Moon-beast
Encyclopedia
A moon-beast is a creature in H. P. Lovecraft
's Dream Cycle
. They are “great greyish-white slippery things which could expand and contract at will, and whose principal shape — though it often changed — was that of a sort of toad without any eyes, but with a curious vibrating mass of short pink tentacles on the end of its blunt, vague snout” (The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
, Lovecraft). They live on the dark side of the Dreamlands' moon
which, unlike the moon of the waking world, has great forests and oily seas.
The moon-beasts sail black galleys between the moon and the Dreamlands, trading rubies for slaves and gold
at the port of Dylath-Leen
. When there, they employ the Men of Leng
, disguised in turban
s, as their go-betweens and stay hidden below deck, lest the merchants of Dylath-Leen learn the terrible secret of with whom they are dealing.
island near Inganok in the Cerenerian Sea
. Slaves are sometimes brought here for unguessable reasons. The Nameless Rock is superstitiously avoided by passing ships because of the strange howls sometimes heard there at night.
the inhabitants of the destroyed city of Ib
are said to have come from the moon and their voicelessness and shape makes it likely that they are either moon-beasts or in some way kin to them.
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....
's Dream Cycle
Dream Cycle
The Dream Cycle refers to a series of stories by author H. P. Lovecraft. These stories concern themselves with "The Dreamlands": a vast, alternate dimension that can be entered via dreams.-Geography:The Dreamlands is apparently divided into four regions:...
. They are “great greyish-white slippery things which could expand and contract at will, and whose principal shape — though it often changed — was that of a sort of toad without any eyes, but with a curious vibrating mass of short pink tentacles on the end of its blunt, vague snout” (The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
, Lovecraft). They live on the dark side of the Dreamlands' moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
which, unlike the moon of the waking world, has great forests and oily seas.
The moon-beasts sail black galleys between the moon and the Dreamlands, trading rubies for slaves and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
at the port of Dylath-Leen
Dylath-Leen
Dylath-Leen is a fictional city in H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle and appears in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and the Brian Lumley short story Dylath-Leen....
. When there, they employ the Men of Leng
Men of Leng
The Men of Leng are a fictional race in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. They are the primitive, satyr-like inhabitants of the Plateau of Leng in the Dreamlands. They call Leng Y'Pawfrm e'din Leng. They are mentioned throughout Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, especially in the novella The Dream-Quest of...
, disguised in turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
s, as their go-betweens and stay hidden below deck, lest the merchants of Dylath-Leen learn the terrible secret of with whom they are dealing.
Nameless Rock
The moon-beasts have a permanent settlement at the Nameless Rock, a jagged graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
island near Inganok in the Cerenerian Sea
Cerenerian Sea
The Cerenerian Sea is a fictional place in H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle stories. It is mentioned in Lovecraft's short story "Celephaïs" and his novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.The Cerenerian Sea is a great, sky-blue ocean in the Dreamlands...
. Slaves are sometimes brought here for unguessable reasons. The Nameless Rock is superstitiously avoided by passing ships because of the strange howls sometimes heard there at night.
Ib
In The Doom that Came to SarnathThe Doom that Came to Sarnath
"The Doom that Came to Sarnath" is an early short story by H. P. Lovecraft. It is written in a mythic/fairy tale style and is associated with his Dream Cycle...
the inhabitants of the destroyed city of Ib
Ib
Ib is a train station in India with the distinction of having the shortest name of all stations on the Indian Railways system. It is on the Howrah-Nagpur segment of South East Central Railway...
are said to have come from the moon and their voicelessness and shape makes it likely that they are either moon-beasts or in some way kin to them.