H.P. Lovecraft & Greek mythology

Titan of terror: the dark imagination of H.P. Lovecraft

To celebrate H.P. Lovecraft’s birthday today, we will look at the influence of Greek mythology on his work. H.P. Lovecraft was an American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos, a fictional universe of ancient and cosmic horrors that threaten humanity. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1890 and spent most of his life in New England.

He was interested in science, history, and literature from childhood, but suffered from poor health and financial difficulties. Lovecraft wrote for amateur journals and pulp magazines, but never achieved fame or success during his lifetime. Largely unknown during his lifetime, his fame and influence grew after his death. He died of intestinal cancer in 1937, at the age of 46.

Influences

Lovecraft was influenced by many sources, including classical antiquity, Greek/Roman literature and mythology. He read widely and deeply in various fields of knowledge, and incorporated elements of ancient cultures and civilizations into his stories. He admired the works of Homer, Virgil, Ovid, and other classical poets, and he often used classical names and references in his fiction. Lovecraft also borrowed from Greek mythology, especially the concepts of fate, chaos, and cosmic horror. He was fascinated by the idea of ancient gods and monsters that lurk in the depths of the earth and the sea, that can awaken and destroy humanity at any moment, and created his own pantheon of eldritch deities, such as Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep, and Azathoth, that were inspired by Greek and other mythologies.

Greek Influences on Lovecraft

Lovecraft was fascinated by classical antiquity, especially Greek literature, mythology and poetry. He read extensively on these topics, and incorporated them into his stories. Some of his influences were:

• Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, which he read in the original Greek. He admired the epic style and the cosmic scope of these poems, and used them as models for his own narratives. He also borrowed elements from Greek mythology, such as the Cyclops, the Sirens, and the Underworld.
• Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, which he also read in Greek. He was inspired by the genealogy of the gods and the cosmogony of the ancient world, and used them as sources for his own mythology of the Old Ones and the Great Old Ones.
• The Greek tragedians, especially Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. He appreciated the dramatic structure and the tragic themes of these plays, and emulated them in his stories. He also incorporated motifs from Greek tragedy, such as fate, hubris, and the downfall of heroes.
• The Greek lyric poets, especially Sappho, Pindar and Anacreon. He enjoyed the lyrical beauty and the emotional expression of these poems, and tried to imitate them in his own poetry. He also used some of their imagery and metaphors, such as the rose, the nightingale, and the wine.
• The Greek philosophers, especially Plato, Aristotle and the Stoics. He studied their works and their ideas, and applied them to his own worldview and philosophy. He was influenced by their concepts of reality, knowledge, ethics, and aesthetics.

The bestselling PlayStation 4 game Bloodborne is inspired by his work, if you have not played it you should give it a try! To learn more about the influence of the classics on H.P. Lovecraft, we recommend the book Classical Traditions in Modern Fantasy (featured below along with its companion book about Science Fiction), which examines the influence of the classics on many authors, and has a chapter dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft.

Greek Mythology and Lovecraft

One of the examples of Lovecraft’s use of Greek literature and mythology is his short story “Poetry and the Gods”, which he co-wrote with Anna Helen Crofts in 1920. The story is about a young woman who dreams that she has an audience with Zeus, who tells her that the gods have been asleep and dreaming, but they have chosen a poet who will herald their awakening. The poet is none other than Lord Dunsany, an Irish writer of fantasy and horror who was one of Lovecraft’s idols. The story features many references to Greek gods and goddesses, such as Hermes, Apollo, Dionysus, the Muses, and the Bacchae. The story also expresses Lovecraft’s admiration for classical poetry and his hope for a new age of beauty and wonder.

Another example of Lovecraft’s use of Greek literature and mythology is his novella “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, which he wrote in 1926-27. The story is about Randolph Carter, a recurring character in Lovecraft’s fiction, who embarks on a perilous journey through the dreamlands to find the mysterious city of Kadath, where the gods dwell. It is influenced by the works of Homer, especially the Odyssey, as Carter encounters many strange and dangerous creatures and lands, such as the ghouls, the night-gaunts, the moon-beasts, the Plateau of Leng, and the Underworld. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath also draws from Greek mythology, as Carter seeks the help of Nodens, a god of the sea and the abyss, who is based on the Greek god Nereus.

Lovecraft’s stories are full of references and allusions to Greek literature, mythology and poetry. Some other examples are:

• The Call of Cthulhu, which is based on Hesiod’s Theogony, with Cthulhu as a primordial deity who lies sleeping in the depths of the sea, waiting to awaken and destroy the world.
• The Shadow Out of Time, which is influenced by Plato’s Timaeus, with the Great Race of Yith as a race of philosophers who explore the secrets of the cosmos and the history of life.
• The Dunwich Horror, which is inspired by Euripides’ The Bacchae, with Wilbur Whateley as a monstrous offspring of a god and a mortal, who unleashes a horror upon the town of Dunwich.
• Fungi from Yuggoth, which is a collection of sonnets that resemble the Greek lyric poetry, with themes of love, death, beauty, and horror.

Below is a documentary about H.P. Lovecraft to learn more about him.