Excerpt

Excerpt from The Moon Pool, by Abraham Merritt

"Don't ask a thing now, Doc!" he said tensely. "Wait till we get
home. But we've got to get damned busy and quick--I'll tell you that
now--"

[1] I have no space here even to outline the eschatology of this
people, nor to catalogue their pantheon. Siya and Siyana typified
worldly love. Their ritual was, however, singularly free from those
degrading elements usually found in love-cults. Priests and
priestesses of all cults dwelt in the immense seven-terraced
structure, of which the jet amphitheatre was the water side. The
symbol, icon, representation, of Siya and Siyana--the globe and the
up-striving figures--typified earthly love, feet bound to earth, but
eyes among the stars. Hell or heaven I never heard formulated, nor
their equivalents; unless that existence in the Shining One's domain
could serve for either. Over all this was Thanaroa, remote; unheeding,
but still maker and ruler of all--an absentee First Cause personified!
Thanaroa seemed to be the one article of belief in the creed of the
soldiers--Rador, with his reverence for the Ancient Ones, was an
exception. Whatever there was, indeed, of high, truly religious
impulse among the Murians, this far, High God had. I found this
exceedingly interesting, because it had long been my theory--to put
the matter in the shape of a geometrical formula--that the real
attractiveness of gods to man increases uniformly according to the
square of their distance--W. T. G.

[2] I find that I have neglected to explain the working of these
interesting mechanisms that were telephonic, dictaphonic, telegraphic
in one. I must assume that my readers are familiar with the receiving
apparatus of wireless telegraphy, which must be "tuned" by the
operator until its own vibratory quality is in exact harmony with the
vibrations--the extremely rapid impacts--of those short electric
wavelengths we call Hertzian, and which carry the wireless messages. I
must assume also that they are familiar with the elementary fact of
physics that the vibrations of light and sound are interchangeable.
The hearing-talking globes utilize both these principles, and with
consummate simplicity. The light with which they shone was produced by
an atomic "motor" within their base, similar to that which activated
the merely illuminating globes. The composition of the phonic spheres
gave their surfaces an acute sensitivity and resonance. In conjunction
with its energizing power, the metal set up what is called a "field of
force," which linked it with every particle of its kind no matter how
distant. When vibrations of speech impinged upon the resonant surface
its rhythmic light-vibrations were broken, just as a telephone
transmitter breaks an electric current. Simultaneously these
light-vibrations were changed into sound--on the surfaces of all
spheres tuned to that particular instrument. The "crawling" colours
which showed themselves at these times were literally the voice of the
speaker in its spectrum equivalent. While usually the sounds produced
required considerable familiarity with the apparatus to be understood
quickly, they could, on occasion, be made startlingly loud and
clear--as I was soon to realize--W. T. G.

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt

Context of the Source

Abraham Merritt’s The Moon Pool (1919) is a classic work of weird fiction and lost-world fantasy, blending elements of science fiction, occultism, and adventure. The novel follows Dr. Walter T. Goodwin (the narrator, referred to as "W. T. G." in the excerpts) as he investigates a mysterious glowing pool in the South Pacific that serves as a gateway to an advanced, hidden civilization—the Murians, descendants of an ancient, technologically and spiritually superior race.

The excerpts provided come from Goodwin’s firsthand account of Murian society, where he describes their religious beliefs (Excerpt [1]) and their advanced communication technology (Excerpt [2]). Merritt’s work is notable for its pseudo-scientific speculation, mythological depth, and atmospheric weirdness, influencing later writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.

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Explanation of the Excerpts

Excerpt [1]: Murian Religion and Cosmology

Summary: Goodwin briefly outlines the religious beliefs of the Murians, focusing on their pantheon of gods, particularly Siya and Siyana (deities of earthly love) and Thanaroa (a distant, creator-god). He notes the absence of traditional heaven/hell concepts and observes that the Murians’ spirituality is highly abstract, with their highest god being an impersonal, remote force.

Key Themes & Ideas:

1. Duality of Love and Divinity (Siya & Siyana vs. Thanaroa)

   • Siya and Siyana represent earthly, human love—their iconography shows figures "feet bound to earth, but eyes among the stars", symbolizing a balance between material and spiritual aspirations.
   • Their cult is surprisingly pure, lacking the "degrading elements" often found in love-based religions (e.g., orgiastic rites, exploitation). This suggests the Murians have evolved beyond base instincts.
   • Thanaroa, in contrast, is a distant, uncaring creator-god, akin to the Gnostic Demiurge or Deist "Clockmaker God". He is worshipped by soldiers (practical, disciplined minds) but ignored by mystics like Rador, who revere the Ancient Ones (a more immediate, possibly elder race of beings).

2. Absence of Heaven/Hell

   • The Murians have no clear afterlife doctrine—instead, existence in the "Shining One’s domain" (likely a reference to a higher plane of existence) may serve as both reward and punishment.
   • This reflects Merritt’s fascination with esoteric and non-Western spiritual systems, where morality is not tied to divine judgment but to cosmic balance.

3. Goodwin’s "Geometrical Theory" of Gods

   • His tongue-in-cheek observation that "the real attractiveness of gods to man increases uniformly according to the square of their distance" suggests that:
     • The more remote a god, the more awe it inspires (e.g., Thanaroa is revered precisely because he is unknowable).
     • This mirrors human psychological tendencies—people often idealize what they cannot fully comprehend (e.g., the Christian God vs. local saints).

Literary Devices:

• Symbolism – The "globe and up-striving figures" represent the tension between earthly and celestial aspirations.
• Irony – The soldiers, who deal in war and order, worship the most abstract god, while the mystic Rador follows the more tangible Ancient Ones.
• Allusion – The Shining One’s domain may reference Platonic Forms, Buddhist Nirvana, or Gnostic aeons.
• First-Person Narration (Unreliable?) – Goodwin’s scientific detachment ("I have no space here to outline...") contrasts with the mystical subject matter, making the reader question how much he truly understands.

Significance:

• Merritt challenges Western religious norms by presenting a non-dualistic, non-moralistic spirituality.
• The distance of Thanaroa reflects 20th-century disillusionment with organized religion (post-WWI, post-Darwinian skepticism).
• The purity of Siya/Siyana’s cult suggests that advanced civilizations may transcend human vices.

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Excerpt [2]: Murian Communication Technology

Summary: Goodwin describes the Murians’ advanced "hearing-talking globes", which function as a hybrid of telephone, dictaphone, and wireless telegraphy. These devices use light and sound vibrations, converting speech into colored spectral patterns that can be transmitted instantaneously across vast distances.

Key Themes & Ideas:

1. Pseudo-Scientific Wonder

   • Merritt blends real physics (Hertzian waves, vibration theory) with fantastical technology to create a plausible yet alien device.
   • The globes operate on resonance and harmonic tuning, much like modern quantum entanglement theories (though Merritt predates them).
   • The "crawling colors" are the visual spectrum of the speaker’s voice, making communication both auditory and visual—a synaesthetic experience.

2. Technological Spirituality

   • The Murians’ tech is not just functional but almost mystical—their devices harmonize with natural laws rather than brute-forcing mechanics (unlike industrial-era machines).
   • This reflects Merritt’s belief in a lost "golden age" where science and spirituality were unified (a theme in Theosophy and Atlantis myths).

3. The Limits of Human Understanding

   • Goodwin admits that the sounds require "considerable familiarity" to decipher, implying that Murian tech is beyond human intuition.
   • The sudden clarity ("startlingly loud and clear") foreshadows later revelations where the technology’s true power is demonstrated.

Literary Devices:

• Technobabble (Purposeful) – Merritt uses real scientific terms (Hertzian waves, atomic motor, field of force) to ground the fantasy in pseudo-reality.
• Analogy – Compares the globes to telephones and wireless telegraphs to help the reader grasp the concept.
• Foreshadowing – The mention of "startlingly loud and clear" sounds hints at future dramatic uses of the technology (e.g., divine communications, warnings, or invasions).
• Synaesthesia – The colors representing sound create a multi-sensory description, immersing the reader in the alien nature of Murian tech.

Significance:

• Merritt predicts future tech (e.g., voice-to-text, holographic communication, quantum networking).
• The harmonic resonance concept foreshadows modern wireless communication (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
• The fusion of science and mysticism challenges the materialist view of technology, suggesting that advanced civilizations may see no divide between the two.

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Broader Significance in The Moon Pool

1. The Murians as a Lost Super-Race

   • Their religion and technology reinforce the idea that they are descendants of a greater civilization (possibly Atlantis or Lemuria), now in decline.
   • Their spiritual and scientific harmony contrasts with humanity’s fragmented knowledge.

2. The Moon Pool as a Gateway

   • The communication globes and religious symbols hint at deeper connections—perhaps the pool itself is a dimensional portal, and the globes are tuned to cosmic frequencies.

3. Goodwin as the "Bridge" Between Worlds

   • His scientific mind struggles to comprehend Murian mysticism, making him an unreliable but fascinating narrator.
   • His theories (like the "square of distance" god attractiveness) show his attempt to rationalize the irrational.

4. Influence on Later Weird Fiction

   • Lovecraft’s "Elder Things" and Clark Ashton Smith’s hyper-advanced civilizations owe much to Merritt’s Murians.
   • The blending of science and occultism became a hallmark of cosmic horror and dieselpunk.

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Final Interpretation: Why These Excerpts Matter

These passages establish the Murians as a civilization that is both alien and aspirational—they have mastered technology without losing spirituality, and their gods are as mathematical as they are mystical. Merritt uses Goodwin’s limited perspective to tease the reader with glimpses of a deeper truth, making the world feel vast, ancient, and only partially knowable.

• Religiously, the Murians transcend human moral binaries (no heaven/hell, no sin-based worship).
• Technologically, they harness natural laws in ways that seem like magic to humans.
• Philosophically, they represent what humanity could become—or what it once was and lost.

The excerpts serve as a microcosm of the novel’s central tension: Can humanity comprehend—or survive—encountering a superior race? The answer, as the story unfolds, is both awe-inspiring and terrifying.