Petroleum Petroleum: a Prophecy.

[jose v]

This is too interesting not to post. This is Gustav Meyrink, who in 1903 wrote a Petroleum Petroleum: a Prophecy. In this short story, a gigantic oil spill pollutes the Gulf of Mexico: a terrorist act against humanity. After several months all oceans are covered with an oil film... and there is no more rain. The original German language copy is available here, and a good English translation is here.

Gustav Meyrink, most famous for his novel The Golem, was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and had all kinds of occult connections. In his collection of short stories published in 1913, Meyrink commented:

To ensure that certain prophecies I have made come to the notice of the public, I submit the following tale which was written in 1903...

Note that this story is an allegory, and the 'prophecy' is a warning... not a prediction. It would be impossible for the whole oceanic surface of the Earth to be contaminated in this way. Meyrink is describing, very graphically, the kind of deep trouble we can get ourselves into if we collectively are not sufficiently responsible and aware.

[ian]

wow thanks for the post. very interesting.