Principia Discordia
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The Principia Discordia is a sacred text of the Discordian religion written by Greg Hill (Malaclypse The Younger) and Kerry Thornley (Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). The Principia is quoted extensively in and shares many themes with the science fiction book The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. Both books employ an exaggerated, often parodying and nonsensical literary technique, accompanied by numerous non sequiturs and passages reminiscent of koans, as a vehicle for countercultural iconoclasm.
The Principia describes the Discordian Society and its Goddess Eris, as well as the basics of the POEE denomination of Discordianism. It features typewritten and handwritten text intermixed with clipart, stamps, and seals appropriated from other sources, possibly illegally.
While the Principia is full of obvious self-contradictions and unusual humour, it contains several passages which purport to suggest that there is serious intent behind the work. Take for example a message scrawled on page 00075: "If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again."
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History
The full title of the fourth and most popular edition is PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or How I Found Goddess And What I Did To Her When I Found Her: The Magnum Opiate Of Malaclypse The Younger, Wherein is Explained Absolutely Everything Worth Knowing About Absolutely Anything. Included on page 00075 is the following note about the history of the Principia:
- This being the 4th Edition, March 1970, San Francisco; a revision of the 3rd Edition of 500 copies, whomped together in Tampa 1969; which revised the 2nd Edition of 100 copies from Los Angeles 1969; which was a revision of PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST published in New Orleans in 1965 in five copies, which were mostly lost.
A "Fifth Edition" consisting of a single Western Union telegram page filled with the letter M was published as an appendix to one of the re-printings of the 4th Edition.
The Principia includes a notice which purports to disclaim any copyright in relation to the work: "(K) All Rights Reversed - reprint what you like." Regardless of the legal effect of this notice, the Principia has been widely disseminated in the public domain via the Internet and more traditional print publishers. Some re-publishers have claimed copyright in relation to the additional material included in their editions.
Known reprintings of the Fourth Edition:
- Loompanics Unlimited published a version (the "yellow version") in 1979, adding an introduction by Robert Anton Wilson, an afterword by Malaclypse the Younger, and the aforementioned "Fifth Edition". (ISBN 1559500409)
- Illuminet Press published a version (the "purple version") in 1991, adding an introduction by Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst. (ISBN 096265342x)
- Steve Jackson Games published a version (the "black version") in 1994, adding 20 pages of new Discordian text, mostly collected from online Discordians. (ISBN 1556343205) Steve Jackson Games also publishes Discordian and Illuminati-inspired games, such as GURPS Illuminati and the Illuminati card game.
Quotes
- Fliegende Kinderscheisse! (Flying Baby Shit!) - The POEE Mysteree Oath
- Five tons of flax!
- Remember: King Kong died for your sins!
The following is page 00019 of the Principia Discordia, showing the typical elements that can be found throughout the book.
Heute die Welt, morgen das Sonnensystem - (Today the world, tomorrow the solar system [is what we seek to dominate]) - is a supposed motto of the Illuminati.
See Also
External links
The Principia Discordia is widely available on the Web from these and other sources:
- Page scans of the Fourth Edition. fnord.org (http://www.fnord.org/occult/discordia/scanned/fnord.html)
- HTML, individual pages layout. Minimal graphics. principiadiscordia.com (http://www.principiadiscordia.com/book/1.php)
- HTML, text on a single page, almost no graphics. No page separations. ology.org (http://www.ology.org/principia/body.html)
- HTML, creative formatting. Lots of graphics. junkpile.demon.co.uk (http://www.junkpile.demon.co.uk/principia.htm)
- Text, selection of excerpts deemed important. Wikisource
- ZIP file of page scans of the Third Edition 23ae.com (http://www.23ae.com/files/pd3rd.zip)
- http://evilloop.com/principia.discordia.html - Traduction française du Principia Discordia - http://evilloop.com/principia.discordia.exe - Projecteur flash avec images et mise en page de l'original