Lost Carcosa

[Mandolin]

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 flap the tatters 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.

Seriously, the C'thulhu Mythos are fascinating. I admit to not having really immersed myself in them, having read only Dagon, (I bought a book containing the first third of the C'thulhu Mythos as interpreted by various authors, but haven't really gotten a chance to read it), but from what I have learned from various sources, the stories seem complex, elevated, and terrifying, a very sophisticated sort of horror. Since we've all been exposed to the C'thulhu mythos in some form, be it the stories, RPGs, or even its brief and unexpected brushes with The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, I thought it'd be kind of cool to have a little discussion about them here.

The stories include such motifs as the extradimensional devil-god C'thulhu and his various progeny, the Necronomicon, (that legendary book containing some unmentionable dark information) the lost city of Carcosa, a censored play entitled "The King in Yellow" that will drive anyone who reads it insane, the Dreamlands, (a strange alternate dimension that can be accessed only in your dreams, by descending down a stairway that may or may not randomly appear in any given dream) and many other dark and fascinating things.

The C'thulhu Mythos (for those of you not in the know) are a series of bizarre science-fiction horror stories that have been independently worked on by some of the most appropriately bizarre or mysterious writers in history, including HP Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, and Ambrose Bierce. Lovecraft is pretty much the head honcho regarding the Mythos, but my favorite is Bierce, famous for having penned The Devil's Dictionary and disappearing without a trace. By the way, I happen to own a copy of The Devil's Dictionary. It's quite incredible.

Penny for your thoughts?