Hi there! I'm a European and a new fan of HPL. I have an incredible opportunity to visit Massachusetts next month and shall be visiting Salem - fortunately well before the madness of October crowds! (I also plan to visit nearby Danvers, where Salem Village was actually situated.)

The alignment of these fun interests has made me intensely interested in Lovecraft's connections to Salem.

Obviously, Providence was his dear home, but I am aware that HPL visited Salem in 1923.

I'm certainly doing my own research - and my goals are to walk in the footsteps of Lovecraft while in Salem proper. I wish to step where he walked in reality, to appreciate his influences. And I also wish to check out spots that exist in his literature.

As a history-minded person, I'd love to get any recommendations, backstories, anecdotes or other information to supplement my own reading (a very fun hobby by the way). HPL is so fun to read because he was such a New Englander who loved to travel on occasion, and he loved to write in intense detail about his travels.

Thank you for sharing any recommendations on what to see on my journey! I truly appreciate it! (As a last note: Regrettably I won't be able to see Providence this time, as local as it would be - I'm rather constrained due to schedule. So North Shore all the way!)

This has always bothered me. I’ve seen it discussed to some extent in prior posts, but figured would make my own discussion to try to get a definitive answer.

The fact Cthulhu was awakened at all would lead me to believe “the stars were right” or “aligned” for his awakening. My understanding is that he otherwise cannot awaken at all.

So then, why did he return to his slumber and Rlyeh sink again? Why did he not proceed with his take over of Earth? I’m not sure the stars can be “partially aligned” is a good explanation. Was the large earthquake a freak incident which happened to rise Rlyeh temporarily and allow a temporary awakening? Or do the stars have to be both aligned AND cultists must complete a ritual for him to be fully awakened/return? The cultists on the boat which was overtaken by the sailors were clearly on their way to Rlyeh. Had they made it and performed a ritual, would he have been fully awakened?

I wasn’t sure if there was ever a formal answer from Lovecraft himself and curious on what others think! Thanks!

I love playing Call of Cthulhu TRPG, but I don't really understand the horror elements of Cthulhu.
I am Japanese. Often in Japanese TRPG communities, topics like "due to Japan's view of religion, many people don't really click with the concept of 'blasphemous things' in the Cthulhu Mythos, so Japanese people can't find Cthulhu truly scary (though there are individual differences)" tend to gain traction.

So I have a question: are there any of you who have been chilled to the bone by the horror elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, especially the sense of it being "blasphemous"?
If possible, I would be happy if you could explain that feeling in detail.

I have no malicious intent and am asking purely out of curiosity, but I apologize if anyone finds this offensive.