Tome of Eldritch Lore: Difference between revisions

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* ''The Mystery of the Cathedrals''. Written by an alchemist in the 1920's using the pen name Fulcanelli, the work makes the case that the Cathedrals of Europe, as built by freemasons, are in fact stone manuals outlining the "Great Work" of alchemy. The work was followed by a sequel, ''The Dwellings of the Philosphers''. A third manuscript was intended for publication, however, it was recalled by the author at the last minute due to its secrets being too dangerous for public consumption. Interestingly, the CIA had an extensive file on Fulcanelli and conducted a massive search for him in the years following [[WW2]].

* Many believe ''[[The Catcher in the Rye]]'' carries a curse. While it's hard to find a high school student who hasn't read it in lit class, some believe the book inspired Mark David Chapman to murder [[John Lennon]]. Chapman was obsessed with modeling his life after Holden Caulfield, the novel's protagonist, and before committing the murder, left a copy of the book for the police to find, writing "This is my statement" inside the book and signing it with Caulfield's name. The novel also seemed to be the favorite of John Hinkley Jr, the man who attempted to assassinate President [[Ronald Reagan]].

* ''[[Macbeth]]'', possibly. An old superstition says quoting the novel outside a theater will curse whoever does so.

* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protocols_of_the_Elders_of_Zion The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]'' is quite likely the most dangerous book ever written. Written around 1902, it claims to detail a secret meeting between Jewish businessmen, who discuss plans to secretly start wars, manipulate national economies and media, and form an eternal global government, all of this presented as fact. Of course, it was Blatant Lies that only exist in the fevered dreams of hate groups. More than likely the author was part of the Russian Secret Police, who wrote it with the intent to gain support for the Czar by using a minority as a scapegoat. Unfortunately, almost all antisemitic hate and terrorism (and likely all modern antisemitism in general) was either directly influenced by this book or can be traced back to it. Hitler used it as a propaganda tool during [[World War II]]; more recently, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Al Qaida, and Hamas have all used it to spread anti-Israeli resentment in the Middle East. It has even inspired other more wide-ranging conspiracy theories, up to and including Q-Anon, which should be noted, tends to accuse George Soros (who is Jewish) as one of the masterminds behind some evil global conspiracy.

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