The Pnakotic Manuscripts (or Pnakotic Fragments) is a fictional manuscript in the Cthulhu Mythos. The tome was created by H. P. LovecraftLovecraft referenced the Pnakotic Manuscripts in 11 of his stories—second only to the Necronomicon, which is referenced 18 times. (Loucks, "The Necronomicon and Other Grimoires".) and first appeared in his short story "Polaris" (1918). It is frequently mentioned in many of Lovecraft's stories, including At the Mountains of Madness (1936), The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926), "The Other Gods" (1933), and "The Shadow Out of Time" (1936). The manuscripts are also referred to by other mythos authors, such as Lin Carter and Brian Lumley.

The Pnakotic Manuscripts is noteworthy for being the first of Lovecraft's fictional arcane booksJoshi & Schultz, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia, pp. 187..

Origin

The Pnakotic Manuscripts 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 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, and is thought to have been translated into a Greek version known as the Pnakotica. 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 still exist in the Temple of the Elder Ones in Ulthar).

References

• Harms, Daniel. "Lomar" in The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana (2nd ed.), pp. 185–6. Chaosium, Inc., 1998. ISBN 1-56882-119-0.

—"Pnakotic Manuscripts", pp. 242–3. Ibid.

Notes