"The Isle of the Torturers" by Clark Ashton Smith

1 year ago
4

We first heard of the Isle of the Torturers in "The Dark Eidolon", with Xylac's King Zotulla's favorite concubine, Obexah, being from Uccastrog.

Achernar: a blue star with an apparent magnitude of about 0.50 that is the brightest star in the constellation Eridanus. I think I got the pronunciation right, but I'm not entirely sure. I can think of many possible pronunciations, it's one of those cursed English words you can only know how to pronounce by hearing an expert in the field say it out loud. But this is such an obscure star that there aren't many examples of it being said out there, and none from a source I would consider entirely reliable.

lapidary: a cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones (typically those other than diamonds)

amaranth: a flowering plant, ranging from maroon to crimson, so various shades of reddish colors

enginery: machinery made up of engines; any device or contrivance; machinery

adipocere: a grayish waxy substance formed by the decomposition of soft tissue in dead bodies subjected to moisture

The picture used is an illustration by Jayem Wilcox from the story as published in Weird Tales.

To follow along: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/108/the-isle-of-the-torturers

"Do what'nsoever you want to do with me, Br'er Fox, but please, please, please! Don't throw me in that briar patch!"

The Uncle Remus telling of Br'er Fox and Br'er Rabbit would have been popular in the late 19th century, while "The Isle of the Torturers" was published in 1931. Although given Smith's seeming attitudes on race, and his growing up in California, it's not obvious how familiar he would have been with the stories. Probably he would have heard them, but I just don't know.

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