Miskatonic Arcihves

Cosmic horror

Cosmic horror arises when an encounter changes the apparent place of human life within reality. The threat may involve an alien organism, a surviving civilization, an altered mind or knowledge that ordinary categories cannot contain. In Lovecraft’s fiction, fear often follows a discovery that is partly successful: the evidence is understood well enough to reveal how limited human security and importance have been.

6 min read · 1,092 words