Encyclopædia Mythorum

Front cover of a copy of the first edition of Encyclopædia Mythorum

The ***Encyclopædia Mythorum*** (English: "Encyclopaedia of Myths") is an encyclopedia dedicated to accounting aspects the supernatural across the world, ranging from detailing sociocultural views of the supernatural to describing the physical characteristics of rumored cryptids and anomalies. Organized into three editions and constituent volumes, it is the life work of its author and avid curator of the paranormal, William Buckley. A fourth edition of the encyclopaedia was in the works, but was never finished by Buckley's death in 1873—with all draft materials having disappeared from his residence only a day after being found deceased.

It is considered to be the largest curation of the knowledge of the occult and supernatural in the world, with a final page number in the thousands. Buckley was heralded as the "highest scholar of the occult" in Great Britain and the wider anglosphere; his death did not stop the proliferation of his works, and in fact boosted it through to the beginning of the 20th century.

Due to the disturbing nature of its contents, the graphic depictions on some of its pages, and the fact that is classified as a **parafictional** work (unable to be defined wholly as either nonfiction or fiction), the book has been heavily regulated in its production and distribution. In countries such as France and Italy, it has been wholly banned on the grounds of helping to incite and legitimize public hysteria stemming from the paranormal. In the United States, the *Encyclopædia Mythorum* has received a unique "restricted" label, with the federal government being the sole entity with the authorization to distribute.

A spiritual successor, known as the *Illuminator*, began circulation in circles studying the paranormal and occult as early as 1904 to the modern day. However, unlike the *Encyclopædia Mythorum*, this book was penned by an unknown author—presumably an organization, due to how long it has been in circulation—and displays much more graphic and unadulterated content. It is banned outright in most countries, including the United States, for "contributing to the ramifications of paranormal hysteria".

## History

All editions and volumes of *Encyclopædia Mythorum* were penned by William Buckley, with contributions by individuals such as French parapsychologist Christophe Sauvageau and American "ghost hunter" Ean McCormick existing in special volumes.

## Present status

All editions of *Encyclopædia Mythorum* are banned in several European countries, namely France and Italy, as a result of being implicated with waves of hysteria that occurred across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In both the United Kingdom and United States, the book has underwent massive censorship, with the American government specifically enacting regulations to restrict the dispersal of literature such as *Encyclopædia Mythorum* which can stimulate public hysteria, and subsequent danger, from the "unverified information" that lies within.

## Trivia

* The figure on the first edition of *Encyclopædia Mythorum* has garnered a mascot-like reputation for the culture that surrounds the books, being affectionately called the "Skeletal Scholar".
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