The Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos
That is
not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange
eons even death may die.
H.P. Lovecraft
(1890-1937)
Howard Phillips Lovecraft began the Cthulhu Mythos with his writings of many great beings knowen as the Old Ones. His stories are a mixture of science-fiction, fantasy, and most especially horror.
The Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is an intricate weave of tales that began with H.P. Lovecraft. Many writers have created stories based on the Old Ones.Some of the more popular writers that have added to the Mythos are: Robert E. Howard, Ramsey Campbell, Robert Bloch, Brian Lumley, and Stephen King. The most important influence in the Mythos was August Derleth. Derleth, a dear friend of Lovecraft, began Arkham House, a small publishing house which was dedicated to printing the writings of Lovecraft and other writers. It was Derleth who named the tales of Lovecraft the "Cthulhu Mythos." Derleth then began to rework the Mythos: he turned the alien Great Old Ones into demons, he made a group of beings, the "Elder Gods," and set them as against the Old Ones, and he put each member into one of the four elements. Without Derleth, Lovecraft's works would have been forgotten.
The Great Old Ones
The Great Old Ones are told of in the following stories:
- "The Call of Cthulhu" H.P. Lovecraft
- "Zoth-Ommog" Lin Carter
- "The Return of Hastur" August Derleth
- "The Thing that Walked on the Wind" August Derleth
- The Trail of Cthulhu August Derleth
- "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" Clark Ashton Smith
The Great Old Ones are supremely powerful alien beings who have great knowledge in technology and magic. They are almost godlike in their power, but still have to follow some of the laws of nature.
The Great Old Ones are in a state of almost deathlike slumber and have been for millenia. They wait and dream for the time when they will arise and conquer the world.
Some of the most important Great Old Ones are:
- Great Cthulhu: The octopoid lord of R'lyeh who sleeps below the Pacific Ocean.
- Tsathoggua: The toad-thing who waits dreaming in the caverns of N'kai.
- Hastur: Lord of Interstellar Space. May dwell in outer space or is imprisioned within the Lake of Hali near Aldebaran.
- Ithaqua: Source of the Native American's legends of the Wendigo. Confined in the coldest region of our planet.
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