Line #34 Main/EldritchAbomination


1	[[quoteright:350:[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eldritch_abom_9170.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"Here, on the horizon, was everything Gideon did not know."]]
3
4	->''"There was a darkness outside reality, they say — a darkness full of ''things''. Hungry, ''nasty'' things with no shape or form, not as long as they were out there."''
5	-->-- '''Creator/KurtBusiek''', "Storms of the Heart", ''ComicBook/AstroCity''
6	%% Quote selected by thread consensus: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1327331003042025100&page=32#783
7	%% No more quotes here, please use the quotes page.
8	%% Examples have been alphabetized, please put new examples in the correct order
9
10	The Alien. The Weird. The Inconceivable. The Other.
11
12	The Eldritch Abomination is a type of creature defined by its disregard for the natural laws of the universe as we understand them. They are [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm grotesque mockeries of reality beyond comprehension]] whose disturbing otherness cannot be encompassed in any mortal tongue. Humans suffer BrownNote or GoMadFromTheRevelation effects just from witnessing their AlienGeometries. Reality itself [[RealityWarper warps]] around them. Any rules that they do follow are [[BlueAndOrangeMorality beyond our understanding]], as are what motives they might have for any of their actions.
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14	Native to the CosmicHorrorStory genre dabbled in by authors such as Creator/HPLovecraft, Creator/RobertWChambers, and Creator/RobertEHoward, the Eldritch Abomination has become a mainstay of {{horror}} and {{fantasy}} works, along with numerous others that [[{{Mythopoeia}} popularly derive inspiration]] from Lovecraft. They are often used as a GreaterScopeVillain, OutsideContextProblem, MadGod, GodOfEvil or SealedEvilInACan - though they hail from somewhere beyond our petty parameters of good and evil [[AboveGoodAndEvil in the typical sense]]. As they are defined by existing outside reality as we conceive it, most also come from somewhere beyond the stars or [[TimeAbyss before the dawn of time]] or [[EldritchLocation outside our universe]].
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16	Physically, the Eldritch Abomination is only defined by seeming somehow "off", hinting at their [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm incomprehensible nature]]. They can range from {{humanoid\|Abomination}} to {{animalistic\|Abomination}} to [[AlienGeometries physically impossible]] to [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm inconceivably bizarre]]. However, common physical characteristics include similarities to [[BodyHorror internal organs]], [[TentacledTerror animals with tentacles]], or [[CelestialBody celestial bodies]].
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18	The power of Eldritch Abominations can vary. Some [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu can be defeated by mortals]], usually via a special weapon [[WeaponOfXSlaying specifically meant to kill them]]; some may be [[AboveTheGods more powerful than gods]]. In most [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror stories]], these beings can only be defeated at an [[PyrrhicVictory incredible]] [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu cost]], [[InvincibleVillain if at all]]. In many cases, characters may engage [[FightingAShadow a proxy, incarnation, representation]], etc. at a more human scale; or the abomination may be ejected from our reality, temporarily prevented from entering it, or otherwise held at bay while its power remains essentially undiminished.
19
20	A SubTrope of OurMonstersAreDifferent, OurMonstersAreWeird & CosmicEntity. Though note that a monster being really powerful, weird or ugly is not, in and of itself, an example of this trope. The monster must break the established internal logic of the work.
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22	For specific storylines involving Eldritch Abominations, see the DidYouJustIndexCthulhu page. More candidates for being Eldritch Abominations are: GodOfEvil, GodOfChaos, TheOldGods, ParadoxPerson, and StarfishAliens. When ''regular humans'' look like (or legitimately are) Eldritch Abominations to other species, that's HumansAreCthulhu. SisterTrope to BrownNoteBeing, since eldritch or abomination doesn't describe every creature which causes a BrownNote, nor does every Eldritch Abomination cause one (though it is common for them). An EldritchLocation is not necessarily an Eldritch Abomination that takes the form of a GeniusLoci, but it can be. May be the cause of a BizarroApocalypse.
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24	Do not confuse this with CompleteMonster, which is more about evil than (physical) monstrousness, especially since a CompleteMonster isn't necessarily a literal monster, and an Eldritch Abomination isn't always evil. However, an Eldritch Abomination who has clear agency and is sufficiently heinous by the standards of the story or its own established BlueAndOrangeMorality can qualify as a CompleteMonster.
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26	Thanks to the nature of this trope, potential RealLife examples are very vague and questionable at best. So Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease
27	----
28	!!A SuperTrope to:
29
30	[[index]]
31	* AdaptationalAbomination: An entity which was not so eldritch in the original story becomes more of an abomination in the adaptation.
32	* AdorableAbomination: An eldritch being which actually looks rather cute (though maybe [[CuteIsEvil deceptively so]], or perhaps it's [[BenevolentAbomination genuinely friendly]]).
33	* AllianceWithAnAbomination: When an ordinary mortal teams up with a very powerful eldritch being.
34	* AngelicAbomination: [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]] which look extremely bizarre and alien, instead of being more humanoid. Interestingly, while most angels in Literature/TheBible look like what one would expect from religious art, some of them ''do'' [[BenevolentAbomination appear as this type]].
35	* AnimalisticAbomination: An eldritch creature which somewhat resembles or behaves like a more monstrous version of an ordinary animal.
36	* BenevolentAbomination: An eldritch entity that is [[CreepyGood genuinely good]] and [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu friendly towards mortal beings]], instead of being maliciously evil or [[BlueAndOrangeMorality amorally alien]].
37	* BotanicalAbomination: An eldritch organism which appears to be an extremely bizarre and unnatural plant.
38	* DigitalAbomination: A virtual eldritch being originating from {{cyberspace}}.
39	* DraconicAbomination: A [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon-like creature]] which looks very bizarre and otherworldly. Probably also a [[DragonsAreDemonic demon]] or [[DragonsAreDivine god]].
40	* GeneticAbomination: {{Mutant\|s}} monstrosities born from {{genetic engineering\|IsTheNewNuke}}.
41	* HumanoidAbomination: An eldritch being which superficially resembles or behaves like a human, or is at least vaguely human-shaped.
42	* HumansAreCthulhu: When literal humans are viewed as being unfathomably strange or alien from the [[HumansThroughAlienEyes perspective of (usually more primitive) non-human creatures]].
43	* MechanicalAbomination: A strange and powerful machine or {{robot}} which was created to go far beyond the limitations of normal technology.
44	* {{Santabomination}}: SantaClaus is a strange being of unfathomable power. Though considering he can travel all over the world in one day, this actually makes a lot of sense.
45	* StarfishAliens: Eldritch abominations which are explicitly extraterrestrial or extradimensional in origin tend to look extremely bizarre and otherworldly.
46	* TranshumanAbomination: An eldritch entity that [[WasOnceAMan was once a normal human being]].
47	** EldritchTransformation: An ordinary being (usually human) gets [[TransformationHorror turned into a horrifying abomination]].
48	* UndeadAbomination: A dead being which has somehow been brought back from death as an extremely bizarre and terrifying [[TheUndead ghost or zombie]].
49	** BodyOfBodies: A being compiled of a mass of bodies.
50	** FleshGolem: A being that is made up of merged skin, often turning them into a fleshy blob.
51
52	[[/index]]
53
54	----
55	!!Example subpages:
56	[[index]]
57	* EldritchAbomination/AnimeAndManga
58	* EldritchAbomination/ComicBooks
59	* EldritchAbomination/FanWorks
60	* {{EldritchAbomination/Film}}
61	** ''EldritchAbomination/StarWars''
62	* {{EldritchAbomination/Literature}}
63	* EldritchAbomination/LiveActionTV
64	** ''EldritchAbomination/DoctorWho''
65	* {{EldritchAbomination/Music}}
66	* EldritchAbomination/MythologyAndReligion
67	* EldritchAbomination/TabletopGames
68	* EldritchAbomination/VideoGames
69	** ''EldritchAbomination/TheElderScrolls''
70	** ''EldritchAbomination/FinalFantasy''
71	** ''{{EldritchAbomination/Metroid}}''
72	** ''EldritchAbomination/{{Minecraft}}''
73	** ''{{EldritchAbomination/Pokemon}}''
74	** ''EldritchAbomination/RuneScape''
75	** ''EldritchAbomination/StarWars''
76	* {{EldritchAbomination/Webcomics}}
77	* EldritchAbomination/WebOriginal
78	** {{EldritchAbomination/Creepypasta}}
79	** ''EldritchAbomination/SCPFoundation''
80	* EldritchAbomination/WesternAnimation
81	* EldritchAbomination/OtherMedia
82	[[/index]]

Context Main / EldritchAbomination