Cthulhu Mythos | Lecturia

Robert Bloch: The Secret in the Tomb

“The Secret in the Tomb” is a gothic horror tale written by Robert Bloch and published in Weird Tales in May 1935. It is the author’s first story set within the Cthulhu Mythos, created by H. P. Lovecraft. The narrative follows the last heir of a family of sorcerers, who ventures into the cemetery in search of an ancient and sinister secret hidden within his ancestors’ vault. In this grim and mysterious setting, the protagonist confronts supernatural forces that defy reason, while the macabre and oppressive atmosphere reveals forbidden and hidden terrors.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Festival

“The Festival” is a haunting tale by H.P. Lovecraft, published in January 1925 in Weird Tales magazine. On Christmas Eve, a man travels to the ancient coastal town of Kingsport to take part in an enigmatic winter solstice ritual. His purpose is to connect with the arcane roots of his lineage, which trace back to times predating the colonization of America. Immersed in an oppressive atmosphere of mystery, the protagonist finds himself in a transformed Kingsport, where the shadows of the past come alive and family secrets intertwine with ancient horrors.

August Derleth: The House in the Valley

The House in the Valley is a story by August Derleth, published in July 1953 in the magazine Weird Tales. Told in the first person by Jefferson Bates, a painter seeking isolation to devote himself to his work, the story begins when he rents an old mansion in a remote valley in Massachusetts near the ancient fortresses of Arkham and Dunwich. The house, marked by a dark past linked to the Bishop family, soon awakens a disturbing sensation of an invisible presence in the protagonist. As he settles in, he perceives subtle hints of a mystery hidden beneath the apparent calm of the place, slowly submerging himself in an increasingly disturbing environment.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Nameless City

In “The Nameless City,” a story by H. P. Lovecraft published in 1921, the protagonist recounts his terrifying exploration of an ancient and forgotten city lost in the Arabian desert. Despite local warnings and fears about this cursed place, whose history is lost in antiquity, the man ventures into its ruins. He discovers vestiges of an unknown and deeply disturbing civilization that practiced strange rites and venerated reptilian beings there. As he explores underground temples and descending passages, he is confronted with evidence of a chilling reality that defies human comprehension.

H. P. Lovecraft: The Hound

Synopsis: “The Hound” is a horror story by H. P. Lovecraft, published in February 1924 in the magazine Weird Tales. The story follows two macabre enthusiasts who seek extreme thrills to alleviate their boredom. Both are collectors of esoteric artifacts and practice grave robbing to obtain rare and mystical objects. During one of their expeditions to a Dutch cemetery, they unearth an ancient amulet shaped like a winged hound linked to dark and nefarious rituals described in the Necronomicon. From the moment they possess it, a wave of supernatural events begins to unfold around them.

H. P. Lovecraft: Dagon

In “Dagon,” a short story by H. P. Lovecraft published in 1919, a man recounts a traumatic experience that has brought him to the brink of madness. After escaping from a ship during the First World War, he finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean until a strange geological phenomenon transports him to a desolate landscape, where he discovers a monolith and witnesses the appearance of a gigantic and abominable creature. “Dagon” is an early Lovecraft story that establishes the guidelines for what will become the distinctive hallmarks of his literary universe, which led him to become a renowned master of cosmic and ancestral horror.