Secret Worship

by Algernon Blackwood

Thickly the memories crowded upon him. The picture of the small village dreaming its unselfish life on the mountain-tops, clean, wholesome, simple, searching vigorously for its God, and training hundreds of boys in the grand way, rose up in his mind with all the power of an obsession. He felt once more the old mystical enthusiasm, deeper than the sea and more wonderful than the stars.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Weird Fiction, Classics, Mystery

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 1908

About the author

Algernon Henry Blackwood (1869–1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary critic S. T. Joshi stated, "His work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer's except Dunsany's" and that his short story collection Incredible Adventures (1914) "may be the premier weird collection of this or any other century".

Blackwood was born in Shooter's Hill (today part of south-east London, but then part of northwest Kent) and educated at Wellington College. His father was a Post Office administrator who, according to Peter Penzoldt, "though not devoid of genuine good-heartedness, had appallingly narrow religious ideas." Blackwood had a varied career, farming in Canada, operating a hotel, as a newspaper reporter in New York City, and, throughout his adult life, an occasional essayist for various periodicals. In his late thirties, he moved back to England and started to write stories of the supernatural. He was very successful, writing at least ten original collections of short stories and eventually appearing on both radio and television to tell them. He also wrote fourteen novels, several children's books, and a number of plays, most of which were produced but not published. He was an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, and many of his stories reflect this.

H.P. Lovecraft wrote of Blackwood: "He is the one absolute and unquestioned master of weird atmosphere." His powerful story "The Willows," which effectively describes another dimension impinging upon our own, was reckoned by Lovecraft to be not only "foremost of all" Blackwood's tales but the best "weird tale" of all time.

Among his thirty-odd books, Blackwood wrote a series of stories and short novels published as John Silence, Physician Extraordinary (1908), which featured a "psychic detective" who combined the skills of a Sherlock Holmes and a psychic medium. Blackwood also wrote light fantasy and juvenile books.

Reviews

[Eloy Cryptkeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

"mientras el tren ascendía con lentitud, serpenteando entre los barrancos de las montañas, su mente, no sin cierta ternura, viajaba en el tiempo saltándose los años transcurridos desde entonces y muchos detalles olvidados surgían de entre las sombras y volvían a presentarse nítidamente en su memoria(...) acudía a su mente con toda la fuerza de una obsesión. Volvió a sentir el viejo entusiasmo místico, más profundo que el mar y más maravilloso que las estrellas; oyó otra vez el suspiro de los vientos, recorriendo leguas y más leguas de bosque hasta llegar a los rojos tejados iluminados por el claro de luna; oyó también las voces de los Hermanos, hablando de las cosas del más allá como si las hubieran experimentado en su propia carne; y mientras permanecía sentado en aquel vagón, acunado por el traqueteo del tren, un espíritu de inefable añoranza se apoderó de su alma fatigada y marchita, agitando en lo más hondo de su ser un mar de emociones que creía hace tiempo congeladas"

Harris, un comerciante inglés, decide visitar su antiguo internado protestante ,ubicado en el sur de Alemania,donde había vivido y estudiado muchos años atrás.
Harris tiene algunos problemas existenciales y por alguna desconocida razón algo de este lugar lo llama a gritos. Parece no recordar muchas cosas de su pasado en este lugar, pero poco a poco, a medida que emprende el viaje los recuerdos aparecen. En un principio idealiza los recuerdos y siente nostalgia, pero en realidad distan mucho de ser momentos tan felices.
Al llegar a dicho lugar, el culto que lo habita ya lo estaba esperando sin motivo aparente,pero con los brazos abiertos.

Es un muy buen cuento, sumamente intrigante ,con un muy buen desenlace, y en el que esta omnipresente la increíble prosa lúgubre,melancólica, elegante y majestuosa del autor.
Una historia que también cuenta con la presencia del detective de lo oculto John Silence. Mítico detective, recurrente en varias de las obras de Blackwood y gran influencia para posteriores ficciones.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

El horror de Algernon Blackwood linda más con lo existencial que con lo meramente monstruoso. Blackwood es conocido por su famoso cuento ‘El Wendigo’, sin duda un cuento excepcional, que se incluye siempre como uno de los precursores de los Mitos de Cthulhu. Resulta interesante contrastar el terror que se estilaba a principios del siglo pasado, con todos esos grandes autores de las Weird Tales, donde lo extraño se va desmenuzando paulatinamente y la tensión aumentando progresivamente, con el que se hace actualmente, donde prima más la sangre y los higadillos, y donde el retirar la cara y cerrar los ojos no significa necesariamente miedo, sino más bien asqueo.

Estos son los tres relatos y las dos novelas cortas que se incluyen en ‘Culto secreto y otros relatos’:

‘El hombre al que amaban los árboles’ (*****), donde se relata la obsesión que un pintor de árboles transmite al matrimonio Bittacy. El señor Bittacy se ve imbuido por los bosques que rodean su vivienda, le llaman, literalmente. Mientras, la señora Bittacy, que tiene fobia por los árboles, debe intentar luchar por que estos no se apoderen de su marido. Destaca la descripción de ambientes, con todas esas fuerzas de la naturaleza presentes en todo momento. Magnífica novela corta, la mejor narración de la antología, puro Blackwood.

‘El ocupante de la habitación’ (***), donde un turista inglés en Suiza, hace noche en una posada, ocupando la única habitación libre. El protagonista no tardará en darse cuenta de que algo extraño sucede. Buen relato.

‘Culto secreto’ (***), donde el protagonista, inglés, decide visitar el viejo internado católico alemán en el que estudió de joven, pese a la recomendación de no hacerlo que le dan. Buen relato, estupendamente narrado, en el que hace su aparición John Silence, investigador de lo oculto.

‘Complicidad previa al hecho’ (**), donde, de nuevo, un turista inglés de viaje por Alemania, tiene extrañas visiones. Flojo.

‘Descenso a Egipto’ (***), novela corta en la que el protagonista narra la obsesión por el antiguo Egipto de su amigo George Isley. Buen relato, mezcla de metafísica, viaje onírico y realidad.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you not love a story with ghost cultists? A rich and eerie tale with some supernatural surprises, that ended on a slightly different note than I expected.

[Tiyas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he was barely in it all, Dr. John Silence makes his presence felt. Blackwood's writing is more or less enjoyable as usual. And this one comes with dilapidated schools, hapless travellers and satanic cults. And, to top it off - grandaddy Asmodeus himself. What's not to love?

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And if thought and emotion can persist in this way so long after the brain that sent them forth has crumbled into dust, how vitally important it must be to control their very birth in the heart, and guard them with the keenest possible restraint."

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decisamente notevole questo racconto di fantasmi.
Ancora una volta Blackwood riesce a realizzare un crescendo d'atmosfera fino a generare nel lettore una inquietudine sempre più potente, e poi, per un momento, la paura.
Siamo tranquillamente sulle 3 stelle e mezza.

[Jorge Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little ghost story.

[Germán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note about the score: it corresponds to a Spanish edition consisting of 5 stories: The man whom the trees loved (**), The occupant of the room (***), Secret worship (****), Accessory before the fact (***), A descent into Egypt (**).

Review acerca de la edición de Alianza Editorial "Culto Secreto y otros relatos".

La verdad es a pesar de llevar un par de décadas (tampoco soy tan viejo) leyendo terror "clásico", nunca había leído nada de Algernon Blackwood, y este primer contacto me ha dejado sentimientos encontrados, cosa que por otro lado suele pasar con las colecciones de relatos: es inevitable que haya unos que sean mejores, o simplemente conecten más con el lector, que otros. El volumen incluye dos historias largas (o novelas cortas), otras dos historias de apenas una decena de páginas cada una, y el relato (unas cincuenta páginas) que da título al libro.

La sensación agridulce viene de las dos historias largas, "El hombre al que amaban los árboles" y "Descenso a Egipto", que a pesar de estar muy bien escritas y que indudablemente tendrán su público, no son para mí. Son dos historias que superan cada una la centena de páginas para contar algo que bien se podría haber contado en diez o en veinte. ¿A qué viene esa longitud, entonces? Pues a "crear atmósfera" describiendo, describiendo, y describiendo, hasta el punto de que muchos fragmentos casi se repiten. Personalmente, a mí este tipo de cosas se me hace muy pesado, y me costó acabarlas, porque ni siquiera hay una intriga que impulse a seguir leyendo: se ve venir de lejos cómo va a acabar, incluso en "Descenso a Egipto" el narrador comienza contando el final.

Por el contrario, los dos relatos breves, "El ocupante de la habitación" y "Complicidad previa al hecho", van al grano y se leen con interés. Sobre todo la segunda me gustó bastante, no tanto por lo que cuenta en sí, sino por el curioso dilema moral que plantea y porque parte de una situación fantástica que tampoco se intenta explicar (esto quizás no guste a algunos, pero yo a veces prefiero que no haya explicación a que se dé una poco convincente o demasiado rebuscada).

Finalmente, "Culto secreto" es la mejor de las historias y me anima a leer más del autor, al menos en lo que a aventuras de John Silence se refiere (en español publicabas por Valdemar, si no me equivoco). No deja de ser una relativamente típica y tópica historia de terror, pero bien ejecutada y con ese encanto clásico que este tipo de historias suelen tener.

[Kevan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man visits his the boarding school he attended as a child and discovers it's not as he remembers it.

Plot explanation and some random notes:



Plot explanation

John Silence, a psychic doctor, is on holiday traveling through Germany.

Harris, a silk merchant on a business trip in Germany, decides to visit his childhood boarding school. It was a school boys run by priests. He recalls was like a prison, but was the foundation of the man he became.

Harris arrives finds an inn, and while at supper in a common area there is a priest and by coincidence John Silence.

Harris is wary of Silence, but something in Silence’s face leaves a strong impression on him that would later help rescue him. Then Harris starts a conversation with the priest, who tells him the school has been abandoned.

Silence overhears the conversation, and later has further conversation with the priest and learns that the school had become a place of devil worship. The worshipers performed rituals that involved sacrificing victims that would allow them to extend their life. Ten years earlier the elders of the village had burned down the school and the place was now haunted.

Harris goes to the site of the boarding school, unaware of the history and in denial that the school had been abandoned.

Silence, now aware of the paranormal background of the area, follows Harris and sees him collapse amongst the ruins of the burned building. He decides to watch over Harris' body and using his psychic abilities is able to witness what Harris experiences.

When Harris arrives at the site he does not see the ruins, instead he sees his old school building and is welcomed by the priests.

Unaware, Harris’ blind devotion to the school commits him to becoming the next sacrifice. The priests play music that puts Harris into a trance-like state in which he accepts to be a sacrificial victim. Next, a giant supernatural being appears to accept the sacrifice. At the same time Harris realises something is wrong and recalling Silence’s face from the inn gives him strength to resist.

In the meantime Silence is watching Harris’ body and notices he is regaining consciousness. Silence then intervenes using his psychic skills drives away the spectral phenomena, saving Harris from becoming the next sacrifice.

Bind devotion

The story of Harris might be a metaphor for the dangers of blind devotion. He initially refuses to accept any possibility that anything could have happened to the school.

“Nonsense … There was no place like it. I cannot believe that anything serious could have happened to—to take away its character. The devotion of the Brothers would be difficult to equal anywhere—”

When visiting the site of the school he is literally unable to see that it’s gone, which parallels his blind devotion to his former school.

Cognitive dissonance

The school is described as both a terrible and a wonderful place.

“the walls that had once held him prisoner for two years”

“life there had been very wonderful”

This seems to be an important theme that leads to Harris becoming both an unwilling and willing sacrifice.

Harris justifies this belief thinking that the harsh conditions were necessary to develop into a mature adult, yet ironically he developed into a materialistic person with self contempt.

Materialism and self contempt

Harris is self aware of his life as a materialistic silk merchant and feels self-contempt.

“He felt that he had stepped out of the greedy, vulgar, self-seeking world, the world of silk and markets and profit-making—stepped into the cleaner atmosphere where spiritual ideals were paramount and life was simple and devoted.”

He saw the priests from the school as striving for the opposite ideals which appealed to him, which likely contributed to him being unable to see the truth of what was happening.

The school as a prison

When Harris is young he refers to the school as a prison. This may foreshadow Harris literally becoming a prisoner when he returns as an adult.

The German word “Opfer”

“Opfer” translates to “Victim”.

Note that “Opfern” means “Sacrifice”.

Duality of personalities

While under the trance of the priests, Harris comes to a realisation that they may be demons. He screams, but no-one in the room reacts to this.

“To his own utter amazement he stood up and shrieked aloud! But no one stirred. No one, apparently, took the slightest notice of his absurdly wild behavior.”

It seems at this point Harris takes on two separate personalities, a physical and non-physical form.

“I came here for a friendly visit,” he tried to say with a great effort, but, to his intense dismay, he heard his voice saying something quite different, and actually making use of that very word they had all used: “I came here as a willing Opfer,” he heard his own voice say, “and I am quite ready.”

The physical form may represent the part of him that is blindly devoted to the ideals of the priests, but the non-physical form is the part of him that is discovering the truth of what the school as become.

Why could he not pronounce the name Asmodelius?

“The name refused to pass his lips. He could not pronounce it as they did. He could not pronounce it at all.”

The name Asmodelius is “the word of ultimate power”.

With Harris being literally unable to speak it may be symbolic of him not yet being worthy to speak the name.

Biblical Devilry vs Cosmic Horror

While Blackwood pre-dates Lovecraft, the being Asmodelius seems Lovecraftian rather than biblical in nature.

The story refers to the priests as devil worshipers, but in the context of the story these are portrayed differently to conventional biblical descriptions, and instead has cosmic horror vibes, referring to the beings as “devils of outer space.”

“Then, at the end of the room, where the windows seemed to have disappeared so that he saw the stars, there rose into view far up against the night sky, grand and terrible, the outline of a man.”

“giant form of grey descended from the sky”

“the huge Figure seemed, at once and suddenly, to be inside the room, almost beside him, and to fill the space around him to the exclusion of all else.”

Yet the biblical God seems to be important to drive away these beings.

“A man of power is among us! A man of God!”

Influence: William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder

John Silence is an occult detective, similar to Hodgson’s occult detective Thomas Carnacki.

Blackwood’s John Silence was first published in 1908.

Hodgson’s Thomas Carnacki was published in 1913.

Could Hodgson have been influenced by Blackwood?

[Adam Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Bruders are CREEPY

[Alejandro Cobo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recopilación de tres cuentos y dos novelas cortas que no ha cumplido con mis expectativas.

‘El hombre al que amaban los árboles’ (***) Me ha gustado el cómo relata la atracción por el bosque que sufre el protagonista y el cómo la mujer trata de hacerle frente, pero se me ha hecho larga.

‘El ocupante de la habitación’ (***) Relato correcto, sin pena ni gloria, pero que se lee bien.

‘Culto secreto’ (****) Curiosamente ya lo había leído en la recopilación de Valdemar de John Silence, pero fue hace tanto que no me acordaba de nada. Sin embargo es el que más me ha gustado, aunque tampoco es que sea brillante.

‘Complicidad previa al hecho’ (**) Relato premonitorio donde l0 mejor está en que es cortito. No hay mucho que contar y por tanto para que alargar.

‘Descenso a Egipto’ (s/c) La otra novela corta junto a la primera historia del volumen. A mitad he abandonado. Denso y sin interés prefiero dedicar el tiempo a otras lecturas.

Un 5 a la recopilación en sí.

[Andreas Valentin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(dansk oversættelse, sammen med Ancient Sorceries i 'Kattenes By')

Fedt med en dansk oversættelse af Blackwood. Oversættelsen er ret fin, og jeg studsede på intet tidspunkt over noget sprogligt. Stor ros til oversætter og forlag - det er fedt at få tekster som disse på dansk. 
Bogen består af to historier - 'Kattenes By' og 'Den Gamle Kostskole'. Førstnævnte har jeg læst på engelsk, hvor jeg synes at den var ret velfungerende. På dansk forekom den mig dog en smule simpel, og de tyksmurte katte-billedsprog bliver desværre lidt fjollet. Den anden historie derimod, var ret virksom, og jeg er glad for at have fået den læst, selvom den også til tider blev en smule banal. Det er dog hvad man kan forvente af en så gammel historie. Blackwood er ikke så raffineret og stemningsfuld, efter min meningen, men han har nogle effektfulde idéer. Jeg gad godt se en dansk oversættelse af 'The Willows'. 

[Santi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta recopilación demuestra que Blackwood era el maestro de lo numinoso. "El hombre al que amaban los arboles" podría ser una obra maestra como Los Sauces, un maravilla proto folk horror a la que sin embargo lastra su duración excesiva. Culto Secreto es una historia correctita del detective sobrenatural John Silence y el relato ambientado en Egipto bien podría haberlo escrito un joven Lovecraft con ese orientalismo tan en boga a primeros del XX y tan demodé a día de hoy. Completan la recopilación dos historias clasicas y logradas sobre los delgados límites entre cordura y horror. En definitiva, una muy buena introducción a Blackwood pese a la prosa de hace ciento y pico años.

[Jauke Aytan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me costo terminar el libro, sobretodo, el cuento final “Descenso a Egipto”. El relato que más me gustó y atrapó fue “El Culto secreto”, excelente atmósfera y se construye de excelente forma, ganando en intensidad con cada pagina. Primer libro que leo del autor, motivado por su cercanía con la literatura Lovecraftiana . No me atrapo del todo, no obstante, le daré otra oportunidad leyendo sus historia más conocidas.

[Samik Basu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all memories are worth a re-visit …Harris, a silk merchant, visits his old school to rekindle old memories but gets a sinister reception
But then everyone has a guardian angel….and then Mr Blackwood does saves the best for the last …..
Good read

[Teresa Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disfruté casi todas las historias, sobre todo "El ocupante de la habitación", pero no conecté con "Descenso a Egipto". Considero que la premisa es buena pero el desarrollo es un tanto aburrido.

[Edmundo Trejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno, interesante, Historia corta.

[Uroš Novaković · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. Predictable, but overall it was fine.

[Daniel Valderrama · Rating 3 out of 5]

No alcanza al nivel de Lovecraft. Entiendo la influencia.

[Forked Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

More tedious than thrilling. Was it an expanded short story? It seems to have been overwritten with filler.

[Misaki 801 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Me perdí un poco en el relato (es un audiolibro) pero al final si se puso bien interesante y me tuvo pendiente...

[Sean Walczak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellently creepy short story. Akin to reading a Hammer Horror movie. Quite fun. Can't wait to read more Algernon Blackwood stories.

[havokkhead · Rating 3 out of 5]

The scariest part about this is someone willingly going back to school

[Joelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do not recommend. It was in a set of short mysteries and I ended up not finishing it.

[Calalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Treinta años han pasado para Harris, un comerciante de telas, desde que piso por última vez aquel internado protestante que tantos recuerdos le trae. Conmovido por sus recuerdos decide revivir su juventud con una visita impulsiva hacia las montañas sin saber que la vieja escuela guarda secretos.

Algernon Blackwood es una fuerza literaria que en el habla hispana se suele pasar por alto a pesar de la influencia generacional y la autoridad que tiene en el género del horror, la fantasía y el weird fiction . Sus admiradores y discípulos implícitos son autores que hoy gozan de prestigio, volver a él no se siente regresar al pasado; es visitar época de apogeo del misticismo, de la naturaleza peligrosa e omnipresente, de lo oculto y del misterio.

El culto secreto es un relato que utiliza varios elementos de géneros que en la época suelen estar aislados para dar historias unidimensionales, y a pesar de ser conocidos es la forma lo que de la originalidad. Los sentimientos del protagonista están sincronizados con el entorno; naturaleza, edificios, paisajes le dan tonalidad a la historia y al estado de ánimo de los personajes. Sonrisas ambiguas acentuadas por una sombra y notas musicales que resuenan entre tinta son solo una muestra del detalle trabajado en el texto. Es como si fuera un autor del romanticismo que ha depurado la técnica, mostrando a los del presente como evocar los sentidos sin saturarlos en exceso de palabras.

La estructura muestra lo suficiente en cada paso como para no perder la curiosidad y una vez que alimenta lo siniestro llega un clímax del que no podemos escapar al igual que el desafortunado Harris. A pesar de estar incluido en un universo o conjunto de historias que Blackwood creo, es toda una aventura que se vale por sí misma en especial para los lectores de la noche.

[Joro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovecraft's ability to lead the reader through strange and chilling experiences and events is a notch above modern writers and even most of his contemporaries. Naturally I was interested to see if there was a reason why he considered Algernon Blackwood such an important figure in horror back in the day. After all it was Lovecraft himself who said that "The Willows" was the finest supernatural tale in English literature.
After finishing it I am impressed. The story was captivating and surprisingly complete for a short work of fiction. I have not had much experience with short stories unil now due to the fact that my preferred genres are known for the large "bricks" that I like to stuff my night stand with (the boon of the fiction aficionado). But as much as I know about the way short stories are supposed to work I would say it was all there. The plot was easy to understand but still believable and held the interest throughout the whole work. Many short stories would fall apart in the hands of an unexperienced writer but here it is obvious that Blackwood lives up to his name. Even the climax literally takes place around the middle of the story. The conclusion was satisfying and had an ending that leaves you thinking.
I will be looking up more of Blackwood's work. It's definitely right up my alley and I would easily recommend it to anyone with a flair for the weird and macabre.