Cthulhu Mythos supernatural characters
Encyclopedia
A number of supernatural characters appear in the Cthulhu Mythos
. While many of these beings have godlike qualities, they do not fit the standard categories (that is, Outer God or Great Old One). Nonetheless, they are noteworthy for their infrequent or sometimes singular appearances in the mythos.
. It is also known as the Nameless Mist and N'yog-Sothep.
According to H. P. Lovecraft
, this being is the spawn of Azathoth
(making it on par with the Magnum Tenebrosum and Cxaxukluth) and is associated with, and possibly the progenitor of, Yog-Sothoth
. It is also associated with Hastur
. Little is known about this god, but it is considered to be extremely dangerous to sorcerers, hence its title "the unnameable" (archaic terminology, meaning not to be summoned or ritually named in an incantation).
. According to the cycle surrounding these beings, they are a sort of cosmic Yin and yang
, whose meeting resulted in the creation of all things (although the terrible Azathoth
is usually attributed to this). Their joinings routinely create and destroy matter and entities. One of the beings created in this way was the inimical Outer God Ngyr-Khorath.
—a "seething and sub-dimensional chaos" beyond the mundane universe. The wizard Eibon of Hyperborea
sometimes summoned Pharol to query him for arcane information.
at the center of the universe. The Servitors play the insane flute tunes and drum beats to which the Outer Gods dance. Though they have no fixed shape, they are described as looking something like a toad
and an octopus
. These extradimensional beings can be summoned to Earth to assist in worship and other occult ceremonies of cultists of the mythos.
in the 1975
short story of the same name.
Xiurhn's soul is contained in a large, tempting jewel. Those unscrupulous enough to steal it suffer the fate of having their own souls placed into jewels. Xiurhn then carves off those parts to his own liking, transforming them into archetypes of what is left over.
Xiurhn's is portrayed as a winged, slothlike fiend with a hideous, pulpy face. Xiurhn serves the Outer God known as the Magnum Tenebrosum and dwells in the Vale Which Is the Night in the Dreamlands.
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
. While many of these beings have godlike qualities, they do not fit the standard categories (that is, Outer God or Great Old One). Nonetheless, they are noteworthy for their infrequent or sometimes singular appearances in the mythos.
Magnum Innominandum
Magnum Innominandum means "Great Not-to-Be-Named" in LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. It is also known as the Nameless Mist and N'yog-Sothep.
According to H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, this being is the spawn of Azathoth
Azathoth
Azathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. Its epithets include Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan and the Blind Idiot God.-Inspiration:...
(making it on par with the Magnum Tenebrosum and Cxaxukluth) and is associated with, and possibly the progenitor of, Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity of the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward...
. It is also associated with Hastur
Hastur
Hastur is a fictional entity of the Cthulhu Mythos. Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" as a benign god of shepherds. Robert W...
. Little is known about this god, but it is considered to be extremely dangerous to sorcerers, hence its title "the unnameable" (archaic terminology, meaning not to be summoned or ritually named in an incantation).
Mlandoth and Mril Thorion
Mlandoth and Mril Thorion were created by Walter C. DeBill Jr., but were suggested years earlier by Clark Ashton SmithClark Ashton Smith
Clark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
. According to the cycle surrounding these beings, they are a sort of cosmic Yin and yang
Yin and yang
In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only...
, whose meeting resulted in the creation of all things (although the terrible Azathoth
Azathoth
Azathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. Its epithets include Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan and the Blind Idiot God.-Inspiration:...
is usually attributed to this). Their joinings routinely create and destroy matter and entities. One of the beings created in this way was the inimical Outer God Ngyr-Khorath.
Pharol
Pharol is a powerful and dangerous demon that looks like "a black, fanged, cycloptic thing with arms like swaying serpents." The entity normally dwells in another dimensionDimension
In physics and mathematics, the dimension of a space or object is informally defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify any point within it. Thus a line has a dimension of one because only one coordinate is needed to specify a point on it...
—a "seething and sub-dimensional chaos" beyond the mundane universe. The wizard Eibon of Hyperborea
Hyperborean cycle
The Hyperborean cycle is a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that take place in the fictional prehistoric setting of Hyperborea . Various elements in Smith's cycle have been borrowed by H. P. Lovecraft, most notably the "toad-god" Tsathoggua...
sometimes summoned Pharol to query him for arcane information.
Servitors of the Outer Gods
The Servitors of the Outer Gods are the servants of the powerful Lesser Outer Gods that swirl, writhe, and dance endlessly before the throne of AzathothAzathoth
Azathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. Its epithets include Nuclear Chaos, the Daemon Sultan and the Blind Idiot God.-Inspiration:...
at the center of the universe. The Servitors play the insane flute tunes and drum beats to which the Outer Gods dance. Though they have no fixed shape, they are described as looking something like a toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
and an octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
. These extradimensional beings can be summoned to Earth to assist in worship and other occult ceremonies of cultists of the mythos.
Xiurhn
Xiurhn was introduced by Gary MyersGary Myers (writer)
Gary Myers is an American writer of fantasy and horror. He is a resident of Fullerton, California. His first book, The House of the Worm, was a collection of Cthulhu Mythos stories in the fantasy manner of H. P. Lovecraft and Lord Dunsany; it was published by Arkham House in 1975 and is now out...
in the 1975
1975 in literature
The year 1975 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* August 12 — with the 20-year time limit stipulated by Thomas Mann at his death having expired, sealed packets containing 32 of the author's notebooks were opened in Zurich, Switzerland.* Writing under the...
short story of the same name.
Xiurhn's soul is contained in a large, tempting jewel. Those unscrupulous enough to steal it suffer the fate of having their own souls placed into jewels. Xiurhn then carves off those parts to his own liking, transforming them into archetypes of what is left over.
Xiurhn's is portrayed as a winged, slothlike fiend with a hideous, pulpy face. Xiurhn serves the Outer God known as the Magnum Tenebrosum and dwells in the Vale Which Is the Night in the Dreamlands.