The Great God Pan
Dr Raymond performs a small operation on a girl's brain, so that she can see the god Pan. Years later, a beautiful woman called Helen Vaughan moves through London society, and the men who meet her start killing themselves. Stephen King called it one of the best horror stories ever written. By Arthur Machen (1894). A public-domain classic.
Content warnings: Death · Suicide
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How it begins “I am glad you came, Clarke; very glad indeed. I was not sure you could spare the time.”“I was able to make arrangements for a few days; things are not very lively just now. But have you no misgivings, Raymond? Is it absolutely safe?” Keep reading →About this story
Dr Raymond performs a small operation on a girl’s brain, so that she can see the god Pan. Years later, a beautiful woman called Helen Vaughan moves through London society, and the men who meet her start killing themselves. A group of friends begins to piece things together.
Arthur Machen, a Welsh writer, published it in 1894. It was thought shocking at the time, and critics attacked it. It is now seen as one of the most important horror stories, and an influence on Lovecraft and others. It works by suggestion, never saying exactly what it is that people have seen.
- Themes
- Forbidden knowledge, the old gods, fear of the unseen
- Good for
- Readers who like weird fiction and slow dread
- Worth noticing
- How each witness’s account adds to the picture without completing it.