Inspired by  Lovecraft

Lots of contemporary artists have found their inspiration in Lovecraft’s literature. Although the foundations of my own writing project, The Maharajagar, are loosely rooted in the structure of the Mahabharata, some of the window dressing is inspired by Lovecraft’s Universe.

Continuing my research of this newly found cave, I discovered nightmarish creatures resting in a millennium slumber.  Forbidden fictional knowledge that’s promising answers for the meaning of life, while offering instead the meaning of death.

Since I delight in extending my research to include also artists who’re working outside the literary field, but are taking their inspiration from similar sources, I would like to introduce you to the black metal band The Great Old Ones. In 2014 they released an album called Tekeli-li.

“Tekeli-li” was a cry that the Shoggoth , some monsters in the Cthulhu Mythos, would use while imitating the art and voices of the Old Ones (their disappeared masters). Around this motif this band has intertwined five themes that describe very well my intentions to introduce this facet in the Maharajagar’s world building;

1. Je Ne Suis Pas Fou (I’m not crazy); The Maharajagar is a historical fantasy that involves a lot of supernatural beings. Lovecraft’s work gave me the opportunity to deal with the latter in a noncommittal way because the Lovecraftian philosophy of cosmicism states that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as a god, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence, and perhaps are just a small species projecting their own mental idolatries onto the vast cosmos.
2. Antarctica ; Is probably the least explored continent. In analogy with this, I added some aspects to our reality by attributing it with seven dimensions and an interconnected plane of existence.
3. The Elder things; at this stage of the writing process, only one of them is involved, but their heritage is omnipresent and imminent.
4. Awakening; describes the self-realization process of the protagonists and the ascending motion behind the story-line.
5. Behind the mountains; refers to the legendary Himalayan city of Alakapuri and the lamasery of Shamballa.

The album Tekeli-li invokes exactly the atmosphere of Lovecraft for me. Dark, tormented, heavy; it feels like one of his novels. It brings us further than just the music and straight into the unknowable universe of Lovecraft. I invite those who want to explore this music, to check the following link;

https://thegreatoldones.bandcamp.com/track/the-elder-things-2