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Posted by underworldfan [172.142.48.193] on 2003/01/29 14:05:06

It has fascinated me for quite a while now where the tremendously atmospheric world of Quake 1 came from.
I can mention two possible sources, (in addition to the actual imagination of the people at ID!)
Obviously the clearest debt is to HP Lovecraft, with the Chthon name/monster being specifically used in e1m7.
Lovecraft's surreal vision of horror rests on the idea of age old ancient aliens that visit/fester in the earth, killing humans when disturbed - this certainly fit in with the Quake paradigm.
(Kell is obviously a Lovecraft expert, see Contract Revoked).
i found this quote in the web whilst searching:
"I think they (ID) have been getting inspiration from Lovecraft even back to Wolfenstein 3-D -- Quake more so than Doom, and Doom more so than Wolf. (Note: "inspiration" -- in Wolf it was the whole Nazi mad-scientist deal; in Doom, Hell invades from another dimension.)
However, in Quake, we have monsters that are named from the Cthulhu mythos: Chthon, Shambler, Shub Niggurath. And many places, too: The Vaults of Zin, The Nameless City. As well as a story line (what there is of it) almost too Lovecraftian to mistake for anything but a Lovecraft-inspired story."
Back to my opinions again, another influence (after it coming up in the Coagula thread) might be the the artwork of HR Giger.
thoughts/ideas/comments?

Evile
#1 posted by Vondur [213.247.187.250] on 2003/01/29 16:36:40
Black satanic rites
Wait! Stop!
#2 posted by metlslime [12.231.113.167] on 2003/01/29 21:16:16
I agree that Lovecraft was a key influecence, but the name 'Chthon' is not from Lovecraft. It comes from the word chthonic, which comes from khthón, the Greek word for earth.
Also
#3 posted by metlslime [12.231.113.167] on 2003/01/29 21:20:04
Kell wrote an article on this very subject, though he spells my name wrong, AND the name of my website! Anyway, the link is http://www.signsofkoth.co.uk/stuff...
Metlslime
#4 posted by underworldfan [172.144.39.174] on 2003/01/30 21:09:21
thanx for the link to the article, a well written and interesting read indeed.
I had never read that article before (honest!). Its also interesting that Kell mentions Giger near the end, just as i did in my post above.
Giger-Lovecraft Connection
#5 posted by metlslime [12.231.113.167] on 2003/01/31 15:52:16
If nothing else... Giger himself has named Lovecraft as an influence. In fact i first learned about Lovecraft by reading through one of Giger's art books -- Arh+, i think.

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