Re: CAS to L. Sprague de Camp Letter
Posted by:
Sawfish (IP Logged)
Date: 4 January, 2021 12:50PM
Hespire Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm not sure if CAS ever described Hyperborea
> outside of the stories themselves. In a letter
> praising "Satampra Zeiros", Lovecraft mentions how
> Commoriom must lie somewhere near Plathoë and
> Lomar, but that was an eager fit of enthusiasm,
> and CAS never mentions such details in his work.
>
> As a series the Hyperborean stories are a bit more
> varied in tone and imagery than Zothique or
> Averoigne. One story takes place in a jungle,
> another in a cave, another on Saturn, and another
> on an iceberg. Some of them indulge in a form of
> humor that goes far beyond black humor (like
> "Testament of Athammaus", which seemed to disturb
> Tolkien!), and others are slow and mournful (like
> "White Sybil" and "White Worm"). In terms of
> geography, history, and tone this was a dynamic
> land! I wouldn't be surprised if Line Carter
> attempted his own description in one of his books
> however.
I've mentioned this before, and apologize for the redundancy, but somehow CAS conveys--to me, at least--an underlying cultural vigor. Hyperborea is not immediately concerned with a "founding myth", but one gets the feeling that such a time was not far in its cultural past.
Feels like parts may be a sort of frontier, not just with the advancing ice, but also in establishing civilization for the first time. Recall the foul, stinking, filthy Voorhis; no such race exists in Zothique, so far as I recall.
In a sense, it feels like Britain as it might have been in the 5th C, but minus the external influence of an advanced culture, like Rome.
It also seems that the geography bears a bit more than a passing resemblance to Britain, and in reading CAS' letter about his conception of Zothique, being based partly on some currently existing landmasses, I wonder if he used the same approach for Hyperborea.
Too, as you mention, Hespire, the stories *feel* different. It think that Zothique is hyper-saturated with imagery of decrepitude, decay, and dissolution, but Hyperborea seems painted with more subtle brush-strokes--you *see* that the land and the people are vigorous (peopled by hunters, as opposed to herdsmen, for example), unsophisticated, and relatively vital and vigorous. In Zothique, however, CAS very often simply tells you about its decrepitude as a part of establishing the initial setting, following up with imagery and practices commonly associated with decadence.
E.g., love philters--does it seem likely to you that any self-respecting Hyperborean might ever resort to this? Not to me: they don't *need* to! My impression is that when not hunting mastadons for sport and meat, they are indoors, rutting like wild minks!
And imported harems? Huh! The Hyperborean women should be enough for any real man!!!
:^)
Your thoughts?
--Sawfish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~