The Simon Necronomicon is written by an unknown author, but is introduced by a man identified only as "Simon". Stories presented are a blend of Mesopotamian myths, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian and a storyline of unknown authenticity about a man known as the "Mad Arab."
The book was released in 1977 by Schlangekraft, Inc..
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The introduction to the book (comprising about 80 pages of a total of 263) is the only part that Simon indicates that he wrote. It relates how Simon and his associates were said to have been introduced to a copy of the Greek Necronomicon by a mysterious monk. The introduction also attempts to establish links between H. P. Lovecraft, Aleister Crowley and Babylonian mythology, as well as draw parallels to other religions (such as Christianity, Wicca, Satanism and Hebrew Mythology). Some of the discussion is based on ideas concerning the connection between Crowley and Lovecraft first put forward by Kenneth Grant.
In addition to an introduction, the book uses a frame story titled The Testimony of The Mad Arab. The Testimony is in two parts, forming a prologue and an epilogue to the core Necronomicon. The author describes himself as a "Mad Arab".
The prologue explains how the Arab first came to know of the existence of the dark secrets he is writing down, as he accidentally witnesses an arcane ritual performed by a Death Cult that worships Tiamat, in which both the demons Kutulu and Humwawa are conjured and are offered human sacrifices.
In the epilogue, the Mad Arab is haunted by premonitions of his gruesome death. He realizes that the horrors of the Necronomicon are enraged and seek revenge for his revealing of their existence to the world. The epilogue is littered with non sequiturs and arcane incantations—all of which are in vain, as horrendous monsters swarm about. He is unable to sign his work, thus remaining nameless.
Much of the book is a guide to magic and conjuration. Many magical incantations, seals and rituals are described. Most of these are used to ward off evil or to invoke the Elder Gods to one's aid. Some of them are curses to be used against one's enemies. The incantations are written in a mix of English and ancient Babylonian with a few possible misspellings in the Sumerian words. There are also several words among the "Babylonian" that do not appear to be Babylonian or any known language.
The many magical seals in the book usually pertain to a particular God or demon, and are used when invoking or summoning the entity. In some cases there are specific instructions on how to carve the seals and amulets, including the materials that should be used and the time of day it should be carved; in other cases, only the seal itself is given.
For some rituals, the book mentions that sacrifices should be offered. One ritual in particular describes a human sacrifice of eleven men, needed to enchant a sword that can summon Tiamat (p. 160-161).
Both the introduction and the book's marketing make sensational claims for the book's magical power. The back blurb claims it is "the most potent and potentially, the most dangerous Black Book known to the Western World", and that its rituals will bring "beings and monsters" into "physical appearance". The book's introduction gives readers frequent warnings that the powers it contains are potentially life threatening, and that perfect mental health is needed; otherwise the book is extremely dangerous. It claims a curse hit those who helped publish the book. It also claims that the Golden Dawn methods of magical banishing will not work on the entities in this book.
A main theme of the book is the struggle between good and evil. The principal forces of good are the "Elder Gods"; of evil, the "Ancient Ones". These two groups are populated with authentic Mesopotamian gods and monsters as well as fictitious ones. The Ancient Ones are older and represent primeval chaos. Chief among them is Tiamat. The Elder Gods are younger entities, children of the Ancient Ones, who rebelled against them and prevailed.
Included in the Simon Necronomicon is a story that is a variant of the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation epic. It relates how Marduk (Leader of the Elder Gods) slew Tiamat (Queen of the Ancient Ones), clove her body in two and created the Heaven and the Earth from the two halves. The Elder Gods also created mankind from the blood of Kingu (an Ancient One). Other Ancient Ones are imprisoned beneath the Earth or beyond the Heavens. With the exception of the terms "Elder Gods" and "Ancient Ones" (which were first popularized by the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft), many of these stories are derived from authentic myths.
Simon's introduction claims that Lovecraft's mythos tells of the struggle between good and evil, as personified by the good Elder Gods and the evil Great Old Ones. The theme of "cosmic war" derives instead from the apocryphal Book of Enoch, cited by Lovecraft in his essay Supernatural Horror in Literature.
According to Simon, the Ancient Ones now lie "not dead but dreaming", awaiting a day when they may return to life. To do this, they are dependent upon the positions of the stars as well as the sacrifices of their mortal followers. These ideas largely run parallel to the Cthulhu Mythos, so much so that critics claim that this is an obvious attempt to reconcile the Simon Necronomicon with Lovecraft's well-known stories such as The Call of Cthulhu. The Armageddon and Apocalypse of Judeo-Christianity are also referenced: Following the conflagration of the End Times, the flesh of the vanquished Leviathan is to be served up to the victorious survivors.
According to one book on the topic, The Necronomicon Files, several portions of the Necronomicon bear striking similarities to other works mentioned in its bibliography, such as R. C. Thompson's The Devils and Evil Spirits of Babylonia and Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament -- to an extent that it appears unlikely that separate translations could have arrived at the same result.[1] In addition, two members of the Magickal Childe scene, Khem Caigan (the Necronomicon's illustrator) and Alan Cabal, an American occultist, have independently stated that the book was widely known as a hoax in the local occult community.[2] Simon has yet to produce any other individuals who are willing to back up his version of events.
A crucial difficulty with the Necronomicon's authenticity is the question of how Lovecraft would have learned about the book before 1921, and why he would have maintained that he invented it. Some proponents, such as Kenneth Grant, assert that Lovecraft was an unconscious medium (lucid dreamer) who learned about a real book in his dreams; others cite potential links between Lovecraft and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (or other magical orders).
The book has featured as courtroom evidence in the murder trials of Roderick Ferrell and Glen Mason, with suggestions that it played a part in Satanic human sacrifices. Ferrell, it is claimed, used the book during cult rituals.[3]
The authorship of the Simon Necronomicon has been attributed to figures as diverse as Sandy Pearlman and Anton LaVey. Some attribute it to James Wasserman, a well-known producer and designer of occult books and protege of Samuel Weiser, the largest publisher of occult books in America (Wasserman has been associated with the recent re-publishing of many of the works of Aleister Crowley). Another possibility is nonfiction writer Peter Levenda, a possibility "Simon" (whether intentionally or accidentally) does little to deny in Dead Names. Levenda had not yet officially published any books at the time of the first printing. He has subsequently done so, publishing nonfiction works on the topic of the influence of occult secret societies on international politics.
In 2006, Avon published Simon's Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (ISBN 0-06-078704-X), in which he details the history of the Necronomicon and attacks his critics who claim the book is a hoax. The book's conclusions are considered suspect by his critics.[4]