ext_242822 ([identity profile] essentialsaltes.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] essentialsaltes 2003-01-23 02:12 pm (UTC)

Bubble baths? Haha, not quite.

This will probably take so long to explain that it will take all the fun out of it. Anyway, in HP Lovecraft's horror novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, an 18th century wizard/alchemist has found a way to get himself resurrected in the 20th century. It involves reducing one's body to a powder (the essential salts) which can then be reanimated with the addition of blood and magical mumbo-jumbo. At the beginning of the novel is a quote from Borellus:

'The essential Saltes of Animals may be so prepared and preserved, that an ingenious Man may have the whole Ark of Noah in his own Studie, and raise the fine Shape of an Animal out of its Ashes at his Pleasure; and by the lyke Method from the essential Saltes of humane Dust, a Philosopher may, without any criminal Necromancy, call up the Shape of any dead Ancestour from the Dust whereinto his Bodie has been incinerated.'

Personally, I find immortality a worthy goal, even if the 'essential saltes' method doesn't seem too likely. Especially since, if I'm right about there being no god, then I'll just uselessly rot in the ground after death. If I'm wrong, I'll burn in hell with all the other cool people. There is no truth to the rumor that I am, in fact, immortal.

Incidentally, the novel has been filmed twice. It was filmed as 'Haunted Palace' with Vincent Price in the 1960's. More recently, it was filmed under the title 'The Resurrected', which I think is one of the best Lovecraft movies ever. Yes, I will shut up about Lovecraft now.

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