The Cthulhu Mythos was first revealed in a group of related stories by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft.
Beginning with "The
Call of Cthulhu" in Weird Tales,
Lovecraft began referring in his horror
stories to a pantheon of beings known as the Old Ones, who had descended
to Earth from the stars in pre-human times. First worshipped by the non-human
races of the planet, the Old Ones were later banished or locked away by
the elder gods.
The elder gods do not enter into the stories
much, and their identity is a mystery.
<note: Bast
is the only Elder God detailed in AD&D>
They left the Old Ones weakened, but not
destroyed.
When man appeared, he found traces of
the older civilizations and remnants of the pre-human races.
Religions grew up around the Old Ones
and legends of their imminent return to power -- especially around Cthulhu.
Bits of the old lore were discovered and
transcribed into books, extremely dangerous books.
Lovecraft's friends
(who included Clark Ashton Smith,
Robert E. Howard and
wrote stories that "tied in" with the discovery
of pre-human relics, the revival of ancient worship, or the consequences
of finding a "forbidden book" dealing with the Old Ones and their secrets.
No great effort was made to keep these
stories consistent with each other.
After Lovecraft's death in 1937, August
Derleth founded Arkham House publishing company to reprint his works.
Derleth also wrote a number of stories
dealing with Lovecraftian themes or based on fragments of Lovecraft's writings.
Since then a number of younger authors,
outstanding among whom are Lin Carter, Ramsey
Campbell and Brian
Lumley, have written stories based on the growing 
myth.
Most of the creatures presented here were
introduced by the earlier authors: Lovecraft, Derleth and Smith.
Derleth introduced the concept of a struggle
between the Old Ones and the forces of good.
Lovecraft's original concept was far less
[sic] sanguine -- all of his gods were
evil
&& chaotic, and the best mankind could expect from them was
indifference.
If you have not read any stories in the
Cthulhu tradition, start with Lovecraft himself.
Many of his stories are straight supernatural
tales and do not deal with the Old Ones, but "The Call of Cthulhu," "The
Whisperer in Darkness,"
"At the Mountains of Madness," "The Dunwich
Horror," and "The Shadow Out of Time" give the flavor of his work.
Then read the imitative writings of Derleth
and the modern writers.
Fortunately, most of these stories are
gathered into collections of Lovecraft's work and published in paperback.
Cults of men, and particularly of non-human
creatures, keep alive the worship of the Great Old Ones and anxiously await
their return to power.
Various evil magic-users
&& priests, desirous of superhuman
powers, experiment with some of the forbidden books (such as The
Necronomicon) and occasionally unleash
some horror on themselves or their surroundings.
Merely speaking the name of one of the Old Ones results in a 5% chance
that the god named will hear, for these
deities are quite attuned to the PMP.
If the god does hear its name spoken, it will appear and attempt to kill
the being so rash as to speak its name
(some of the greater gods will send minions
to accomplish this).
SPECIAL NOTE:
All creatures of nature are very sensitive
to the presence of all creatures of the Cthulhu Mythos.
They instinctively call out their warning
sounds and flee if any of the Old Ones or their minions come within range
of their senses.
| CN | Azathoth |
| CE | Cthulhu, Azathoth, Cthuga, Hastur the Unspeakable, Ithaqua, Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath, Yog-Sothoth |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
<The Whisperer in Darkness, Youtube>
<
Lovecraft,
H. P.
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibus, vol. I : At the Mountains of Madness>
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibus, vol. II : Dagon and Other Macabre Tales >
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibus, vol. III : The Haunter of the Dark>
<The above 3, published by Grafton, should contain everything that he
wrote that was published><check>
<Grafton Books, A Division of the Collins Publishing Group>
<H.P.
Lovecraft : A Biography, by L. Sprague de Camp, Barnes & Noble Books
- being written by LSDC, this one may be of interest>
HPL
OMNIBUS:
H.P. Lovecraft Omibus 1 (Grafton, 3 Volumes)
SITE:
MOV:
RPG:
Call of Cthulhu (product
database: just hit Search Product Database)
COMIC:
1. AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS
H.P. Lovecraft's Novels,
by August Derleth
At the Mountains of Madness
The Case of Charles Dexter
Ward
The Dreams in the Witch-House
The Statement of Randolph
Carter
The Dream-Quest of Unknown
Kadath
The
Silver Key
Through the Gates of the
Silver Key
2. DAGON AND OTHER MACABRE
TALES
Introduction, by
August Derleth
Dagon
The Tomb
Polaris
Beyond the Wall of Sleep
The Doom that Came to Sarnath
The
White Ship
Arthur Jermyn
The Cats of Ulthar
Celephais
From Beyond
The Temple
The Tree
The Moon-bog
The Nameless City
The Other Gods
The Quest of Iranon
Herbert West - Reanimator
The Hound
Hypnos
The Festival
The Unnamable
Imprisoned with the Pharaohs
He
The
Horror at Red Hook
The Strange High House in
the Mist
In the Walls of Eryx
The Evil Clergyman
Early Tales
The Beast in the Cave
The Alchemist
Poetry and the Gods
The Street
The Transition of Juan Romero
Fragments
Azathoth
The Descendant
The Book
The
Thing in the Moonlight
Supernatural Horror in Literature
3. THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK
Introduction
The Outsider
The Rats in the Walls
Pickman's Model
The Call of Cthulhu
The Dunwich Horror
The Whisperer in Darkness
The Colour Out of Space
The Haunter of the Dark
The Thing on the Doorstep
The Music of Erich Zann
The Lurking Fear
The Picture in the House
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
The Shadow Out of Time
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES (reference)
| CALL OF CTHULHU | CLASSIC CAMPAIGN | CTHULHU BY GASLIGHT | CTHULHU DREAMLANDS | CTHULHU NOW |
| CTHULHU d20 | PAGAN PUBLISHING | UNSPEAKABLE OATH | - | Cthulu Mythos |
CALL OF CTHULHU
Call of Cthulhu, 1st Ed. (Box set)
Call of Cthulhu, 2nd and 3rd Eds. (Box
sets)
Call of Cthulhu, 2nd Ed.
Call of Cthulhu, 3rd Ed.
Call of Cthulu, 4th Ed.
Call of Cthulhu, 5th Ed.
Call of Cthulhu, 5.6 and 5.6.1. Ed.
Call of Cthulhu, 6th Ed.
Cthulhu Companion: Ghastly adventures
and erudite lore
Keeper's Screen (1985 edition)
Fragments of Fear: The second Cthulhu
companion
Keeper's Screen (1988 edition)
Keeper's Compendium: Blasphemous knowledge
& forbidden secrets
Call of Cthulhu Keeper's Screen
Ye Book of Monstres
Ye Book of Monstres II
The Creature Companion
Keeper's Companion, Vol. I
The Keeper's Companion II
Cthulhu Dark Ages
Accessories
Arkham Horror: The boardgame for monster
hunters
Cults Across America: The boardgame of
Cthuloid domination
Hills Rise Wild! (Call of Cthulhu) (Box
set)
Miskatonic University Graduate Kit
Petersen's Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters
Cthulhu Covers: Replicas of famous tomes
Keeper's Kit
Fifth Edition Keeper's Kit
Dire Documents
Cthulhu for President 1996: Why settle
for the lesser evil?
Challenge Magazine Index
Cthulhu Live
Cthulhu Live, Second Edition
Cthulhu Live, Player's Companion
Cthulhu Live: Shades of Gray
Cthulhu Live: Lost Souls
Cthulhu Live: Delta Green
Other
Ex Libris Miskatonica
Chessex Cthulhu Dragonskin Vinyl Bookcover
Encyclopedia Cthulhiana
The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana: A guide to
Lovecraftian horror, expanded and revised second edition
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ CLASSIC
CAMPAIGN (reference)
Shadows of Yog-Sothoth
The Fungi from Yuggoth: Desperate adventures
against the Brotherhood
Curse of the Cthonians
Masks of Nyarlathotep, 1st Edition (Box
set)
The Trail of Tsathogghua
Terror from the Stars
Spawn of Azathoth: Herald of the End of
Time (Box set)
Terror Australis: Cthulhu Down Under:
Australian background and adventures
Masks of Nyarlathotep: Adventures to thwart
the dark god
Arkham Unveiled
Return to Dunwich
Horror on the Orient Express (Box set)
Kingsport: The city in the mists
Escape from Innsmouth
Investigator's Companion for the 1920s:
Volume 1: Equipment and resources
Invesitgator's Companion for the 1920s:
Volume 2: New occupations and skills
The Cairo Sourcebook
Miskatonic University: The University
Guide Book
Taint of Madness: Insanity and dread within
asylum walls
The Compact Arkham Unveiled
The London Guidebook
Arkham Sanitorium: A set of player aids
for use with Call of Cthulhu
The New Orleans Guidebook
The 1920s Investigator's Companion
Escape from Innsmouth (2nd ed.: Expanded
and revised)
Beyond the Mountains of Madness: The Starkweather-Moore
expedition of 1933-1934
Anatartic Expedition Pack for Beyond the
Mountains of Madness
No Man's Land: WWI Mythos Action with
the Lost Battalion
H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich
H.P. Lovecraft's Arkham: Unveiling the
Legend-Haunted City
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ CTHULHU BY GASLIGHT
(reference)
Cthulhu by Gaslight, 1st Edition [BOX
SET]
Cthulhu by Gaslight, 2nd Edition
Dark Designs
Sacraments of Evil
The Golden Dawn
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ CTHULHU DREAMLANDS
(reference)
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, 1st edition
[BOX SET]
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, 2nd edition
Petersen's Field Guide to Creatures of
the Dreamlands
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, 3rd edition
The Complete Dreamlands (4th edition)
The Dreaming Stone
H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands, 5th edition
(Hardcover)
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ CTHULHU NOW
(reference)
Cthulhu Now
At Your Door
Cthulhu Now, 2nd edition
The Stars are Right!
1990's Handbook
Utatti Asfet: The Eye of Wicked Sight
A Resection of Time
Secrets
The Bermuda Triangle
Last Rites
Unseen Masters: Modern Struggles Against
Hidden Powers
Ramsay Campbell's Goatswood and Less Pleasant
Places
The Stars Are Right! - Nine Disturbing
Tales of Mankind's Corruption
Trail of the Loathsome Slime
GURPS CthulhuPunk: Ancient Horror Crawls
into the Dark Future
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ CTHULHU d20
(reference)
Call of Cthulhu (D20)
D20 Call of Cthulhu Gamemasters Pack
Pulp Cthulhu: Reckless Adventures in the
1930's (D20)
Nocturnum
Nocturnum: Long Shades
Nocturnum: Hollow Winds
Nocturnum: Master Collection
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ PAGAN
PUBLISHING (reference)
Alone on Halloween - a Solo Scenario Against
the Children of the Night
Creatures & Cultists!: The Furiously
Fuggly Card Game
Devil's Children
Walker in the Wastes
Coming Full Circle
The Golden Dawn
The Realm of Shadows
Mortal Coils
Delta Green
Delta Green: Countdown
Machinations of the Mi-Go (Delta Green
Eyes Only, Vol. 1)
The Fate (Delta Green Eyes Only, Vol.
2)
Project Rainbow (Delta Green Eyes Only,
Vol. 3)
Delta Green: Eyes Only
Delta Green: Alien Intelligence
Delta Green: The Rules of Engagement
Delta Green: Dark Theatres
Delta Green: Denied to the Enemy
BIBLIOGRAPHY \ GAMES \ UNSPEAKABLE OATH
(reference)
Unspeakable Oath - Issues 1-17 (Call of
Cthulhu)
Courting Madness
Grace Under Pressure (The Resurrected,
Vol 1)
Of Keys & Gates (Call of Cthulhu:
The Resurrected, Vol. 2)
<check>
Lovecraft: A Look Behind
the Cthulhu mythos
(haven't read this one,
but it might be of interest)
http://www.skwishmi.com/images/baf/23a.jpg
>
-
Issue #81 was great, but
I take exception to an
article that I have always
considered my favorite:
the game reviews. Ken Rolston
is generally a
very good reviewer, but
here I think he gave too
much away concerning the
scenarios.
?"Call of Cthulhu"
is a game which must have
almost complete secrecy.
Things such as revealing
the deity (Cthulhu) or telling
that there is an
exploding door and a shoggoth
in scenario two
does not work well in this
game system (or any
other, for that matter).
Giving away important
facts takes away the horror
from the scenarios.
"Ravenloft"
was not such a giveaway, but I
still think some fun will
be taken out of the sce-
nario. I know I won?t have
as much fun as I
would have now that I?ve
read the review.
In further issues, review
either new games or
supplements ? but please
don?t give away hints
like shoggoths and death
traps. Reviews are
needed to express a writer?s
opinion (a well
valued one); however, reviews
should not give
away plots or hints. Ken
Rolston is an excellent
writer ? but this time maybe
he wrote just a bit
too much.
Jon Paulson
River Falls, Wis.
(Dragon #85)
Mr. Rolston's response:
Jon,
It?s difficult to make public
judgments without
citing specific examples.
I have to balance the
damage of revealing one
or two plot elements
against the virtue of communicating
and substan-
tiating my judgment for
the reader.
I agree with you that where
the element of
suspense is critical, details
should not be revealed.
I even agree that the specific
references in the
review of Shadows
of Yog-Sothoth should have
been less explicit.
I propose one possible solution
to this problem,
subject to the editor?s
approval. In future adven-
ture reviews I will warn
readers when I?m about
to discuss specific adventure
details. (?Warning:
The following explicit discussion
of plot elements
may diminish a player?s
pleasure if he anticipates
participating in this adventure.?)
I also suggest
that such explicit discussions
of plot elements be
printed in italics, to make
it easier for the reader
to skip sections that he
wants to avoid. [Editor?s
note: Sounds like it?s
worth a try]
Thank you for bringing this
matter to my
attention. Review readers
should regularly give
reviewers feedback on the
usefulness of their
reviews. Writers address
an invisible and inaudi-
ble audience as they sit
typing their articles. To
see and hear what you have
to say helps us di-
rectly address the needs
of our reading audience.
Ken Rolston
Tabor, N. J.
(Dragon #85)
Julian Grimm wrote:
Gary,
In the suggested reaing of
the 1e DMG H.P. Lovecraft is listed.
Being a longtime fan of
his work I was wondering how much influence he has had on D&D and AD&D
outside of the obvious Mind Flayers.
Howdy!
Actually, I had to reach
a good deal to come up with the mind flayer,
that being inspired by the paperback cover of Brian Lumly's The Burrowers
Beneath, and its characteristics based on inferences in HPL's writing.
The ghouls of the D&D
game were certainly inspired by HPL, and by association ghasts.
There was a spell/magic
item or two likewise inspired, but I can not remember which after all these
years.
Two of my favorite stories by Lovecraft are "Pickman's Model" and "The Lurking Fear.
Cheers,
Gary
Julian Grimm wrote:
From the above posts we
can now agree all we thought was Lovecaftian wasn't and all that we thought
wasn't was Lovecraftian. 
Whatever... 
For certain HPL and the other writers that added to his milieu were splendid!
Gary
Quote:
Originally posted by
Geoffrey
Hi Gary! 
I know that you like Lovecraft, but do you enjoy the thousands of stories
written by his literary disciples? I own all 28 volumes of Chaosium's "Cthulhu
fiction" and am having a blast reading those dread tomes of blasphemous
lore.
And it all started back in
1980 when I (10 years old) purchased the unexpurgated AD&D
Deities & Demigods and was quite taken with that exceedingly weird
Cthulhu Mythos.
It has been many years since
I've read the various HPL and associated stories, and I don't have the
Chaosium collection, but I can say yes, I do generally enjoy the work of
his "disciples."
Can't recall who wrote the
King in Yellow (Chambers?),
but from that work to those
of Derleith, Lumley, Clark Ashton Smith, Bloch, etal. the many stories
help to form a more interesting whole in my mind.
There is a long short story,
"The Willows," whose author (whose name I've forgotten) was not a part
of the HPL group that fits into the grand picture too.
Just off hand, my favorites of HPLs are "Pickman's Model." "Rats in the Walls," and "The Lurking Fear."
cheerio,
Gary
Just remembered!
Algernon Blackwood was the author of the story, "The Willows."
Heh,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geoffrey
One of my favorite things
in AD&D is the Cthulhu Mythos in the
early printings of Deities & Demigods.
This, by the way, got me
started being a Lovecraft nut. I have a three-foot shelf packed with stories
by Lovecraft and by his literary disciples.
Gary, what are your thoughts on a campaign (whether D&D, AD&D, Mythus, or LA) set in early 14th-century England in which all the monsters and gods are Lovecraftian beasties, and all the spells and magic-items are Lovecraft-related? Could it work, or would it be stretching the game systems too far?
Indeed, and we agreed to
remove the material from a second printing because we respected what Arkam
House wished to do, retain the Cthulhu Mythos intact.
I too am a big fan of HPL
and the associated authors writing in his mythos.
As for the suggested setting and scenario, I do believe that the LA game system could handle it, but the whole of Theurgy as written would have to be scrapped, and a new Ability and activations based on the actual religions of this world be written to replace it. A lot of undies would get bunched up over that, and not without some cause, I believe.
Setting it in a more contemporary
period using a horror or even cyberpunk system would likely be a lot easier 
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by StupidSmurf
I get a kick out of finding
out behind the scenes stuff like this. Thanks, Gary!
Incidentally, for the longest
time, whenever I saw an illustration of a mind flayer, the phrase "Cthulhu
fthgan" would run through my head
Welcome
As a matter of fact I have been a fan of HPL and those who developed his mythos for some decades now, so you were on target <cool>
Cheers,
Gary
Indeed, Alan,
The circle of those who wrote in the mythos originated by HPL was generally close. Even those at the fringes seemed to have been careful to stay within bounds and not add anything that was antithetical to Lovecraft's vision.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by StupidSmurf
I'm a big HPL fan as well.
And speaking of that circle
of writers, I know that often times HP and friends would insert slightly
altered versions of each other's names into their stories as the protagonists.
For instance, one of Lovecraft's
stories has "Robert Blake".
Naturally, I can't remember
offhand which one it is.
I just about plotzed when
the Deities and Demigods hardcover book came out with the AD&D stats
for the Cthulhu mythos.
Every once in a while I
just couldn't resist sticking in a Mythos creature in one of my AD&D
adventures!
Robert Blake is none other
than Robert Bloch, one great guy and a fine writer too who is missed by
more persons than me alone.
Cheerio,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
Random insane babblings
inspired by the idea of sanitarium inspiring D&D:
Hmmm, now I have a Metalicca
song on the brain . . . which reminds me of them writing two songs about
HP Lovecraft . . . which reminds me when I was living in Madison, somebody
claimed Lovecraft was from Wisconsin . . . I figured Massachusetts or metro
NY based on his settings. Why would a guy from Wisconsin right about coastal
Massachusetts? On the other hand, he clearly wasn't from Antarctica, and
he wrote about that too.
I do believe that HPL was
from Down East, Massachusetts.
His cadre of fellows who
picked up the themes of his work were from all over, however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
If Lovecraft was from Madison
or Lake Geneva or something, then southern Wisconsin would have to a be
weirdness magnet (an old GURPS rule), and Wisconsin's just not that weird.
Arkham House, the publisher
of the "Lovecraftian" books is in Wisconsin, it being begun by the renowned
horror author August Derleith, a native of Wisconsin, unless I am mistaken.
Wisconsin is a weird place
in many respects, a center for the Spiritualist movement of the early 1900s,
and other unusual things.
For a most disconcerting
experience read Wisconsin Death Trip.
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joël
of the FoS
Yep, from Rhode Island.
He lived in New England
all of his life, with a few trips outside this area (a few of them in Québec
by the way).
Oh, and yes, I met him Summer of 2004. Here's the link to this memorial meeting: http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/S...PLovecraft.htm (see at the bottom, after a review of HPL's work).
Joël
Excellent Joel!
HPL departed the year before i was born BTW <paranoid>
Cheers,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by haakon1
I'm sure you're not -- now
it finally makes sense, how this mistaken theory got started.
Wisconsin took over from
Arkham, having Arkham House not too distant from Gary's house
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerthehobo
Can you elaborate on the
Lovecraftian influence on mindflayers? I mean, there is a connection to
Cthulhu as hinted at in the original DMG, right? (or are all of us Lovecraft
fanatics just reading too much into things?)
As one that enjoys the whole
plethora of Lovecraftian yarns,
those written by HPL and
those created by his cadre of followers,
I freely admit that the
cover of Brian Lumely's paperback novel,
The Burrowers Beneath,
inspired me to create the
D&D mind-flayer.
I hoped then that it would
have been a monstrous creature that Lovecraft himself would have approved
of 
Cheerio,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerthehobo
I guess in a way that makes
you part of that group of folks who furthered the mythos after HPL's passing,
then! 
A lot of the mythos begun
by HPL was aithored by collaborative writers when he was alive.
At best any contribution
I made was miniscule and marginal 
Cheerio,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptolemy18
Hello,
Wow, this is amazing. Well,
let me throw my coin in the wishing well...
When I was really young and playing AD&D for the first time, one of the things I appreciated was the suggested reading list of fantasy authors. Anyhow, I was wondering, would you say there was any Clark Ashton Smith influence on D&D?
I always thought of Smith
as sort of an enjoyable cross between Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft...
there's a somewhat Howard-ish element of swords and sorcery, but the stories
always degenerate into everyone being killed by horrible alien monsters...
Thanks for your time, and much more,
Jason
Howdy Jason
Yes indeed, I read all the authors associated with the Lovecraft mythos, including Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleith, Brian Lumley, Robert Bloch, etc. I recall having several nightmares after reading a collection of Lovecraft's yarns that included "Pickman's Model" and "Rats in the Wall."
You might enjoy "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood.
Cheers,
Gary
Lovecraft, H. P.
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibux, vol. I : At the Mountains of Madness>
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibux, vol. II : Dagon and Other Macabre Tales >
<H.P.
Lovecraft Omnibux, vol. III : The Haunter of the Dark>
<The above 3, published by Grafton, should contain everything that he
wrote that was published><check>
<H.P.
Lovecraft : A Biography, by L. Sprague de Camp, Barnes & Noble Books
- being written by LSDC, this one may be of interest>
http://cthulhufiles.com/cthabib.htm
The Cthulhu Mythos Revisited
Dear Editor,
Being an avid fan of Lovecraft, I was appalled by the article in
your February, 1978 edition of the Dragon concerning the Cthulhu
Mythos. Not only have I read Lovecraft, but also Augest Derleth,
Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, Robert E. Howard, etc, and I am
hooked on D&D. So I waited
impatiently for any recognition of the
Mythos, only to be disappointed by a partial list, underrated aliens
(namely the Great Race), and your account of Alhazred’s death.
About Azathoth, according to Eibon — the
great Hyperborean
wizard, it is Ubbo-Sathla, the Source and the End, that is the
center of
the universe, not Azathoth, Ubbo Sathla’s twin.
Ubbo-Sathla’s spawn includes Zulchequon, Abhoth, Nygotha,
Yig, Atlacha-Nacha, Bytis, and dark Han. While Azathoth’s spawn
were Nyarlathotep, Yog-Shothoth, Cxaxukluth, and yet others.
From these were the Great Old Ones built.
According to the genealogical information, the following revisions
can be made.
First, the Elder Gods, after they defeated the Great Old Ones,
stripped Azathoth of a lot of his power, so his hits should be lowered
to
200 to 225.
Cthulhu, first spawn of Yog-Shothoth, and the second most powerful
of the Great Old Ones, is underrated. His hits should be raised to
350. A major weapon of Cthulhlu to any who knows of him is to connect
the character’s mind with his dreams (of course there is a saving
throw). The results of Cthulhu’s dreams is insanity. The Mythos is
scattered
with insane characters who have discovered too much; Justin
Geoffry (Robert Howard), Arthur Wilcox Hodgins* (Lin Carter), Dan
Harrop (Augest Derleth), and Gottfried Mulder (Lin Carter).
The Elder sign, also known as the five-pointer Mnarian starstone,
cannot control Cthulhu in R’lyeh, instead the seal of R’lyeh resembles
the symbol of Aquarious the water carrier, against a buried city with
the shape of an octopoid creature in the center.
One great misconception about Cthulhu is the statement made
about him retreating in the face of Hastur. No way, before making
statement read “The Return of Hastur” by Augest Derleth. A battle
will not only occur between the two, but a climatic one.
Hastur is underrated, he is the third most powerful Old One. His
hits should be raised to 325. He is the KING OF AIR! ! ! ! ! ! !
!
Shub-Niggurath is not connected with Abhoth or Ubbo-Sathla, it
is a separate entity. It is worshipped by people that live in more
damp
places where Shub-Niggurath likes to roam. Shub-Niggurath mated
with Hastur to produce Ithaqua, Lliogor, and Zhar, entities of the
wind. These three are very powerful.
If Alhazred was eaten alive in Damascus what is he doing in the
Nameless city as an intact zombie that tells Dr. Shrewsberry where
R'lyeh is? An Arabic volume of the Necronomicon, called Al Azif
does
exist. The Celaeno fragments, the Book of Eibon, and the Pnaknotic
Manuscripts are equal if not superior to the Necronomicon.
Cthugha is fourth on the list of Great Old Ones, his hits should be
raised to 300, and Nyarlathotep raised to 295.
If you’re wondering who is number one — YOG-SHOTHOTH his
hits should be raised to 400. You can say that is rather powerful;
you’re
damn right. The Great Old Ones are so powerful, that the total power
of the Elder Gods could not destroy them; only imprison them.
As far as your Byakhee, there is no evidence for a 100 hit bird;
maybe fifty. The Shantaks, a mountain of a bird, could be classified
as
a 100 hit creature.
The Deep Ones can actually progress in levels as a magic-user.
The Great Race of Yith only 30? If so the universe would be controlled
by the Great Old Ones themselves!!!! They are more like 100
hits apiece.
Try Primordial Ones instead of Old Ones from the Mountains of
Madness. Using Old Ones twice is not only redundant of another creature
(the Great Old Ones), but confusing.
Instead of Shaggoths, these creatures are known as Shoggoths.
These may seem trivial, but if Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Augest
Derleth, or Robert Howard saw your use, they’d roll over in their
graves not once but at least ten times.
Sincerely Yours,
The High Priest of the Great Old Ones
In the Service of Nyarlathotep
Gerald Guinn
(The Dragon #14)
*Arthur Wilcox Hodgins is actually in an institute for the criminally
insane, after killing a
nightguard who tried to stop him from destroying a statue of one of
Cthulhu’s spawn,
Zoth-Ommog.
* * * *
Letters to the Editor
A Rebuttal to
“The Cthulhu Mythos Revisited”
by Gerald Guinn
Well, when one gets into religious controversy the first thing one discovers
is
that the scriptures are themselves self-contradictory or are subject
to varying interpretations.
Now here is Gerald Guinn, self styled High Priest in the Service of
Nyarlathotep objecting to the interpretation given to the Cthulhu Mythos
in
D&D (The
Dragon, May 1978, page 22).
Mr. Guinn makes a number of specific complaints, and readers should
refer
to his letter for his entire argument, but I am happy to comment on
some of his
allegations, as summarized below.
Guinn claims:
1. That Ubbo-Sathla, not Azathoth, is the center
of the Universe. And yet:
“Til neither time nor matter stretched before me
But only Chaos, without
form or place. Here the vast Lord of All in darkness
muttered Things he had
dreamed but could not understand.”
“Azathoth,” from The Fungi
from Yuggoth
and
“the boundless daemon Sultan Azathoth, . . . which
blasphemes and bubbles
at the centre of all infinity . . .”
from “Dream Quest of Unknown
Kadath”
It is true that Clark Ashton Smith’s Hyperborean
sorcerer Eibon makes
some contradictory statements about Ubbo-Sathla,
but with all due respect to
MU Eibon, he must be considered a secondary source.
Many of Lovecraft’s friends wrote stories using the Cthulhu Mythos and
as
a result there are various versions of the more important events therein.
Our article
draws most heavily on Lovecraft’s own works and the work of Mythos
Scholars Frances T. Laney, “The Cthulhu Mythology: A Glossary,” published
in Beyond the Wall of Sleep, and Lin Carter, “H.P. Lovecraft:
The Gods” published
in The Shuttered Room and Other Pieces. Both of these books
from Arkham
House.
2. A major power of Cthulhu
is the projection to sensitive minds of nightmare
and madness. Certainly true, I would hope anyone
using the god in his
game would read “The Call of Cthulhu” and get some
idea how fearsome he
really is. In an early version of “the Gods” I said
“if Cthulhu breaks out of
R’lyeh, everyone in the world must make a saving
throw or go insane.” I later reduced
this as being a bit too gross.
3. Guinn objects to the various hit point assignments
given to the Lovecraftian
Gods and races. This is too arbitrary a subject
to justify serious contention
Any appropriate hit point assignment can be used
by the DM. One of my
concerns in writing up the gods was that players
encountering them in a game
might well want to call upon Zeus
or Thor or Ra for help and
the gods should be
scaled to make this a reasonable confrontation.
4. Guinn maintains “the Elder
Sign . . . cannot control Cthulhu in
R’lyeh.” I quote the Necronomicon. “In the land
of Yhe as in great R’lyeh . . .
it shall have power, but even as the stars wane
. . . so wanes the power . . . of
the five pointed star stone.” Derleth’s “The House
on Curwen Street”
5. “If Alhazred was eaten alive in Damascus what
is he doing in the Nameless
city as an intact zombie
. . .?”
My description of Alhazred’s fate is taken from H.P.
Lovecraft’s “History
and Chronology of the Necronomicon.”
I know Derleth had him reappear in a
later story, but Lovecraft’s account is probably
the definitive one. Prof. Shrewsbury
(in Derleth’s story) says “Legend has it that he
was snatched by an invisible
monster in broad daylight and devoured horribly
before a great audience; this is
the story of the twelfth century biographer Ebn
Khallikan, hands down; but it is
more than possible that the devouring was an illusion
. . .” in “The Keeper of
the Key,” the story referred to by Guinn above.
Ah, in a dispute like this, who is
to know what is illusion and what is reality?
6. “An Arabic volume of the Necronomicon
. . . does exist.” I know various
authors have reported so, but again, to quote Lovecraft’s
“History and
Chronology of the Necronomicon” “1050 . .
. Arabic text now lost.”
7. “Try Primordial Ones
instead of Old Ones from the Mountains of
Madness. Using Old Ones twice is not only redundant
of another creature (the
Great Old Ones) but confusing.” I agree, but Lovecraft
uses Old Ones throughout
most of the story.
8. “Instead of Shaggoths, these creatures are known
as Shoggoths.” You
are right, Mr. Guinn, although Laney’s “Cthulhu
Mythology: A Glossary,”
gives both spellings. If you are going to complain
about how to spell words not
intended (in the first place) for the human tongue,
may I point out that in your
letter you have consistently misspelled August Derleth’s
first name?
9. “If. . . Lovecraft . . . Derleth . . . or Howard
saw your use, they’d
roll over in their graves.” If you listen very carefully
over HPL’s grave, Mr.
Guinn, the sound you hear is not rolling, it is
hearty laughter!
Sincerely,
J. Eric Holmes
(The Dragon #16)
Ed. Note: J. Eric Holmes, an author in his own right (Mahars of
Pellucidar is my
favorite Pellucidar noval -- written by J. E. H.), was co-author
of the original
article.
* * * *
Lovecraft buffs take note
Dear Editor:
I think that this letter will be of much interest to
the people who play D&D
and especially those
who like the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Read the
following very carefully because what I am about to
say may shock you.
One evening a friend and I went to a far away
bookstore to look for some hard to get works by
Moorcock and I stumbled across a section of books
devoted entirely to Lovecraft. I looked over the
books and found that I already had all of them,
when I ran across a book entitled The Necronomicon,
the book of dead names! I was stunned, wiped
out, and slightly shocked. This is impossible, there
is no book called the Necronomicon! But here it
was. I grabbed it and started to look through it. It
turned out to be a book searching for the Necronomicon.
The book is edited by George Hay, introduced
by Colin Wilson, and researched by Robert Turner
and David Langford. Inside they explain that there
is no one book called the Necronomicon, but several
under different names. One of the most startling
is a cryptogram by a man named John Dee.
The cryptogram mentions such gods as Yugsoggoth
or Jogshothoth, Haystir or H’stre, and
Cethulhv. Sound familiar? The book is a very
comprehensive (at least in my opinion) work and
shows the Elder Sign, invocation ceremony,
and
diagrams on the circle of invocation.
The book was published in Great Britain in
1978 by Neville Spearman (Jersey) Ltd., P.O. Box
75, Normandy House, St. Helier, Jersey Channel
Islands. I think it was about 13.50, not too expensive
for a hardcore Lovecraft fan. It makes a great
D&D book and is needed
to complete your Lovecraft
library.
Gary Braswell—Richmond, VA
(The Dragon #29)
Do you get a royalty on these? Seriously, tho,
thanks for the tip. I’m sure our Lovecraft fans will
be delighted.
—Editor
(Tim Kask)
(The Dragon #29)
* * * *
