| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft: the art-blind bungler could never have done was to execute those
sketches in a strange and assured technique perhaps superior,
despite haste and carelessness, to any of the decadent carvings
from which they were taken - the characteristic and unmistakable
technique of the Old Ones themselves in the dead city’s heyday.
There are those who will say Danforth and I were utterly mad
not to flee for our lives after that; since our conclusions were
now - notwithstanding their wildness - completely fixed, and of
a nature I need not even mention to those who have read my account
as far as this. Perhaps we were mad - for have I not said those
horrible peaks were mountains of madness? But I think I can detect
At the Mountains of Madness |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: "Oh, I'm feelin' fine, Doctor--" she dropped her
voice confidentially--"and you're just in time for a
good dinner. My boy that was lost has come home. He's
a great big fellow, wears fine clothes and come up the
mountain all the way in a devil wagon." She put her
hand to her mouth. "Sh! He's asleep! We won't wake
him till dinner! He's all tired out."
The Doctor nodded understandingly and turned toward
Mary.
"And this young lady?"
"Oh, that's his wife from New York--ain't she
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm: to the wars also, only give me a horse.' The others laughed, and said:
'Seek one for yourself when we are gone, we will leave one behind us
in the stable for you.' When they had gone forth, he went into the
stable, and led the horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped
hobblety jib, hobblety jib; nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away
to the dark forest. When he came to the outskirts, he called 'Iron
Hans' three times so loudly that it echoed through the trees.
Thereupon the wild man appeared immediately, and said: 'What do you
desire?' 'I want a strong steed, for I am going to the wars.' 'That
you shall have, and still more than you ask for.' Then the wild man
went back into the forest, and it was not long before a stable-boy
Grimm's Fairy Tales |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin: occurred to every one, conveys the same idea. Thes
scenes are on the spot rendered more striking by the contrast
of the low rounded forms of the neighbouring hills.
I was interested by finding on the highest peak of on
range (about 700 feet above the sea) a great arched fragment,
lying on its convex side, or back downwards. Mus
we believe that it was fairly pitched up in the air, and thu
turned? Or, with more probability, that there existed formerly
a part of the same range more elevated than the poin
on which this monument of a great convulsion of nature no
lies. As the fragments in the valleys are neither rounde
The Voyage of the Beagle |
