Celephaïs

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Celephaïs is a fantasy short story by H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in 1920 and first published in May 1922. The tale is part of Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle.

In the story, a man named Kuranes (a dream-name) creates the city of Celephaïs in a child’s dream. As an adult living in London, he dreams it again and seeks it in the dream world. Knights guide him through medieval England to his ancestral estate, and then to Celephaïs, where he becomes king and a god-like ruler. Later, his body is found at his tower, now owned by a newcomer.

Celephaïs is mentioned again in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, where Randolph Carter visits Kuranes. Kuranes is homesick for Cornwall and has dreamed parts of Celephaïs to resemble his boyhood land. He warns Carter to be careful what he wishes for.

The story grew from Lovecraft’s own dreams and notes. It nods to a Lord Dunsany tale about becoming absorbed in an imaginary kingdom and echoes Ambrose Bierce’s imagery at times. Some readers also link the innsmouth vibe to Fleetwood, Lancashire.

In the original tale, Celephaïs sits in the valley of Ooth-Nargai beside the Cerenerian Sea. The city never ages or decays. Important spots include the turquoise temple of Nath-Horthath and the Street of Pillars. Nearby rises Mount Aran, with ginkgo trees on its lower slopes. Galleys from Celephaïs sail through the Dreamlands, especially to the cloud-kingdom Serannian, by traveling into the sky where the Cerenerian Sea meets the horizon.