From: bcannard@hppcb36.mentorg.com (The Human Mi-Go)
Subject: Re: DREAMLANDS GEOGRAPHY AND OTHER OXYMORONS
Originator: bcannard@hppcb36
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 22:19:51 GMT
Reply-To: bob_cannard@mentorg.com
Organization: Best Buy Byakhees Inc.
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 


In article <1drer0INNjbl@cat.cis.Brown.EDU>, ST701816@brownvm.brown.edu (Arshad Ahsanuddin) writes:
|> Judging from AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, the "real world" archetype for
|> the Plateau of Leng is in Antarctica:

<< arguments deleted to save space >>

There is One Small Problem:
The ice plain described in ATMOM was only provisionally identified as Leng
by fictional persons who were speculating as to the connection between
the location and the places described in the Necronomicon, whereas in
"The Hound" HPL explicitly states that Leng is in the Himalayas. (many
thanks to the person who pointed out this reference, and apologies for
forgetting your name).

On the other hand, Kadath is the highest peak in the Dreamlands, and the
mountain described in ATMOM is the highest peak in the waking world,
beating Everest by several miles. (I presume here that the altimeters
in the aircraft were accurate, and the estimate of the other mountain's
height was not too far off the mark).

On the third hand (Hi, Zaphod) consider this:

	"Kadath in the cold waste hath known Them, and what man knows Kadath?
	The ice desert of the South and the sunken isles of Ocean hold
	stones whereon Their seal is engraven, but who hath seen the deep
	frozen city or the sealed tower long garlanded with seaweed and
	barnacles?"
			- Necronomicon, quoted in "The Dunwich Horror" by HPL

This quote is full of contradictions, notably the implied connection between
the Elder Things and the Star Spawn of Cthulhu, which blows ATMOM apart.
But the key point is that the author was listing places that have known
Them, and Kadath and the ice desert are listed separately with no obvious
connection, suggesting they are in different parts of the world. Caveat -
don't put too much faith in what the Necronomicon says, Alhazred was one
confused dude, they didn't call him the Mad Arab for nothing. The Pnakotic
Manuscripts are much more accurate (that should be good for an argument
or two).

So where is Leng? Well, until "The Hound" was brought up I was sure it was
Antarctica in the waking world, but I now feel the conclusion is wrong.

A more serious problem (well, maybe serious depending on how far you can
stretch your suspension of disbelief) is that if you plot the progress
of the Miskatonic U. Antarctic Expedition on an up-to-date map of Antarctica,
you find both sets of mountains are in the middle of the flattest part of
that huge, desolate continent.

Which brings me to my pet theory: that we're dealing with parallel worlds
(in addition to the Dreamlands) which can interact in strange ways. In one
(ours) the conditions are wrong for the Great Old Ones, who are forced to
sleep under the protection of the ocean (imprisonment has nothing to do
with it), Antarctica in the Vostok area is flat, and Everest is the highest
place in the world. In the alternate universe the conditions are right,
the Great Old Ones can plunge from world to world, and there are two extra
colossal mountain ranges in Antarctica. What's more the stars are arranged
differently in the two universes, giving rise to the idea that the stars
are wrong/right and removing the significance of astrology.  Relativity
does not apply to the parallel world, so rapid interstellar travel is
possible (but only to places in the other universe - no I'm not going to
argue over FTL). And because the two worlds interact at Planet Earth, it
is possible to slip from one to the other, giving rise to the strange
displacement effects that HPL was so fond of.

If the constellations look wrong, start worrying.

Any comments?

|> where the Demigods lived, Sarkandar (sp?) with the ruined steps leading
                             ^^^^^^^^^
Sarkomand. Well, you did ask.
-- 
bob_cannard@mentorg.com			"More dynamite!" - Theron Marks
Newsgroups: alt.horror.cthulhu