Cumaean???

gwern0 at gmail.com · 14 Dec 2007, 19:49 · from 2007-December.txt.gz

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From: gwern0 at gmail.com (gwern0 at gmail.com)
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:49:57 -0500
Subject: (urth) Cumaean???
In-Reply-To: <8CA0C8E587AE6A7-138-1B45 at FWM-D41.sysops.aol.com>
References: <4E82554550FE5149AD4B30A4FEA22492BFB7C4 at xchange.briercrest.ca>
	<1197651438.5684.25.camel@todd-desktop>
	<8CA0C8E587AE6A7-138-1B45 at FWM-D41.sysops.aol.com>
Message-ID: <20071214194957.GA30513@localhost>

On 2007.12.14 12:31:50 -0500, stoneox17 at aol.com scribbled 2.0K characters:
> I suspected that this had something to do with the Cthulhu mythos, and
> indeed Googling
> shows that August Derleth wrote a story in which the Great One Cthugha
> can only be
> summoned when Fomalhaut is in the sky. ("The Dweller in Darkness,"
> which I have not
> read.)
>
> Peter S.

That would make sense. Fomalhaut is a red star, "its name means "mouth of the whale", from the Arabic ?? ????? fum al-?awt", and it was interesting for its isolation from other bright stars. And reading <https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Cthugha>, I am struck by the last line of the quotation:

"Unable to resist, utterly powerless to control his movements, he was diving headlong towards that ravening chaos, that age-old intelligence which was Cthugha."

You have to admit, 'age-old intelligence' is pretty close to the Cumaean's wording.

--
gwern
Peking DREC CATO Koancho imagery Cross Ermes TRANSEC fish Psyops
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