THE HYMN TO BLACK ZATHOG

by ALLEN MACKEY

Note: This short incantatory poem is from the first-edition of The

Occult Foundation by J. Cornelius Wasserman (1987, The Haunted
Fist Press). There is a total of 27 (often glancing) references within
that book to the obscure Great Old One known to Cthulhu Mythos
scholars as "Zathog."

The following poem is a hymn used by some of the braver cultists to

revere Zathog, the Black God of Madness. Also, in the revised second
edition of The Occult Foundation, which came out in 1988, there was
an illustration and some additional text restored before the "Hymn to
Black Zathog":

"The Hymn To Black Zathog"

[Illustration: The Seal of Zathog; a Lovecraftian occult sigil; not given

at the present time.]

By this Sign, which is the Seal of Zathog, may one make the first
tenuous steps toward establishing an intangible contact with the
Primal One who is called Zathog, He who dwells in the Andromeda
Galaxy (which they call Xentilx in their own alien tongue), where He
rules billions of star-systems as He sits upon a vast Black Throne.

Call upon Black Zathog for unsanctioned acts of vengeance. Easily

may Zathog, the Master of the Winds of Zarr, be convinced to turn the
tides of Justice to your favor! Merely present Him with an
appropriate Gift--the Red Offering--which may be utterly drained of
sanity by the dangerous business of Calling Zathog or any of the
horrid Others of His Kind.

Those of you who are brave of heart and protected by the Barrier of
Naach-Tith or the Circles of Thaol, may be brave--or foolish--enough
to make the attempt.

Draw the Seal of Zathog in black candlewax upon the earth, sit within
the center, and envision the Seal of Zathog as it makes the transition
from inanimate object into a simulicum like unto one of the wriggling
runes of Carcosa--or like one of the shimmering Pnakotic Runes.
(One can, with a little bit of study, even make the comparison
between the Seal of Zathog and some of the more primitive dialects of
the Aklo Letters.)

Meditate for as long as needed, until communication is established

between the incomprehensible Mind of Zathog and the ephemeral
and puny brain of a human; or whatever it is that you wish, be so long
as the goal of the Great Work remains the same--the Great Dying of
the False Gods of Man and the imminent Return of the Ones like
Zathog and His Brothers.

Loudly and carefully, say the words of the Hymn in order the
establish contact.

O Black Zathog, from the World of the Blue Suns

Ruler of the Galaxy of the Zarr, Ahn-dromeda, Xentilx!

Great Master of a billion stars who does verily

Sit upon the Billion Thrones! O Black Zathog--

Bring forth the cleansing Winds of Zarr!

I call to Black Zathog of Xentilx, Gh'raa n'bdnn!

Commentary: Here we have a short work in praise of Black Zathog.

Works concerning that particular GOO are kind of rare--I have only
found several of the dark tomes that even mention Zathog, such as
one of the John Dee English translations of the Necronomicon; as
well as some of the older portions of The Black Book of the Skull.
There are even a few nebulous references to Zathog in The Book of
Eibon, and several chapters concerning his in The Rituals of Glaa-
Dith.

It is also fairly well-known (in occult circles, at least) that much of

The Occult Foundation had simply been plagiarized from an older
tome, Liber Damnatus Damnationum, by Janus Aquaticus and
published in London in 1647 CE.

(To be fair, Wasserman himself has addressed a few of the claims of

his plagiarization of the earlier tome, saying that, "Things are indeed
not as they seem, for I am the reincarnation--or re-embodiment--of
that Medieval sorcerer, Janus Aquaticus. I have merely updated my
old edition of the Great Work--which the awakening and release of
the Great Old Ones--!")

Wasserman claimed to retain memories of that simple life that was

his in 1647 Common Era, and it is said that he has hardcore, tangible
proof of his claim to be the same individual as Janus Aquaticus,
which he flat-out refuses to show any of the Uninitiated.

Just what can Wasserman's "proof" be? I have been endeavoring to

find out for some time--perhaps sometime in the future I will have
the answers I seek; and then I will relay my findings, as usual.

[By the way, I am currently searching for a copy of the great

Lovecraftian poet and writer, Richard L. Tierney's poem, "Prayer To
Zathog"--c'mon! Can any of you out there help me out? That poem is
proven almost impossible to find.]