"The Testimony of The Mad Arab"
In addition to an introduction, the book uses a frame story titled "The Testimony of The Mad Arab". The "Testimony" is in two parts, forming a prologue and an epilogue to the core Necronomicon. The author describes himself as a "Mad Arab".
The prologue explains how the Arab first came to discover the dark secrets that he is recording, accidentally witnessing an arcane ritual performed by a cult that worships Tiamat, in which both the demons Kutulu and Humwawa are conjured.
In the epilogue, the Mad Arab is haunted by premonitions of his gruesome death. He realizes that the horrors of the Necronomicon are enraged and seek revenge upon him for revealing of their existence to the world. The text is littered with non sequiturs and arcane incantations, presented as indication of his unstable mental state and his desire to protect himself from perceived danger. He is unable to sign his work, and thus remains nameless.
Read more about this topic: Simon Necronomicon
Famous quotes containing the words testimony, mad and/or arab:
“...If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”
—Bible: New Testament, Mark 6:11.
Jesus.
“I fear animals regard man as a creature of their own kind which has in a highly dangerous fashion lost its healthy animal reason—as the mad animal, as the laughing animal, as the weeping animal, as the unhappy animal.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“As the Arab proverb says, “The dog barks and the caravan passes”. After having dropped this quotation, Mr. Norpois stopped to judge the effect it had on us. It was great; the proverb was known to us: it had been replaced that year among men of high worth by this other: “Whoever sows the wind reaps the storm”, which had needed some rest since it was not as indefatigable and hardy as, “Working for the King of Prussia”.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)