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| Writers dump Lake District's bunnies and daffodils for monsters in the mist | Writers dump Lake District's bunnies and daffodils for monsters in the mist |
| (4 months later) | |
| What sort of twisted person would take the beautiful landscape of the Lake District and populate it with demons and monsters from the darkest corners of the human psyche? Well, the sort of person who writes for the Cumbrian Cthulhu website. And these disciples of HP Lovecraft have now published a collection of their horror stories in Cumbrian Cthulhu Volumes I and II. Perhaps their only saving grace is that profits go to the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association. | What sort of twisted person would take the beautiful landscape of the Lake District and populate it with demons and monsters from the darkest corners of the human psyche? Well, the sort of person who writes for the Cumbrian Cthulhu website. And these disciples of HP Lovecraft have now published a collection of their horror stories in Cumbrian Cthulhu Volumes I and II. Perhaps their only saving grace is that profits go to the Lake District Mountain Rescue Association. |
| William Wordsworth with his host of golden daffodils and Beatrix Potter with her entourage of rabbits, hedgehogs and geese have been swept aside to make way for the ancient monster Cthulhu and his cohorts. Cthulhu (pronounced ka-thoo-lou) was created by horror-writer HP Lovecraft for a 1928 short story, The Call of The Cthulhu. Lovecraft told how Cthulhu existed in a deathly sleep in a sunken city, sending madness to the dreams of mankind. His cultists on earth seek to expedite the prophecy that when the stars are correctly aligned, Cthulhu will rise from the ocean to reclaim and destroy the earth. | William Wordsworth with his host of golden daffodils and Beatrix Potter with her entourage of rabbits, hedgehogs and geese have been swept aside to make way for the ancient monster Cthulhu and his cohorts. Cthulhu (pronounced ka-thoo-lou) was created by horror-writer HP Lovecraft for a 1928 short story, The Call of The Cthulhu. Lovecraft told how Cthulhu existed in a deathly sleep in a sunken city, sending madness to the dreams of mankind. His cultists on earth seek to expedite the prophecy that when the stars are correctly aligned, Cthulhu will rise from the ocean to reclaim and destroy the earth. |
| Since its appearance other writers have taken up the theme and used it as inspiration for their tales of terror. The latest is a group of writers who share both a love of Lovecraft and a love of Cumbria. | Since its appearance other writers have taken up the theme and used it as inspiration for their tales of terror. The latest is a group of writers who share both a love of Lovecraft and a love of Cumbria. |
| The Cumbrian Cthulhu project was begun in 2009 by Andrew McGuigan - born in Beckermet, Cumbria but now living in the north-east. He wrote a story, The Chamber in The Hillside, on the Lovecraft theme in which archaeologists excavating near Maryport uncovered more than they bargained for. McGuigan says | The Cumbrian Cthulhu project was begun in 2009 by Andrew McGuigan - born in Beckermet, Cumbria but now living in the north-east. He wrote a story, The Chamber in The Hillside, on the Lovecraft theme in which archaeologists excavating near Maryport uncovered more than they bargained for. McGuigan says |
| Having written the story, I started an online blog so I could publish it there for friends to easily read. It then occurred to me that other amateur writers might wish to contribute stories in a similar theme and it may be possible to gather together a small collection of new Cumbrian Lovecraft fiction. | Having written the story, I started an online blog so I could publish it there for friends to easily read. It then occurred to me that other amateur writers might wish to contribute stories in a similar theme and it may be possible to gather together a small collection of new Cumbrian Lovecraft fiction. |
| And so the Cumbrian Cthulhu blogspot was born. | And so the Cumbrian Cthulhu blogspot was born. |
Slowly other writers contributed works - all having one common theme: the monster Cthulhu impacting on the landscape of Cumbria. McGuigan says: | Slowly other writers contributed works - all having one common theme: the monster Cthulhu impacting on the landscape of Cumbria. McGuigan says: |
| The main boost to our writing force came when I had a small article about the Cumbrian Cthulhu website published in Pulse, an internal Civil Service magazine. Several enthusiastic amateur writers made contact, and our total number of stories went from eight to 20 within a year. | The main boost to our writing force came when I had a small article about the Cumbrian Cthulhu website published in Pulse, an internal Civil Service magazine. Several enthusiastic amateur writers made contact, and our total number of stories went from eight to 20 within a year. |
| There is for example Lucy Elizabeth Collier who discovered the website through an email passed round her university. She now lives in Northallerton in North Yorkshire and is undertaking an internship as an editorial assistant at Mslexia Publications in Newcastle. She says: | There is for example Lucy Elizabeth Collier who discovered the website through an email passed round her university. She now lives in Northallerton in North Yorkshire and is undertaking an internship as an editorial assistant at Mslexia Publications in Newcastle. She says: |
| It's wonderful to be a part of something that genuinely delivers on effort and quality for the purposes of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association charity. | It's wonderful to be a part of something that genuinely delivers on effort and quality for the purposes of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association charity. |
| Also, it's hard not to appreciate the irony of this when you read some of the stories! Anyone who's been walloped by Wordsworth will appreciate just how spectacular this area of England is. As a frequent holiday-goer to the Lake District, I am continuously amazed by its sights. | Also, it's hard not to appreciate the irony of this when you read some of the stories! Anyone who's been walloped by Wordsworth will appreciate just how spectacular this area of England is. As a frequent holiday-goer to the Lake District, I am continuously amazed by its sights. |
| Or there is Glen Colling, a Lovecraft fan for some 30 years. He lives in Sunderland but is a frequent visitor to Lake Windermere when he has set his story, That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie. He says: | Or there is Glen Colling, a Lovecraft fan for some 30 years. He lives in Sunderland but is a frequent visitor to Lake Windermere when he has set his story, That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie. He says: |
| My family and I have often holidayed in the Lakes, usually a B&B at Windermere or a cottage at Kendal. The area is so striking it takes the breath away, especially on a dark, foggy, damp day when the clouds hang low over the hills. Great material for books! | My family and I have often holidayed in the Lakes, usually a B&B at Windermere or a cottage at Kendal. The area is so striking it takes the breath away, especially on a dark, foggy, damp day when the clouds hang low over the hills. Great material for books! |
| Adding to the horror of the tales are the illustrations of Andy Paciorek is a graphic artist and illustrator whose strong style combines the beautiful with the grotesque. | Adding to the horror of the tales are the illustrations of Andy Paciorek is a graphic artist and illustrator whose strong style combines the beautiful with the grotesque. |
| After three years the website had collected enough authors and enough tales to think about publishing a book - and ended up with two volumes now on sale online. The profits go to the mountain rescue teams; an apt charity and a reminder to casual visitors that the seemingly innocuous Lake District hills can quickly become dark and dangerous when the weather turns and the hiker is ill-prepared for the now hostile landscape. | After three years the website had collected enough authors and enough tales to think about publishing a book - and ended up with two volumes now on sale online. The profits go to the mountain rescue teams; an apt charity and a reminder to casual visitors that the seemingly innocuous Lake District hills can quickly become dark and dangerous when the weather turns and the hiker is ill-prepared for the now hostile landscape. |
| The Cumbrian Cthulhu is always happy to welcome new writers. | The Cumbrian Cthulhu is always happy to welcome new writers. |
| Alan Cleaver is a freelance writer living in Whitehaven, Cumbria. He has a particular interest in the folklore of the Lake District and when not writing about the fells can usually be found photographing them. | Alan Cleaver is a freelance writer living in Whitehaven, Cumbria. He has a particular interest in the folklore of the Lake District and when not writing about the fells can usually be found photographing them. |
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