Curious devices, forbidden artifacts, mysterious creatures, and intriguing documents.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Cthulhu Fhtagn! Tóbal Edition.
Tóbal delves into the restricted collection at Miskatonic University to bring us this interesting find- a paleolithic Cthulhu idol. From the associated documents and photographs it appears the artifact was excavated during an expedition to Austria.
This is a great piece that inserts itself carefully into an early strata of history. Really good props should hint at more than just a surface reality and this one does it well. The exhibited tableau supports the “find” by having props that support the props. Sneaking into the context of fact, a good prop can send ideas and PCs off on a tangents during game play. I really like the association with Paleolithic figures like the Venus of Willendorf, which has always struck me as pretty creepy itself. Then again early Cycladic figures can get pretty strange such as the violin shaped figures. This figure by the Tóbal would look good in anybody’s collector cabinet, perhaps with a saber toothed tiger skull reproduction (available on line) and some flints.
A closer look at the Venus of Willendorf with some nice detail not often seen http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/the-secret-story-of-the-venus-of-willendorf
Cycladic figures in a PDF: https://www.metmuseum.org/ pubs/ journals/ 1/ pdf/ 1512766.pdf.bannered.pdf
The Cthulhu of Würflach...
ReplyDelete-- not to be confused with --
the Venus of Willendorf....
This is a great piece that inserts itself carefully into an early strata of history. Really good props should hint at more than just a surface reality and this one does it well. The exhibited tableau supports the “find” by having props that support the props. Sneaking into the context of fact, a good prop can send ideas and PCs off on a tangents during game play. I really like the association with Paleolithic figures like the Venus of Willendorf, which has always struck me as pretty creepy itself. Then again early Cycladic figures can get pretty strange such as the violin shaped figures. This figure by the Tóbal would look good in anybody’s collector cabinet, perhaps with a saber toothed tiger skull reproduction (available on line) and some flints.
ReplyDeleteA closer look at the Venus of Willendorf with some nice detail not often seen http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/02/2014/the-secret-story-of-the-venus-of-willendorf
Cycladic figures in a PDF: https://www.metmuseum.org/ pubs/ journals/ 1/ pdf/ 1512766.pdf.bannered.pdf