Anonymous A started this discussion 8 years ago#69,053
> That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
I never really read any Lovecraft books, but I presume this refers to Cthulhu. But is this saying that Cthulhu isn't dead because he is merely eternally resting? I am confused by the 'even death may die' bit since it seems to imply that somehow Cthulhu is dead and resurrects which makes him not sleeping. These words feel contradictory and I don't get it.
Anonymous B joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 4 minutes later[^][v]#837,460
the old ones live a very long time
Anonymous C joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 3 hours later, 3 hours after the original post[^][v]#837,479
“This is not dead which can eternal lie,” - This is a reference to the nature of the Old Ones. They’re not flesh and blood. They’re not driven by biological process, or at least by anything we would recognize as biology. They’re not really alive in the way we define life and by the same token are not subject to the process we call death. The best example is Cthulhu “who lies dead and dreaming”. For the Old Ones, the words “death” and “sleep” are interchangeable. It’s something they do for a time then rise up good as new.
“And with strange aeons even death my die” - To further the sleep analogy, death is like a dream for the Old Ones and all dreams eventually end. In some future age when the Earth has been cleared off and only the Old Ones and their minions are left (“And with strange aeons”), nothing will ever really die and the concept of death will become meaningless (“death may die”).
Anonymous D joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 1 hour later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#837,484
idk
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 3 minutes later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#837,489
"This is not dead which can eternal lie," - This is a reference to the nature of the Old Ones. They’re not flesh and blood. They’re not driven by biological process, or at least by anything we would recognize as biology. They’re not really alive in the way we define life and by the same token are not subject to the process we call death. The best example is Cthulhu “who lies dead and dreaming”. For the Old Ones, the words “death” and “sleep” are interchangeable. It’s something they do for a time then rise up good as new.
"And with strange aeons even death my die" - To further the sleep analogy, death is like a dream for the Old Ones and all dreams eventually end. In some future age when the Earth has been cleared off and only the Old Ones and their minions are left (“And with strange aeons”), nothing will ever really die and the concept of death will become meaningless ("death may die")
Anonymous F joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 39 minutes later, 5 hours after the original post[^][v]#837,503
Just read "The Call Of Cthulhu" and "The Nameless City" and it'll make slightly more sense.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 8 years ago, 1 day later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#837,867
@837,479 (C)
So in short, the old ones are immortals?
Anonymous G joined in and replied with this 8 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#837,870