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"cthulhu" what is it?

Based on the present hype of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, you could loosely compare H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu to Sauron.

But I said, loosely.

Cthulhu is the creation of Lovecraft, and his XIXth-XXth century croonies, and its part of this realm called Mythos.
Strangely enough, as I saw the Return of the King, I wonder what could be achieved if someone managed to do a film based on Lovecrafts work.

You can find the official Cthulhu FAQ here: http://members.tripod.com/~danharms/mythos.htm


Cthulhu is a large green being which resembles a human with the head of a squid, huge bat-wings, and long talons (true, that doesn't really resemble a human, but bear with me here). According to H. P. Lovecraft's story "The Call of Cthulhu", Cthulhu rests in a tomb in the city of R'lyeh, which sank beneath the Pacific Ocean aeons ago. Cthulhu is dead but not truly dead, as he and his fellow inhabitants of R'lyeh sleep the aeons away. (Cthulhu is generally thought of as a "he" for some reason.) From time to time R'lyeh comes to the surface, and Cthulhu's dreams influence sensitive individuals across the globe to depict his image, slay, and found cults dedicated to him. In the past, R'lyeh has sunk after a short time, but the day will soon come when it rises to the surface permanently and great Cthulhu strides across a world thrown into chaos and anarchy from his telepathic sendings.

Cthulhu Mythos inspired many authors to create and add many stories to this universe. For instance, Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age is set on Cthulhu Mythos, and though Hyboria probably isn't a easily recognizable word, I could add that it's the "space-time continuum" where Conan adventures happen.

As for Cthulhu, nowadays you can embrace it , or watch in horror as it takes over anime , karaoke , and... the presidency .

:D As they say, why vote for a lesser evil? :D
 
Shoggoth

Yes, Lovecraft was a "writer of impossible"; in novel AT MOUNTAIN OF MADNESS the nature of chtulhu born in million years ago and quotation of GORDON PYM'S end is a good strike.
Lovecraft was a visionary, but his culture was erudite too, like an old english man.
Shoggoth is dreadful-slave creation of Ancients creatures from planet Yuggoth (Neptune).
 
August Derleth created the "Mythos" of the Cthulhu Mythos, since he helped bring Lovecraft's fiction to world recognition by creating Arkham House publishing. Derleth, a Catholic, confused Lovecraft's intention by making the Cthulhu Mythos a battle between the forces of Good vs Evil, with the misunderstanding that the Elder Gods were the good ones and the Old Ones (Cthulhu, Hastur, Ithaqua, etc.) were the evil ones in a cosmic battle to rule the multidimensions.

Lovecraft, an atheist, considered mankind's role in the universe as insignificant in the vast reaches of space, and he didn't have the notion of Good vs Evil in his tales. The Old Ones were evil, from mankind's perspective, but he believed these entities really didn't much care what happened to humanity, since mankind was expendable. Perhaps it was this "uncaring" universe motif that made his tales frightening, because it removed any comfort zones humans liked to believe that the universe was entrusted into the hands of a benevolent, omniscient God or gods.

Cthulhu was merely one of these alien entities that Lovecraft created, sleeping in the sunken isle of R'lyeh, waiting for the stars to re-align themselves again in the heavens so that the gateways fly open again, releasing this creature and others to roam again among the stars. What is interesting is how many of the current writers of Mythos oriented tales tend to follow Derleth's Good vs Evil motif, watering down their tales with the hero or heroine going mad trying to save the world from these Bad gods. A few have managed to capture Lovecraft's effect...one such writer, from the past, was Clark Ashton Smith.

other links for more info: http://www.necropress.com/catalog/

this site, if it comes back up again, has lists of tales by Clark Ashton Smith: Clark Ashton Smith - The Eldritch Dark

Internet Resources this site had a listing of Lovecraft tales available for viewing, but many of the links are down. They may become available in the future...
 
Cthulu was also a ritual in certain times from certain middle eastern cultures....not just a figment of an authors imagination.
 
So is it evil? Should I stop reading my moms witch craft books? (not that she's crazy or anything...)
 
It doesnt matter if its evil or not. Whats evil to one person, isnt to another.

Dont let things like morality conflict with your thirst for knowledge. Read! Learn! And never look back!

The only thing evil in this case, is ignorance. Thats what you'll get if you stop reading.
 
Check out the Neil Gaiman book 'Smoke and Mirrors'. It has a couple of great mythos storys in it. Make a point of reading 'A pint of old shoggoth'. Very silly !
 
Neil Gaiman has done great work with the Sandman.

And 1602 is almost at the top of the critic's charts.
 
Interesting how people still believe urban legends of an author's imagination as part of reality :D

Oh well, just best hope the stars are never aligned correctly then, i guess :D
 
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