The moon is dark, and the gods dance in the night; there is terror in the sky, for upon the moon hath sunk an eclipse foretold in no books of men or of earth's gods...' There is unknown magic on Hatheg-Kla, for the screams of the frightened gods have turned to laughter, and the slopes of ice shoot up endlessly into the black heavens whither I am plunging... Hei! Hei! At last! In the dim light I behold the gods of earth!
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker describes a night where gods dance in terror under a foretold eclipse, finding them on an ice slope.
- In plain terms
- Gods are scared and dancing on a mountain under a dark moon.
- What can you take from it?
- Celestial events can signal the presence or fear of gods.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What frightens the gods?
- How do signs manifest?
Another view
The events described are fantastical and unobservable.
More from H. P. Lovecraft
Barzai knew so much of the gods that he could tell of their comings and goings, and guessed so many of their secrets that he was deemed half a god himself.
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