‘Tis the season, so I have been finishing up a few projects. First, I made book on Squid and Owl. That’s right! it’s perfect for the person on your list who wants a copy of Squid and Owl! But here’s the thing. I haven’t actually seen it yet myself, so if that person on your list is you, you might want to hold off until I give a final quality check. Couple weeks. Otherwise, caveat emptor and your chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
In other news, my Haeckel X-Mas cards went over well last year – post got four whole comments! Lots of folks apparently hadn’t known about Haeckel’s early career, which just goes to show. This year I have done considerably more research – ‘delving’ is the word – and the results are … well, exciting – a bit forbidding; minatory, even. I was invited to publish a notice of my findings here, after being turned down by more ‘reputable’ scholarly outlets. (But I am not bitter.) I’ve assembled the documentary evidence that is the basis for my conclusions here. Judge for yourselves! A lot of people are courageous enough to ask whether Santa really exists, but how many people are willing to ask where he comes from?
{ 15 comments }
John Holbo 12.11.09 at 2:34 pm
Also, it has gnomes in it, if that matters to you.
rea 12.11.09 at 2:51 pm
Everybody knows where Santa comes from–the North Pole!
Brock 12.11.09 at 2:59 pm
Nice font in “A Visitation of Sog Nug-hotep”. Is that another one of your design?
John Holbo 12.11.09 at 3:08 pm
Thanks Brock, it’s an adaptation of an actual old Victorian X-Mas card lettering style. But I might have … um, made it even more so.
rea makes an interesting point: namely, that Santa originates from a frozen polar region. I don’t think we focus on this enough.
Substance McGravitas 12.11.09 at 3:18 pm
The Santa I met last night seemed to come from a brewery.
kid bitzer 12.11.09 at 3:39 pm
everybody knows a turkey.
rea 12.11.09 at 3:49 pm
Well, but the bit about the North Pole is a crucial point, because the received wisdom is that the Elder Things and the star-spawn of Cthulhu hang out at the SouthPole.
John Holbo 12.11.09 at 4:11 pm
rea, think about it: suppose you and your star-spawn brethren were hanging out beyond the mountains of madness at the South Pole. Where would you tell everyone you were? At the North Pole, ‘course. Have you no sense of subtle and occult ways?
Matt Warren 12.11.09 at 4:22 pm
I would love to check out Squid & Owl. I would love to know more about Santa’s past, especially if Cthulhu is involved in some way. I have my own thoughts about present Santa stuff in the link.
Great blog. The touch of bizarre every so often is refreshing.
Russell Arben Fox 12.11.09 at 5:14 pm
Awesome. But a question: might all this be in the process of moving from Holboian hobby to clique? Because, if so, I see some real possibilities for it. Faux-Victorian fonts, plus the darkest day of the year, plus nameless horror. Now you just need some post-punk/thrash-metal band to record “In The Bleak Midwinter” with a Lovecraftian touch (I’m thinking with a theremin and a hurdy-gurdy, maybe), throw up a Facebook page, and the New York Times Style section will be all over it.
rea 12.11.09 at 7:54 pm
Now you just need some post-punk/thrash-metal band to record “In The Bleak Midwinter†with a Lovecraftian touch
A little Googling discloses that there are several albums of Cthulhumas carols available for purchasee online . . .
Bill Benzon 12.12.09 at 4:17 pm
Lévi-Strauss on Father Christmas (PDF).
Matthew Battles 12.16.09 at 2:19 am
Hilobrow: proudly disreputable since 2009.
Martha Maus 12.16.09 at 2:49 am
Like last year’s, and the year before’s, and the year before that; so beautiful. Thanks.
g 12.16.09 at 12:10 pm
Russell and rea: You can find a whole performance of one rather good one at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptP0OR-e7rI .
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