The White Ship (story)

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For twelfth century vessel, see White Ship.

"The White Ship" is a short story written by science fiction and horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first published in The United Amateur (Volume 19) #2, November 1919.

Unlike many of Lovecraft’s other tales, "The White Ship" does not directly tie into the popularized Cthulhu Mythos. However, the story cannot be entirely excluded from mythos continuity either, since it makes reference to preternatural, godlike beings. The tone and temperament of "The White Ship" speaks largely of the Dream Cycle literary structure that H. P. Lovecraft utilized in other stories such as The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926) and "The Cats of Ulthar" (1920).

[edit] Plot summary

A lighthouse keeper named Basil Elton engages upon a peculiar fantasy in which a bearded man piloting a mystical white ship is found sailing upon a bridge of moonlight. Elton joins the bearded man on this ship, and together they explore a mystical chain of islands unlike anything that can be found on Earth.

They travel to the majestic city of Thalarian, City of a Thousand Wonders. They pass Akariel the Caravan Gate and navigate through the river Narg. They visit Xura, the Land of Pleasures Unattained. They visit Sona-Nyl, Land of Fancy and Cathuria, Land of Hope.

By the end of the story, Basil Elton finds himself back in his lighthouse, little wiser as to whether his experiences were reality or simply the product of an excessive imagination.

[edit] Publication history

"The White Ship" has been published in the following collections.

Note: Most of this bibliography comes from The H. P. Lovecraft Archive. This list should not be considered complete.

The United Amateur (Volume 19) #2 – November 1919 (pp 30-33)
Weird Tales - May 1927
The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath – Ballentine Books, New York – 1970 (pp 220-228)
The Lurking Fear and Other Stories – Ballantine Books, New York – 1971 (pp 41-48)
Dagon and Other Macabre Tales – Arkham House, Sauk City, WI – 1987 (pp 36-42) (definitive version)
The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road To Madness – Ballentine Books, New York – 1996 (pp53-58)
The Thing On The Doorstep and Other Weird Stories – Penguin Books, New York – 2001 (pp 21-26)
Waking Up Screaming: Haunting Tales Of Terror – Del Rey, New York – 2003 (pp 224-231)