The Golgotha Dancers
In this collection of short stories, a group of supernatural beings known as the Golgotha Dancers are said to appear at crossroads and dance in a circle around a corpse, often accompanied by a sense of foreboding or doom. The stories explore themes of death, fate, and the supernatural, often with a dark and eerie tone.
By Manly Wade Wellman · First published 1944 · Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Psychological Thriller · 4,324 words
First lines
I had come to the Art Museum to see the special show of Goya prints, but that particular gallery was so crowded that I could hardly get in, much less see or savor anything; wherefore I walked out again. I wandered through the other wings with their rows and rows of oils, their Greek and Roman sculptures, their stern ranks of medieval armors, their Oriental porcelains, their Egyptian gods. At length, by chance and not by design, I came to the head of a certain rear stairway. Other habitués of the museum will know the one I mean when I remind them that Arnold Böcklin's The Isle of the Dead hangs on the wall of the landing.
What this Textopian page supports
The Golgotha Dancers is listed on Textopian as a novel by Manly Wade Wellman, dated 1944 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Manly Wade Wellman
- Date: 1944 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Psychological Thriller, Dark Fantasy, Literary Fiction
- Length: 4,324 words
- Structure: 1 section, 78 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Golgotha Dancers by Manly Wade Wellman
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Golgotha Dancers?
- How does this novel by Manly Wade Wellman fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Horror first become important in the reading?
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- The Hairy Ones Shall Dance by Manly Wade Wellman
Genres
- Horror — The narrative features supernatural elements, including the manifestation of the dancers and the protagonist's intense fear and struggle against them.
- Fantasy — The existence of the living painting and the magical realism surrounding it create a fantastical atmosphere.
- Psychological Thriller — The protagonist's mental state and the tension between reality and nightmare drive the plot, creating suspense and psychological conflict.
- Dark Fantasy — The themes of evil, the grotesque nature of the dancers, and the sinister implications of the painting contribute to a dark fantasy tone.
Tags
Fantasy · Horror · Supernatural Fiction · Dark Fantasy · Gothic Fiction · Southern Gothic · American Literature · Short Story Collection · Anthology · Weird Fiction · Magical Realism · Folk Horror