Simon of Gitta

Simon of Gitta
First appearance	EXP: "The Sword of Spartacus"
Appearances	EXP: "The Sword of Spartacus" (1978)  "The Fire of Mazda" (May-Jun 1984)  "The Seed of the Star–God" (1984) "The Blade of the Slayer" (1986) "The Soul of Kephri" (Sum 1984)  "The Ring of Set" (1977)  "The Worm of Urakhu" (1988) "The Curse of the Crocodile" (1987) "The Treasure of Horemkhu" (1987) "The Scroll of Thoth" (1977)  "The Dragons of Mons Fractus" (Spr 1984)  "The Pillars of Melkarth" (1990) "The Wedding of Sheila-Na-Gog" (with Glenn Rahman, 1985) "The Throne of Achamoth" (with Robert M. Price, 1985) The Gardens of Lucullus (with Glenn Rahman, 2001) The Drums of Chaos (2008) "The Secret of Nephren-Ka" (by Robert M. Price, 2018)
Created by	Richard L. Tierney

Simon of Gitta is the protagonist of a series of Cthulhu Mythos stories by Richard L. Tierney set in the days of Ancient Rome. Simon is an ex-gladiator turned sorcerer, using his skills with sword and sorcery alike to combat Mythos entities and the Roman Empire. He first appeared in "The Ring of Set", published in Swords Against Darkness #1 in 1977, though written in 1960.

Tierney based Simon of Gitta on the biblical figure of Simon Magus, inspired by the portrayal of the character by Jack Palance in the film The Silver Chalice (1954). The stories incorporate aspects of the historical religion of Gnosticism, meshing its lore with that of H. P. Lovecraft and his circle.

Tierney's Simon of Gitta stories are collected in The Scroll of Thoth: Simon Magus and the Great Old Ones, a Chaosium publication edited by Robert M. Price, and in Sorcery Against Caesar: The Complete Simon of Gitta Stories, from Pickman's Press.

Appearances

Simon has appeared in the following stories, by Tierney unless otherwise indicated, listed in internal chronology:

• "The Sword of Spartacus" (Swords Against Darkness #3, 1978)
• "The Fire of Mazda" (Orion's Child, May/June 1984)
• "The Seed of the Star–God" (Crypt of Cthulhu #24, Lammas 1984)
• "The Blade of the Slayer" (Pulse-Pounding Adventure Stories #1, 1986)
• "The Throne of Achamoth" (with Robert M. Price; Weirdbook #21, Autumn 1985)
• The Drums of Chaos (Pickman's Press, 2008)
• "The Emerald Tablet" (by Robert M. Price, Strange Sorcery #24, August 2017)
• "The Soul of Kephri" (Space & Time #66, Summer 1984)
• "The Ring of Set" (Swords Against Darkness #1, 1977)
• "The Worm of Urakhu" (Weirdbook #23/24, 1988)
• "The Curse of the Crocodile" (Crypt of Cthulhu #47, Roodmas, 1987)
• "The Treasure of Horemkhu" (Pulse-Pounding Adventure Stories #2, December 1987)
• "The Secret of Nephren-Ka" (by Robert M. Price, The Mighty Warriors, Ulthar Press, 2018)
• "The Scroll of Thoth" (Swords Against Darkness #2, 1977)
• "The Dragons of Mons Fractus" (Weirdbook #19, Spring 1984)
• "The Wedding of Sheila-Na-Gog" (with Glenn Rahman; Crypt of Cthulhu #29, Candlemas 1985)
• Path of the Dragon (with Glenn Rahman; Pickman's Press, forthcoming)
• The Gardens of Lucullus (with Glenn Rahman, 2001)
• "The Pillars of Melkarth" (Space & Time #78, 1990)
• "Vengeance Quest" (poem, The Cimmerian #7, October 2004)

Chronology

• c. AD 10: Simon of Gitta is born.
• c. AD 17: Menander, later Simon's protege, is born. ("The Sword of Spartacus")
• AD 27: Simon of Gitta accidentally helps to summon Cthulhu. ("The Sword of Spartacus", "The Fire of Mazda")
• AD 31: Simon learns that his beloved Helen has died. (EXP: "The Seed of the Star-God")
• AD 32: Simon encounters the slayer Kane. ("Blade of the Slayer") He then disrupts a plot to summon Shub-Niggurath. (EXP: "The Seed of the Star-God") Simon later goes on a cosmic voyage across the Solar System. ("The Throne of Achamoth")
• AD 33: Simon encounters Jesus of Nazareth. (The Drums of Chaos)
• AD 37: The Roman Emperor Tiberius acquires the Serpent Ring of Set through one of his nobles, shortly before he dies. Simon of Gitta is rumored to be connected to Tiberius' death. ("The Ring of Set")
• Between AD 37 and AD 41: The Roman Emperor Caligula takes a copy of the Book of Thoth from Egypt to experiment with it. Shortly before he dies, the book is destroyed. Simon of Gitta is rumored to be connected to Caligula's death. ("The Scroll of Thoth")
• Between AD 41 and 54: Simon of Gitta enters the service of the Roman Emperor Claudius. (The Gardens of Lucullus)
• AD 41: Simon of Gitta befriends some of the last of the serpent people. ("The Dragons of Mons Fractus")
• AD 42: Simon of Gitta battles the forces of Cthugha. "The Pillars of Melkarth"