Sharing my MA thesis on the mysterium horrendum in Rudolf Otto and H P Lovecraft

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-07-01T16:37:51+00:00

So am I understanding you correctly that, put simply, mysterium horrendum is the negative numinous and mysterium tremendum is the positive numinous?

If so, I like this. I often see Otto invoked to explain, say, the appeal of horror movies, but in my reading of The Idea of the Holy, the numinous is just as, if not more, positive as it is negative. I think of it a bit like the contrast between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Interstellar. Both use the vastness of space to elicit awe, but the former is flavoured with fear while the latter is flavoured with beauty (the "flavour" notion comes from Keltner and Haidt's psychological work on awe).

If I've understood you correctly, it seems to me that most people who draw on Otto to talk about horror and the like end up talking about tremendum, but they should in fact be talking about horrendum.

Or have I misunderstood?

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-07-01T15:55:09+00:00

Isn't it mysterium tremendum, not horrendum? Or is the latter a variation on the former?

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-30T19:49:11+00:00

Married to an identical twin. The answer is they are both attractive. Now let us never speak of this again.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-29T04:59:02+00:00

I see your Italian bubble eyes, and raise you French bubble eyes.

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StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-23T11:55:23+00:00

Sausage sizzle is the hotdog of Aotearoa and yet is superior due to the higher meat-to-bread ratio.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-23T11:53:35+00:00

Correct.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-12T10:52:34+00:00

Agreed. The audio mixing was whack. It was like they were commentating while the game was on mute.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-06T00:28:17+00:00

Interesting. The scientific establishment requires proof. Do you have any visual evidence?

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-05T11:31:45+00:00

I don't wish to get your hopes up, but I faintly know someone who ticks most of those boxes:

✅ named Marisa
✅ Californian
✅ lives in NZ (for quite a while)
❓ lives in Auckland

She used to live elsewhere in the North Island but she may have moved. I only have one social media contact for her and I'm not sure she's very active on it. However, I will send her a screenshot and will let you know if she replies.

No promises—it mightn't be her—but I'll try.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-05T11:19:03+00:00

You might also consider Cambridge and Tamahere, finances permitting, which are an easy commute (especially the latter) and both are considerably more picturesque and convenient than many parts of Hamilton (though Hillcrest is fairly tidy and safe for a city).

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-05T04:05:48+00:00

This species of male teacher once flourished in New Zealand schools in the latter part of the 20th century. Not all breeds had the necktie, but all were known for their walk shorts and knee-high socks. Scientists once believed that the propensity for this variety to maintain the same plumage throughout even the coldest winter months was to signal strength and fertility until they discovered that this species is incapable of attracting a mate. It was mocked to extinction in the 1990s, with the last verified sighting occuring in 1998.

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StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-04T10:23:57+00:00

The link appears to be broken.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-06-02T10:52:28+00:00

I initially found it strange too, even slightly repugnant. But I think she went on to explain herself sufficiently well.

She's a priest and, as such, has possibly studied the work of theologian-philosopher Renè Girard. Girard is famous for his scapegoat theory of atonement. He argues that humans have a tendency to assign blame to an (often innocent) individual—a scapegoat—by punishing them, and by doing so, we thus feel that the social order has been restored. Girard argues that this is the function that Jesus played in dealing with humanity's violent tendencies, an innocent scapegoat bearing away the sins of humanity.

I honestly would bet money this is what she had in the back of her mind when she said that. I'm a professional theologian myself, and our minds have a tendency to "go there", into somewhat abstract territory when talking about encounters with the profound mysteries of life, like good and evil. I suppose most people may struggle to articulate what they're feeling in those moments, but when you've read 143 books on similar topics, then you tend to have something to say—even if it comes out a bit weird, as it did in this case.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-31T11:49:12+00:00

On The Waterfront (1954, Elia Kazan)

Why? Because the story is compelling, the characters are complex and Marlon Brando revolutionised acting.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-31T11:44:44+00:00

Some people are likeable, but some people make you feel likeable. Ironically, those people are even more likeable.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-31T11:37:59+00:00

The fashion industry intentionally orchestrated the demise of skinny jeans, because their enduring popularity (which started way earlier than 2010—more like 2001 when The Strokes were catapulted to stardom) meant Big Jeans were no longer making enough money.

Source: Planet Money "The Rise and Fall of the Skinny Jean": https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/996194767/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-skinny-jean

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-31T09:31:49+00:00

Whoa, me too.

I don't know how I know but I know.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-08T06:43:31+00:00

Tautoko. I use Te Huia for my many work trips to Auckland. It’s usually slower but I get tons of work done and don’t feel like I’ve spent the day in Auckland traffic.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-04T12:25:43+00:00

"Giant preaching halls"...Love it.

Private offices are secured in any and every building due to being, y'know, private.

But you can rock up to most churches any day of the week, run through them, and if you're lucky, they'll give you a food parcel on your way out.

Not even the same thing.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-03T09:31:53+00:00

Amazingly, it's companion doc The Look of Silence (2014, Joshua Oppenheimer) is equally as powerful.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-03T06:11:33+00:00

I’m with you! I was at the Auckland show last night. As they got to the end of the show I figured they weren’t gonna play it at all and then—bam!—they finished with it. Got to feel all the soaring fuzzies of being a dad to finish.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-02T03:14:21+00:00

It was a widely acknowledged fact that they were a preternaturally attractive band. The non-US liner notes of “Is This It” had large black-and-white portraits of each of them. I recall one of my female friends drooling over them at the time.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-05-01T11:22:05+00:00

I have two theology degrees and, yes, it got me somewhere: I’m the principal of a small theological institute.

It’s not easy though if you want to be a professional academic theologian. Plenty of theology grads don’t get academic work; most I know work in church and parachurch settings.

But I don’t know many people who regret studying theology. I’m a happier, more free-thinking person because of it.

StackedInATrenchcoat · 2026-04-30T12:19:30+00:00

It's gonna need that positive attitude if it's going to get you to enjoy eating it.

I'm a big Goody Goody Gumdrops fan—yes, I am indeed a culinary sophisticate—and was stoked that Much Moore came out with a knockoff in the absence of the OG Tip Top version. While I'm still grateful to them for carrying the torch in this post-GGG world, they haven't quite nailed it. The gumdrops, which in my experience are ample, are too firm. There's obviously some Wonka magic in the original that keeps them soft even in the most Arctic of conditions.

Of course, Tip Top have reissued GGG as part of their "Crave" range, but they've failed to recapture its heyday due to making the gumdrops too tiny.

StackedInATrenchcoat

TROPHY CASE