Didymus Whateley

Didymus Whateley

Origin: "The Tree-House" by Robert M. Price based on ideas by Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire

In the Mythos

In "The Tree-House", the Whateley "twins" from "The Dunwich Horror (fiction)" were actually triplets, Wilbur and his brother having a third sibling named Didymus, with Lavinia's disappearance actually caused by her being spirited away by Didymus, with Lavinia and Didymus living together in a treehouse (the "tree" itself being a Shoggoth or a Dark Young, depending on your interpretation). Didymus is essentially stuck looking somewhat childlike in appearance and proportion, but still human-looking, and has been continuing the work of his branch of the Whateley clan ever since.

Trivia

• Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire seems to have destroyed the original version of "The Treehouse" many years ago, and believed the majority of the published story and its ideas/imagery are entirely Robert M. Price's, with only a character named John Whateley and the Treehouse being original to WHP; the published version of "The Tree-House" reportedly seems to be about 50-50 split between WHP and RMP: the start is mainly WHP with revisions and additions by RMP and the ending is almost entirely RMP with WHP's original ending being replaced with a completely different one. The character of Didymus Whateley was created by RMP and does NOT appear in WHP's original version; that story instead features familiar Sesquan character Nelson the child of Sesqua who appears in a number of WHP's early Sesqua Valley tales.

Associated Mythos Elements

• cults and characters:
  • [[Whateley (family)
  • Lavinia Whateley (mother)
• races:
  • Dark Young (serves as a "tree-house" for the character)

References

• YSDC discussion:
  • "Why no love for Didymus Whateley?"
  • "Whateley Family Genealogy
• fiction:
  • "Tree-House" by Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, original version published in Cyaegha #19
  • "Tree-House" by Robert M. Price and Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire
  • "A Psalm for Didymus Whateley" by Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire