[YSDC] Into The Deep - User contributions [en]

Shub-Niggurath

2006-03-23T16:51:57Z

Vanghar: /* Further reading */

'''Shub-Niggurath''' (''The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young'') is a fictional deity in the [[Cthulhu mythos]] of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. The being first appeared in Lovecraft's revision story "The Last Test" ([[1928 in literature|1928]]); however, in Lovecraft's fiction, she is never actually described, but is frequently mentioned or called upon in incantations. Shub-Niggurath also appears in the works of other mythos authors, including [[August Derleth]], [[Lin Carter]], and [[Brian Lumley]].

==Shub-Niggurath in the mythos==

Shub-Niggurath is an [[Outer God]] in the pantheon. She is a perverse [[Mother Goddess|fertility deity]] said to appear as an enormous cloudy mass which extrudes black tentacles, slime-dripping mouths, and short, writhing goat legs. Small creatures are spat forth, which are either reconsumed into the [[miasma theory of disease|miasmatic]] form or escape to some monstrous life elsewhere.

===Cult===

<blockquote>
One squat, black temple of [[Tsathoggua]] was encountered, but it had been turned into a shrine of Shub-Niggurath, the All-Mother and wife of the Not-to-Be-Named-One. This deity was a kind of sophisticated [[Astarte]], and her worship struck the pious [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] as supremely obnoxious.
 —H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop, "The Mound"
</blockquote>

Of all the mythos deities, Shub-Niggurath is probably the most extensively worshiped. Her worshipers include the [[Hyperborean_cycle|Hyperboreans]], the [[Mu_(Cthulhu_mythos)|Muvians]], and the people of [[The_Doom_That_Came_to_Sarnath|Sarnath]], as well as any number of [[Druid|druidic]] and [[Barbarian|barbaric]] cults. She is also worshiped by the non-human species of the mythos, such as the "Fungi from [[Yuggoth]]" (the [[Mi-Go]]) and the [[Cthulhu mythos celestial bodies#Yaddith|Nug-Soth of Yaddith]]. <ref>Harms, "Shub-Niggurath", ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', pp. 275.</ref>

With the proper [[occult]] paraphernalia, Shub-Niggurath can be summoned to any woodlands at the time of the [[new moon]]. However, the place from whence she comes is not known. One possibility is that she dwells at the court of [[Azathoth]] at the center of the universe. She may also live beneath the planet Yaddith, where she is served by the [[Dhole (Cthulhu mythos)|Dholes]]. It is also possible that she lives in another [[dimension]] altogether. <ref>Harms, ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', pp. 275.</ref>

===Progenies===

<blockquote>
''Iä! Iä! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat [of the Woods] with a Thousand Young!''
 —H.P. Lovecraft, "The Dreams in the Witch House"
 —H.P. Lovecraft, "The Whisperer in Darkness"
 —H.P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald, "The Man of Stone"
</blockquote>

Shub-Niggurath is believed to have mated with [[Hastur]] to produce the beings [[Ithaqua]], [[Zhar (Great Old One)|Zhar and Lloigor]], and an unnamed triplet of the latter. Hastur may also be the father of her "Thousand Young" or "Dark Young", though there is a good chance that they were spawned by fission. She may possibly have mated with [[Yog-Sothoth]] to produce [[Great_Old_One_compendium#Nug_and_Yeb|Nug and Yeb]] (though their father is more likely Hastur), and even [[Great_Old_One_compendium#Yig|Yig]] to produce [[Byatis]] (which is debatable since some believe her to be Yig's mother, though he may be the offspring of [[Mappo no Ryûjin]]).

==Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath==

<blockquote>
Something black in the road, something that wasn't a tree. Something big and black and ropy, just squatting there, waiting, with ropy arms squirming and reaching. . . It came crawling up the hillside. . . and it was the black thing of my dreams – that black, ropy, slime jelly tree-thing out of the woods. It crawled up and it flowed up on its hoofs and mouths and snaky arms.
 —[[Robert Bloch]], "Notebook Found in a Deserted House"
</blockquote>

The '''Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath''' are horrifying, pitch-black monstrosities, seemingly made of ropy tentacles. They stand as tall as a tree (perhaps between twelve and twenty feet tall) on a pair of stumpy, hooved legs. A mass of tentacles protudes from their trunks where a head would normally be, and puckered maws, dripping green goo, cover their flanks. The monsters roughly resemble trees in silhouette — the trunks being the short legs and the tops of the trees represented by the ropy, branching bodies. The whole mass of these things smells like an open grave. They usually dwell in woodlands wherever Shub-Niggurath's cult is active.

The Dark Young are usually called upon to preside over cult ceremonies. One means for summoning them is found in the ''[[Cthulhu_mythos_arcane_literature#Book_of_Eibon|Book of Eibon]]'' and requires a blood offering. The ritual may only be performed in the deep of the woodlands at the darkest of the moon, and the victim must be sacrificed over a stone altar.

Dark young act as proxies for Shub-Niggurath in the accepting of sacrifices and the worship of cultists, in the devouring of non-cultists, and in the spreading of their mother's faith across the world.

==Gof'nn hupadgh Shub-Niggurath==

The '''gof'nn hupadgh Shub-Niggurath''' is the name given to the favored, once-human worshipers of Shub-Niggurath. When the deity deems a worshiper to be most worthy, a special ceremony is held in which the Black Goat of the Woods swallows the initiate and then regurgitates the cultist as a transformed [[satyr]]-like being. A changed worshiper is also endowed with immortal life. <ref>Campbell, "The Moon-Lens", ''Cold Print''.</ref>

==The Black Goat==

Although Shub-Niggurath is often associated with the epithet ''The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young'', it is possible that the ''Black Goat'' is a separate entity. Rodolfo Ferraresi, in his essay "The Question of Shub-Niggurath", says that Lovecraft himself separated the two in his writings, such as in "Out of the Aeons" ([[1935 in literature|1935]]) in which a distinction is made between Shub-Niggurath and the Black Goat — the goat is the figurehead through which Shub-Niggurath is worshipped. The most persuasive distinction, however, is the depiction of the Black Goat as a male, most notably in the rite performed in "[[The Whisperer in Darkness]]" ([[1931 in literature|1931]]) in which the Black Goat is called the "Lord of the Woods".

The Black Goat may be the personification of [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]], since Lovecraft was influenced by [[Arthur Machen]]'s ''[[The Great God Pan]]'' ([[1890 in literature|1890]]), a story that probably inspired Lovecraft's "[[The Dunwich Horror]]" ([[1929 in literature|1929]]). In this incarnation, the Black Goat may represent [[Satan]] in the form of the [[satyr]], a half-man, half-goat. In folklore, the satyr symbolized a man with excessive sexual apetites. The Black Goat may otherwise be a male, earthly form of Shub-Niggurath — an incarnation she assumes to copulate with her worshipers. <ref>Ferraresi, "The Question of Shub-Niggurath", ''Crypt of Cthulhu #35'', pp. 17–8, 22.</ref>

==Appearances in other fiction==

Both [[Stephen King]] and [[Terry Pratchett]] have referenced Shub-Niggurath in their works. Terry Pratchett parodies Lovecraftian gods, referring to them as the things from the "[[Dungeon Dimensions]]". For example, in Pratchett's ''[[Moving Pictures (novel)|Moving Pictures]]'', the being "Tshup Aklathep, Infernal Star Toad with A Million Young" kills its victims by showing them pictures of its children until their brains implode.

Some of the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Doctor Who spin-offs#original fiction|spin-off novels]] have identified the Nestene Consciousness (the being which animates the [[Auton]]s) as one of the offspring of Shub-Niggurath. The connection was first drawn in ''Millennial Rites'' by [[Craig Hinton]], and has been followed up in other appearances of the Consciousness in the novels.

==Other appearances==

* A Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath is the [[boss (video game)|final adversary]] of the [[first-person shooter]] [[computer game]] ''[[Quake]]''.

* Shub-Niggurath makes an appearance as the main villain in the online PC game ''Arcane 2: The Stone Circle''.

* In ''[[Bruno the Bandit]]'', one of the denizens of the demon world is "Shub-Megawrath", a goat-like blob creature with a thousand children (1001, if you count the croatoan clone of Bruno she created). The character is meant to be another of the Lovecraft references that occasionally pepper the strip.

* Shub-Niggurath is the name of a French band.

* Shub-Niggurath is the name of an old Mexican black/death metal band (albums: ''Horror Creatures'' Demo, 1990; ''Unknown Adorer'' EP, 1991; ''Blasphemies Of Nether World'' EP, 1992; ''The Black Goatlike Arise'' Demo, 1993; ''Evilness And Darkness Prevails'' Full-length, 1994; ''The Kinglike Celebration (Final Aeon on Earth)'' Full-length, 1997).

* Shub-Niggurath is mentioned by the band [[Morbid Angel]] in their song "Angel of Disease".

==References==

*{{Cite book|last=Bloch|first=Robert|chapter=Notebook Found in a Deserted House|origyear=1951|title=Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos|edition=1st ed.|year=1998|publisher=Random House|location=New York, NY|id=ISBN 0-345-42204-X}}

*{{Cite book|last=Campbell|first=Ramsey|chapter=The Moon-Lens|origyear=1964|title=Cold Print|edition=1st ed.|year=1987|publisher=Tom Doherty Associates|location=New York, NY|id=ISBN 0-812-51660-5}}

*{{Cite book|last=Harms|first=Daniel|chapter=Byatis|title=The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana|pages=pp. 42–3|edition=2nd ed.|year=1998|publisher=Chaosium|location=Oakland, CA|id=ISBN 1-56882-119-0}} [Suggests Byatis is the son of Yig]
:—"Dark Young of Shub-Niggurath", pp. 75, ibid.
:—"gof'nn hupadgh Shub-Niggurath", pp. 124, ibid.
:—"Shub-Niggurath", pp. 275–7, ibid.

*{{Cite journal|last=Ferraresi|first=Rodolfo A.|title=The Question of Shub-Niggurath|journal=Crypt of Cthulhu #35: A Pulp Thriller and Theological Journal|volume=Vol. 5|issue=No. 1|date=Hallowmas 1985}} Robert M. Price (ed.), Mount Olive, NC: Cryptic Publications.

*{{Cite book|last=Lovecraft|first=Howard P.|chapter=The Dreams in the Witch House|origyear=1933|title=At the Mountains of Madness, and Other Novels|edition=7th corrected printing|editor=S. T. Joshi (ed.)|year=1985|publisher=Arkham House|location=Sauk City, WI|id=ISBN 0-870-54038-6}} Definitive version.

*{{Cite book|last=Lovecraft|first=Howard P.|chapter=The Whisperer in Darkness|origyear=1931|title=The Dunwich Horror and Others|edition=9th corrected printing|editor=S. T. Joshi (ed.)|year=1984|publisher=Arkham House|location=Sauk City, WI|id=ISBN 0-870-54037-8}} Definitive version.

*{{Cite book|last=Lovecraft|first=Howard P.|coauthors=Zealia Bishop|chapter=The Mound|origyear=1940|pages=|title=The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions|editor=S.T. Joshi (ed.)|edition=|year=1989|publisher=Arkham House|location=Sauk City, WI|id=ISBN 0-87054-040-8}}
:—and Adolphe de Castro (1928). "The Last Test", ibid.
:—and Hazel Heald (1932). "The Man of Stone", ibid.

*{{Cite book|last=Pratchett|first=Terry|title=Moving Pictures|origyear=1990|year=2002|publisher=HarperTorch|location=New York, NY|id=ISBN 0-06102-063-X}}

===Footnotes===
<references/>

==External links==
{{Wikisourcepar|The Whisperer in Darkness}}
* [http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/dreamswitchhouse.htm "The Dreams in the Witch House" by H.P. Lovecraft]

* [http://terror.snm-hgkz.ch/lovecraft/html/stone.htm "The Man of Stone" by H.P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald]

* [http://www.sockpuppet.org/~tyme/lovecraft/works/rev/mound.htm "The Mound" by H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop]

* [http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thewhispererindarkness.htm "The Whisperer in Darkness" by H.P. Lovecraft]

==Further reading==

* Gaiman, Neil. "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" (1998 - first published in "The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy" Mike Ashley (ed.), Robinson Publishing.) republished DreamHaven Books, ill. Koponen, Jouni 2004. ISBN 1-892058-07-3.
:—"On the seafront were three bed-and-breakfasts next to each other: Sea View, Mon Repose and Shub Niggurath, each with a neon VACANCIES sign turned off in the window of the front parlour, each with a CLOSED FOR THE SEASON notice thumbtacked to the front door", pp. 04.

[[Category:Cthulhu mythos deities]]

Shub-Niggurath

2006-03-23T16:49:41Z

Vanghar:

Nyarlathotep

2006-03-23T16:48:33Z

Vanghar:

'''Nyarlathotep''' (the ''Crawling Chaos'') is a [[fictional character]] in the [[Cthulhu mythos]] of [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. He is one of the cosmic [[Outer God]]s and appears in the works of Lovecraft and [[August Derleth]], among others.


==Nyarlathotep in the mythos==
{{SectOR}}
Nyarlathotep differs from the other beings in a number of ways. Most of them are exiled to stars, like [[Yog-Sothoth]] and [[Hastur]], or sleeping and dreaming like [[Cthulhu]]; Nyarlathotep, however, is active and frequently walks the [[Earth]] in the guise of a human being, usually a tall, slim, joyous man. Most of them have their own cults serving them, while Nyarlathotep seems to serve them and take care of their affairs in their absence. Most of them use strange alien languages, while Nyarlathotep uses human languages and can be mistaken for a human being. Finally, most of them are all powerful yet purposeless, yet Nyarlathotep seems to be deliberately deceptive and manipulative, and even uses [[propaganda]] to achieve his goals. In this regard, he is probably the most human-like among them.

Nyarlathotep enacts the will of the Outer Gods, and is their messenger, heart and soul; he is also a servant of [[Azathoth]], whose wishes he immediately fulfills. Unlike the other Outer Gods, causing madness is more important and enjoyable than death and destruction to Nyarlathotep.{{Rn|Harms-218}} In this sense, he strongly resembles the traditional role of the [[devil]].{{fact}}

According to the Necronomicon, Nyarlathotep will play some part in the End Time. It is stated that he will allow [[Nygotha]] to wipe the Earth clean in preparation for the return of the Great Old Ones - although it doesn't specify how Nyarlathotep will accomplish this. It also fails to mention any timeframe for this to occur, although it would presumably be after the fall of Xothique some 5,000 years in the future.{{fact}}

==Table of Nyarlathotep's forms==

Nyarlathotep has many forms (some literature refers to these forms as Masks and claims that he has a thousand of them) and is thus known by different avatars.

===Overview===

This table is organized as follows:

* ''Name''. This is the name of Nyarlathotep's form.
* ''Region''. This is the geographical location where Nyarlathotep's form is active.
* ''Description''. This entry describes Nyarlathotep's form.
* ''Notes''. This field contains additional information.
* ''References''. This field lists the sources that contain references to Nyarlathotep's form. If the source is a story, it is denoted by a two-letter code—the key to the codes is found [[Cthulhu mythos reference codes and bibliography|here]]. Otherwise, the source is denoted as follows:
**''rpg'' means a [[role-playing game]] and includes a footnote to the source.
**''MofN'' means the ''Masks of Nyarlathotep'' web site.
:If an entry appears in '''bold''', this means that the reference introduces Nyarlathotep's form.

===Table-a (A–D)===

{|class="wikitable"
|+ '''Nyarlathotep's forms'''
|-
!Name
!Region
!Description
!Notes
![[Cthulhu mythos reference codes and bibliography|References]]
|-
| Ahtu || [[Congo]]
| Appears as a gelatinous mass extruding golden tentacles.
| Ahtu 's cult is made of crippled and disfigured natives (though [[European]]s with similar deformities can join). He can be called by a magical, golden bracelet, which is kept separated into two halves to prevent accidental summonings.
| rpg{{Ref|Ahtu}}, '''UD'''
|-
| All-Seeing Eye || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| The Beast || Worldwide
| Manifests through the [[Sphinx]].
| In this form, Nyarlathotep is worshipped by the [[Brotherhood of the Beast]]. This manifestation can only appear in a specific location in [[Egypt]].
| '''rpg{{Ref|TheBeast}}'''
|-
| The Black Demon || <center>—
| Appears as a black, furry, snouted creature which fears light but is not harmed by it.
| Although special [[talisman]]s can be used to control the Black Demon, there is still the risk that the summoner will be attacked.
| '''rpg{{Ref|TheBlackDemon}}'''
|-
| The Black Lion, Destroyer of Egypt || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| {{fact}}
|-
| Black Man || [[England]]
| Appears as a hooved, hairless, [[wikt:swarthy|swarthy]] man.
| Nyarlathotep is worshipped by [[witch]] [[wikt:coven|coven]]s in this form.
| '''DW''', FG
|-
| Black Messenger of Karneter || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Black One || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Black Pharaoh || [[Egypt]]
| Appears as a haughty [[Egyptian]] pharaoh wearing a brightly colored robe.
| The [[Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh]] worships Nyarlathotep in this form.
| '''[[The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath|DQ]]''', rpg{{Ref|BlackPharaoh}}
|-
| Black Wind || [[Kenya]]
| Manifests as a devastating storm.
| <center>—
| IK, '''rpg{{Ref|BlackWind}}'''
|-
| Blind Ape of Truth || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Bloated Woman || [[China]]
| Appears as a five-mouthed, morbidly obese woman with numerous tentacles.
| The Bloated Woman hides behind the ''Black Fan'' to conceal its great bulk from unwary victims.
| '''rpg{{Ref|BloatedWoman}}'''
|-
| Bringer of Pests || Egypt
| Appears as a swarm of preternatural [[locust]]s.
| This avatar had a following in Egypt's Twelfth Dynasty. Today it is worshipped by the Knights of the Silver Twilight.
| '''rpg{{Ref|BringerofPests}}'''
|-
| Crawling Mist || [[Dreamlands]]
| Appears as a putrid, living fog.
| <center>—
| '''EL'''
|-
| Dark Demon || <center>—
| Appears as a larger version of the Black Demon yet more treacherous.
| Those who study the black arts are sometimes contacted by this avatar. In return for entering their bodies, the Dark Demon promises them great rewards. Unfortunately, Nyarlathotep never makes good on this promise.
| '''KD'''
|-
| Dark One || [[California]], [[Louisiana]]
| Appears as a pitch-black, eight-foot-tall, faceless man who can walk through any physical barrier.
| <center>—
| '''MK'''
|-
| Demon Messenger || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Dweller in Darkness || Wood of N'gai (somewhere in northern [[United States|America]])
| Appears as a hideous, howling giant with a tentacle in place of a face.
| <center>—
| '''DD'''
|}

===Table-b (E–M)===

{|class="wikitable"
|+ '''Nyarlathotep's forms'''
|-
!Name
!Region
!Description
!Notes
![[Cthulhu mythos reference codes and bibliography|References]]
|-
| Earth Creature || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Effigy of Hate || [[Africa]]
| A winged creature that manifests through a war [[totem]].
| <center>—
| '''rpg{{Ref|EffigyofHate}}'''
|-
| Elder One || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| The Faceless God || [[Ancient Egypt]]
| Appears as a winged, faceless sphinx.
| This avatar has the ability to send its worshippers back through time.
| '''FG'''
|-
| Faceless One || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Father of the Million Favored One || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN'', '''WD'''(?)
|-
| The Floating Horror{{Ref|Harms-222}} || [[Haiti]]
| Appears as a bluish, red-veined jellyfish-like creature.
| <center>—
| '''AP'''
|-
| God of the Bloody Tongue, Howler in Darkness || [[Kenya]]
| Appears as gigantic monster with a red tentacle in place of a face.
| In this form, Nyarlathotep is worshipped by the [[Cult of the Bloody Tongue]].
| '''rpg{{Ref|GodofBloody}}'''
|-
| God of the Desert || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Green Man || [[Celts]]
| Appears as an animated, man-like [[wikt:effigy|effigy]] made of plant material.
| <center>—
| '''rpg{{Ref|GreenMan}}'''
|-
| The Haunter of the Dark || [[Australia]]; [[Providence, Rhode Island]]; [[Yuggoth]]
| A bloated, batlike creature with a single, burning, three-lobed eye which appears able to kill by fear alone. This avatar is destroyed by light.
| Its most important cult is the [[Church of Starry Wisdom]], based in Providence, which can summon the avatar using the [[Shining Trapezohedron]]. It is also worshipped by some modern [[Indigenous Australians|Aborigines]]. Its other epithets include Face Eater, Father of All Bats, Dark Wing, Sand Bat, and Fly-The-Light.
| CD, '''HD''', rpg{{Ref|HaunterofDark}}, S5
|-
| The Horned Man || [[Celt]]s
| Appears as a man with [[stag]]-like horns.
| This avatar can only be viewed while under the influence of certain [[Psychedelics, Dissociatives and Deliriants|hallucinogenic]] drugs.
| '''rpg{{Ref|HornedMan}}'''
|-
| The Howler at the Moon, Howler in the Night (?) || ?
| Appearance is the same as the God of the Bloody Tongue.
| <center>—
| '''DD'''(?)
|-
| Lord of the Desert || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| L'rog'g (also Lrogg), Bat God of L'gy'hx || The [[planet]] [[L'gy'hx]] ([[Uranus (planet)|Uranus]])
| Appears as a two-headed bat (debatable).
| Avatar worshipped by the cuboid inhabitants of L'gy'hx and by a group of renegade [[Insect from Shaggai|Shan]].
| '''IS''', rpg{{Ref|Lrogg}}
|-
| Many-legged Goat || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Master of Evil || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Messenger of the Old Ones ||<center>—
| Appears as an enormous black mass that seems to creep across the sky.
| This form is manifast only during occasions of cosmic importance, such as the awakening of [[Cthulhu]].
| rpg{{Ref|MessengerOldOnes}}, '''WA'''
|-
| Mighty Messenger || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Mr. Skin || [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]
| Indistinguishable imitation of an [[African American]] [[pimp]].
| This avatar is closely associated with certain worshippers of [[Shub-Niggurath]].
| '''MK'''
|}

===Table-c (N–W)===

{|class="wikitable"
|+ '''Nyarlathotep's forms'''
|-
!Name
!Region
!Description
!Notes
![[Cthulhu mythos reference codes and bibliography|References]]
|-
| Narla || Worldwide
| A [[The Woman in the Red Dress (Matrix character)|Woman in the Red Dress]]-like [[virtual reality]] entity.
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Nyarlatophis, the Sorcerer || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| {{fact}}
|-
| Narlato || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Narlotep || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| N'hyarlothatep || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Night Messenger || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| Old God || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| The Pool of Shadow || [[Druid]]s
| ?
| This avatar was worshipped for thousands of years by a small druidic cult.
| '''rpg{{Ref|PoolofShadow}}'''
|-
| Prince of Darkest Dark || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| [[Set (mythology)|Set]] || Egypt
| ?
| This avatar is worshipped by the Majestic Order of the Great Dark One, a cult which may still be active in Egypt.
| '''rpg{{Ref|Set}}'''
|-
| Shugoran || [[Malaysia]]
| Appears as a black human-like creature playing a horn.
| This form is worshipped by the [[Tcho-tcho people]]. They sometimes summon this avatar to punish offenders.
| '''MH''', rpg{{Ref|Shugoran}}
|-
| Skeletal Horror || Egypt
| Manifests as a twelve-foot-tall living skeleton with enormous claws and the head of a human [[embryo]].
| <center>—
| '''rpg{{Ref|SkeletalHorror}}'''
|-
| Skinless One, [[Xipe Totec]] || [[Middle East]]
| Appears as a skinned corpse.
| This avatar was worshipped by an abhorrent cult in [[Turkey]] and its environs. The [[Aztecs]] revered this avatar as Xipe Totec.
| '''rpg{{Ref|SkinlessOne}}'''
|-
| The Small Crawler || [[India]]
| A small human figure with four arms and three tentacles for legs.
| This avatar is described in the ''[[Cthaat Aquadingen]]'' and has a small cult in India.
| '''rpg{{Ref|SmallCrawler}}'''
|-
| Stalker Among the Stars || ?
| ?
| <center>—
| ''MofN''
|-
| [[Tezcatlipoca]] || [[Mexico]]
| Dark-skinned man with a foot that looks like a smoking mirror.
| This avatar was a prominent deity among the Aztecs.
| '''rpg{{Ref|Tezcatlipoca}}'''
|-
| The Thing in the Yellow Mask || Dreamlands
| A creature clothed in yellow [[silk]].
| This avatar is only known to manifest in the city of [['Ygiroth]] in the Dreamlands. Some claim that it is the lone occupant of the remote, unnamed [[monastery]] on the [[Plateau of Leng]] (see [[High Priest Not to Be Described]]).
| '''CE''', FY, YG
|-
| The Tick-Tock Man || Any technologically advanced civilisation
| An advanced piece of machinery for the time period.
| This avatar is most commonly found in technologically advanced races, or at times when science begins to supersede religion. It can manifest itself from something as mundane as a complex carriage clock to an extremely advanced artificial intelligence. Sources claim it was Nyarlathotep that gave humanity the final keys to unlock the atomic age, unwittingly ushering in the time of their own destruction.
| {{fact}}
|-
| The Wailing Writher || ?
| A column of writhing black tentacles and screaming mouths.
| This avatar has no known worshippers.
| '''rpg{{Ref|WailingWrither}}'''
|-
| The White Man || [[New England]]
| Appears as a blonde man in a shiny white robe.
| <center>—
| '''NS'''
|}

==Quotations==
<blockquote>
And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt. Who he was, none could tell, but he was of the old native blood and looked like a Pharaoh. The fellahin knelt when they saw him, yet could not say why. He said he had risen up out of the blackness of twenty-seven centuries, and that he had heard messages from places not on this planet. Into the lands of civilisation came Nyarlathotep, swarthy, slender, and sinister, always buying strange instruments of glass and metal and combining them into instruments yet stranger. He spoke much of the sciences - of electricity and psychology - and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless, yet which swelled his fame to exceeding magnitude. Men advised one another to see Nyarlathotep, and shuddered. And where Nyarlathotep went, rest vanished; for the small hours were rent with the screams of a nightmare.
 —H.P. Lovecraft, "Nyarlathotep"
</blockquote>

<blockquote>What his fate would be, he did not know; but he felt that he was held for the coming of that frightful soul and messenger of infinity's Other Gods, the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep.
 —H.P. Lovecraft, ''[[The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath]]''
</blockquote>

<blockquote>There was the immemorial figure of the deputy or messenger of hidden and terrible powers - the 'Black Man' of the witch cult, and the 'Nyarlathotep' of the Necronomicon.
 —H.P. Lovecraft, "The Dreams in the Witch House"
</blockquote>

<blockquote>There are references to a Haunter of the Dark awaked by gazing into the [[Shining Trapezohedron]], and insane conjectures about the black gulfs from which it was called. The being is spoken of as holding all knowledge, and demanding monstrous sacrifices.
 —H.P. Lovecraft, "[[The Haunter of the Dark]]"
</blockquote>

==Appearances==
*Outside the Lovecraft mythos, Nyarlathotep appears in the ''[[Persona (video game)|Persona]]'' series of [[PlayStation]] games as a god symbolic of the destructive potential of [[Carl Jung]]'s collective unconsciousness, humanity's collective soul. He is the ally/enemy/[[doppelganger]] (it is complicated) of the Philemon character, and appears in various forms.
*Nyarlathotep appears as "Nylonathatep, the laddering horror" in the ''[[Discworld]]'' game ''[[Discworld Noir]]''.
*[[Stephen King]]'s character [[Randall Flagg]] was also known as Nyarlathotep; Flagg used a wide variety of names.
*Magic spells in [[Conan the Barbarian]] [[comic book]]s feature [[invocation|invocations]] to "Nyarla Thotep".
*[[Brad Strickland]], a writer of children's stories, used Nyarlathotep as the primary antagonist in his book ''The Wrath of the Grinning Ghost''.
*In an issue of [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]], the turtles find themself in a tower which inhabits forgotten deities. They found their enemy in the deceitful [[Loki]] who, in an ensuing battle, summons Nyarlathotep, "tearer of souls, ripper of flesh"
*Appears as Nyarlathotep, N., Priest of the Ether, Chaos Made Flesh, etc. as a character in the webcomic [http://www.friendlyhostility.com Friendly Hostility] where he is a friend of several main characters and his entrance preceded (his whereabouts known) by the occurrence of strange, random, usually gruesome events.
* Appears as a God card in the trading card game [http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=ht/welcome Hecatomb] by Wizards of the Coast.

==See also==
*[[References to the Cthulhu Mythos]]

==References==
* {{cite web | title=Masks of Nyarlathotep | url=http://www.psci.net/nyarla/Masks%20of%20Nyarlathotep.htm | accessdate=January 25 | accessyear=2006 }}
*Harms, Daniel. "Nyarlathotep" in ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'' (2nd ed.), pp. 218–222. Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1998. ISBN 1-56882-119-0.

===Role-playing game material===

* Aniolowski, Scott D.
** "The Sundial of Amen-Tet" in ''Lurking Fears'', Lockport, NY: Triad Entertainments, 1990.
** ''Ye Booke of Monstres'', Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1994. ISBN 1-568-82019-4.

* Detwiller, Dennis, Adam Scott Glancy, and John Tynes. ''Delta Green: A Call of Cthulhu Sourcebook of Modern Horror and Conspiracy'', Tynes Cowan Corp, 1997. ISBN 1-887-79708-4.

* Diaper, John, ''et al''. ''The Arkham Evil'', Theatre of the Mind, 1983.

* DiTillio, Larry and Lynn Willis.
** "City beneath the Sands" in ''Terror Australis'', Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1987. ISBN 0-933-63540-0.
** ''Masks of Nyarlathotep'', Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1996. ISBN 1-568-82069-0.

* Gillian, Geoff.
** "Regiment of Dread" in ''Tales of the Miskatonic Valley'', , Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1991. ISBN 0-933-63583-4.
** —''et al''. ''Horror on the Orient Express'', 1991.

* Hallet, David and L.N. Isinwyll. "Eyes for the Blind" in ''Dark Designs'', 1991.

* Hamblin, William. "Thoth's Dagger" in ''Different Worlds #27'', 1983.

* Herber, Keith.
** "Dead of Night" in ''Arkham Unveiled'', 1990.
** ''The Fungi from Yuggoth'', 1984.
** ''Return to Dunwich'', 1991.

* Johnson, Sam. ''A Resection of Time'', Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1997. ISBN 1-568-82095-X.

* Lyons, Doug and Isinwyll, L.N. "One in Darkness" in ''The Great Old Ones'', Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1989.

* Petersen, Sandy
** "The Rise of R'lyeh", 1982) in ''Shadows of Yog-Sothoth''.
** —and John B. Monroe. "The Ten Commandments of Cthulhu Hunting" in ''The Cthulhu Casebook'', 1990.

* Ross, Kevin. ''Escape from Innsmouth'' (2nd ed.), Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1997. ISBN 1-568-82115-8.

* Williams, Chris and Sandy Petersen. ''The Complete Dreamlands'' (4th ed.), Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1997. ISBN 1-568-82086-0.

===Notes===


#{{Note|Harms-218}}Harms, "Nyarlathotep", ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', pp. 218–9.

#{{Note|Ahtu}}Detwiller ''et al'', ''Delta Green''; Herber, "Dead of Night".

#{{Note|TheBeast}}Herber, ''The Fungi from Yuggoth''.

#{{Note|TheBlackDemon}}Lyons & Isinwyll, "One in Darkness".

#{{Note|BlackPharaoh}}DiTillio & Willis, ''Masks of Nyarlathotep''.

#{{Note|BlackWind}}Ibid.

#{{Note|BloatedWoman}}Ibid.

#{{Note|BringerofPests}}Petersen & Monroe, "The Ten Commandments of Cthulhu Hunting".

#{{Note|EffigyofHate}}Gillian, "Regiment of Dread".

#{{Note|Harms-222}}Harms, ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', "The Floating Horror", pp. 222. This name was created by Harms.

#{{Note|GodofBloody}}DiTillio & Willis, ''Masks of Nyarlathotep'' (first appeared in this scenario?); Johnson, ''A Resection of Time''.

#{{Note|GreenMan}}Hallet & Isinwyll, "Eyes for the Blind".

#{{Note|HaunterofDark}}DiTillio ''et al'', "City beneath the Sands"; Petersen ''et al'', ''The Complete Dreamlands''.

#{{Note|HornedMan}}Herber, ''Return to Dunwich''.

#{{Note|Lrogg}}Aniolowski, ''Ye Booke of Monstres''.

#{{Note|MessengerOldOnes}}Ibid; Petersen, "The Rise of R'lyeh".

#{{Note|PoolofShadow}}Diaper ''et al''. ''The Arkham Evil''.

#{{Note|Set}}Aniolowski, "The Sundial of Amen-Tet".

#{{Note|Shugoran}}Ross, ''Escape from Innsmouth''.

#{{Note|SkeletalHorror}}Hamblin, "Thoth's Dagger" in ''Different Worlds #27''.

#{{Note|SkinlessOne}}Gillan ''et al'', ''Horror on the Orient Express''.

#{{Note|SmallCrawler}}DiTillio & Willis, ''Masks of Nyarlathotep''.

#{{Note|Tezcatlipoca}}Johnson, ''A Resection of Time''.

#{{Note|WailingWrither}}Ross, ''Escape from Innsmouth''.

[[Category:Cthulhu mythos deities]]

[[es:Nyarlathotep]]
[[fr:Nyarlathotep]]
[[ko:니알랏호텝]]
[[ja:ナイアーラトテップ]]
[[fi:Nyarlathotep]]
[[sv:Nyarlathotep]]
[[zh:奈亚拉托提普]]

Hastur

2006-03-23T16:47:02Z

Vanghar:

'''Hastur''' (''The Unspeakable One'', ''Him Who Is Not to be Named''{{Rn|Harms-136a}}, ''Assatur'', ''Xastur'', or ''Kaiwan'') is a [[fictional character]] in the [[Cthulhu mythos]] of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. Hastur first appeared in [[Ambrose Bierce]]'s [[short story]] "Haïta the Shepard" ([[1893 in literature|1893]]) as a benign god of [[shepherd]]s. [[Robert W. Chambers]] later used Hastur in his own stories to represent both a person and a place.{{Rn|Harms-136b}}

==Hastur in the mythos==

In Bierce's "Haita the Shepherd", Hastur is more benevolent than he would later appear in [[August Derleth]]'s mythos stories. In Chambers' ''[[The King in Yellow]]'' ([[1895 in literature|1895]]), a [[fin de siècle|fin-de-siècle]] collection of horror stories, Hastur is both the name of a city (in "The Repairer of Reputations") and the name of a potentially supernatural servant (in "The Demoiselle D'Ys").

Lovecraft read Chambers' book in youth and was so enchanted by it that he added elements of it to his own creations{{Rn|Pearsall-436}}. There is only one place in Lovecraft's own writings that mentions Hastur (italics added for emphasis):

<blockquote>
I found myself faced by names and terms that I had heard elsewhere in the most hideous of connections — [[Yuggoth]], Great [[Cthulhu]], [[Tsathoggua]], [[Yog-Sothoth]], [[R'lyeh]], [[Nyarlathotep]], [[Azathoth]], ''Hastur'', [[Yian]], [[Leng]], the [[Lake of Hali]], [[Bethmoora]], the [[Yellow Sign]], [[The Whisperer in Darkness#Minor mythos names|L’mur-Kathulos]], [[Bran Mak Morn|Bran]], and the [[Magnum Innominandum]] — and was drawn back through nameless aeons and inconceivable dimensions to worlds of elder, outer entity at which the crazed author of the ''[[Necronomicon]]'' had only guessed in the vaguest way.... There is a whole secret cult of evil men (a man of your mystical erudition will understand me when I link them with ''Hastur'' and the Yellow Sign) devoted to the purpose of tracking them down and injuring them on behalf of the monstrous powers from other dimensions.
 —H. P. Lovecraft, "[[The Whisperer in Darkness]]"
</blockquote>

It is unclear from this quote if Lovecraft's Hastur is a person, a place, an object (such as the Yellow Sign), or a deity. Derleth, however, developed Hastur into a [[Great Old One]]{{Rn|Price-i}}, spawn of [[Yog-Sothoth]], the half-brother of [[Cthulhu]], and theoretically the [[Magnum Innominandum]]. In this incarnation, Hastur has several [[avatar]]s:

* The Feaster from Afar, a black, shriveled, flying monstrosity with tentacles tipped with razor-sharp talons that can pierce a victim's skull and siphon out the brain{{Rn|Brennan-272}}
* The [[King in Yellow]]
* The [[High Priest Not to Be Described]], entity that wears a yellow silken mask (disputed{{Ref|HPNTBD}})

Hastur's form is amorphous, but he is said to appear as a vast, vaguely octopoid being, similar to his half-niece [[Cthylla]].

==Other appearances==

* In the [[PlayStation]] game ''[[Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]]'', Hastur appears as a summoned creature. Hastur can be summoned, even accidentally, merely by saying his name out loud three times.

* In the comic strip ''[http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030508 User Friendly]'', Hastur appears as a sentient blob of very strong coffee. The coffee was originally created using the extra-special ingredient "Distilled Usenet Bitterness" while Hastur was using [[Usenet]] as an avatar.

* Hastur appears as a Duke of Hell in ''[[Good Omens]]'', a novel by [[Neil Gaiman]] and [[Terry Pratchett]].

* Hastur is a god and a family in [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Darkover series]]''.

* The [[role-playing game]] ''[[Delta Green]]'' uses an alternate image of Hastur, treating him and his counterpart, the King in Yellow, as manifestations of entropy.

* The [[Virgin New Adventures|''Doctor Who'' novel]] ''White Darkness'' equates Hastur with [[The Curse of Fenric|Fenric]].

* In the [[Stephen King]] short story "Gramma", Hastur is the name that the little boy uses to defeat the corpse of his reanimated grandmother.

==References==

*{{Cite book|last=Harms|first=Daniel|chapter=Hastur|pages=pp. 136–7|title=The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana|edition=2nd ed.|year=1998|publisher=Chaosium|location=Oakland, CA|id=ISBN 1-56882-119-0}}

*{{Cite book|last=Pearsall|first=Anthony B.|title=The Lovecraft Lexicon|edition=1st ed.|year=2005|publisher=New Falcon|location=Tempe, AZ|id=ISBN 1-561-84129-3}}

*{{Cite book|last=Price|first=Robert M. (ed.)|title=The Hastur Cycle|edition=2nd ed.|year=1997|publisher=Chaosium|location=Oakland, CA|id=ISBN 1-56882-094-1}}

===Notes===

#{{Note|Harms-136a}}The epithet "Him Who Is Not to be Named" appears in August Derleth's writings; however, the idea that merely speaking Hastur's name brings doom to those who do so first appeared in the ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' [[role-playing game]] supplement ''Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], ISBN 0-935-69622-9) and later in the [[Call_of_Cthulhu_(role-playing_game)|''Call of Cthulhu'']] role-playing game. (Harms, ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', pp. 136.)
#{{Note|Harms-136b}}Harms, ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'', pp. 136.
#{{Note|Pearsall-436}}Pearsall, "Yellow Sign", ''The Lovecraft Lexicon'', pp. 436.
#{{Note|Price-i}}Derleth once entertained the notion of calling Lovecraft's mythos the ''Mythology of Hastur''—an idea that Lovecraft summarily rejected when he heard it. (Robert M. Price, "The Mythology of Hastur", ''The Hastur Cycle'', pp. i.)
#{{Note|Brennan-272}}Joseph Payne Brenan (1976), "The Feaster from Afar", ''The Hastur Cycle'' (2nd ed.), pp. 272–82.
#{{Note|HPNTBD}}This view conflicts with H. P. Lovecraft's ''[[The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath]]'' ([[1926 in literature|1926]]) which links the High Priest to [[Nyarlathotep]].

== External links ==

*[http://www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.1937/ Haita the Shepherd]

[[Category:Great Old Ones]]

[[ja:ハスター]]
[[pl:Hastur]]
[[sv:Hastur]]
[[zh:哈斯塔]]
[[fi:Hastur]]

Cthulhu

2006-03-23T16:45:20Z

Vanghar:

[[Image:cthulhu.jpg|thumb|The Great Old One]]

'''Cthulhu''' (alternate spellings: ''Tulu'', ''Cthulu'', ''Ktulu'', and many others) is a [[fictional character]] in the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] of [[H.P. Lovecraft]]. ''Cthulhu'' often includes the title ''Great'' or ''Dread''.

Cthulhu's name is usually pronounced /kəˈθuːluː/, /kəˈθʊːluː/, or /kəˈtʰʊːluː/ ([[International Phonetic Alphabet for English|IPA]] [[transliteration]]); however, according to Lovecraft, this may simply be the closest that human [[vocal cords]] can come to reproducing the syllables of an [[alien language]]{{Rn|Akeley-a}}. In fact, Lovecraft speculated that "Khlul'hloo" might be closer to the actual pronunciation. The ancient [[Babylonia]]ns believed in fish-men named Kulullu, a race of demons that [[Tiamat]] gave birth to.

Although the cycle of stories written by Lovecraft, his proteges, and his literary successors bear the label "Cthulhu mythos" (a term invented by [[August Derleth]] and never used by Lovecraft), Cthulhu is arguably one of the least terrible creatures in the pantheon. Cthulhu himself debuted in Lovecraft's [[short story]] "[[The Call of Cthulhu (Fiction)|The Call of Cthulhu]]" ([[1928 in literature|1928]])—though he makes minor appearances in a few other of Lovecraft's works{{Rn|Angell-a}}. Much of what is now termed the "Cthulhu mythos" varies greatly from Lovecraft's original conception of a meaningless, value-less universe with no eternal struggle. Furthermore, the mythos lore that came after Lovecraft's death was mostly concocted by Derleth.



==Cthulhu in the mythos==
<blockquote>
If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings... It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind. This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence...
 — H.P. Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"
</blockquote>

[[Image:cthulhu-painting-carrick.jpg|thumb|left|Cthulhu art by Paul Carrick]]

Cthulhu is a [[Great Old One]]{{Rn|Sumerian-theory}} and is by far the most prominent member of the group. He currently lies in death-like sleep in the sunken city of [[R'lyeh]] somewhere in the Southeast [[Pacific Ocean]]. "When the stars are right", R'lyeh will rise from the sea, never to sink again, and Cthulhu will awaken and revel across the world, "ravening for delight". Though humans might worship Cthulhu as he lies sleeping, they are immaterial to his grand design (it is implied, however, that Cthulhu will ultimately require the assistance of his human cult to escape from his watery tomb in R'lyeh, but there are many other beings in the mythos that could fill this role, including the servants of Cthulhu himself.)

Cthulhu is described as being colossal, but his exact size is not given. In Lovecraft's story, he was able to pursue a ship across the Pacific Ocean for some distance, albeit on some underwater portion of risen R'lyeh, yet still keep most of his body above water. Although he can communicate with "the fleshy mind of [[mammal]]s" in their dreams, this contact is currently blocked by his present immersion in seawater.

Cthulhu is sometimes regarded as "evil", but this is not how he is depicted in "The Call of Cthulhu" and other works. Instead, he is portrayed as [[wikt:amoral|amoral]], with an [[ethic]] that transcends conventional notions of [[morality|good and evil]]. Cthulhu's amorality might be compared to what [[S.T. Joshi]] and David E. Schultz call the "anti-mythology" of Lovecraft's fiction{{Rn|Joshi-51}}. In most [[mythology|mythologies]], man's significance in the universe is validated by his connection to divine agents with similar moral values. Lovecraft shattered this conceit by basing his stories on the "premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the vast cosmos-at-large... To achieve the essence of real externality, whether of space or time or dimension, one must forget that such things as organic life, good and evil, love and hate, and all such local attributes of a negligible and temporary race called mankind, have any existence at all... [W]hen we cross the line to the boundless and hideous unknown—the shadow haunted ''Outside''—we must remember to leave our humanity and terrestrialism at the threshold."{{Rn|Lovecraft-150}} Cthulhu's nature seems to be consistent with this view.

Cthulhu is closely identified with this quote from the [[Necronomicon]]:

<blockquote>
"That is not dead which can eternal lie,
 And with strange æons, even death may die."
</blockquote>

He is also associated with the phrase "ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn," which translates to "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming." Ostensibly part of a couplet from the Necronomicon, the other line being "yet He shall rise and His kingdom shall cover the Earth."

Cthulhu has several [[avatar]]s, including B'moth (Beh'moth, the Devourer) and Chorazin, although these are not mentioned in Lovecraft's work and are actually later additions. Cthulhu is served by the beings known as the ''star-spawn'' (see below), which look like smaller versions of Cthulhu himself. His coming to earth aeons ago and the sinking of R'lyeh were recorded by the [[Elder Thing|Elder Things]] (in ''[[At the Mountains of Madness]]'') with whom he warred.

==Cthulhu in Derleth's mythos==
In Derleth's stories, Cthulhu is not as powerful as the other god-like mythos creatures, nor is he much of a leader. In fact, the two most powerful beings in the mythos are, in order, [[Azathoth]] (''The Blind Idiot God'') and [[Yog-Sothoth]] (''The Lurker at the Threshold''). Nonetheless, Cthulhu's [[cult]] is the most widespread and has the largest number of worshippers.

===Cthulhu cult===
Cthulhu's cult has survived through the centuries and is arguably the most effective at recruiting new members. While Cthulhu dreams in R'lyeh, his cult actively pursues its agenda in his name. The cult's behind-the-scenes activities play a major role in Derleth's stories, and through them Cthulhu can continue to implicitly exert his influence.

===Cthulhu's rival===
Although Cthulhu is the best known figure in the pantheon, his alliance with the other mythos creatures in Derleth's stories is an uneasy one at best. At least one other Great Old One rivals his power and appears to be his personal enemy. That being is [[Hastur]], ''Lord of the Interstellar Spaces'', who currently resides in the [[Hyades (star cluster)|Hyades]]. Although Derleth did not create Hastur, he did introduce him into the mythos as Cthulhu's half-brother and worst enemy. Various stories feature Hastur's cult assisting those trying to prevent Cthulhu from awakening. Other stories simply mention the rivalry between the two. In Derleth's "The Return of Hastur", first published in March 1939, the two gods even meet face-to-face, albeit briefly. This must be taken with a grain of salt, however, since many authors of Mythos fiction rarely dwell on this assumed rivalry, if they acknowledge it at all. Also, Hastur's domain is limited to a region far beyond Earth ([[Carcosa]]) and rarely impinges on Cthulhu's territory.

==Cthulhu's family tree==
According to Lovecraft and his correspondent [[Clark Ashton Smith]], Cthulhu's parent is the [[wikt:androgynous|androgynous]] deity [[Nug and Yeb|Nagoob]]. Nagoob mated with the [[Outer God]] [[Yog-Sothoth]] to bear Cthulhu on the planet [[Cthulhu mythos celestial bodies#Vhoorl|Vhoorl]]. [[Lin Carter]], in his [[Xothic legend cycle]], mated Cthulhu with the quasi-female entity Idh-yaa to produce four offspring: [[Ghatanothoa]]{{Rn|Ghatanothoa}}, [[Ythogtha]], [[Zoth-Ommog]], and [[Cthylla]]. The English horror writer [[Brian Lumley]] introduced an equally powerful, but questionably benevolent, "brother" to Cthulhu called [[Kthanid]].

===Idh-yaa===
According to the [[Ponape Scripture]], '''Idh-yaa''' is the "wife" of Cthulhu. No description for Idh-yaa is given, but the being is said to dwell on a planet near the [[binary star|double star]] [[Cthulhu mythos celestial bodies#Xoth|Xoth]]. It is here where Cthulhu mated with Idh-yaa to produce their four progenies.

===Star-spawn of Cthulhu===
The '''star-spawn of Cthulhu''' (or ''Cthulhi'') are beings who arrived on Earth with Cthulhu. They resemble Cthulhu and may be his progenies. Like Cthulhu, they can mutate their shapes, but always retain their master's distinctive outline.

After coming to Earth, the star-spawn built a great basalt city called [[R'lyeh]] on an island in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. They warred briefly with the [[Elder Thing|Elder Things]], but thereafter established a treaty. When R'lyeh sank, the star-spawn became trapped beneath the sea with Cthulhu (nonetheless, a few of his spawn may still be free).

(The [[Illithids]]—or Mind Flayers—of the [[role-playing game]] ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' are thought to be based on these creatures.)

==References to Cthulhu==

:''See also: [[References to the Cthulhu mythos]]''

===Literary references===
*The "Lovecraft Circle"

**[[Ramsey Campbell]]'s short story "The Tugging" ([[1976 in literature|1976]]) pays homage to "The Call of Cthulhu", hinting that the appearance of a strange [[planetoid|astronomical body]] in the [[solar system]] heralds the return of the Great Old One himself.

**In [[Brian Lumley]]'s short story "The Fairground Horror" (1976), Cthulhu's priests bear the "Mark of Cthulhu", which looks something like a white [[sea anemone]]—in one priest, this "mark" substituted in place of a hand, while in another it grew from the top of the priest's head, seemingly rooted deep in the brain.

*Other literary references

**A Cthulhu-like entity features in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[Virgin New Adventures|novel]] ''White Darkness'' by [[David A. McIntee]]. A later ''Doctor Who'' novel, ''All-Consuming Fire'' by [[Andy Lane]], states that the entity in question ''was'' Cthulhu, although McIntee stated in internet postings that this was not his original intention ([http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/nightscapes/NS03/ns3rev.htm#drwho which see]).

**Cthulhu is referenced in the book ''El Mas Violento Paraíso'' by [[Costa Rican]] author [[Alexander Obando]].

**The name is used in ''Foucault's Pendulum'' by [[Umberto Eco]], towards the end of Ch. 113
**Cthulhu is the master of William Starling in the book ''Knees Up Mother Earth'' (2004) by [[United Kingdom|British]] author [[Robert Rankin]]. Raised by the Eye of Utu, he sought to unearth the serpent featured in Genesis of the Bible, but was ultimately blown up by a witch's familiar.
**Cthulhu is referred to in [[The Illuminatus! Trilogy]] in a song about sharks sung by Howard, the dolphin, the line in question being '"May storms and typhoons beat them" Howard sang on, "May Great Cthulhu rise and eat them."' - there is also a scene based in the [[Miskatonic University]] of the Cthulhu Mythos.

===Music references===


*French [[black metal]] band [[Arkham (band)|Arkham]] has many songs dealing with topics covered in the mythos, most notably in their album ''[[Chapter III - The Madness From The Sea]]'', which includes a track entitled "The Call Of Cthulhu".
*Self-proclaimed "Britannic [[battle metal]]" band [[Bal-Sagoth]] has a song called "The Dreamer In The Catacombs of Ur" on the ''[[Atlantis Ascendant]]'' [[Album (music)|album]] in which Cthulhu is mentioned.
*British [[progressive]] rock band [[Caravan (band)|Caravan]] has a song "C'thlu Thlu" on their 1973 album ''For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night''.
*There is a reference to Cthulhu by the band [[Clutch (band)|Clutch]] in the song "Circus Maximus": "Cthulu’s red headed step child, quite the precocious babe."
*[[Cradle of Filth]], the [[black metal]] band, wrote a song about Cthulhu, "Cthulhu Dawn" (on the album ''[[Midian (album)|Midian]]'', respectively). In the song, they pronounce it {{IPA|[kəˈθuːluː]}}. On the Nymphetamine (2004) album the band plays a sequel to this song called "Mother of Abominations".
*[[The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets]], a Canadian [[rock band]], makes frequent (and usually tongue-in-cheek) references to Cthulhu and other members of the Lovecraft mythos, going so far as to have albums with names like ''Cthulhuriffomania!'' and ''Cthulhu Strikes Back''. They also produced ''Let Sleeping Gods Lie'', an album made with [[Wizards of the Coast]] to promote the new edition of the ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' [[role-playing game]].
*The Spanish [[progressive metal]] band [[Dark Moor]] released a song called "The Call" in which they mention Cthulhu.
*[[Fields of the Nephilim]], the influential British [[Gothic rock]] band, had several references to Cthulhu in "Last Exit for the Lost" and "Dead but Dreaming" (on the albums ''[[The Nephilim (album)|The Nephilim]]'' and ''[[Elizium (album)|Elizium]]'', respectively).
*[[Gwar]] vocalist [[Oderus Urungus]] has named his enormous, terrifying penis the 'Cuttlefish of Ctulu'.
*[[King Diamond]] sang "Kutulu (The Mad Arab Part Two)" while he was with the band [[Mercyful Fate]].
*The [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Metallica]] wrote two songs about Cthulhu: "The Call of Ktulu" (partially written by former Metallica guitarist [[Dave Mustaine]]), recorded on the [[1984 in music|1984]] album ''[[Ride the Lightning]]'', and "The Thing That Should Not Be", appearing on the [[1986 in music|1986]] album ''[[Master of Puppets]]''. The band's late bassist [[Cliff Burton]] was an avid fan of H. P. Lovecraft.
*The [[death metal]] band [[Morbid Angel]] mentions Cthulhu in the song "Lord Of All Fevers & Plague", which is included on the album ''Altars of Madness''. The band also produced a Lovecraft influenced album entitled ''Blessed Are The Sick'' (songs like "Doomsday Celebration" and "The Ancient Ones" give a hint, and the songs "Fall From Grace" and "Unholy Blasphemies" contain Lovecraftian references). On their album ''Covenant'', [[Shub-Niggurath]] is mentioned in the song "Angel of Disease"—Cthulhu is also mentioned in the final verses of this song, and, as a final nod to the mythos, the last line declares "Ancient ones rule once more."
*The American [[death metal]] band [[Nile (band)|Nile]] refers to Cthulhu or related deities in various songs, with some of their work related to Lovecraftian fiction, including the song "Von [[Unaussprechlichen Kulten]]". Most of the band members, particularly [[Karl Sanders]], admit to being great fans of Lovecraft's work.
*The band [[Rotting Christ]] mentions both Cthulhu and [[Yog-Sothoth]] in the album ''[[Non Serviam]]'', and [[R'lyeh]] in the song "Which Eternal Lie" from the album ''[[Necrotical]]''.
*A group called [[Talisdream]] produced a 70-minute CD called ''[[Mythos - H.P.Lovecraft's Cthulhu Nightmares]]'' in [[2003 in music|2003]]. This was planned as the first part of a musical trilogy, in a style similar to that of ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]''. In early 2004, the website registration expired, and [http://web.archive.org/web/20021001131435/http://talisdream.com/mythos_album.htm few traces] of the group or its plans remain. Some copies of the CD, sold only online via [[PayPal]], are still in circulation.
*There was a [[black metal]] parody band called [http://www.crazeone.com/rock.html Teen Cthulhu] from Washington that has since broken up.
*The [[symphonic metal]] band [[Therion (band)|Therion]] released a song named "Ctulhu" on their second studio album ''[[Beyond Sanctorum]]'' ([[1992 in music|1992]]). This was arguably their final pure [[death metal]] release before their style began to evolve into its present form (although two of the songs, "Symphony Of The Dead" and "Paths" utilize a pair of classical vocalists). There is also a demo version of "Ctulhu" on the [[2000 in music|2000]] re-release of this album.
*[[Samael]], a [[Black Metal]] band from Switzerland, had an instrumental track named "Rite of Cthulhu" on their album "Worship Him".
*Electronic music is not at rest, with a Belgian DJ going by the name Cthulhu.


* There are many [[filk]] songs about Cthulhu in which the name is pronounced {{IPA|[kəˈθuːluː]}}.

===Role-playing games===
*''[[Call of Cthulhu (RPG)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' is the title of a popular [[role-playing game]] based on the Cthulhu mythos.
*The Cthulhu myths were introduced in the role-playing game ''[[Dungeons and Dragons]]'' in the first edition of the [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] book ''Deities and Demigods'' (in 1980) further editions were released without the Cthulhu myths due to copyright issues. In 2002, an edition of ''Call of Cthulhu'' was released under the [[d20]] license, an open source rule system compatible with ''Dungeons and Dragons'' (ISBN 0786926392).
*The ''Horrors of the Z'Bri'' sourcebook (ISBN 1896776574) for the ''[[Tribe 8 (RPG)|Tribe 8]]'' game briefly mentions ''Tct'lu the Ancient'' who is "slumbering beneath the water, [his] dreams winding into the thoughts of Skkr." The author has confirmed this as a reference to Cthulhu.
*Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay features the Ruinous Powers, gods of Chaos that are reminiscent of Cthulhu and his associates. WFRP has been described as tricking you into thinking it's D&D, and then turning out to be Call of Cthulhu.

===Video games===


*The 3DO console game ''Alone In The Dark'' features a hidden book in the library predicting the coming of Cthulhu. After reading the book, the main character is seen contorted and twisted disturbingly.
*''[[Call of Cthulhu - Dark Corners of the Earth]]'' is a [[Computer and video games|computer game]] by [[Headfirst Productions]] and [[Bethesda Softworks]], the makers of the highly praised ''[[The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind|Morrowind]]''. The game is based on the pen-and-paper role-playing game.
*Cthulhu, or a very similar monster, appears in the ''[[Castlevania]]'' video game series, most notably in ''[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]]'' and ''[[Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow]]''. Since [[Konami]]'s rendition of the monster is remarkably similar to Lovecraft's design, it was renamed "Malachi" in the English language versions to avoid copyright infringement. However, its name remains "Cthulhu" in the Japanese versions.
*''[[Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem]]'' is a [[psychological thriller]]/[[survival horror]] [[video game]] exclusively for the [[Nintendo GameCube]], largely inspired by (but not directly adapting) the works of [[H. P. Lovecraft]]. Many images and creatures apparently inspired by Cthulhu appear in later levels, particularly in wall-etchings in an ancient tomb visited repeatedly throughout the game. This creature is not referred to by name and resembles a creature of the Cthulhu Mythos known as Azathoth.
*The entire ''[[Megami Tensei]]'' series and its offshoots, most notably ''[[Persona 2]]'', draw heavily on Cthulhu and other Lovecraftian creatures for their enemy designs.
*''[[Pathways Into Darkness]]'', an early FPS/RPG hybrid by [[Bungie Software]] for the [[Macintosh]], challenges the player to prevent a dreaming god of chaos from awakening.
*The ''[[Marathon (computer game)|Marathon]]'' series of games, also by Bungie, makes numerous references to the Cthulhu mythos.
*''[[Prisoner of Ice]]'' and ''[[Shadow of the Comet]]'' are PC adventure games in the ''Call of Cthulhu'' game series that center around the Cthulhu mythos.
*The PC game ''[[Quake]]'' uses many Cthulhu-related names for monsters and levels, e.g. [[Shub-Niggurath]] as the final level [[Boss (video games)|boss]].
*In the PC game ''[[Thief]]'', Cthulhu is depicted as a giant statue wearing a white robe. This image appears in the level "The Lost City" which is set in a long forgotten ruin buried deep underground.
*''[[X-COM: Terror from the Deep]]'' has a main adversary with a very similar appearance and origin to Cthulhu. Also, there is a race of aliens named [[Deep Ones]].
*In the PC [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Xbox]] game ''[[Max Payne]]'', Cthulhu is one of an assortment of demons and dark gods invoked in a rant by an insane level boss (Jack Lupino).
*The [[PlayStation 2]] game ''[[Shadow Hearts]]'' is inspired by the Cthulhu mythos, using such notables as Cthulhu and [[Nyarlathotep]] for monster designs.
*The PC game ''[[Pray for Death]]'' by LightShock Software is a beat 'em up which features Cthulhu as one of the playable characters.

===Television===
*In the ''[[Digimon]]'' [[television series]], a Digimon resembling Cthulhu ([[Dragomon]]) is seen at the end of the episode "His Master Voice".
*Cthulhu and his cult (along with other mythos references) appear in an episode of the ''[[Real Ghostbusters]]'' [[animated series]] entitled "The Collect Call of Cthulhu".
*In ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]'' animated series, episode number 52, "The Prank Call of Cthulu", features a phone of Cthulu which Grim says is the most dangerous phone in the universe, and which Billy hopes to use to avoid being identified by [[caller ID]]. Cthulu then enlists Billy and Irwin into a prank calling business, turning the people of Endsville into squid-like horrors. In the episode, Cthulhu appears more [[wikt:anthropomorphic|anthropomorphic]] than usual, with scrawny legs and purple skin.
*In an episode of the ''[[Justice League]]'' animated series entitled "The Terror Beyond", [[Superman]], [[Wonder Woman]], and [[Hawkgirl]] join forces with [[Dr. Fate]], [[Aquaman]], and [[Solomon Grundy]] to stop an invasion by strange, alien creatures. Their leader turns out to be a Cthulhu-like being named [[Ichthultu]], and it is revealed that Hawkgirl's people (the [[Thanagarian]]s) used to worship him centuries ago.
*In an episode of the [[Freakazoid!]] animated series entitled "Statuesque," Waylan Jeepers creates a Medusa Watch that turns Freakazoid's girlfriend, Steff, into a statue, then summons a Cthulu-like creature named Vorn the Unspeakable to aid him in his dastardly plans. Vorn is more anthropomorphic than his Lovecraftian originator, and he exhibits a personality not unlike the average person. He and Jeepers get into several arguments, in which Jeepers calls him squid-face and Vorn ridicules Jeepers' first attempt at a magical watch: one that turned beavers into gold.
*The character of [[Illyria]] from [[Joss Whedon]]'s television show [[Angel (TV series)]] has many parallels to Cthulhu. She was one of the Old Ones; she still has worshipers who wait for her to return; she is beyond good and evil, and humanity is mostly irrelevant to her.

===Film and Other Media===
*The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society has produced an independent black-and-white silent film titled "The Call of Cthulhu", based closely on Lovecraft's original story. More about the film through [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478988/ IMDB] or the HPLHS [http://www.cthulhulives.org/cocmovie/index.html website].

*Arkham NW Productions, a Seattle based production company is producing a feature horror film titled "Cthulhu" loosely based on the short story "Shadow Over Innsmouth". The film stars Jason Cottle, Scott Green, Cara Bouno and Tori Spelling and is scheduled to be released in 2006. More on the movie through [http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0478126/ imdb].

*Cthulhu is a recurring character in the [[webcomic]]s ''[[Penny Arcade (comic)|Penny Arcade]]'', ''[[Ghastly's Ghastly Comic]]'', ''[[User Friendly]]'', ''[[Irregular Webcomic!]]'', ''[[Nothing Nice to Say]]'', ''[[Mac Hall]]'' and ''[[Exploitation Now]]''. Cthulhu also appears as a recurring character in writer and artist Matt Howarth's ''Those Annoying Post Bros'' and ''Savage Henry'' comic books (using the spelling "C'Thulu") as a member of a fictional [[electronic music]] band, [[The Bulldaggers]].
*Cthulhu [[plushies]] (stuffed animals) are available from a number of vendors.
*[[Davy Jones' Locker|Davey Jones]], the villain in the film ''[[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest]]'', looks to be based on Cthulhu, having the face of a squid.

*In [[Joss Whedon]]'s movie [[Serenity]], an animated, stylized octopus makes an appearance in a Fruity Oaty Bar commercial, emerging from an animated woman's cleavage. Some feel that this looks like Cthulhu.

*The movie [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101550/ Cast a Deadly Spell] is a 1991 film based in a 1940s Cthulhuvian universe. The main actor plays a detective named H. Phillip Lovecraft, who is hired to find an ancient book (the [[Necronomicon]]). It has a rather impressive Cthulhu that gets summoned at the end of it.

==Parodies of Cthulhu==
Cthulhu has become an [[icon]] symbolizing [[evil]] in [[parody|humorous writing]] and [[webcomic]]s. If a character resembles Cthulhu, it is a safe bet that the character is evil.

*In Shivian Montar Bolaris's webcomic "[http://ohmygods.timerift.net/strips/2002/03/07.php Oh My Gods]" Cthulhu makes a few guest appearances.
*In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' novels, the ichor god [[Bel-Shamharoth]] is a parody of Cthulhu, complete with cult following and veneration of the number Eight.
*On the [[User Friendly]]-Website, there are a few plot-lines involving Cthulhu and/or other Great Old Ones.
*In the Mark Rogers fantasy/parody series ''[[Samurai Cat]]'', the hero faces "Great K'chu", and later his vengeful brother Bl'syu.
*In the comic ''[[Nothing Nice to Say]]'', Cthulhu is apparently discovered slumbering in the closet of the main characters. He is eventually transformed into a kitten.
*In the webcomic ''[http://www.dndorks.com DnDorks]'', one of the characters summons Cthulhu, who appears about 3 inches tall in the DM's bathroom.
*Cthulhu is one of the main characters of Blagaria and its sequel ''[http://C.Blagu.com Coffee Shop Cthulhuca]''.
*[[David_Morgan-Mar]]'s ''[[Irregular Webcomic!]]'' has Cthulhu making several appearances in the "Steve and Terry" storyline.
*In [[Michael Poe]]'s webcomic ''[http://www.exploitationnow.com Exploitation Now]'', Cthulhu appears out of an uncleaned toilet that someone had dumped bad seafood into.
*In the webcomic ''[http://www.giantitp.com/ Order Of The Stick]'', a variant of the god Banjo (a hand puppet) is Banjthulu (a Cthulhu hand puppet).
*In the sci-fi [[webcomic]] ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' by [[Howard Tayler]], Cthulhu has joined the Rook, Knight, and Bishop as one of the pieces in [[chess]]. It is unclear what the rules for this piece are.
*Cthulhu was a [[fictional character|fictional]] presidential candidate in the [[U.S. presidential election, 2004|US's 2004 presidential election]]. The [[Political campaign|campaign]] poked fun at the [[wikt:mediocrity|mediocrity]] of the forerunners in that election, exemplified by the catchphrase: "Cthulhu for President 2004 – Don't Settle for the Lesser Evil!", which was featured on a variety of [[merchandise]].
*There was an online parody of a [[Jack Chick]] tract, [http://www.howardhallis.com/bis/cthulhuchick/ "Who Will Be Eaten First?"], which featured a message about Cthulhu instead of Christ. It was removed after Chick's lawyers sent a letter to the author. An off-site copy can be viewed [http://bellend.strtok.net/~tyler/cthulhu/ here]. 
*In the webcomic ''[[College Roomies from Hell!!!]]'', Cthulhu appears in an early storyline.
*In the webcomic ''[[Penny Arcade]]'', Cthulhu appears in a Christmas-themed series titled ''[http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2004-12-16&res=l The Last Christmas]'' that chronicles the end of the world.
*The CDs of [http://www.cthulhulives.org The HP Lovecraft Historical Society] feature a Lovecraftian [[Broadway musical]] entitled ''[http://www.cthulhulives.org/shoggoth/ A Shoggoth on the Roof]'' and a collection of mythos holiday tunes called ''[http://www.cthulhulives.org/solstice/ A Very Scary Solstice]''.
*The bone-collectors of ''[[The Hickory Staff]]'' are described as being Cthulhu-like.
*In the online RPG [[Runescape]], a variant of the Karambawan (a commonly eaten octopus) is the Karamthulhu (an evil, sinister octopus).
*In the webcomic ''[[Something Positive]]'' the main characters produce a [[public access TV show]] called ''My Neighbor Cthulhu''. Several references to Cthulhu also appear throughout the comic.
*In the Munchkin card game expansion pack ''[[Star Munchkin]]'', one card features "The Great Cthulhu" as a monster.
*Cthulhu often appears in the webcomic ''[[Machall]]'' as a character or just a symbol (on clothing).
*On [[DeviantART]], if you go to the prose section of the submission area, chose fiction, and then click the select bubble next to "occult" the category description at the bottom will read "The occult spans everything from witches and runes to UFOs and ESP. Writings that bear the characteristic quality of Cthulu belong here."
*Cthulhu is the main character of the webcomic ''[http://www.hello-cthulhu.com/ Hello Cthulhu]'', a parody that throws the mythos into the Hello Kitty universe.
*Cthulhu has several small cameos in the Final Fantasy VII fanfiction titled "Writing of Wrongs". He can be found running the elevator in Wutai, and his presence causes several characters to go temporarily insane.

==References==
*{{Web reference | author=Akeley, Henry (a pseudonym?) | title=Cthul--Who?: How Do You Pronounce 'Cthulhu'? | work=Crypt of Cthulhu | url=http://www.clare.ltd.new.net/cryptofcthulhu/cthulwho.htm | date=September 8 | year=2005 }}
*{{Web reference | author=Angell, George Gammell (a pseudonym?) | title=Cthulhu Elsewhere in Lovecraft | work=Crypt of Cthulhu | url=http://www.clare.ltd.new.net/cryptofcthulhu/cthulhuelsewhere.htm | date=October 29 | year=2005 }}
*Burleson, Donald R. ''H.P. Lovecraft, A Critical Study'', Westport, CT / London, England: Greenwood Press, 1983. ISBN 0-313-23255-5.
*Harms, Daniel. "Cthulhu" in ''The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana'' (2nd ed.), pp.64–7. Chaosium, Inc., 1998. ISBN 1-56882-119-0.
:—"Idh-yaa", pp.148. Ibid.
:—"Star-spawn of Cthulhu", 283–4. Ibid.
*Joshi, S.T. and David E. Schultz. ''An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia'', Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001. ISBN 0-313-31578-7.
*Lovecraft, Howard P. ''Selected Letters II'', Sauk City, WI: Arkham House, 1968. ISBN 0-870-54029-7.
*Pearsall, Anthony B. ''The Lovecraft Lexicon'' (1st ed.), Tempe, AZ: New Falcon Pub., 2005. ISBN 1-561-84129-3.

===Notes===
#{{Note|Akeley-a}}Akeley, "Cthul--Who?: How Do You Pronounce 'Cthulhu'?".

#{{Note|Pearsall-129}}Lovecraft suggested that "the first syllable [of ''Khlul'-hloo'' is] pronounced gutturally and very thickly. The ''u'' is about like that in ''full''; and the first syllable is not unlike ''klul'' in sound, hence the ''h'' represents the gutteral thickness." (Pearsall, "CTHULHU", ''The Lovecraft Lexicon'', pp. 301.)

#{{Note|Note-a}}Although commonly referred to as "he", Cthulhu's gender is never defined and is probably an absurd definition to give to "outre" creatures such as the Great Old Ones. However, there is the impression that another being in the mythos, [[Shub-Niggurath]], an [[Outer God]], has distinct female qualities due to her presumed [[wikt:fecundity|fecundity]].

#{{Note|Burleson-8}}Derleth was probably inspired by Lovecraft's seminal tale to call his mythology the "Cthulhu mythos"; though Lovecraft himself (had he heard it) would likely never have approved. (Burleson, ''H.P. Lovecraft, A Critical Study'', pp. 8.)

#{{Note|Angell-a}}Angell, "Cthulhu Elsewhere in Lovecraft".

#{{Note|Sumerian-theory}}It is sometimes claimed that Cthulhu corresponds to a monster or god in [[Sumerian mythology]] named "Kutulu" (or sometimes "Cuthalu"). This is not true. "Kutulu" comes from [[Simon's Necronomicon]], which is a fiction based loosely on Sumerian mythology and other things.

#{{Note|Joshi-51}}S.T. Joshi & David E. Schultz, ''An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia'', pp. 51.
#{{Note|Lovecraft-150}}H.P. Lovecraft, ''Selected Letters II'', pp. 150.

#{{Note|Ghatanothoa}}Ghatanothoa first appeared in Hazel Heald's short story "Out of the Aeons"—a story [[wikt:ghostwrite|ghostwritten]] by Lovecraft (''[http://www.clare.ltd.new.net/cryptofcthulhu/newclues.htm q.v.]''). Carter later included the deity in his Xothic legend cycle, which connected Ghatanothoa to Cthulhu, though no such relation appears in the original Heald story. It is also worth noting that the mythos links Ghatanothoa to the energy beings known as the [[Lloigor (Cthulhu mythos race)|Lloigor]].

==External links==
*[http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft]
*[http://lovecraft.cjb.net The Ultimate Cthulhu Mythos Book List], a listing of all the mythos novels, anthologies, collections, comic books, and more
*[http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~damerell/CUWoCS/CUWoCS.html CUWoCS], the [[Cambridge University]] Worshippers of Cthulhu Society
*[http://www.macguff.fr/goomi/unspeakable/home.html ''Unspeakable Vault of Doom''], a [[webcomic]] devoted entirely to the [[:Category:Great Old Ones|Great Old Ones]]
*[http://www.mossroot.com/cthulhuwiki/index.php/Main_Page Cthulhu Wiki]
===The lighter side of Cthulhu===
*[http://www.cthulhuforpresident.com/ Cthulhu for President 2004]
*Flash animations that parody the proliferation of Cthulhu merchandise:
**[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/81337 Cutethulhu], a parody about the proliferation of Cthulhu [[Plush toy|plushies]]
** [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/147618 Cutethulhu valentine]
*[http://www.hello-cthulhu.com/ The Misadventures of Hello-Cthulhu], a [[web comic]] that features Cthulhu trapped in the world of [[Hello Kitty]].
*[http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/pokethulhu.htm The Pokéthulhu (rpg) Adventure Game], You're 10 years old. You're our last hope. Armed with a Shining Dodecahedron and the elder incantations to make it work, you capture the monsters and train them to use their power!
*[http://www.logicalcreativity.com/jon/plush/01.html Tales of Plush Cthulhu]
*[http://www.whitetreeaz.com/plastic_jesus/ 'Plastic Jesus' song about Cthulhu.]

===On-line short stories===
*[http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm "A Colder War"], a [[short story]] by [[Charles Stross]] about the [[Cold War]] in which the superpowers collected more than [[nuclear weapon]]s.
*[http://www.tomsmithonline.com/comedy/thing_in_the_crib.htm "Cthulhu Cthild Cthare"], a short story by [[Tom Smith (filker)|Tom Smith]] in Lovecraftian style
*[http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/essay07.asp "I CTHULHU"], a short story by [[Neil Gaiman]] about Cthulhu's personal anxieties
*[http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/StudyinEmerald.asp "A Study in Emerald"], a short story by Neil Gaiman infusing the Cthulhu mythos into a [[Sherlock Holmes]] [[Detective fiction|mystery]]

Original Wiki source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]

[[Category:Great Old Ones]]

Call of Cthulhu CCG

2006-03-22T16:58:44Z

Vanghar:

The '''Call of Cthulhu''' is a [[collectible card game]] marketed by Fantasy Flight Games. It is based on the fiction of the [[Cthulhu Mythos]], primarily the writings of [[H. P. Lovecraft]] and [[Chaosium|Chaosium's]] [[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]] role-playing game of the same name.

==Overview==
In 2004, Chaosium licensed Fantasy Flight Games to produce the official ''Call Of Cthulhu Collectible Card Game''. It was designed by Eric M. Lang as a more accessible introduction to gaming in the Mythos environment and to provide a fast and lively interplay with the usual elements of the mythos (e.g. arcane tomes and secrets, paranormal investigations, the elder gods and their terrible servants, dark sinister plots, inhuman conspiracies, and dangers from beyond the stars). The game is roughly set in the 1920s.

==The game==
Players attach resources (taken from the cards in their hand) onto ''domains'' (similar to the lands of [[Magic: The Gathering]]), later draining them to play various cards. Both players compete to complete "stories" in order to win ''success tokens''. Five success tokens wins a story; three stories wins the game. Also, the first player to run out of cards to draw loses the game, making "deck destruction" another potentially effective strategy.

===The Cards===
Three types of card exist in Call of Cthulhu: Character cards, Event cards, and Support cards. All cards have a cost and belong to a faction (described below). Various cards have subtypes (such as ''investigator'', ''tome'', or ''location'').
*'''Character''' cards are a player's agents, used to attempt to complete stories. They possess a "skill" rating (used to succeed at stories) and may also have ''icons'', which indicate the card's abilities during the "icon struggle" phase of play.
*'''Event''' cards have one-time effects, and do not remain in play.
*'''Support''' cards have persistant effects, incurring lasting benefits or hinderances.

===The Factions===
There are seven '''factions''' in Call of Cthulhu, as well as "neutral" cards that are not part of any faction. A card may only be played if a domain with that faction attached is drained (neutral cards can be paid for using any faction).
*'''The Agency''': This "human" faction is comprised of the Blackwood Detective Agency, law enforcement agencies, and others involved in criminal justice. Its symbol is a badge, and its color is blue.
*'''Miskatonic University''': This "human" faction represents the academic prowess of Lovecraft's fictional [[Miskatonic University]], as well as other academic groups. Its symbol is a scroll, and its color is orange.
*'''The Syndicate''': This "human" faction represents the underworld element of human society, including mobsters, killers, and journalists. Its symbol is a dollar sign in a triangle, and its color is black.
*'''Cthulhu''': This "cult" faction includes [[Cthulhu]] himself, as well as his associated cultists and monsters. Its symbol is a squid, and its color is green.
*'''Hastur''': This "cult" faction centers on [[Hastur]], especially his [[King in Yellow]] aspect, as well as his worshippers and minions. Its symbol is the [[Yellow Sign]], and its color is yellow.
*'''Yog-Sothoth''': This "cult" faction centers on [[Yog-Sothoth]], and the scholars who worship it, as well as various trans-dimensional beings. Its symbol is a key, and its color is purple.
*'''Shub-Niggurath''': This "cult" faction centers on [[Shub-Niggurath]] and the many, many monsters she is responsible for creating. Its symbol is a goat's head, and its color is red.

==Availability==
The cards are available in [[Starter pack|Starter Pack]]s and [[Booster pack|Booster]]s.

So far, only the Arkham Edition and Eldritch Edition provides [[Starter pack|Starter Pack]]s. An Arkham Edition Premium Starter Set is also available, with an Eldritch Edition Premium Starter Set due for release in 2006.

5 booster series are available:
*Arkham Edition (1st base set)
*Unspeakable Tales (1st expansion)
*Forbidden Relics (2nd expansion)
*Eldritch Edition (2nd base set)
*Masks of Nyarlathotep (3rd expansion - see below for more a set description)

Each booster pack contains 11 cards (including 3 'uncommon' and 1 'rare').

===Release Information===
In October 2005, Fantasy Flight Games released the expansion to the Eldritch Edition of the ''Call of Cthulhu Collectible Card Game'', The Masks of Nyarlathotep. This is a is a brand new extension featuring over 140 new cards, and expanding the new gaming rules and mechanics introduced in the Eldritch Edition. The extension will also introduce the Ancient One, Nyarlathotep, himself.

==See also==
[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)]]

[[Cthulhu mythos]]

==External links==
Official Page: [http://www.cthulhuccg.com cthulhuccg.com]