The Ponape Scriptures
The
original copy of this work was discovered in the Carolinas by Captain Abner
Exekiel Hoag in 1734. It was scribbled upon a series of dried palm leaves
protected by a frame made from the wood of an extinct cycad. With the help of
his servant Yogash, Hoag translated the text: some say that Hoag wrote the
material himself after talking to the natives; as the original is written in
hieratic Naacal, a language which should not have been available either to Hoag
or his servant, this point of view is somewhat ameliorated (if only by the
existence of the actual text).
Hoag’s
attempts to publish the work, which seemed designed for missionary purposes,
were thwarted by the religious leaders of the time who were especially
concerned by references to Dagon throughout the text. In 1795, it was finally published
in a duodecimo format (above), after Hoag’s death by his granddaughter, Beverly
Hoag Adams, although prior to this several clandestine manuscript copies had
been passed amongst occult circles. The first printed (or “Beverly”) edition is
slightly abridged and error-ridden due to cost constraints in its production.
The original work is still available for view however, in the Kester Library in
Salem Massachusetts, USA. The most voluble proponent for the work was Harold
Hadley Copeland who cited the book extensively in his essay “The Prehistoric Pacific in Light of the
Ponape Scriptures” (1911) and who published his own translation through the
Miskatonic University Press in 1907.
The
book deals largely with the lost continent of Mu and the wizard-priest Zanthu
who doomed the place in a fiery cataclysm; it discusses Cthulhu, Idh-yaa and
their descendants including Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, Zoth Ommog and (obliquely)
to Cthylla. The text has dramatically affected and informed the rites and
practices of the Esoteric Order of Dagon, among others.
*****
Card 17 – Cthylla
“In his daughter’s darkling
womb
Great Cthulhu will be born
And at his birth the Fabric
of
Space and Time will be torn
When
he casts away Death’s shroud...”
Much
of the legendry associated with the Great Old One Cthulhu makes reference to
its kin – its “wives” offspring and other relatives, including a being known as
“Zhotha-qquah”. In the Deep One system of worship, the children of Cthulhu -
Ghatanothoa, Zoth-Ommog and Ythogtha - are given special veneration, but there
is another child whose existence is generally kept entirely secret:
Cthulhu’s
daughter, Cthylla, is mentioned rarely in any texts of Deep One lore; there are
passing references in a few chap-books (as we have seen) and the Ponape Scriptures invest only a handful
of lines of text. Another source is the Necronomicon,
but even this mention is veiled and obscure. Where Cthylla’s name does occur in
the source material, it is always delivered in the form of a prophecy and, as
anyone familiar with the works of Nostradamus is aware, the sense of these
passages is typically obtuse and nebulous.
This
oracular material seems to foretell a time when Cthulhu is beset by enemies and
seemingly destroyed; however, it is fated to be re-born from “his daughter’s
darkling womb” and to re-emerge to conquer the planet. This
destruction/resurrection scenario is not unusual in well-defined myth-cycles of
this type and is not unexpected in Deep One lore. The secrecy surrounding
Cthylla, in that it represents the key to Cthulhu’s unexpected re-emergence and
subsequent victory, is therefore explained.
Adding
to this mystery, no source cards are extant in either the Kester Set of cards
or that from Newburyport. This suggests that the card was always removed from
the deck and carried separately by the diviner, only being re-incorporated
during readings, thus reducing the possibility of an outsider discovering a
reference to this entity.
The
divinatory meaning of this card is hope and faith. It speaks of promising
opportunities, bright futures and favourable prospects. Its appearance in a
card spread is always considered a good omen. It may also signal inspiration,
insight and satisfaction.
Inverted: When inverted, it betokens bad luck,
misfortune, hopes dashed, or a period of contentment soon terminated.
Card 18 – Ghroth
“When
... the time for reawakening is near, the universe itself shall send forth the
Harbinger and Maker, Ghroth. Who shall urge the stars and worlds to rightness.
Who shall raise the sleeping masters from their burrows and drowned tombs; who
shall raise the tombs themselves. Who shall be attentive to those worlds where
worshippers presume themselves stewards. Who shall bring those worlds under
sway, until all acknowledge their presumption, and bow down.”
-The
Revelations of Glaaki
The
figure of Ghroth emerges rarely in the literature of the Deep Ones and
invariably as a harbinger, or psychopomp. Ghroth’s purpose is to signal the
Great Old Ones of the time when the “stars are right” and to travel to each one
of them, awakening them to the purpose ahead. In this sense, Ghroth is very
much the signifier of the End Times.
Just
how this being fits in to the scheme of Cthulhu and its associates is unknown.
Some texts state that it is connected in some way to an entity named
“Azag-Thoth” while others posit a connection to a distant planet called
“Shaggai”. Like Cthulhu and its kin, it is said to impact negatively upon
certain sensitive minds and its approach to Earth is claimed to cause
widespread distress, anxiety and panic. The Newburyport card set contains a card
for this being with an atypical pictorial component.
In
a card spread, Ghroth signifies dangers and obstacles of an unexpected nature;
unforeseen perils and problems and unknown enemies. Along with this it
indicates deceit, trickery and double-dealing; an insincere relationship or
false friends. It represents lies, scandal and immorality.
Inverted: When presented upside-down, Ghroth
symbolises minor deceits – ‘white lies’ – or trifling mistakes. It can signify
the overcoming of temptation or the period of uneasy contentment received after
having paid a heavy price for one’s actions.
Card 19 – Y’ha-nthlei
“Whether
the dreams and the fancies of Yoharneth-Lahai be false and the Things that are
done in the Day be real, or the Things that are done in the Day be false and
the dreams and fancies of Yoharnath-Lahai be true, none knoweth saving only
MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, who hath not spoken.”
-Lord
Dunsany, 1905
Y’ha-nthlei
is an underwater city prevalent in the mythology of the Deep Ones. In much of
the lore, this place is where the Deep Ones congregate after their final
transformation and where they will spend the rest of their immortal lives. In
many ways, it equates to the Christian notion of “heaven” and must, in this
regard, be considered a fictional locale – an afterlife habitation not a
physical place.
Many
commentators have posited the location of Y’ha-nthlei as being “beyond Devil
Reef”, and certainly the destructive actions of Government agencies in 1928
seemed to follow up this notion. However, it is unlikely that an entire
submarine society – with potentially thousands of citizens and constructions -
could be located so close to the American eastern seaboard without having been
detected long before now.
Like
many similar religions, Y’ha-nthlei is simply a ‘reward’ for a life of faithful
devotion to the tenets of Deep One belief; a reason for adherence to the
community and its strictures.
This
card represents satisfaction, attainment, contentment. It signifies material
wealth, good friends and a comfortable existence. It can betoken a favourable
marriage.
Inverted: When inverted, this card reveals
unhappiness and discontent; it can symbolise plans come to naught or the
breaking of an engagement. A clouded future awaits the questioner, but perhaps
victory is merely delayed rather than completely destroyed.
Card 20 – The Stars are
Right!
“That is not dead which can
eternal lie,
And
with strange aeons, even death may die.”
-Abdul
Alhazred
The
name of this card refers to a cosmic event which, according to Deep One lore,
will signal the coming of the end times. Such a feature of this complex
mythology is certainly not unusual: the Vikings had their Ragnarok, Hinduism
foretells the Kali-Yurga, and even Christianity details the end of creation in
the Book of Revelations in the Bible. In fact, given the complexity of the Deep
One myth cycle, it would be decidedly unusual if an end-times scenario did not
appear.
Little
is known of what would occur when the “stars are right”; however certain
features appear throughout the source material as indicators. As we have seen,
the appearance of Ghroth in the heavens is the first sign. It is this entity
which will cause the Great Old Ones to revive from their interminable slumber
and allow them to burst loose from their imprisonment. Foremost of these, from
the Deep Ones’ point of view, is Cthulhu which will emerge from its sunken tomb
in the corpse-city of R’lyeh, but other such beings are also prophesied to
emerge. Some texts also refer to a twin set of entities called Nug and Yeb,
whose job is to clear the Earth of all life by means of their “torch and
furnace”; however details are sketchy.
This
card indicates rejuvenation and regeneration; it speaks of a change of
position, either physically, as in a relocation, or in terms of one’s
occupation or role, signalling a material promotion. In all ways, this card
foretells development or progress.
Inverted: When displayed upside-down, this card
signals a delay, or postponement. It tells of a failure to act or a failure to
face facts. It betokens indecision suspension or disillusionment.
Card 21 – The Uncaring Void
“And that inverted bowl we
call the sky,
Whereunder crawling coop’t
we live and die:
Raise not thy hands to it,
for it
Rolls
impotently on as thou or I.”
-Omar
Khayyam
The
last card in the Major Arcana brings us full-circle back to our point of
origin. Once more we face a vast emptiness from which anything may emerge, although
this time the void is the endlessness of space rather than a submarine dark.
The initiate’s progress has passed through all aspects and conditions of
earthly existence only to discover that there is a further eternity of learning
in the next phase, and possibly even more beyond that - an unending cycle of
initiation and mastery.
The
Newburyport Set of cards is noteworthy for its lack of pictorial content;
however, in this instance the creator has wittily used their standard medium of
pen and ink to imbue extra meaning to the card – rather than words, the creator
has been content to signify the card with a large blob of ink. This creative
approach to the design has thus informed the design of our version of the card
in the Innsmouth Tarot.
This
card signifies attainment and completion. It speaks of ultimate change and
perfection. It indicates success and the admiration of others. It is the final
goal to which all the other cards have led.
Inverted: Upside-down, the card tells of imperfection,
of the act of quitting when only half done. It reveals an inability to follow
through and a profound lack of vision.
To
Be Concluded...
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