High Priest Not to Be Described
Encyclopedia
The High Priest Not to Be Described (Elder Hierophant
, Tcho-Tcho
Lama
of Leng) is a fictional character
in H. P. Lovecraft
's Dream Cycle
. He first appeared in the Lovecraft short story
"Celephaïs
" (written 1920
).
on the Plateau
of Leng
in the Dreamlands. He serves the Outer Gods and may be Hastur
, the servant of the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep
(or he may even be Nyarlathotep himself).
The monastery where he dwells has a confusing tangle of lightless corridors with disturbing fresco
es that chronicle Leng's bloodcurdling history. Deep in the bowels of the monastery, inside a frightening domed room, the High Priest Not to Be Described sits on a throne of gold
atop a stone dais in pitch-black darkness. Five steps down from the dais is a row of six blood-stained stone altars surrounding a yawning well that is rumored to connect with the Vaults of Zin in the underworld
.
In Lovecraft's novella
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
(1926
), Randolph Carter
has a fateful encounter with the High Priest Not to Be Described. The only description of the High Priest is given in this passage:
During his search for the fabled city of Celephaïs, the dreamer Kuranes
had an equally chilling experience, just narrowly escaping the High Priest.
Since the moon is inhabited by pale, flute-playing toad creatures
, and since the High Priest Not to be Described also communicates by playing the flute, he may simply be one of the lunar toad creatures and a servant of Nyarlathotep
, the crawling chaos that consistently opposes Randolph Carter throughout the story. Furthermore, when Carter uses an opportune moment to escape and is fleeing blindly through the monastery's darkened, labyrinthine passageways, he dares not think of his pursuer and of "the stealthy padding of shapeless paws on the stones behind him, or of the silent wrigglings and crawlings which must be going on back there in lightless corridors."
He may instead be an avatar of Nyarlathotep, as a similar creature is mentioned in Walter C. DeBill Jr.'s "In 'Ygiroth". The sheer horror of Carter's reaction when he approaches the High Priest in the Yellow Mask lends some support to this possibility.
Hierophant
A hierophant is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy. The word comes from Ancient Greece, where it was constructed from the combination of ta hiera, "the holy," and phainein, "to show." In Attica it was the title of the chief priest at the...
, Tcho-Tcho
Tcho-Tcho
The Tcho-Tcho, or Tcho-Tcho people, are a fictional human-like race in the Cthulhu Mythos.-Appearances:The Tcho-Tcho are first mentioned in August Derleth's 1933 short story "The Thing That Walked on the Wind", in which a character refers in passing to "the forbidden and accursed designs of the...
Lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
of Leng) is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's Dream Cycle
Dream Cycle
The Dream Cycle refers to a series of stories by author H. P. Lovecraft. These stories concern themselves with "The Dreamlands": a vast, alternate dimension that can be entered via dreams.-Geography:The Dreamlands is apparently divided into four regions:...
. He first appeared in the Lovecraft short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Celephaïs
Celephaïs
"Celephaïs" is a fantasy story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early November 1920 and first published in the May 1922 issue of the Rainbow.The title refers to a fictional city that later appears in H. P...
" (written 1920
1920 in literature
The year 1920 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Agatha Christie publishes her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing the long-running character detective, Hercule Poirot....
).
Summary
The High Priest Not to Be Described is the sole occupant of a remote and ancient monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the Plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
of Leng
Leng
Leng is a fictional cold arid plateau in the Cthulhu Mythos, whose location seems to vary entirely from story to story. The Plateau of Tsang, referenced by H. P...
in the Dreamlands. He serves the Outer Gods and may be Hastur
Hastur
Hastur is a fictional entity of the Cthulhu Mythos. Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" as a benign god of shepherds. Robert W...
, the servant of the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
(or he may even be Nyarlathotep himself).
The monastery where he dwells has a confusing tangle of lightless corridors with disturbing fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es that chronicle Leng's bloodcurdling history. Deep in the bowels of the monastery, inside a frightening domed room, the High Priest Not to Be Described sits on a throne of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
atop a stone dais in pitch-black darkness. Five steps down from the dais is a row of six blood-stained stone altars surrounding a yawning well that is rumored to connect with the Vaults of Zin in the underworld
Underworld (Dreamlands)
The underworld is a fictional location in the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. It is described in detail in Lovecraft's novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath ....
.
In Lovecraft's novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
(1926
1926 in literature
The year 1926 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is founded in Middlebury, Vermont....
), Randolph Carter
Randolph Carter
Randolph Carter is a recurring protagonist in H. P. Lovecraft'sfiction and a thinly disguised alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The first tale in which Carter appears--"The Statement of Randolph Carter" --is based on one of Lovecraft's dreams....
has a fateful encounter with the High Priest Not to Be Described. The only description of the High Priest is given in this passage:
...and there... sat a lumpish figure robed in yellow silk with red and having a yellow silken mask over its face. To this being the slant-eyed man made certain signs with his hands, and the lurker in the dark replied by raising a disgustingly carven flute of ivory in silk covered paws and blowing certain loathesome sounds from beneath its flowing silken mask.
During his search for the fabled city of Celephaïs, the dreamer Kuranes
Kuranes
Kuranes is a fictional character in H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle. He was introduced in the short story "Celephaïs" and also appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath ....
had an equally chilling experience, just narrowly escaping the High Priest.
Identity
Although the identity of the high priest is never established in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, the following passage (which appears below the passage quoted above) gives a hint:
This colloquy went on for some time, and to Carter there was something sickeningly familiar in the sound of that flute and the stench of the malodorous place. It made him think of a frightful red-litten city and of the revolting procession that once filed through it; of that, and of an awful climb through lunar countryside beyond... Then the figured silk slipped a trifle from one of the greyish-white paws, and Carter knew what the noisome High Priest was.
Since the moon is inhabited by pale, flute-playing toad creatures
Moon-beast
A moon-beast is a creature in H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle. They are “great greyish-white slippery things which could expand and contract at will, and whose principal shape — though it often changed — was that of a sort of toad without any eyes, but with a curious vibrating mass of...
, and since the High Priest Not to be Described also communicates by playing the flute, he may simply be one of the lunar toad creatures and a servant of Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
, the crawling chaos that consistently opposes Randolph Carter throughout the story. Furthermore, when Carter uses an opportune moment to escape and is fleeing blindly through the monastery's darkened, labyrinthine passageways, he dares not think of his pursuer and of "the stealthy padding of shapeless paws on the stones behind him, or of the silent wrigglings and crawlings which must be going on back there in lightless corridors."
He may instead be an avatar of Nyarlathotep, as a similar creature is mentioned in Walter C. DeBill Jr.'s "In 'Ygiroth". The sheer horror of Carter's reaction when he approaches the High Priest in the Yellow Mask lends some support to this possibility.