings etched on the walls of R'llyeh, the city of the Aqueos (incorrectly believed to be "Atlantean Vampires"), who had been produced by ancient beings,[10] the Great Old Ones,[11] among which Chthon was allegedly the greatest[12] (despite being an Elder God).
The book was seemingly updated (by Alhazred or others), magically self-updated itself, or contained information on future events, as it mentioned events that occurred after the writing of the books:
- The Necronomicon recounted the Undying Ones's powers waning and them consequently fleeing Earth, despite the fact this event occurred about 200 years after the book's creation.[13]
- Some pages listed every vampire ever born or created.[14]
The book was banned and dreaded for centuries,[15] while becoming legendary.[16]
Late 19th-early 20th centuries[]
In Providence, Rhode Island, a copy was kept in the church used by the Starry Wisdom cult which remained when they were driven out in the 1880s. Robert Blake recognized it when he explored the church[15] as he had earlier learned about the book from correspondence with a reclusive scholar native to Providence.[16]
Modern Age[]
In 1935, near Schwartzhof, Austria, the Witch of the Hills used the spells of the "forbidden tome of Alhazred", and invoked the names of the demons Yngvi and Dyktawo to summon Satan (Lucifer) on behalf of the Gypsy Lucio Nuti who wanted revenge over Baron Krutze and his heirs, corrupt and tyrannous nobles who had destroyed his family.[2]
When Isaiah Curwen was denied the papacy, he extensively studied a part of the Vatican Library which housed the most complete collection of books on the dark arts, including the Necronomicon.[17] The Scarlet Witch considered the book an abomination and mistakenly believed all copies had long been destroyed. What appeared to be Agatha Harkness at the time, however, stated that it would be useful in helping Wanda's demon problems.[18] Doctor Strange possessed a copy.[19]
Other people may or may not possess it as well (see notes).
While studying extensively the occult, including vampire and werewolf matters, Elizabeth Nikos read the Necronomicon.[20] She possessed the pages that listed every vampire ever born or created, intending to kill them all.[14] The Necronomicon was also accessible through at least one digital library (used by Jeff Bannister, who described it as one of the best in the world).[21]
During the Aqueos' hostilities towards Atlantis, Namor tasked Loa to read the darkest of the dark books. Doing so, she found an obscure footnote about the old vampiric races and the cause of the Aqueos' strength when near their home territory, as they were power-boosted by the eldritch energy radiated by the Aqueos' elders, beings known as the Old Ones.[1] She also read about the Undying Ones.[13]
Alternate realities versions[]
Earth-818793 / Earth-2149[]
The 818793 Necronomicon creating a time portal
The Necronomicon was a Sumerian evil[7] sentient book with powers to create portals through time and between realities, as well as to create mystical zombies called Deadites through corruption of souls or demonic possession, similar to the "Raimis" created by Earth-555's Darkhold. Ash referred to it as the Sumerian Book of the Dead. One of Doctor Strange's sentient books, however, said that it was translated from the texts of a Sumerian death cult and written in blood on the flesh of the damned and tortured. Fought over by practitioners of the black arts it disappeared on Earth-2149 for several decades until it recently resurfaced in the collection of Doctor Doom. It was last seen with the Marvel Zombies who decided to use it as toilet paper.[22]
Content[]
The Necronomicon contained instructions on how to summon "strange creatures and stranger gods",[16] including Satan (Lucifer).[2]
It included an obscure footnote about the old vamp-races, mentioned the ancient Aqueos and their eldritch energy radiation power-boost to Aqueos warriors/drones.[1]
The Necronomicon also listed every Vampires ever born or created, including a section with only first names, referring to infant vampire babies kept in a secret hospital ward.[14]
It also mentioned the Undying Ones, the waning of their power, and them consequently fleeing Earth[13] (despite the fact this event occurred 1000 years ago, and the Necronomicon was written before, during the 8th century).Notes
- The Necronomicon from H.P. Lovecraft's stories and the Cthulhu Mythos is the mystical equivalent of Marvel's Darkhold, though it has been stated that the Necronomicon was derived from a small part of lore from the Shiatra Book of the Damned, another name of the Darkhold.[9] and also that both were imperfect copies of the ancient writings etched on the walls of R'llyeh, who had been produced by ancient beings,[10] later confirmed to be the Great Old Ones.[11]
- The Necronomicon might or might not be appearing in possession of various people, including Ralph Halley,[23][24] or Myrna Lukaikas.[25]
- Michael the Necromancer possessed a "Mini Necronomicon" which he used to perform resurrection/zombification spells.[3] It is unknown if that book is actually a pocket book format of the Necronomicon, or another book altogether.
Trivia
- Tony Stark: Iron Man #13 is named "Starkronomicron", a reference to the Necronomicon. The issue also includes a mention of Lovecraft.
- The famous verse of the Necronomicon, "And with strange aeons even death may die!", mentioned in "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928) by H.P. Lovecraft, has been referenced on occasion:
- In Thanos Imperative #3 (October, 2010), when Thanos studied the events that led to the corruption of Reality-10011 into the Cancerverse, he mentioned that the "chthonic entities" showed Mar-Vell (then dying from cancer) "one simple truth", "even death may die". The sentence was repeated by Mar-Vell in Thanos Imperative #6 (January, 2011).
- In "Strange Aeons", Part 1 (Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6; February, 2020), when Dr. Rudy Gillespie recited "Full Fathom Five, thy father lies of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his eyes. Nothing of him that doth fath. But doth suffer a sea-change. Into something rich and strange." from the The Tempest (presumably 1610–1611), by William Shakespeare, to a deceased actor, this one, possessed and revived, recited at his turn "And with strange aeons even death may die!".
See Also
- 9 appearance(s) of Necronomicon
- 4 minor appearance(s) of Necronomicon
- 9 mention(s) of Necronomicon
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Necronomicon
- 2 invocation(s) of Necronomicon
- 4 image(s) of Necronomicon
- 1 quotation(s) by or about Necronomicon
Links and References
- Necronomicon on Wikipedia.org
- Tomes of Eldritch Knowledge at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Necronomicon's entry
- Necronomicon at the H.P. Lovecraft Wiki
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Namor: The First Mutant #4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Monsters Unleashed #3 ; The Death-Dealing Mannikin
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Deadpool (Vol. 5) #45
- ↑ Spider-Woman #5
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic #1 ; Appendix, Tomes: Necromicon's entry
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mystic Arcana: The Book of Marvel Magic #1 ; Abdul Alhazred's profile
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities #1 ; Marvel Zombies' profile
- ↑ Marvel Atlas #2 ; Saudi Arabia's profile
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Marvel Team-Up #76
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Namor: The First Mutant #3
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 King in Black: Namor #2
- ↑ Carnage (Vol. 2) #14
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Fear Itself: The Deep #2
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Captain America: Unforgiven #1
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Journey Into Mystery (Vol. 2) #4 ; The Haunter of the Dark
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Journey Into Mystery (Vol. 2) #3 ; The Shambler from the Stars!
- ↑ Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #5
- ↑ Scarlet Witch #1
- ↑ Doctor Strange: Nightmare
- ↑ Morbius #4
- ↑ Ghost Rider (Vol. 10) #17
- ↑ Marvel Zombies/Army of Darkness #4–5
- ↑ Amazing Detective Cases #12 ; "The Cat's Meow!"
- ↑ Ralph Halley at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- ↑ Bizarre Adventures #33 ; Tales of the Zombie!: Damballah's Deeds