Elements of the Cthulhu Mythos 1 Elements of the Cthulhu Mythos The following tables and lists feature elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, that are often shared between works within that fictional setting. The Cthulhu Mythos was originally created by writer H. P. Lovecraft in his horror short stories, although the term itself was coined later by August Derleth. Many writers, both during Lovecraft's lifetime and after, have added stories and elements to the Mythos. There is no central co-ordination of these stories nor any oversight of the Cthulhu Mythos in general. Becoming part of the Mythos can be based on personal opinion and inclusion of these elements. Overview Tables appearing under these entries are organized as follows: • Name. This is the commonly accepted name of the being or mythos element. • Epithet(s), Other name(s). This field lists any epithets or alternate names. These are names sometimes mentioned in books of arcane literature, but may also be the names preferred by cults. • Description. This entry briefly summarizes the being or mythos element. • References. This field lists the sources in which the being or mythos element makes a significant appearance or otherwise receives important mention. A simple two-letter code is used—the key to the codes is found here. If a code appears in bold, this means that the reference introduces the being or mythos element. Beings Great Old Ones (includes a table listing all the Great Old Ones in the mythos) The Great Old Ones are powerful, ancient creatures worshipped by deranged human cults. Many of them are made of an unearthly material with properties unlike normal matter. A Great Old One's influence is often limited to the planet where it dwells. If it is based on a planet outside the solar system, it can only extend its influence to Earth when the star of its planetary system is in the night sky. In such cases, the help of cultists performing various rituals may be required. Outer Gods (includes a table listing all the Outer Gods in the mythos) The Outer Gods have unlimited influence, unlike the Great Old Ones, and function on a cosmic scale.[1] They include a subgroup known as the Lesser Outer Gods, or Other Gods. Elder Gods (includes a table listing all the Elder Gods in the mythos) The Elder Gods oppose the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones. Many consider them to be non-Lovecraftian, because they introduce a good versus evil dichotomy into the cosmic indifference of Lovecraft's fiction.[2] However, others argue that these beings have no more concern for human notions of morality than the beings they oppose, and that humanity and the human world are beneath their regard.[3] Elements of the Cthulhu Mythos 2 Great Ones The Great Ones are the so-called "gods" of the Dreamlands, but they are not as powerful as the Great Old Ones and are not even as intelligent as most humans. However, they are protected by the Outer Gods, especially Nyarlathotep.[4] Other supernatural beings Supernatural beings Name Epithet(s), Description References Other name(s) Armandra — Daughter of the Great Old One Ithaqua. She resembles beautiful redhead woman SW with webbed feet, whose membranes were cut down by surgeon so now they look human but with square, nail-less toes. She is a powerful sorceress and greatest acolyte of Ithaqua. Beast of Averoigne — A seemingly supernatural being which is recorded as having descended upon the BA French principality of Averoigne, particularly Vyones and Ximes, from an ominous red comet which appeared in the sky in 1369. It has no true body of its own, but needs to take possession of the body of another to feed, transfiguring and horribly reshaping the host's body. Resulting form is that of a pitch-black semi-humanoid figure, surrounded by a hellish nimbus of changing, fiery light, dimly revealing its shape. The limbs sway and writhe like boneless serpents, and grow sharp, hard claws. The neck similarly extends to a serpentine length and flexibility, whereas the head turns flat and reptilian, earless and noseless. Bgnghaa-Ythu-Yaddith — A gigantic Dhole worm tortured by the Denizens of Yaddith in the Shrine of Nug S4, ES4 in the Temple of Infra-Red Vapour on the Doomed Nebula Zlykariob (or Zlykrarlor, according to transcriptions). Broodlings of Eihort Gestalt Servants of the The Broodlings of Eihort are gestalt beings made up of millions of the tiny white BS, rpg God of the Labyrinth spidery brood of the Great Old One Eihort. A broodling looks like a deathly pale, totally hairless human. Brown Jenkin — A mysterious rat-like creature with a human-like face. The being was said to be DW, PY the familiar of Keziah Mason. Probably a Rat Thing - see below. Desh (Lesser and — Desh is the name given by Hyperboreans to those creatures living in a near but rpg Greater) alternate dimension. Existing in many different forms, these creatures float through the invisible spaces around us, as unaware of our presence as we are of theirs. Although the varieties of Desh may be unlimited, only two forms are described (Lesser and Greater). Although of solid matter, they are semi-transparent, continually fading in and out of view. Domaag T’eel Servitor of the Great An alien mass made of pseudopods dwelling in the Moon and able to alter its BM2, ET2 Old Ones orbital motion. Droom-Avista The Jester True form not described, but likely a great demon to be invoked as a genie JD The Dunwich Horror Son of Yog-Sothoth, An invisible egg-shaped monster of a gelatinous consistence, covered in tentacled DH, LC Bugg-Shaggog suckers and "feet like hogsheads", with a mostly human face. Father Dagon and — Both appear as abnormally large Deep Ones. DA, DB, Mother Hydra RD, SI Fthaggua Lord of Ktynga Appears as a bluish ball of energy. Fthaggua is the lord and leader of the fire FV, HG vampires, and dwells with them and their god Cthugha on or near the star Fomalhaut. Elements of the Cthulhu Mythos 3 Fishers from Outside — The Fishers from Outside are much more avian in appearance than shantaks, FO though having one leg and a glaring Cyclopean eye and hideous, hooked, fang-lined beak. They are the servitors of the obscure Great Old One Groth-Golka, acting as proxies for their sire by accepting human sacrifices and worship by cultists. Fishers brood in caverns on the Moon and are also sometimes connected with worship of the lunar Great Old One Mnomquah. Their sire is the hideous Quumyagga. Fosterlings of the Old — The Fosterlings of the Old Ones are the mutant offspring of matings with human FC Ones females and Outer Gods or Great Old Ones. Through a special ritual the Outer God or Great Old One sends a dream which reaches into the womb of a pregnant woman, altering the genetic structure of the unborn fetus. Born, the child spends many years as a normal human until one day it transforms into something more closely resembling its alien parent. The Four Horsemen of — These characters feature in the comics series Fall of Cthulhu as servitors of — [5] Nyarlathotep Nyarlathotep and should thus be regarded as Million Favoured Ones. They are in order: Sysyphyx (The Scourge of Atlantis; she is a multi-eyed shape-shifting worm, but she may also appear as a fat, cyanotic red-headed fat woman); Gr'nuk of Volkunast (a ravenous winged demon), The Masked Mute (She appears as a young girl with innumerable masks to display her mood, since her true face has to be of indescribable horror) and Gith (Father of Pestilence,Champion of Damnation; he appears as a banded man with blue flames in place of the eyes). Fungus Vile — A kind of parasitic life form, neither really plant nor animal in nature, able to rpg infect any organism it comes into contact with. It is suspected that this material originated on cold Yuggoth and subsequently spread through the cosmos with the mi-go. Gnoph-Keh — Appears as huge gnophkeh — possibly an avatar of Rhan-Tegoth or an HM independent entity. The High Priest Not to — Humanoid wearing a silken mask. CE, DQ Be Described Knygathin Zhaum — Appears as a hairless, quasi-humanoid Voormi; Final form of no discernible PN, TM species. K'thun (female) — Abhorrent, malodorous beings whose mating spawned the Hounds of Tindalos. HM, MT and Noth-Yidik (male) The Lurker in the Star — One of the Million Favored Ones of Nyarlathotep, possibly one of the Outer AP Pool God’s offspring. For aeons it has dwelled in the Star Pools, and today is in the servitude of the Floating Horror cult. Highly mobile, the Star Pool Lurker has large membranous wings for flying and webbed appendages for swimming or walking on land. The creature's full appearance is confusing to behold as it appears to be a mass of multiple independent wriggling and squirming monstrosities. Magnum Great According to H. P. Lovecraft, this being is the spawn of Azathoth (making it on DR5, rpg [6] Innominandum Not-to-Be-Named, The par with the Magnum Tenebrosum and Cxaxukluth) and is associated with, and [7] Nameless Mist, possibly the progenitor of, Yog-Sothoth. Little is known about this god, but it N'yog-Sothep, Milk of is considered to be extremely dangerous to sorcerers, hence its title "the the Void unnameable" (archaic terminology, meaning not to be summoned or ritually named in an incantation. Million Favored Ones — Beings said to be Nyarlathotep's spawn. MF, WD Mlandoth and Mril The Source, Unknown.