The Necronomicon Spellbook

For those who are not familiar with H.P. Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937), he was an American horror fiction writer most well known for his Cthulu Mythos. Part of that fictional universe includes the Necronomicon, supposedly a grimoire of untold power and forbidden lore. Those who played the PC game Alone in the Dark and the Call of Cthulu roleplaying game would be familiar with that infamous book. "Roll for insanity" is a phrase many roleplayers would recognize if they encounter the Necronomicon in the game.

Although relatively unknown during his time, modern authors such as Stephen King and Neil Gaiman cited Lovecraft and his works as primary influences on their writing. Among the legacies that grew out of Lovecraft's universe is the publication of the Necronomicon as an actual grimoire. This trend started in the 1970s, and while there are many versions that came out, the so-called Simon Necronomicon is the most famous and has never gone out of print. It's called the Simon Necronomicon because it was supposedly translated by an author writing under the pseudonym Simon.

According to A History of The Necronomicon (written after Lovecraft's death), the Necronomicon was supposedly written by Abdul Alhazred, the "half-crazed Arab" from Yemen. While visiting the ruins of Babylon, Memphis and the Empty Quarter of Arabia, he discovered unmentionable secrets that formed the basis of the Necronomicon. Alhazred is supposed to have spent his last years in Damascus writing the Al Azif (the Arabic name of the book) before his sudden and mysterious death in 738.

While the history of the Necronomicon lends a very sinister and mysterious air to the book that only adds flavor to any roleplaying game, there is still much debate about its authenticity. Lovecraft himself repeatedly mentioned that the Necronomicon was a work of fiction, and that normally should have put an end to the matter. However, there have been claims that the Necronomicon does work and lives up to its reputation as a repository of forbidden, and dangerous, magical lore. The Simon Necronomicon implies some sort of association between Lovecraft and Aleister Crowley, a notorious occultist and Satanist. Although the connection between Lovecraft and Crowley is unsubstantiated, the story still adds to the Necronomicon's claims to notoriety.

The Simon Necronomicon is said to draw heavily from Sumerian mythology and magic, and later publications came out with the Necronomicon Spellbook, an abbreviated booklet that contains a series of pathworkings for the 50 Names of Marduk. While I've never read the Necronomicon (and a friend advised against it, since he got bad vibes just holding a copy of the book many years ago), out of curiosity a few months ago I bought a copy of the Necronomicon Spellbook when I saw it in a local bookstore. I was attracted to the book because I sensed strong energy from it, and later verification from some friends revealed strong spiritual energy, although it was mixed with some erroneous energy. This was a curious result coming from something that's associated with the fictional Cthulu Mythos.

I soon found out why when after some research I discovered that the 50 Names of Marduk do exist. They are enumerated in an ancient Sumerian book called the Enuma Elish, the Sumerian Epic of Creation. The meanings and abilities associated with the Names listed in the Necronomicon Spellbook more or less match the Names as listed and described in the Enuma Elish, except for one Name. The name GISHNUMUNAB in the Enuma Elish is not found in the Necronomicon, while the name NINNUAM (which is found in the Necronomicon) is not in the Enuma Elish.

The 50 Names of Marduk remind me of the 72 Names of God in Kabbalah, and it's certainly within the realm of probability that the 50 Names of Marduk form part of a Sumerian Kabbalah. After all, the Sumerians also had a version of the Tree of Life (see image with this article).

I also have another interpretation of the 50 Names of Marduk, which may or may not be accurate but feels right for me. Sumerian depictions of Marduk often portray him as the god who destroys Tiamat, the dragon of primeval chaos. This is interesting, because whenever there are portrayals of warriors or gods conquering or slaying dragons or serpents, it symbolizes the subduing or mastery of the kundalini. We see this in portrayals of Buddha Kwan Yin standing on top of a dragon's head, or the Virgin Mary stepping on the serpent, St. Michael holding up his sword to slay the serpent, or the young Lord Krishna dancing on top of the serpent Kaliya's head.

This reference to mastery of the kundalini is further reinforced by the number of Names mentioned, 50. Marduk is supposed to be the first Name, but one must not invoke it unless one has gone through all the other Names. Therefore, one has to go through 49 Names before reaching the "top." Sacred texts mention that there are 49 levels of kundalini activation or that the kundalini has to go through 49 gates of perception (energy vortices or chakras). Marduk then symbolically refers to our Higher Soul and when the kundalini is mastered through the use of divine energy (from the Higher Soul) and rises to the top of the head, we become enlightened.

I think the 50 Names of Marduk form part of Sumerian esoteric practices pertaining to the awakening of kundalini, although the exact method of its use may have been lost in the sands of time. The Names do have power, because the chakras have Divine Names associated with them, and the descriptions could refer to latent powers that reside within ourselves but can be awakened as our mastery of kundalini increases. Premature activation and use of these Divine Names is therefore dangerous and not recommended. Since these Names are in the Necronomicon, this could explain why there have been claims of success in using the Names along with stories of magical operations gone awry.

Nevertheless, it's interesting how the ancient esoteric practices of Sumeria found their way into a "fictional" grimoire. But at the end of the day, while all of this is an interesting discovery it only underlines the importance of embarking on deep spiritual work under the guidance of a guru.