Zhar (Great Old One)
Encyclopedia
Zhar is a fictional deity
in the Cthulhu Mythos
. The being first appeared in the short story
"The Lair of the Star-Spawn" (1932
) by August Derleth
and Mark Schorer.
Arcturus, but now dwells beneath the buried city of Alaozar on the Plateau of Sung. It is served by a cult known as the Tcho Tcho's "Brotherhood of the Star Treader." When called upon by the proper incantations, Zhar can project itself astrally
in the form of the Tulku. It can also telepathically
transmit its urges to its worshippers.
Zhar is believed to be physically connected to its "twin", Lloigor, perhaps by a long extension of tentacles. In Derleth's classification system, both Zhar and Lloigor are air elementals.
known as the Tcho-Tcho's Brotherhood of the Star Treader. It has the power to control great winds, which it can use to snare and capture any unfortunates who chance upon it. Like Zhar, Lloigor can project its image whenever Arcturus (the star from whence it came) is in the sky.
(A race of energy beings known as the Lloigor
shares the same name with the eponymous Great Old One; however, there appears to be no connection between the two.)
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Cthulhu Mythos
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...
. The being first appeared in the short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"The Lair of the Star-Spawn" (1932
1932 in literature
The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*E. V. Knox replaces Sir Owen Seaman as editor of Punch magazine.*Samuel Beckett's first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, is rejected by several publishers....
) by August Derleth
August Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
and Mark Schorer.
Zhar in the mythos
Zhar is a Great Old One and appears as a colossal mass of tentacles. The being came from the starStar
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
Arcturus, but now dwells beneath the buried city of Alaozar on the Plateau of Sung. It is served by a cult known as the Tcho Tcho's "Brotherhood of the Star Treader." When called upon by the proper incantations, Zhar can project itself astrally
Astral projection
Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
in the form of the Tulku. It can also telepathically
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
transmit its urges to its worshippers.
Zhar is believed to be physically connected to its "twin", Lloigor, perhaps by a long extension of tentacles. In Derleth's classification system, both Zhar and Lloigor are air elementals.
Lloigor
Lloigor is another gargantuan monster that dwells beneath Alaozar with Zhar. Together, they are known as the Twin Obscenities. Lloigor appears as a titanic, winged mound of undulating tentacles and is also served by a cultCthulhu Mythos cults
A number of fictional cults appear in the Cthulhu Mythos. Many of these cults serve the Outer God Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, a protean deity that appears in a myriad of guises...
known as the Tcho-Tcho's Brotherhood of the Star Treader. It has the power to control great winds, which it can use to snare and capture any unfortunates who chance upon it. Like Zhar, Lloigor can project its image whenever Arcturus (the star from whence it came) is in the sky.
(A race of energy beings known as the Lloigor
Lloigor (Cthulhu Mythos race)
The Lloigor are a fictional race in the Cthulhu Mythos. The beings first appeared in August Derleth and Mark Schorer's short story "The Lair of the Star Spawn" .-Summary:...
shares the same name with the eponymous Great Old One; however, there appears to be no connection between the two.)