Proppingupthemythos
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Latinized names of Muslim scholars (and the search for the origin of Abdul Alhazred)
🕑 Added 2019-03-01 15:51:29 +0000 UTCLovecraft has taken a lot of criticism over the years for the name he gave to the author of the Necronomicon. Sure, it does not follow actual Arab naming convention (the -el suffix and the Al- prefix are redundant for example), but a quick look at Latinized names of other Muslim figures shows a similar disregard. I have heard a number of origin stories going all the way back to Lovecraft's childhood, and while they are interesting ("all-has-read" being particularly clever), I feel he probably was inspired by the name Shahrazad from his beloved copy of Arabian Nights Entertainments.
In my research just now I stumbled across this fascinating fellow who not only shares the first five letters with Alhazred's name, but authored books while feigning madness! Could Lovecraft have known of him? I don't know, but the coincidence was too good not to share.
Comments
I have always thought that Al-Hazred is related to the old Providence family name "Hazard". In fact I used to live on Hazard Avenue when I was in High School, and I know one from College. I have a vague memory of maybe seeing a reference to this in some older Arkham House publication, but it may just have been a pet theory of mine. The Shahrazad idea also makes a great deal of sense, as he did invent the name as a child, after reading the 1001 Nights. I agree that the mistake in the name could easily have been made by translators long ago.
