Kuranes
Encyclopedia
Kuranes is a fictional character
in H. P. Lovecraft
's Dream Cycle
. He was introduced in the short story
"Celephaïs
" (1922
) and also appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
(1926
).
Kuranes was a great dreamer and made frequent visits to the Dreamlands. In the waking world, he was of landed gentry
in Cornwall
, but as his fortunes declined he retreated into fantasy and drug use, eventually dying impoverished and homeless. In his dreams, he created the city of Celephaïs, the valley of Ooth-Nargai, in which Celephaïs was situated, and presumably the cloud city of Serannian
, which was connected with Celephaïs. After he died he became the king and chief god of Celephaïs. He didn't care for the pomp and grandeur of Dreamland court life, and preferred to live most of the time in a nearby area he created to resemble the house and land in Cornwall where he had lived as a boy.
He is the only dreamer who has gone to the outermost void "where no dreams reach" that is the court of Azathoth and survived with both life and sanity intact.
Kuranes has also appeared in Lovecraftian pastiches by authors such as Brian Lumley
. Lumley's characters David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer eventually become agents for Kuranes.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's Dream Cycle
Dream Cycle
The Dream Cycle refers to a series of stories by author H. P. Lovecraft. These stories concern themselves with "The Dreamlands": a vast, alternate dimension that can be entered via dreams.-Geography:The Dreamlands is apparently divided into four regions:...
. He was introduced in the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Celephaïs
Celephaïs
"Celephaïs" is a fantasy story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in early November 1920 and first published in the May 1922 issue of the Rainbow.The title refers to a fictional city that later appears in H. P...
" (1922
1922 in literature
The year 1922 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Under the current U.S. copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1923 with a proper copyright notice entered the public domain no later than 75 years from the date of the copyright...
) and also appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
(1926
1926 in literature
The year 1926 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is founded in Middlebury, Vermont....
).
Kuranes was a great dreamer and made frequent visits to the Dreamlands. In the waking world, he was of landed gentry
Landed gentry
Landed gentry is a traditional British social class, consisting of land owners who could live entirely off rental income. Often they worked only in an administrative capacity looking after the management of their own lands....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, but as his fortunes declined he retreated into fantasy and drug use, eventually dying impoverished and homeless. In his dreams, he created the city of Celephaïs, the valley of Ooth-Nargai, in which Celephaïs was situated, and presumably the cloud city of Serannian
Serannian
Serannian is a fictional city in H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle and appears in such stories as "Celephaïs" and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.It is a sky-kingdom in Earth's Dreamlands and lies just off the coast of Ooth-Nargai near Celephaïs...
, which was connected with Celephaïs. After he died he became the king and chief god of Celephaïs. He didn't care for the pomp and grandeur of Dreamland court life, and preferred to live most of the time in a nearby area he created to resemble the house and land in Cornwall where he had lived as a boy.
He is the only dreamer who has gone to the outermost void "where no dreams reach" that is the court of Azathoth and survived with both life and sanity intact.
Kuranes has also appeared in Lovecraftian pastiches by authors such as Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
. Lumley's characters David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer eventually become agents for Kuranes.