Exotikà e Outer Ones: satiri, callicanzari e alieni in H. P. Lovecraft

In November 1927, the British diplomat Sir James Rennell Rodd, who had spent several years in Greece, gave a lecture on Ancient Myth in Modern Greek Folk Lore at Brown University in Providence. Among the audience there was also H. P. Lovecraft, who has always been passionate about classical antiquity. As revealed by his correspondence, Lovecraft was very impressed by the lecture. In particular, he was struck by the ‘survivalist’ approach that led Rodd to indicate the disturbing kallikantzaroi, characteristic figures of the contemporary Greek tradition, as ‘survivals’ of the ancient fauns and satyrs. Lovecraft expressly evoked the kallikantzaroi a few years later in one of his best-known stories, The Whisperer in Darkness, in which science fiction is intertwined with the very theme of survival. The story, in various respects, is deeply influenced by Rodd’s lecture, and therefore constitutes an unexpected, and particularly interesting, case of reception of classical antiquity.

Nel novembre del 1927 il diplomatico britannico sir James Rennell Rodd, che aveva trascorso vari anni in Grecia, tenne alla Brown University di Providence una conferenza sul tema Ancient Myth in Modern Greek Folk Lore. Tra il pubblico c’era anche H. P. Lovecraft, da sempre appassionato dell’antichità classica, il quale, come rivela la sua corrispondenza, rimase molto colpito dalla lecture. In particolare, Lovecraft fu suggestionato dall’approccio ‘survivalista’ che portava Rodd a indicare i callicanzari, caratteristiche figure della tradizione greca contemporanea, come precise e inquietanti ‘sopravvivenze’ degli antichi fauni e satiri. Lovecraft evocò espressamente i callicanzari pochi anni dopo in uno dei suoi racconti più noti, The Whisperer in Darkness, in cui la fantascienza si intreccia proprio con il tema del survival. La storia si rivela sotto vari aspetti profondamente influenzata dalla conferenza di Rodd, e costituisce pertanto un caso inaspettato, e particolarmente interessante, di ‘fortuna’ dell’antico.