The Testament of Athammaus
Encyclopedia
The Testament of Athmmaus is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith
that is part of his Hyperborean cycle
. It was published in the October 1932
issue of Weird Tales
.
; furthermore, it was rumored that this being was invulnerable to any weapon and capable of escaping any form of imprisonment, which at the time Athmmaus dismissed as only vulgar superstition. Then one day it came about that Knygathin Zhaum was successfully ambushed while alone. To the surprise of his captors he showed no resistance and, with a sardonic expression on his face, he was lead back to Commoriom, where he was convicted and sentenced to death by eight judges and Loquamethros, King of Commoriom, and held in a chamber below Commoriom's dungeons to await his fate
. According to Athmmaus, Knygathin Zhaum's beheading seened to proceed successfully, although as Athmmaus had suspected, Knygathin Zhaum did not bleed following decapitation but only produced a trickle of black ichor
.
Following his execution, Knygathin Zhaum was buried that very day and everything went as normal; however, on the morning of the next day the citizens of Commoriom held witness with horror a resurrected Knygathin Zhaum devouring one of its inhabitants. Upon his arrest, there followed a change of law necessary to allow for someone to be executed twice. Knygathin Zhaum was sentenced again to die. His rising from the dead was rationalized by Athmmaus as due to his preternatural heritage and thus alien physiology. Following his second beheading (during which Athmaus noticed disturbing distortions in Knygathin Zhaum's features, despite its only being the day after the first beheading), Knygathin Zhaum was buried beneath heavy boulders in the hope that if he were to come back to life he would not be able to escape. Yet the next morning Knygathin Zhaum was witnessed a second time by the citizens devouring one of the eight judges. Many of the superstitious citizens left the city despite Knygathin Zhaum's third arrest and execution on the same day. This time no chances were taken; the body Knygathin Zhaum was buried in a bronze sarcophagus under heavy guard, while on the other side of the city his head was placed in a small bronze sarcophagus and placed under guard of Athmmaus and his remaining men. For the first hours everything proceeded as normal, but then the men heard a banging from within each of the sarcophagi, which then as burst open as from some incredible force, revealing masses of strange liquid which proceeded towards each other, then merged and once again formed Knygathin Zhaum. This was all too much for Commoriom's citizens, who immediately began to depart in a mass exodus, leaving Athmmaus and his men behind to do battle with the fiend; however, they realized that the rumours of Knygathin Zhaum being both immortal and uncontainable are true, and thus they were forced to leave the city.
Clark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
that is part of his Hyperborean cycle
Hyperborean cycle
The Hyperborean cycle is a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that take place in the fictional prehistoric setting of Hyperborea . Various elements in Smith's cycle have been borrowed by H. P. Lovecraft, most notably the "toad-god" Tsathoggua...
. It was published in the October 1932
1932 in literature
The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*E. V. Knox replaces Sir Owen Seaman as editor of Punch magazine.*Samuel Beckett's first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, is rejected by several publishers....
issue of Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
.
Synopsis
The story is written from the recollection of the aged Headsman Athmmaus on the events which lead to the abandonment of Commoriom, the once great capital of Hyperborea, for its present capital of Uzuldaroum, of whose circumstances he considers to be in dire need of being recorded to combat the now emerging myths surrounding the reasons why the city was abandoned. Athmmaus then proceeds to relate how in his lifelong career as a headsman he has failed to successfully carry out his duty but once, this one failure causing Commoriom's downfall. He tells of how news had come from the settlements near the Eiglophian Mountains of a murderous band of Voormi with their vile and bizarre hairless hybrid being named Knygathin Zhaum, who was rumored to be the product of the union of a Voormi and a being related to the deity TsathogguaTsathoggua
Tsathoggua is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. He is the creation of Clark Ashton Smith and is part of his Hyperborean cycle....
; furthermore, it was rumored that this being was invulnerable to any weapon and capable of escaping any form of imprisonment, which at the time Athmmaus dismissed as only vulgar superstition. Then one day it came about that Knygathin Zhaum was successfully ambushed while alone. To the surprise of his captors he showed no resistance and, with a sardonic expression on his face, he was lead back to Commoriom, where he was convicted and sentenced to death by eight judges and Loquamethros, King of Commoriom, and held in a chamber below Commoriom's dungeons to await his fate
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
. According to Athmmaus, Knygathin Zhaum's beheading seened to proceed successfully, although as Athmmaus had suspected, Knygathin Zhaum did not bleed following decapitation but only produced a trickle of black ichor
Ichor
In Greek mythology, Ichor is the ethereal golden fluid that is the blood of the gods and/or immortals.-In classical myth:Ichor originates in Greek mythology, where it is the ethereal fluid that is the Greek gods' blood, sometimes said to retain the qualities of the immortal's food and drink,...
.
Following his execution, Knygathin Zhaum was buried that very day and everything went as normal; however, on the morning of the next day the citizens of Commoriom held witness with horror a resurrected Knygathin Zhaum devouring one of its inhabitants. Upon his arrest, there followed a change of law necessary to allow for someone to be executed twice. Knygathin Zhaum was sentenced again to die. His rising from the dead was rationalized by Athmmaus as due to his preternatural heritage and thus alien physiology. Following his second beheading (during which Athmaus noticed disturbing distortions in Knygathin Zhaum's features, despite its only being the day after the first beheading), Knygathin Zhaum was buried beneath heavy boulders in the hope that if he were to come back to life he would not be able to escape. Yet the next morning Knygathin Zhaum was witnessed a second time by the citizens devouring one of the eight judges. Many of the superstitious citizens left the city despite Knygathin Zhaum's third arrest and execution on the same day. This time no chances were taken; the body Knygathin Zhaum was buried in a bronze sarcophagus under heavy guard, while on the other side of the city his head was placed in a small bronze sarcophagus and placed under guard of Athmmaus and his remaining men. For the first hours everything proceeded as normal, but then the men heard a banging from within each of the sarcophagi, which then as burst open as from some incredible force, revealing masses of strange liquid which proceeded towards each other, then merged and once again formed Knygathin Zhaum. This was all too much for Commoriom's citizens, who immediately began to depart in a mass exodus, leaving Athmmaus and his men behind to do battle with the fiend; however, they realized that the rumours of Knygathin Zhaum being both immortal and uncontainable are true, and thus they were forced to leave the city.