History EldritchLocation / Literature

* Zones in Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's ''Literature/RoadsidePicnic'' are areas afflicted maybe by the passage of aliens. Magic physics, acausal occurrences, strange (and monetizable) objects and sudden death can be found therein. Rumour has it that the Zone near Harmond, Canada contains a ''Wish Granter''. Used by Andrei Tarkowski as the basis for the movie ''Film/{{Stalker}}''. No special effects were used; weird foam and snow are actual carcinogenic chemicals unloaded from industry around Tallin. This actually gave Tarkowski and several other people, as well as the dog, terminal cancer.

* In Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' The mountains of Ered Gorgoroth and Nan Dungortheb, the valley (of Dreadful Death) below them. Not only do the descendants of [[EldritchAbomination Ungoliant]] make this their home, but [[TheDragon Sauron's]] evil magic and [[BigGood Melian]]'s protective, maze-like magic get caught up in each other and combine horrifically. Beren is the only one to have gotten through both alive, and (despite all the other stuff he goes through) doing so is the one thing he can't talk about, lest it all come back.
** It really can't be overstated how ''wrong'' this place must be: Ungoliant dwelt here for a time after she grew into an incomprehensibly powerful, light devouring monster that even (a weakened) Melkor was afraid of. The creatures she left behind are her no less horrifying if lesser offspring, in direct response to her threat and Morgoth's forces, Melian of Doriath used her divine powers to keep everything out, and this is all before Sauron took up residence nearby. It should be noted that in this setting supernatural creatures manifesting their powers involves changing the laws of physics within an entire area. So we're talking about an entire mountain range and valley full of mortal, half-demonic monstrosities in the form of bugs and spiders that produce a material that cancels out light, that is concurrently the site of an endless battle between 2 angelic beings. Beren had to blot out his memories of this journey just to stay sane.

** It really can't be overstated how ''wrong'' this place must be: Ungoliant dwelt here for a time after she grew into an incomprehensible, light devouring monster that even Melkor was afraid of. The creatures she left behind are probably no less horrifying, in direct response to her threat and Morgoth's forces, Melian of Doriath used her divine powers to keep everything out, and this is all before Sauron took up residence nearby. It should be noted that magic in this setting isn't simplistic, it involves changing the laws of physics within an area and is highly forbidden. So we're talking about an entire mountain range and valley full of evil spirits shaped like bugs and spiders that produce a material that cancels out light, that is concurrently the site of an endless battle between 2 angelic beings. Beren had to blot out his memories of this journey just to stay sane.

** The series also has the Ruins of Old Valyria. Valyria was TheEmpire of its day, a [[TheMagocracy Magocracy]] that discovered dragons and used them to conquer much of the known world before the (thus far unexplained) Doom destroyed the heart of the empire in a single day. Now the coast of Valyria is known as "[[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace The Smoking Shore]]", which according to legend is haunted, (or worse) and any ships or explorers who try to visit it tend to vanish. The only exception to that thus far is Euron Greyjoy, a cunning and sadistic {{Pirate}} who practices BlackMagic, (in a series where magic is usually extremely rare and limited) and returned from Valyria with numerous artifacts, some of which are hinted to be powerful magic.

* ''Bellona'' in Samuel R. Delany's ''Literature/{{Dhalgren}}''. Bellona is a city located in the American Midwest, isolated from the rest of the world by some unknown space/time glitch. You can still get to it on foot. It is now inhabited mostly by gangs of various couleurs and civilians unsure about leaving for good.

** The [[Literature/{{Thud}} Empirical Crescent houses]] designed by Bloody Stupid Johnson, who managed (as usual) to create an Eldritch Location [[EoicFail by mistake]]. The place is livable, but disquieting -- for example, the front door of No.1 opens into the back bedroom of No.15, the ground floor window of No.3 showed the view from the second storey of No.9 and smoke from the dining-room fireplace of No.2 came out of the chimney of No.19.

** The [[Literature/{{Thud}} Empirical Crescent houses]] designed by Bloody Stupid Johnson, who managed (as usual) to create an Eldritch Location by mistake. The place is livable, but disquieting - for example, the front door of No.1 opens into the back bedroom of No.15, the ground floor window of No.3 showed the view from the second storey of No.9 and smoke from the dining-room fireplace of No.2 came out of the chimney of No.19.

*** Death's boss Azrael potentially qualifies as an eldritch location in and of himself.

*** Time's glass house and the Tooth Fairy's castle also count as this. The Tooth Fairy's castle is surprisingly creepy, even the portions not influenced by [[spoiler: the Tooth Fairy's previous job as the first Boogeyman]]. Justified because the Tooth Fairy is the ''protector'' of the teeth to ensure [[BlackMagic no one uses the teeth to control the children.]]
*** On the subject of Time, the monastery of Oi Dong probably also counts, as time functions differently there.

%%* The ''Literature/HouseOfLeaves''. According to some, [[TomeOfEldritchLore the whole book qualifies]].

* ''Literature/TheFacelessOldWomanWhoSecretlyLivesInYourHome'' has a scene set in the nation of Franchia, a country which is covered in archways, staircases, and courtyards despite apparently never having been inhabited by any humans at all. No one has ever been able to conquer it, as whole armies have disappeared within its borders with the handful of survivors swearing they've wandered through [[BiggerOnTheInside far more territory than its borders should be able to hold]].

** Demonreach, introduced in ''Literature/SmallFavor'', is a less alien but no less powerful site. Aside from being the source of a massive dark energy ley line, it is also [[GeniusLoci self-aware]] and does not show up on any maps because ships disappear around it and aircraft navigation goes out close to it. In ''Literature/ColdDays'', it is revealed to be [[spoiler:a prison for {{Eldritch Abomination}}s with {{skinwalker}}s being only in ''Minimum Security''. And Harry's connection to the place sensed in ''Small Favor'' was the possibility where he become the Warden of the entire island, with the power to free everything inside on a whim.]]

* In JRR Tolkien's ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' The mountains of Ered Gorgoroth and Nan Dungortheb, the valley (of Dreadful Death) below them. Not only do the descendants of [[EldritchAbomination Ungoliant]] make this their home, but [[TheDragon Sauron's]] evil magic and [[BigGood Melian]]'s protective, maze-like magic get caught up in each other and combine horrifically. Beren is the only one to have gotten through both alive, and (despite all the other stuff he goes through) doing so is the one thing he can't talk about, lest it all come back.

** The Empirical Crescent houses designed by Bloody Stupid Johnson, who managed (as usual) to create an Eldritch Location by mistake. The place is livable, but disquieting - for example, the front door of No.1 opens into the back bedroom of No.15, the ground floor window of No.3 showed the view from the second storey of No.9 and smoke from the dining-room fireplace of No.2 came out of the chimney of No.19.
** The Desert is a massive, vast, sandy plane full of dunes and surrounded by mountains that never seems to get any closer, but is also ultimately what mostal souls must traverse to pass on. All beings end up there where they die, until they journey to the end to accept their afterlife. Despite this being where Death deposits everyone after harvesting their souls, it's incredibly rare for two individuals to meet in The Desert, and in fact only happens once in the series which surprises and impresses Death.

* The ancient, expansive mansion of Evenmere in James Stoddard's ''The High House'' certainly is one. It is BiggerOnTheInside with several rooms being able to support entire kingdoms, oceans and climates. Some sections are more surreal than others and the attic has an eldritch dinosaur ([[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons who is really a shape-changing draconic]] [[AnthropomorphicPersonification personification of despair.]]) It proves to be a benevolent example [[spoiler: as the House is a mechanism for [[GodIsGood God to keep Creation from falling prey to entropy and chaos.]] ]]