The Brick Cylinders of Kadatheron are a collection of ancient writings created by H. P. Lovecraft for his short story "The Doom That Came to Sarnath".
Description[]
The Cylinders are never actually described in the story. However, is can be assumed that due to their name and antiquity they are comprised of several cylindrical stamps designed to be used to roll images, glyphs or text onto another medium, possibly wet clay. Their number, provenance and current whereabouts were never given by Lovecraft; similarly, whether the Kadatheron given in their title is their author or place of origin is unclear.
Contents[]
The Cylinders, at least in part, describe the physical properties of the Beings of Ib, as well as they and their city's descent to Earth from the moon. Whether they contain any other information is unknown.
Behind the Mythos[]
H. P. Lovecraft mentions the Brick Cylinders of Kadatheron in a single passage at the beginning of his short story "The Doom That Came to Sarnath":
| “ | It is written on the brick cylinders of Kadatheron that the beings of Ib were in hue as green as the lake and the mists that rise above it; that they had bulging eyes, pouting, flabby lips, and curious ears, and were without voice. It is also written that they descended one night from the moon in a mist; they and the vast still lake and gray stone city Ib. | „ |
The closeness of the Cylinders' title of Kadatheron may also suggest a connection to another of Lovecraft's creations: the city of Kadath. Kadath has been postulated to have existed in both the real world and the Dreamlands, although Lovecraft himself never specifically stated which.