Cthulhu mythos

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Cthulhu

Cthulhu mythos is the label coined by the writer August Derleth for the shared world based upon the themes, characters, and story elements found in the works of H. P. Lovecraft, as well as his protegés and later writers influenced by him. Combined, they form a kind of mythos—a system of symbols upon which Mythos authors could craft their stories.

The common theme in Lovecraft's fiction is the impotence and irrelevence of humanity in the universe. Humans are often subject to powerful beings and other cosmic forces. These forces, in Lovecraft's fiction were not malevolent so much as indifferent toward humanity. Another common theme is the search for knowledge ending in disaster.

Derleth put his own take on the Mythos, organizing and polarizing it. Instead of a valueless, meaningless universe of chaos, Derleth's Mythos system was influenced by his own Christian values and a struggle of good versus evil. Derleth once wrote:

"As Lovecraft conceived the deities or forces of his Mythos, there were, initially, the Elder Gods . . . these Elder Gods were benign deities, representing the forces of good, and existed peacefully at or near Betelgeuze in the constellation Orion, very rarely stirring forth to intervene in the unceasing struggle between the powers of evil and the races of Earth. These powers of evil were variously known as the Great Old Ones or the Ancient Ones"
—August Derleth, Introduction to Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, viii

Another concept introducted by Derleth was elementals.

Central to the mythos are the Great Old Ones, a fearsome assortment of deities led by the dreaded Cthulhu (though there are other beings in the mythos that are even more monstrous), who lies in a state of hibernation in the lost and sunken city of R'lyeh. "When the stars are right," Cthulhu will awaken and wreak havoc upon the earth.

Contents

1 Elements in the Mythos

1.1 Beings

1.1.1 Great Old Ones
1.1.2 Great Ones
1.1.3 Elder Gods
1.1.4 Outer Gods
1.1.5 Other supernatural beings
1.1.6 Non-human species of the Mythos

1.2 Books
1.3 Locations
1.4 Cults
1.5 Borrowed elements in the Mythos

2 Derleth's Involvment

3 External links

4 See also

Elements in the Mythos

Beings

Great Old Ones

The Great Old Ones are vastly powerful and ancient creatures who are often worshiped as gods by insane human cultists; many of them are made of unearthly substance which is not like normal matter. They have limits to their influence, even if those "limits" include an entire planet. Those Great Old Ones who are based in other solar systems can only extend their influence to Earth when the star of the solar system is in the night sky, along with the help of cultists performing various rituals.

Aphoom-Zhah, the Cold Flame, Lord of the Pole
Arwassa, the Silent Shouter on the Hill
Atlach-Nacha, the Spider God
Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, the Bringer of Pestilence
Basatan, Master of the Crabs
Bokrug, the Great Water Lizard, the Doom of Sarnath
Bugg-Shash, The Drowner, The Black
Byatis, The Berkeley Toad, the Serpent-Bearded
Chaugnar Faugn, Horror from the Hills, The Feeder
Cthugha, the Living Flame, the Burning One
Cthulhu, the Sleeping God, Master of R'lyeh, Kthulhut
Cthylla, Secret Seed of Cthulhu
Cyäegha, the Destroying Eye, the Waiting Dark
Cynothoglys, The Mortician God
Dweller in the Gulf, Eidolon of the Blind
Eihort, the Pale Beast, God of the Labyrinth
Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, Father and Mother of the Deep Ones
Ghatanothoa, The Usurper, God of the Volcano
Ghizguth
Glaaki, the Inhabitant of the Lake, Lord of Dead Dreams
Gloon, the Corrupter of Flesh, Master of the Temple
Gol-Goroth, God of the Black Stone
Hastur, the Unspeakable, He Who is Not to be Named
Huitloxopetl
Hzioulquoigmnzhah
Idh-Yaa
Iod, The Shining Hunter
Ithaqua, the Wind Walker, the Wendigo, God of the Cold White Silence
Juk-Shabb, God of Yekub
Knygathin Zhaum
Lloigor and Zhar, The Twin Obscenities
M’Nagalah, The Great God Cancer, the All-Consuming
Mnomquah
Mordiggian, The Charnel God, the Great Ghoul, Lord of Zul-Bha-Sair
Nug and Yeb, The Twin Blasphemies
Nyogtha, The Thing which Should Not Be, Haunter of the Red Abyss
Oorn
Othuum
Othuyeg, the Doom-Walker
Quachil Uttaus, Treader of the Dust
Q'yth-Az
Rhan-Tegoth, He of the Ivory Throne
Rlim-Shaikorth, The White Worm
Saa’itii, The Hogge
Sfatlicllp
Shathak
Shudde M'ell, the Great Chthonian
Summanus
Tharapithia
Tsathoggua, the Sleeper of N'kai, the Toad-God, Zhothaqqua, Sadagowah
The Worm that Gnaws the Night, Doom of Shaggai
Vulthoom, Gsarthotegga, the Sleeper of Ravermos
X'chll'at-aa, Lord of the Great Old Ones, the Unborn God, Enemy of All That Live
Y'Golonac, the Defiler
Yhoundeh, The Elk Goddess
Yig, Father of Serpents
Ythogtha, the Thing in the Pit
Zoth-Ommog
Zushakon, Old Night, Zul-Che-Quon
Zvilpoggua, Ossadagowah, the Sky-Devil
Zystulzhemgni, Matriarch of Swarms, Zsystulzhemgni

Great Ones

The so-called "gods" of the Dreamlands, they are not nearly as powerful as the Great Old Ones, and not even as intelligent as humans. However, they are under the protection of the Outer Gods, especially Nyarlathotep.

Elder Gods

A group of beings who oppose the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones. Many people consider them to be non-Lovecraftian, as they import a "good" versus "evil" dichotomy into the cosmic indifference of Lovecraft's fiction. However, others retort that these beings have no more concern with human notions of morality than the beings they appear to oppose, and that humanity and the human world are far beneath their regard.

Bast, Goddess of cats, Pasht
Hypnos, Lord of sleep
Kthanid (according to some sources, an Outer God)
N'tse-Kaambl (according to some sources, an Outer God), Whose Splendor Hath Shattered Worlds
Nodens, the Hunter, Lord of the Great Abyss
Ulthar
Vordavoss, (according to some sources, an Outer God), Troubler of the Sands, Whom Waiteth in the Outer Dark
Yad-Thaddag

Outer Gods

These beings have no limits to their influence, unlike the Great Old Ones, and are likely to embody cosmic principles. The Outer Gods are also known as the Other Gods.

Abhoth, the Source of Uncleanliness, Father and Mother of Abominations
Azathoth, Him in the Gulf, the Daemon Sultan, Seething Nuclear Chaos
C'thalpa, the Inner One
Daoloth, The Render of the Veils
D'endrrah
Ghroth, Whom Passeth in Darkness
The Hydra, The Thousand-Faced Moon, Mormo, the Magna Mater
Lesser Outer Gods
Larvae of the Outer Gods
Mlandoth
The Nameless Mist / Magnum Innominandum
Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, Messenger to Azathoth, The Black Man
Shub-Niggurath, The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, wife of the Not-to-Be-Named One
Tru'nembra, the Flautist of Azathoth
Tulzscha, The Green Flame
Ubbo-Sathla, the Unbegotten Source, the Demiurge
Xiurhn, Guardian of the Dark Jewel
Ycnagnnisssz
Yibb-Tstll, the Patient One, the Watcher in the Glade
Yidhra, the Dream Witch
Yog-Sothoth, The All-in-One, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way
Yomagn'tho, Feaster from the Stars

Other supernatural beings

Some of these may in fact be Great Old Ones, Great Ones, Elder Gods, Outer Gods or Avatars; if so, please move them to the appropriate category.

Non-human species of the Mythos

Adumbrali
Beings of Xiclotl
Bholes
Brothers of Chaugnar Faugn
Byakhee
Cats from Saturn
Cats from Uranus
Chthonians, The Burrowers Beneath
Colours out of Space
Crawling Ones, The Worms that Walk
Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath
Deep Ones
Denizens of S'glhuo
Doels
Dholes
Dimensional Shamblers
Elder Things / Old Ones
Eryx, Natives of
Fire Vampires
Flying Polyps
Formless Spawn of Tsathoggua and Knygathin Zhaum
Ghasts
Ghouls
Gnoph-Keh
Gnorri
Great Race of Yith
Gugs
Gyaa-Yothn
Hounds of Tindalos
Hunting Horrors
Hyperboreans
K'n-yan, Natives of
Kyresh
Lamp-Eft
L'Gy'Hx, Natives of
Lloigor (a race)
Men of Leng
Mi-go / Fungi from Yuggoth
Moon Beasts
Nagaae
Nameless City, Denizens of
New Great Race of Yith
Nightgaunts
Ny'ghaan-grii
Serpent People
Servants of Glaaki
Servitors of the Outer Gods
Shan, Insects from Shaggai
Shantaks
Shoggoth
Spawn of Tsathoggua
Spawn of Ubbo-Sathla
Spiders of Leng
Star-spawn of Cthulhu / Cthulhi
Star Vampires
Tcho-Tcho
Thuum'ha, the Beings of Ib
Tree Men of M'Bwa
Voor
Voormis
Xo Tl'mi-go
Yekubians
Yuggya
Zoogs

Books

The Book of Iod
Book of Dzyan
Liber Ivonis - aka The Book of Eibon or Livre d'Eibon
Celaeno Fragments
Cthaat Aquadingen, possibly Things of the Water
Cultes des Goules, or Cults of the Ghouls
De Vermiis Mysteriis, or Mysteries of the Worm
Eltdown Shards
The Ford Translation of the Voynich Manuscript
G'harne Fragments
The King in Yellow
Massa Di Requiem per Shuggay
The Necronomicon; i.e., "An Image [or Picture sic] of the Law of the Dead"
Kitab Al-Azif, equivalent to the Necronomicon
The Pnakotic Manuscripts or Pnakotic Fragments
Ponape Scripture
Revelations of Glaaki
The R'lyeh Text
Saracenic Rituals
The Testament of Carnamagos
Unaussprechlichen Kulten, or "Unspeakable Cults"
Zanthu Tablets

Locations

Arkham
Brichester
Carcosa, on the shores of Lake Hali, on a planet somewhere in the Hyades
Celephaïs, in the Dreamlands
Cerenerian Sea, in the Dreamlands
Commoriom, capital of Hyperborea
Cykranosh (an ancient name for the planet Saturn)
The Dreamlands
The mountain Dunkelhugel, near Freihausgarten, Germany
Dunwich, Massachusetts
G'harne
Gl'yu-vho
The Gulf of S'glhuo
Mt. Hatheg-Kla
Hyperborea
Innsmouth, Massachusetts
Irem, City of Pillars (may be the historical lost city of Ubar)
Kadath
Kingsport
K'tynga
Lemuria, a lost continent
Lomar
L'Gy'Hx (a native name for Uranus)
Miskatonic University
Mnar, in the Dreamlands. Contains Ib and Sarnath
Mu, a sunken continent
Naat
The Nameless City
Mt. N'granek
N'kai, located underneath Yoth
Olathoë, in Lomar
Plateau of Leng
Pnakotris
Vale of Pnath, in the Dreamlands
Ponape
R'lyeh
Serannian, in the Dreamlands
The Severn Valley region
Shaggai
Spoleto, Umbria
Thuggon
Thyoph
The Plateau of Tsang
Tunguska, Siberia
Ulthar
Uzaldaroum, a city in Hyperborea
Valley of Do-Hna, located in Xinaián
Valusia
Voormithadreth, Mt., which contains the Cavern of Archetypes and the Web of Atlach-Nacha
Xiccarph
Xiclotl, sister planet to Shaggai
Xinaián, or K'n-yan, composed roughly of the kingdom of Tsath
Xoth
Yaanek / Yarak
Mt. Yaddith-Gho
Yaksh (Ancient name for Neptune)
Yekub and the surrounding galaxy
'Ygiroth, in the Dreamlands
Y'ha-nthlei
Yian-Ho, or Yian
Yoth
Yuggoth
Abyss of Yhe, in a Muvian province
Vaults of Zin, in the realm of N'kai
Zothique

Cults

Borrowed elements in the Mythos

Many historical and mythological elements were incorporated into Mythos literature.

Aldebaran, a star
Bast, cat goddess of ancient Egypt
Book of Dzyan
Celaeno, also Celano, home of Thomas of Celaeno, author of the Dies Irae
Dagon, the Mesopotamian fish god of vegetation and fertility.
John_Dee
Fomalhaut, a star
Hypnos, god of sleep in Greek mythology
Irem, a legendary buried city from Islamic mythology, possibly based on Ubar
Olaus Wormius, Danish antiquary cited as translator of the Necronomicon
Pluto, identified by Lovecraft with Yuggoth
The Voynich Manuscript
Wendigo, borrowed from Native American mythology

Derleth's Involvment

Lovecraft was an atheist who claimed Kant's ethical system "is a joke." Some contend that the Cthulhu Mythos is merely a theory proposed by Derleth; it was never intended to be a cohesive, singular entity by Lovecraft, but rather a collection of images which can be used in separate works to provoke the same emotions. Another point made by those who do not favour Derleth's take on the Mythos is that the Elder Gods never appear in Lovecraft's writings (excepting one or two, who appear as Outer Gods, such as Nodens in The Strange High House in the Mist (Perhaps this is merely a limit case showing how "rarely" they stir forth -- never) there is no unified pantheon of Great Old Ones. Indeed, the term "Ancient Ones" only appears in one story, Through the Gates of the Silver Key.

To his credit, Derleth was the publisher of Lovecraft's stories. Simply put, if it were not for him the Mythos and Lovecraft might have remained largely unknown.

External links

The ULTIMATE Cthulhu Mythos Book List (http://lovecraft.cjb.net) - Listing of all mythos novels, anthologies, collections, comic books, and more.
Cthuugle (http://www.cthuugle.com/), the H. P. Lovecraft search engine
The H. P. Lovecraft Archive (http://www.hplovecraft.com/)
The Lurker at the Threshold of Interpretation: Necronomicon Hoaxes and Paratextual Noise (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9879/lurker.htm)
Yog-Sothoth.com (http://yog-sothoth.com), a discussion site about the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game
Shoggoth.net (http://www.shoggoth.net/), a Cthulhu Mythos web log.
Entry in the Jargon File: cthulhic (http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/C/cthulhic.html)
Unspeakable Vault (of Doom) (http://www.macguff.fr/goomi/unspeakable/home.html) WebComic drawn by French artist Francois Launet
The Temple of Dagon (http://www.templeofdagon.com/) - General Lovecraftian information and repository for Cthulhu Mythos stories by modern writers.