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Pnakotic Manuscripts

The Pnakotic Manuscripts is a fictional grimoire in the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. It appears in many of Lovecraft's stories, including At the Mountains of Madness, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, "The Other Gods", and "The Shadow Out of Time". The manuscript is also referenced by other mythos authors, such as Lin Carter and Brian Lumley.

Pnakotic Manuscripts in the mythos

The Pnakotic Manuscripts (or Pnakotic Fragments) predates the origin of man. The original manuscripts were in scroll form and were passed down through the ages, eventually falling into the hands of secretive cults. The Great Race of Yith is believed to have produced the first five chapters of the Manuscripts which, among other things, contain a detailed chronicle of their history. However, others attribute the tome to the Elder Things because of certain similarities to the Eltdown Shards.

The Pnakotic Manuscripts was kept in the Great Race's library city of Pnakotus (hence the name). The tome covers a variety of subjects, including descriptions of Chaugnar Faugn and Yibb-Tstll, the location of Xiurhn, Rhan-Tegoth's rituals, and others.

The Pnakotic Manuscripts in human history

The Pnakotic Manuscripts was originally held by the people of Lomar, who studied it diligently. Later, it was passed to Hyperborea and translated into the language of that land. Here the manuscripts were added to by the Voormi. Another addition is known to have been included in earlier times by a scribe in Zobna.

The Manuscripts survived into historical times, protected by a secretive cult known as the Pnakotic Brotherhood. In this era, a Greek translation, known as the Pnakotica, is thought to have been produced. Rumors hint that an English translation was made in the 15th century by an unknown scribe, but the general consensus is that the tome exists only in manuscript form. The original scrolls of the Pnakotic Manuscripts are believed to be lost (nevertheless, a copy may yet exist in the Temple of the Elder Ones in Ulthar).

(Lovecraft references the Pnakotic Manuscripts in no less than 11 of his stories – second only to the Necronomicon, which is referenced 18 times.)