Principia Discordia Totally Explained

Everything about Principia Discordia totally explained

Principia Discordia is a Discordian religious text written by Greg Hill (Malaclypse The Younger) and Kerry Thornley (Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst). It was originally published under the title "Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost" in a limited edition of 5 copies in 1965. The name, meaning "The Principles of Strife", deviates from correct Latin which would read Principia Discordiæ.
   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 clip art, stamps, and seals appropriated from other sources, possibly in violation of copyright laws.
   While the Principia is full of literal contradictions and unusual humor, it contains several passages which propose that there's serious intent behind the work, for example a message scrawled on page 00075: "If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again."
   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. While Wilson wasn't directly involved in writing the Principia, both the letter signed "Mad Malik" and the stamps used were his.
   Notable symbols in the book include the Apple of Discord, the pentagon, and the "Sacred Chao", which resembles the Taijitu of Taoism, but the two principles depicted are "Hodge" and "Podge" rather than yin and yang, and they're represented by the apple and the pentagon, and not by dots. Saints identified include Emperor Norton, Yossarian, Don Quixote, and Bokonon. The Principia also introduces the mysterious word fnord, later popularized in The Illuminatus! Trilogy; the trilogy itself is mentioned in the afterword to the Loompanics edition, and in the various introductions to the fifth editions.

History

The full title of the fourth and most well-known 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: ť 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.

Additionally, the "contents of this edition" note in the Loompanics edition identifies the fourth edition as having originally been published by Rip Off Press of San Francisco, California.
   A "Fifth Edition" consisting of a single Western Union telegram page filled with the letter M was published as an appendix to the Loompanics and SJ Games re-printings of the 4th Edition.
   In 1978, a copy of a work from Kerry Thornley titled "THE PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST" was placed in the HSCA JFK collections as document 010857(External Link

). A scan of this document has been identified as the first edition and uploaded to 23ae.com. The record identifier can be found by searching for Thornley and Discordian on nara.gov

.
The Principia includes a notice which purports to disclaim any copyright in relation to the work: "Ⓚ All Rites 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 and Fifth Editions:

Revisionist Press published a red hardcover of the Fourth Edition in 1976, adding a stamp reading "THIS WORK IS A BRIDGE SO MOVE ON THRU" to the right of the golden apple on page 00075. (ISBN 0-685-75085-X)
Loompanics Unlimited published a version (the "yellow cover version") in 1979, adding an introduction by Robert Anton Wilson, an afterword by Malaclypse the Younger, and the aforementioned "Fifth Edition". (ISBN 1-55950-040-9)
Illuminet Press published a version (the "purple cover version") in 1991, adding an introduction by Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst. (ISBN 0-9626534-2-X)
Steve Jackson Games published a version (the "black cover version") in 1994, adding an introduction by Steve Jackson and 20 pages of new Discordian text, mostly collected from online Discordians. (ISBN 1-55634-320-5) Steve Jackson Games also publishes Discordian and Illuminati-inspired games, such as GURPS Illuminati and the Illuminati card game.
Ronin Publishing released a version in 2006 (ISBN 1-57951-029-9), under the title Discordia - Hail the Goddess of Chaos and Confusion. This edition features a co-credit on the cover for both Malaclypse the Younger and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst, a colour cover, and will be 192 pages in length.
Synaptyclypse Generator and Exposure Press released a hardcover version of the Fourth Edition on March 1, 2007 (ISBN 978-1-84685-604-4)/(ISBN 1-84685-604-4), the first hardcover edition since 1976. It includes both Robert Anton Wilson's and Kerry Thornley's introductions, and "outroductions" by Rev. DrJon Swabey and Adam Gorightly.(External Link)

Image:NARACoverSheet DiscordianSociety.gif|NARA Cover sheet for First Edition Image:Principayellow.jpg|"Yellow cover"
Loompanics Unltd, 1979 Image:PrincipiaDiscordia IllumiNetCover.png|"Pink" or "Purple cover"
IllumiNet Press, 1991 Image:Principiablack.jpg|"Black cover"
SJ Games, 1994 Image:Discordia roninpresscover.jpg|Discordia: Hail Eris Goddess of Chaos and Confusion
Ronin Press, 2006 Image:PrincipiaSynGen.jpg|"Snake cover"
Synaptyclypse Generator, 2007

Discordian Works

On May 5, 2005 (5/5/5), role-playing game author John Wick published under his Wicked Dead Brewing Company banner. Wick credits the game's inspiration to the Principia Discordia and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. The game features the players as "Discordian Double Agents" infiltrating various conspiracy groups such as the Bavarian Illuminati, the Hashashin, and others.

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