Rape - Not Lovecraftian. Or is it?

[Fenris Technique]

Let me start by saying that this subject ultimately distills down to 100% opinion, so it is not my intention to convince anyone of a ‘right’ answer, but rather to air my views on the subject and get a feel for what others think. This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while, and though I was previously able to avoid the problem by sticking with known writers of quality fiction I now see the issue creeping into more mainstream works, like Lovecraft anthologies and works assembled by esteemed veterans of the genre like S. T. Joshi. The problem is this:

Rape is not Lovecraftian.

That’s my opinion, and I derive it from the absolute dearth of any explicit sexual content in HP’s writings, much less forced sexual contact. Hence, when ‘Lovecraftian’ writers resort to rape stories (or stories where the 'horror' hinges on someone being raped) I’m inclined to call ‘foul’ on all that. Deformed people and siamese twins being raped by other deformed people – not Lovecraftian. Lightning tree beings raping women – not Lovecraftian. Cthulhu and his tentacles (Dagon forbid) crammed in a variety of human orifices – not Lovecraftian. That’s my take on it and I acknowledge that it’s largely one of personal preference.

To my mind when one speaks of writing a ‘Lovecraftian’ tale I’m expecting something that follows the well-worn themes of Cosmic Horror/Uncaring Gods, insanity, atavism, isolation, ‘degenerate people’, cults, the Necronomicon . . . what have you.

I only mention this because I’ve noticed an increasing number of so-called ‘Lovercraftian’ tales hitting the market which seem to have little (if any) connection to Lovecraft or his themes, and a disturbing number of them are going ‘rapey’ for lack of a better term.

I’d be interested to hear what others think a ‘Lovecraftian’ tale does or does not entail. And again, this is just one guy’s opinion, not intended to be a battle over who is right/wrong about what is/is not Lovecraftian. Obviously many disagree with my take, as evidenced by the current body of ‘Lovecraftian’ literature.

[Druidic]

Most of the stories in so-called Lovecraftian collections of original material, in the 'tribute' volumes, have nothing to do with Lovecraft. It's purely marketing and writers looking to make sales in a time of dwindling markets. I occasionally get the feeling that some of these writers don't even like Lovecraft. His name is used more cynically today than at any point in the past.

[ramonoski]

I think it's impossible to ignore that rape and sexual violence existed in Lovecraft's fiction. He always kept it in the background, of course, but it's certainly implied, perhaps most clearly in The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Dunwich Horror. Whether it's a good idea to bring it into the foreground, well, I suppose it depends on the story a given author is writing and what they intend to do with it.

[Druidic]

Ramonoski is certainly right about the sexual themes in Lovecraft. The Thing on the Doorstep (the ultimate incest?), Dreams in the Witch-House, The Dunwich Horror, all have strong sexual elements.
But readers can be forgiven for not noticing this; Lovecraft handled sex in an intentionally clinical fashion. He wasn't about to dilute the Weird element with titillation, conscious or unconscious. His use of aesthetic distance and his tone of precision and objectivity certainly distinguished his work from his pulp contemporaries who preferred to employ sentiment or titillation in their stories.

There are certainly editors and writers today who have a genuine fondness for Lovecraft and who treat his works with respect. People like Joshi, Hopfrog, the late Michael Shea, they are the real thing, even if I'm not always fond of the direction they're moving in...

[Robert Adam Gilmour]

I'm sure everyone here is aware there is a big difference between Lovecraftian pastiche, Lovecraft inspired and Cthulhu mythos pieces that are stylistically and philosophically nothing like Lovecraft.

Some people clearly like the creatures and nothing else.

It's not surprising his tentacled creatures appear in tentacle fetish stories. Just like other characters appeal to the certain groups in a way the creators probably never expected. The characters embody or play into a fixation for some people and they use them that way.

There are plenty of talented writers who will disagree with me (Alan Moore) but I think people shouldn't use characters and beings in ways that the original creators would probably disapprove of.

However I don't think there's any correct way to emulate another writer. Most will disagree on what elements are necessary.
The thing that attracts me to Lovecraft tribute anthologies is the possibilities of the visual stylings. I really don't care if people use a completely different philosophy and I'd prefer new monsters to using the established Old Ones.

[SpookyDread]

SPVision - Wicked City Trailer - YouTube

A Japanese weird supernatural horror movie .

There is something spiritual and manic about erotic mystical experiences particularly in waking dreams. This is a scientific fact. However, this form of supernatural assault is not a rape, and likely has something to do with the state of mind of the person .

[Druidic]

As for rape in Lovecraft's stories, I can think of only two possible instances.

In The Unnamable they hang the "drunken wretch with a blemished eye." Why, if not for raping the woman who gave birth to the creature, the woman who is presumably buried in the unmarked grave beside which a "childless, embittered old man" mourns.

And then The Curse of Yig. Yig could take a manlike form so it's probably likely the luckless woman in the tale was raped by the Indian God.

Of course, at the conclusion of The Horror at Red Hook women are found in cells with children that die when exposed to sunlight so supernatural violation is apparently implied.

[SpookyDread]

For an author who prided himself on translating his dreams and night-mares into his writing, I think it is crucial to understand that there is no physical rape in any of his writing -at all. To disagree is to stress incredulity . He's talking about non-physical quasi-spiritual rape , which is real and material for Lovecraft in so far as he thinks this doesn't happen in traditional shamanism traditions the world over. I do think that Lovecraft studied anthropology and a multitude of other subjects , but he didn't say that he did , I can imagine that he must have since he idolized people who did.

Trailer Nang-Nak นางนา� trailer - YouTube

The Moon That Embraces the Sun Episode 5 - YouTube

This author became possessed in the course of his field work. He analyzed a ritual of possession through daemonic-dread alone, without trance, or drug use . Another key component of possession is gender and eros . That is why I find Arthur Machen more scary than Lovecraft, in that sense, that he is talking about an intimate horror, a real hagging. It angers me severely that this information exists , and that Lovecraft scholars are ignoring it, as if it is not important. Certainly, for the study of Anglicanism, and Catholicism. The film also stars Lemmy from Motorhead . Christian Wuism. If only Christians could take their religion as seriously as a Troma film does. Do watch the film.

Tromeo and Juliet blu ray trailer - YouTube

Motörhead - Sacrifice (Official Video) - YouTube

Daemonic-Dread (Rudolf Otto concept) within S.Korean shamanism, from the chapter titled A Haunted Feeling in Chongho Kim's Korean Shamanism: The Cultural Paradox,

Soh Bosal started the kut ritual with a drum, sitting together with Oki's Mother on the mat. It was a very cold and windy night even though it was spring. Everything seemed to be frozen in the spring cold. It was so cold that I came back to the car for a rest while Soh Bosal performed the first phase of the kut. I was not keen to observe the first phase, because it just consisted of routine procedures. I took a cigarette out of my pocket and put it in my mouth. Suddenly I felt a strong haunted feeling in the air around me. It felt as if a ghost was going to jump in front of the windscreen. I was so scared that I felt goose bumps appearing on my skin, and a shiver ran down my spine. I turned on the car's interior light and looked in the rear vision mirror, because it felt as though a ghost was about to enter the car through the rear windscreen and squeeze my neck from the back seat. I locked all ofthe doors. But still the spooky feeling did not go away. So I switched on the radio and turned up the sound ... I began to talk to myself ... [What] is the reason I was possessed by a haunted feeling just now? ... What did Mirim's Mother say to you? She said, "I do not like to see kut rituals, where there seem to be lots of ghosts around. I feel as if worms are going around my body." Yes! The haunted feeling ... Chisun's Grandmother said to me, "... The waves of life made me know this way." ... Linda ... asked me in a letter "Why do they take responsibility for the 'dark' side of life?" ... I continued to talk to myself... Because of the dark side of social life, there is a cultural domain dealing with the experience of misfortune in Korean culture. In contrast to ordinary domains, the field of misfortune is full of darkness and dampness. Look at this kut for Oki's Mother! Isn't it full of darkness? ... It is my impression that shamanism looks like a poisonous creature. Korean shamanism is very colourful: its dances and music are dynamic, and costumes are full of bright colour. However, most adult Koreans know that its poisonousness. This is why Yongki's Mother said, "I'm not going to a kut ritual because I am afraid of being possessed by the spirits!" (kwisine ssiuiulggaba). Is there any ordinary Korean who likes to be possessed? This is why they don't like to be involved in shamanic practices. This is why shamanism has been stimatized in Korean history. This is also why my research has encountered such strong resistance in the field. The field which I have been investigating is the field of misfortune! Why do people seek shamanic practices even though they don't like shamanism? How can this paradox be explained? Yes! Like cures like. The mode of shamanic healingis homeopathic. It is like using derivates of poison when one is bitten by a venomous snake. In Korean society, there is no one who suffers from misfortune more than the shaman, and no man or woman ever wants to be a shaman. The shamanic illness, an extreme of misfortune, makes the shaman a healer. ... the Stick held by Oki's Mother still showed no sign of being possessed, even though it sometimes shivered a little bit. Soh Basal asked again, "Is it like something has come?" Oki's Mother replied shakily, "Well... I don't know. The Stick shivered a little bit... "


Channeling, Hungry Ghosts, Reciprocity, from Korean Shaman Rituals by Jung Young Lee,

Our special interest lies in the initiation process of charismatic shamans who are primarily confined to the mid-central part of Korea where Seoul is located. The initiation process of shamans is known by many different names such as Gansin, Sini naerinda, Sini orunda, Sini tanda, and so on. Perhaps these terms are best translated in English as the 'intrusion of spirit in the body', even though it is usually understood as the possession of spirits . When the spirit enters or approaches the body , it is known as Sinju or the spiritual master or spiritual self who becomes a counterpart of the shaman's soul. Here, the spirit master acts as yang or the active principle and the soul of the shaman is yin or the receptive principle. Both of them coexist together as wife and husband. In other words, it indicates the intimate union of two souls, the male and female, or the male god and the female shaman or the female god and the male shaman. ... To say this another way, the mystical union between god and shaman is primarily sexual. It is rather interesting to examine the term 'Sini tanda', which literally means to place god over shaman's body, which seems to indicate the proper position for sexual intercourse. ... We occasionally hear people talk about the loss of soul or or the escape of soul (T'al-hon). To me these terms are inadequately applied to the Korean shamans. It is not the state of no soul or escape of soul but the state where the soul is completely receptive to the coming of spirit. When the spirit comes in, there is a mystical union, the oneness of two, which creates the experience of ecstasy. ... This wedding with god is known as 'Naerim gut' or 'Kangshin gut' which formalizes the initiation of shamanhood.

[Ancient History]

I actually have a small section about this in my book - I'm just going to post the excerpt here:

Quote Originally Posted by Sex and the Cthulhu Mythos 120-121

Rape in the Lovecraft Mythos Rape as a crime against women carries special poignancy for many reasons, not least because of the possibility of pregnancy from unprotected sex. In the Lovecraft Mythos, where a woman can bear the hybrid offspring from a Mythos entity, this carries with it a special kind of horror, and for some, rape and impregnation are sexual fetishes, taboos that add thrill to a narrative. Given his lack of bedroom scenes, it is no surprise that Lovecraft says almost nothing of rape in his stories, but it does crop up at least twice. In “The Curse of Yig,” Audrey Davis kills a nest of four snakes and is forced to bear four snake-human hybrids in return. The second case is a few lines in “The Horror at Red Hook,” where four women who were being held prisoner—and with ill-born children—are discovered after the police raid. In both cases, the act of rape (it is not much of a stretch to assume rape in either case) occurs off the page, and in both cases the results of that forced sexual activity are hybrid children. A more ambiguous case is the conception of the Whateley twins by Lavinia Whateley and Yog-Sothoth; there is simply not enough information to clarify if it was a case of cosmic rape or a willing participation, though Lavinia’s willing participation in other rites may be an indication against rape. Women in the Lovecraft Mythos are not suggested to have been raped except when the act results in a child as in “Novel of the Black Seal.” With so few instances it is difficult to generalize, but it is possible that Lovecraft only chose to include the suggestion of rape in a story when a hybrid child is desired, as no form of consent would make sense within the framework of the story. Other Mythos entities, such as the Deep Ones in “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” do not appear to commit rape—they desire willing human partners—although Lovecraft’s notes for the story suggest he may have been willing to hint at rape earlier on.

[miguel1984]

Implied rape IS Lovecraftian, as is sex with abominable fishy hybrids. Check out Alan Moore's horrid Neonomicon; according to him, it is about all that Lovecraft implied but never wrote about openly.