tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post6855017724023501439..comments2024-03-26T20:28:47.677-04:00Comments on Tellers of Weird Tales: Whence R'lyeh?-Part TwoTerence E. Hanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08268641371264950572noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post-69425731595677823662017-02-15T09:12:09.613-05:002017-02-15T09:12:09.613-05:00Correction: Not an apostrophe but a dash.Correction: Not an apostrophe but a dash.Terence E. Hanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08268641371264950572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post-59753043610102828402017-02-15T09:11:06.712-05:002017-02-15T09:11:06.712-05:00Magister,
Thank you for the addition to the discu...Magister,<br /><br />Thank you for the addition to the discussion. Is there any indication as to where the name "L'yeh" came from or why Lovecraft changed it?<br /><br />I still wouldn't rule out the possibility that Lovecraft was influenced by Bulwer-Lytton, for "L'yeh" is like "L-ya" without the "Vri." That still doesn't make for a strong connection. It's very possible, as you indicate, that there wasn't one.<br /><br />As I wrote before, a person can play games with words and letters and come up with all kinds of things. I just noticed that the name Vril-ya could have come from Bulwer-Lytton's own name:<br /><br />"wr" from "Bulwer"<br />"ly" from "Lytton"<br />Thus "Wrly"<br />Transform "w" to "v"<br />Throw in a couple of vowels and an apostrophe, and you have Vril-ya.<br /><br />Games like that can be fun, but they usually don't mean anything. We like to think that things are ordered and explicable. Very often, they're random and meaningless. "R'lyeh" could very well be an example of the latter.<br /><br />Thanks for writing.<br /><br />THTerence E. Hanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08268641371264950572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post-88136732804974627552017-02-15T05:00:52.921-05:002017-02-15T05:00:52.921-05:00Actually, the working name for the city, as given ...Actually, the working name for the city, as given in HPL's letter to one of his aunts, was "L'yeh". The absence of the "r" makes the Bulwer-Lytton connection even more unlikely.Magisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07903799437411528229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post-28246822703496766232015-11-25T10:44:07.955-05:002015-11-25T10:44:07.955-05:00Thanks, Unknown,
Your experience suggests that pe...Thanks, Unknown,<br /><br />Your experience suggests that perhaps Lovecraft wanted the name of Cthulhu's island to echo or invoke that of Bulwer-Lytton's coming race.<br /><br />THTerence E. Hanleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08268641371264950572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3852401976091776228.post-39166796670582548302015-11-23T00:41:33.168-05:002015-11-23T00:41:33.168-05:00What a trip. I happen to be reading Bulwer-Lytton&...What a trip. I happen to be reading Bulwer-Lytton's book and listening to Lovecraft's story at the same time right now (The past few days). I thought for sure the Orator says Vril-ya in The Call of Chtulhu. I did a quick google search and found this. Thanks for your input. I'd say it's a very likely connection.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09599979813997974120noreply@blogger.com