Cthulhu was -- is? -- a primary deity of the Pantheon of Elder Gods defined by the American writer H.P. Lovecraft in the 1920s and 1930s during the heyday of the Weird Tales horror pulp magazine phenomenon.
"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl fhtagn."
"In his house in R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."
"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."
-- from Cthulhu FAQ
Links: The Cthulhu Gallery |
Cthulhu for President
