| Necronomicon Ex-Mortis | |
|---|---|
 The Necronomicon as seen in Evil Dead II | |
| Genre | Horror |
| In-story information | |
| Type | Grimoire |
The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Naturon Demonto) is a fictional Sumerian grimoire in the Evil Dead series. It made its first appearance in The Evil Dead, and continued its film career in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, as well as various spin-off media. It likely takes its name from the Necronomicon of H.P. Lovecraft's stories.
History[]
Creation[]
The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis was written by one of The Dark Ones long ago, back when the they ruled the Earth and the seas ran red with blood. It was this blood that was used to ink the book's pages. One account claims that the book was created in a temple somewhere in what would be considered modern Egypt, using miscellaneous parts of skin from various humans who failed to obey The Dark Ones to create the cover. Another account suggest that the book's cover comes from the flesh of a powerful demon who had more control over the Deadites than The Dark Ones did. Written in the book were prophecies, funerary incantations, and demon resurrection passages. It is unknown how many copies and variations of the Necronomicon were written by The Dark Ones themselves before their banishment to the Mirror Dimension by the first Chosen One, but at least three are known to exist.
Discovery In 1300 AD[]
These three copies were eventually discovered in a graveyard in modern England (although how these books ended up in this graveyard is unknown). In 1300 AD, the time-displaced Ash Williams journeyed to this graveyard and took the real book back to Castle Kandar, where it was locked away in a tower for many years. Shortly after Ash brought the book to the castle, Evil Ash and his "Army of Darkness" attacked the castle, wanting to take The Necronomicon and use it to conquer the world, but the combined armies of Lord Arthur and [pHenry The Red]] defeated them.
Rediscovery In The 20th Century[]
The Necronomicon and Kandarian Dagger, perfectly preserved in the ruins of Castle Kandar (Evil Dead II).
Long after the castle was abandoned by the knights and kings, the ruined castle was where Professor Raymond Knowby, Henrietta Knowby, Annie Knowby, and Ed Getley discovered the Necronomicon and the Kandarian Dagger in the early to mid-1980's. Raymond and his wife Henrietta took the book and dagger back to their cabin in the mountains and left their daughter Annie to continue her work at the archaeological site. At some point between the time-displaced Ash taking the book to the castle and Professor Knowby rediscovering it, a handful of pages were torn out of the book and hidden in the ruins castle, with Annie Knowby finding them after her father and mother returned to their cabin. When Raymond Knowby arrived to his cabin, he began to study and translate his latest find, reading out-loud and recording a passage that awoke an evil spirit in the woods surrounding the cabin, causing his wife to become possessed by a Deadite. A week later, a Cheryl_Williams group Linda five friends found the cabin and decided to spend the weekend there, and unknowingly summoned whatever evil the Knowbys unleashed just a few days ago by playing Raymond's recording of the translations. After fighting his Deadite friends for most of the night, Ash Williams finds himself surrounded by his possessed friends. Just when all hope seems lost for him, he decides to toss the book of the dead into the fire in the fireplace, causing the book's flesh bound cover to let out a scream, and stops the Deadites in their tracks. It's presumed that this version of the Necronomicon was eventually completely destroyed and reduced to ashes since it was left in the fireplace for several hours.
Annie Knowby, holding the "missing" Necronomicon pages (Evil Dead II).
The following day after Ash Williams destroyed the book brought to the cabin by Raymond Knowby, Annie Knowby brought the missing pages of the book to the cabin. One of these pages contained a spell which opened a hole in time and space, and another contained a prophecy describing the arrival of "The Hero From The Sky" in 1300 AD. Annie later used the page containing the space-time vortex spell to send the Kandarian Demon back in time. The usage of this spell also caused Ash Williams to accidentally get sucked into the vortex also, thus fulfilling the "The Hero From The Sky" prophecy mentioned on the other Necronomicon page.
The Book In The 21st Century[]
At some point after returning from 1300 AD, Ash Williams discovered another copy of the Necronomicon (quite possibly one of the other copies he discovered in the graveyard since the one he left at the cabin was destroyed). Williams then sought the help of the employees of the occult bookstore Books From Beyond with translating some of the spells within the book. This copy was then hidden away in a wooden trunk in Ash's Trailer for roughly 30 years, until (while under the influence of marijuana) he read aloud the spell that summoned the Kandarian Demon, once again throwing him into the world of Deadites and demons.
When Ash returned to the Knowby's cabin to try to bury the book in the cellar (which he believed would put an end to the demons once and for all), the blood of the deceased Evil Ash touched the book, and caused it to start talking. The Necronomicon told Ash that without him, Ash is a nobody, but when the book unleashes its evil, Ash gets to play hero. Ash then placed the book in the refrigerator, wanting to ignore the fact that what the book was telling him was true.
The Living Manifestation of The Book[]
When the book's creator, Ruby, cut the flesh face off the book using the Kandarian Dagger, the face flew across the main room of the cabin and landed directly on the face of Pablo Simon Bolivar. Although Bolivar did not know it at the time, the book had chosen him to become the book, slowly transferring the spells and incantations from its pages onto his skin.
Before his death, Pablo used his new powers "as the book" to try to send the demon Baal back to Hell, although Baal ended up transferring his spirit into Bolivar's body.
Passages, Abilities, & Characteristics[]
Ash opening the Necronomicon (The Evil Dead).
Known Passages & Spells[]
Awakening The Kandarian Demon[]
Recitation of this passage unleashed the Kandarian Demon upon the world of the living, normally close to the location where the passage was read. This was the passage read aloud and recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder by Professor Raymond Knowby while at his cabin.
Opening A Rift In Time & Space[]
The time rift has a powerful enough gravitational pull that it was able to suck in an automobile (Evil Dead II).
Another passage in the book allowed the reader to open a rift in time and space. Some accounts suggest that the reader's desired destination could be chosen by simply thinking about the destination while reading the spell, while others claim that the book itself chooses the destination. Annie Knowby read this passage in an attempt to put an end to the Kandarian Demon's assault on her family's property.
Funerary Incantations[]
Not much is known about the funerary incantations found within the book, although they are most likely used to help the spirits of the deceased move on to another plane of existence.
Prophecies[]
The "Hero From The Sky" prophecy, as depicted in the Necronomicon (Evil Dead II).
Through means unknown, The Dark Ones received visions of the future (or futures that could be). These visions were written down in the Necronomicon, some including detailed drawings (such as the "Hero From The Sky" prophecy).
A Guide To Demons[]
Two pages of the Demon guide section of the Necronomicon (Books from Beyond).
Besides containing various spells and incantations, the book also doubles as a guide on various demons, their powers, and how to summon them.
Resurrecting The Dead[]
Though it's famously known for being able to unleash the Kandarian Demon (which then creates Deadites), the book can also resurrect a deceased individual as a zombie (an emotionless corpse with no free will, obeying whoever possesses the book), or fully restore a corpse by repairing disintegrated flesh and the allowing the original spirit to re-enter the body. The Ash Williams of Earth-818793 used this resurrection spell to bring Sheila's deceased brother back to life as a full human to protect her when Ash couldn't stay in 1300 AD.
Transfer of Power To A Human[]
After being "de-faced", the Necronomicon can transfer its powers and spells to a human being. This was done to Pablo Simon Bolivar while at the Knowby cabin, and slowly over time, Pablo's body became covered with the various spells and incantations contained within the original book.
Potion Brewing Instructions[]
The Wise Man of 1300 AD discovered the recipe in the book for a potion that would allow an individual to sleep for a century with each drop they swallowed. This potion was given to Ash Williams so he could return to his proper time.
Rewriting History[]
The Necronomicon has displayed the ability to rewrite history to a certain extent. On Earth-818793, this spell was only able to work when the blood of the Chosen One was used to create the page, and Ash Williams used his blood to undo Evil Ash's takeover in his absence. In the "original" Evil Dead universe, The Dark One called Ruby used a somewhat similar spell to alter a predetermined destiny of a few individuals.
The Book's Abilities[]
Speech[]
The book itself is capable of verbal communication. In the "original" Evil Dead universe, the book was only able to begin speaking when blood touched the cover, while on Earth-818793, it always had the ability to talk, frequently telling that Earth's Ash how much it despised him.
Living Creature Absorption[]
The book absorbs the abilities of a scorpion (Shop 'Till You Drop Dead).
On Earth-818793, the book demonstrated the ability to take on the characteristics of a living creature it trapped within its pages (in this case, a scorpion that had crawled across the open book). This was how it was able to go from Egypt to the United States to once again torment Ash.
Concealment From Supernatural Entities[]
The book's author, Ruby, revealed that it's location can be hidden from other supernatural entities in one of two ways: either hidden within a corpse, or using a spell.
Destroying The Book[]
Even a chainsaw cannot destroy the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Hellbillies and Deadnecks).
There is conflicting statements on if (or how) the Necronomicon could be destroyed. During the morning of Ash's second day at the cabin, he tossed the book into the cabin's fireplace. Shortly after the arrival of Annie Knowby and company, Ash was seen throwing a log into the fireplace, but the book nowhere to be found, so it's entirely possible this "cabin copy" of the book had a weakness for fire. More than 30 years later, Ash allegedly told Pablo Simon Bolivar that fire couldn't destroy the book that he now had in his possession.
The Ash Williams of Earth-818793 made multiple attempts at destroying his copy of the Necronomicon. Shortly after beginning his self-imposed exile from society, Ash attempted to cut the book in half with a chainsaw, but this proved to be ineffective. Several years later, following the complete takeover of Earth by Hell's Prophet, the book simply fell apart into dust after all the evil contained within its pages was unleashed upon the Earth.
In the world where Annie Knowby escaped Hell with a simulacrum copy of Ash Williams, she managed to destroy both the Necronomicon and Kandarian Dagger by throwing them into a fire pit, although this scenario was later revealed to be a simulation created by The Dark Ones.
Variant Incarnations[]
"Fake" Books[]
The three books seen in the graveyard (Army of Darkness).
Located in a graveyard in medieval England, two books were left to fool (or potentially kill) anyone who attempted to remove the real Necronomicon from the graveyard. One book had a large hole in the center of the pages that sucked in the potential thieves, while the other had the capability to fly and bite the unsuspecting individual. One account later claimed that the two fake books do have the same information that could be found in the original book, but could only be opened and used if the spell that was required to remove the book was said correctly.
Latin Necronomicon[]
On Earth-818793, a Latin variation of the Necronomicon was written by "Mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred. Not much is known about this version of the book, except it contained a prophecy that the world was going to end in the year 2012 AD. This version of the book was later acquired by Herbert West (who then gave it to Ash Williams in Las Vegas, Nevada).
Spanish Necronomicon[]
A Spanish version of the Necronomicon also was present on Earth-818793. It was used by resurrected "god" Montezuma to create a new army of the dead, but his plans were foiled by Ash Williams.
Evolution In The Films[]
The Evil Dead[]
The Book of The Dead, as seen in The Evil Dead
The book (originally referred to as 'Naturom Demonto') is first seen having a horribly mutilated face in The Evil Dead, thus bringing more meaning into being bound in human flesh. Also, the back side of the book has a human ear visible, possibly meaning that blood sacrifices were made in order to create the book.
Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn[]
The Book of The Dead as seen in Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
In Evil Dead II, the book is officially called Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (what 'Book of the Dead' is translated from). The book pretty much retains all of its original features from the first film, but with a much darker color of brown and many of its pages are missing. The pages missing mean that the powers of the book are much greater, as evidenced by the passages on the pages brought by Annie Knowby. However, it appears some of the passages, such as the time portal, are hard to control or can't be controlled at all.
Army of Darkness[]
Ash holds the Necronomicon in Army of Darkness
Due to this film taking place in 1300 A.D., the Necronomicon appears to be much cleaner. It also has all of its pages intact and the face on the front is much less mutilated, with the book having a more grayish color. The book is found in a cemetery miles away from the castle. As well as the main book, there are two other books at the site as well; one with a portal, and one with a living face. The book is shown to have, in this film, not just incantations, but also potions for certain things (such as giving the user the ability to sleep a century for every drop taken in).
Evil Dead (2013 film)[]
The Necronomicon Opened
The remake, has a new version of the Necronomicon, now once again called the Naturom Demonto. The book has neither the mutilated face nor the ear on the back. Instead, it is completely made of human flesh, stitched together very profusely and noticeably. The color is now more of a natural flesh-leather color with black rope-like stitching all around. The pages inside are stained on the border with blood and warnings written on the front page.
The book is first found wrapped in plastic and barbed wire and the pages have warnings and annotations scrawled on them to not read the text. Passages containing evil spells are also scribbled out with ink in an effort to render them unreadable, but Eric manages to uncover the missing words with pencil and paper.
Unlike the first film, the book is unaffected by fire. However, as well as containing passages on summoning demons, the book also contains instructions on how to destroy them as well as clues about their motivations and aims.
Notes[]
- The Necronomicon was originally created by H.P. Lovecraft and was first briefly mentioned in his 1924 short story The Hound, and continued to appear in other stories, but it was later given its own short story in 1927 titled: History of the Necronomicon.
| Evil Dead | ||
|---|---|---|
| Films | Feature films | The Evil Dead • Evil Dead II • Army of Darkness • Evil Dead |
| Short film | Within the Woods | |
| Television | Ash vs. Evil Dead | |
| Films | The Evil Dead • Hail to the King • A Fistful of Boomstick • Regeneration • Army of Darkness: Defense • Poker Night 2 | |
| Comics | Shop till You Drop Dead • Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness • Darkman vs. Army of Darkness • Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash • Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors | |
| Musical | Evil Dead: The Musical • The Elvis Dead | |
| Characters | Ash Williams • Bad Ash • Necronomicon Ex-Mortis | |
| Locations | The Cabin | |
| Related films | My Name Is Bruce • Evil Head | |
| Unofficial sequels | Ghosthouse • Witchery • Beyond Darkness • House II: The Second Story • The Horror Show | |
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This article uses content from the Evil Dead wiki.
The original article can be found [[w:c:evildead:{{{1}}}|here]] and the original contributors here.
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