Book of Thoth

The Book of Thoth is an Ancient Egyptian text referenced by Abdul Alhazred in the Necronomicon who claims it warns of the "price of a single glimpse" of what lies beyond the Ultimate Gate.
==Behind the Mythos==
In reality the Book of Thoth is a name given to many ancient Egyptian texts supposed to have been written by Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing and knowledge usually depicted as Baboon writing on a scroll or an Ibis headed humanoid figure holding a knotted rope symbolising memory or a stylus symbolising the craft of the scribe. The Book of Thoth became a phrase in the ancient world simply meaning any of a wide variety of texts that were in most cases fictional, almost similar to the books and texts referred to in Mythos stories. One book in particular is referred to in a surviving ancient Egyptian adventure story, and this Book of Thoth was a spellbook similar to a more modern grimoire.
The fictional Book of Thoth appears in an ancient Egyptian story from the Ptolemaic period. The book, allegedly written by "Thoth", is said to contain two spells, one of which allows the reader to understand the speech of animals, and one of which allows the reader to perceive the gods themselves. It is worth noting that the original ancient Egyptian word "hekare", the name for what is usually translated as "god", actually means wonder worker, or magician.
According to the story, the book was originally hidden at the bottom of the Nile near Coptos, where it was locked inside a series of boxes guarded by serpents. The Egyptian prince Neferkaptah fought the serpents and retrieved the book, but in punishment for his theft from Thoth, the gods killed his wife Ahwere and son Merib. Neferkaptah committed suicide and was entombed along with the book. Generations later, the story's protagonist, Setne Khamwas (a character based on the historical prince Khaemwaset, steals the book from Neferkaptah's tomb despite opposition from Neferkaptah's ghost. Setne then meets a beautiful woman who seduces him into killing his children and humiliating himself in front of the pharaoh. He discovers that this episode was an illusion created by Neferkaptah, and in fear of further retribution, Setne returns the book to Neferkaptah's tomb. At Neferkaptah's request, Setne also finds the bodies of Neferkaptah's wife and son and buries them in Neferkaptah's tomb, which is then sealed.
The story reflects the Egyptian belief that the gods' knowledge is not meant for humans to possess. That, at least, is a concept solidly rooted in the Mythos.
==References==
*H.P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffman Price (1934). "Through the Gates of the Silver Key ".
Category:Mythos Books (fictional)
Category:Artefacts Originating From Lovecraft Circle Works