What Is the Cthulhu Mythos?

 

 

The Cthulhu Mythos is the brain child of one of the great Horror masters of our century, H. P. Lovecraft. In his stories, written mostly in the 1920's, he paints a picture of a universe in which man is NOT the highest order of creation. Far from it... there are things in the universe that man was simply not meant to know about.

In many of his stories, there is a complex structure of the universe, and the true rulers of it, revealed in tiny peeks through the veil of insanity. Vast, formless creatures, existing with geometries different from those that man can fully comprehend, stride through time and space, taking no more notice of man than man takes notice of dust-mites. They once ruled our world, until it suited them to leave. Now, their influence remains. Their influence, their own occasional visits, their unspeakable servants, and, of course, their dead priest, Cthulhu.

"In his island at Ry'Leh, dead Cthulhu lies dreaming." It is for this creature that the Mythos is named, probably because it's the most fun to try to say. He is mentioned in the first story of the Mythos, "The Call of Cthulhu." While other creatures of the Mythos are more powerful and more impressive, Cthulhu has caught the fascination of readers and gamers the world over. But there are more... many more. Elder ones, who formed the earth we know today. The Outer ones, beyond even the imagination of mankind. They're out there, and as mankind grows, they start to draw the attention of Them... the ones who must not notice us.

Other authors have penned works in the Mythos, and many roleplaying games have included information from them. Notably, "The Call of Cthulhu," which draws upon the works of Lovecraft to effectively capture the genre in this format. Several movies have tried to capture the genre... but all of them have failed pretty miserably.

Man is NOT the top of the food chain in the universe. He's pretty close to snakes and weasels, as far as the Elder Ones are concerned. This genre makes a point of man not having what it takes to confront things of the Mythos. To seek the truth of how the universe REALLY works is to seek insanity. Our science and religion are comforting illusions with which we fool ourselves into thinking that we're important, that we matter. In truth, man is a speck of dust on the lens of the Great Ones.

The Cthulhu Mythos is a sub-genre of Horror, but it is uniquely chilling and effective horror.

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