Little Curses - The Terrifying Rat Things

"The bones of the tiny paws, it is rumoured, imply prehensile characteristics more typical of a diminutive monkey than of a rat; while the small skull with its savage yellow fangs is of the utmost anomalousness, appearing from certain angles like a miniature, monstrously degraded parody of a human skull."

The Dreams in the Witch House 

H.P. Lovecraft

How to measure a curse?

How can we say which curse is most terrible when all of them refer incidentally to producing evil? If all the curses are terrible, perhaps it is in the intensity that lies the great differential, which makes some of them mere mishaps, and other real torments. In the terrifying universe of Mythos, there is no lack of curses that expose with rawness the bowels of evil itself. And among all blasphemous and cruel rituals, few are on the same level as the perfidious "Curse of the Rat Thing".

This spell known only by witches of great power and mastery over the black arts is considered legendary. Reserved only to those who displease the director in such a way that death, madness and forgetfulness are not enough to extract revenge, and a dark combination of all this is needed, and more.

It is believed that only a few magical tomes bring the correct formula for this malediction. The Necronomicom certainly contains the most faithful and complete version of the curse. Abdul Al-Hazred would have come to ponder about censoring this passage of his work, such was the abomination involved in carrying out such an experiment. And when one thinks of what is present in the pages of the celebrated book, this is no small thing. Ludwig Prinn scribe of Vermis Mysteriis knew this magic and consider it to have a place of distinction between the more terrifying curses in the Mythos. In one passage from his book, Prinn mentions a case in which a Bavarian sorcerer would have done the ritual turning his own wife into one of the grisly Rat Thing. It was up to Prinn to draw a parallel between the spell and the famous legend of animal Familiars, mystical creatures who act as faithful companions of wizards throughout history. It is possible that many of the stories about extraordinary animals serving sorcerers are related in some way to Rat Things which, though rare, is known in circles of black magic.

Known in Europe, the ritual was practiced by Venetian and Genoese necromancers by the name of Maledizione del Roditore, in France it was called Traitament due-a-quatre and in medieval Germany Rattengesicht. The Curse traveled to other corners of the planet when the Inquisition tightened the siege on the wizards in the Old World. It arrived in North America with the name Curse of the Rat Thing, still in the Colonial Period and with that sinister title gained fame among the cabalas of witchcraft. It was the most extreme punishment, reserved for traitors and deserters. In fact, it is likely that the most famous case of this curse comes from North America, involving the notorious sorceress of Arkham, Massachusetts; Keziah Mason.

Mason a hermit who lived at the height of the Witch Hunt became the pivot of a series of rumors about witchcraft in mid-1696. According to legend, at one point she would have hosted in her house a man with the name or nickname of Brown Jenkin, a petty criminal, and a rude man, given to violent outbreaks. Under what circumstances they share the decadente hovel nobody knows, and it was subject of great speculation by the people in the village. It is an indisputable fact, however, that the man disappeared shortly after an altercation, allegedly triggered by a theft carried out by him and which left the old woman furious. Shortly after his disappearance, Keziah Mason came to be seen nesting in her lap a creature with brown hair that was hidden in the folds of her rustic cloak. The thing was seen again and again, but always from far away. To some it seemed to be a cat, but others attributed to it, some rodent characteristics, though a rat of that size seemed unlikely. It is curious that the face of the creature has never been clearly described. From a distance, the few witnesses attributed to it disturbingly human characteristics. And some went further, mentioning that the creature not only has had a fur similar in color to Brown Jenkin's hair, but it's face resembled a caricature of the criminal.

The sudden disappearance of Brown Jenkin and the appearance of this abominable little thing Keziah used to carry in her lap, of course, were closely related, since they are the same. Brown Jenkin's grisly transition from his human condition to a diminutive horror came through  by the dread Curse of the Rat Thing.

To understand the degree of wickedness associated with this spell, it`s necessary to be aware of every detail. The victim of the curse must first be killed by the sorcerer, and the body must remain intact. Methods indicated for this purpose involve poisoning, choking or drowning, as suggested in the spell. Then the sorcerer precedes in a series of preparations which includes wash the body with essences and special oils, placing in the dead man's mouth a newborn mice and sewing the lips with a line made from the tail of adult rodents. Finally he must flay a piece of the victim's skin, big enough to write a mystical contract on it. With these preparations completed, the sorcerer invokes several names of Mythos beings. Although not a prerequisite, the presence of the Black Man, one of the many Nyarlathotep masks, at this stage of the Ritual, grants the success of the ritual.

If the ritual has been concluded correctly, the body of the victim will rot quickly, disintegrating as its flesh provides the substance for the formation of the Rat Thing. The rodent's body begins to form as a tumorous appendage somewhere in the corpse - the most common places are on the back, belly, and the neck. It takes shape over a week or more. When the body matures, the sorcerer completes the ritual by blowing into the mouth of the Mouse Thing and then nourishing it with some drops of his blood. When the creature receives this sacrifice of vital energy it immediately awakens and begins to gnaw with its prey the thread of skin and flesh that fuses it to its former being. Breaking his way to freedom, he soon finds himself compelled to the servitude of the master who created it, subjecting himself to his will for ever and ever.

The Rat Thing is entirely loyal to the person who created it. The Ritual compels him to complete submission. In addition, to continue existing, the sorcerer needs to feed The creature with a few drops of his own blood that is eagerly sucked by the little imp. A properly fed Rat Thing can live indefinitely and be a valuable assistant to a sorcerer, acting as a spy, messenger, and even protector.

Those who underestimate the Rat Thing in face of its small size, makes a terrible mistake, one that can prove fatal. Though small, these cursed creatures can be quite dangerous since they are intelligent and tenacious in their instincts. When motivated or compelled to carry out some order given by their masters, they go to the last consequences willing to die if necessary. The Rat Thing can be send to kill a target, and if so ordered, it will use small cracks, holes and paths that only a small animal could cross. Also, they are perfectly capable of manipulating small objects, unlocking doors, and suffocating with their small paws. It is not difficult to imagine such creatures carrying poison substances and carefully depositing it in water or food supplies. Able to understand the orders of his master, a rat thing can communicate verbally keeping the languages ​​that knew in life. His voice has a strident and affected timbre.

The sturdy and sharp fangs of these small abominations gained notoriety. Its front teeth are incredibly strong, breaking through solid wood and mortar. In human targets, your priority target will always be an exposed throat. Accessing the area, the attack is quick: the bites tear the carotid in such a way that stop the bleeding is almost impossible. Their most common strategy involves attacking their victims while asleep or hanging on the ceiling waiting for the target to pass underneath to fall on it. Rat Things know their limitations, and if they are not in an advantageous situation will simply escape to attack later.

Called by Al-Hazred from "Malevolent Scavengers," the Rat Thing reaches a maximum size of 45 centimeters in length from the snout to the tip of the tail. Weighing just over 8 pounds. Their body is slim and agile, with powerful legs that give them speed to run and support when it is necessary to rise in the rear portion. They are excellent climbers and swim reasonably well, and when they wish to act stealthily, it is extremely difficult to find them.

A Rat Thing in the distance can be mistaken for a large vole or cat. Their fur varies between black, brown and gray, and the hue depends on the hair color of the cursed individual. The creature's front paws resemble tiny hands with well-defined fingers capable of performing delicate motor functions. What is most striking about this magical species, however, is the evil face that resembles a caricature of the person from whom it sprang. The face is transfigured by a perpetual expression of scorn, anger and madness, feelings that begin to move their actions and define their reason for being. To encounter a rat and to perceive its human features is a disturbing experience which shock and extreme repulsion frequently incur.

It is not entirely unknown Rat Things capable of casting spells. There are rumors of sorcerers who, determined to perpetuate themselves for eternity, have left orders to be transformed into these abominable creatures by faithful servants. In such a hideous form, such sorcerers conquered a kind of immortality, since being magical, they are not subject to the vicissitudes of the years. It is commented that at least one cabal of Rat Things established itself in the French city of Marseille and ruled for decades the supernatural underworld of that city in the troubled Revolutionary Period. There are rumors that such creatures managed to establish even a control, albeit limited on common rodents, thus creating their own army.

When it comes to Rat Things lore, the words of the occultist Ludwig Prinn's, charged with dramatic significance, demonstrate how terrifying, these little beings can be:

"It is well known that the Rat Thing is the result of an atrocious curse, and to be aware of the existence of such beings make even the more restrained men to fear for the evil power of black magic. For if it is capable of perverting the very essence of a man, transmuting him in something so purely malevolent, there is no limit to what else she would be able to perform. By magic, that which once was a man, becomes the very embodiment of terror. And everyone who fear for their lives after become aware of the existence of such evil, is wise enough. The Rat Thing may gnaw through your chest and devour your heart, before you can beg for help. "