| 1 | [[WMG: The Deep Ones aren't that evil]] |
| 2 | ''(this theory is only about "The Shadow over Innsmouth" taken as a standalone work, independent from any sequel or other mentions of the beasties in question)'' |
| 3 | |
| 4 | They're just some kind of StarfishAliens, of the "unseen but living on Earth" variant. They certainly do look unsettling and bizarre to normal humans, but [[DarkIsNotEvil they do not do anything evil]]. Sure, they aren't [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] either, but they're not worse than humans themselves. They did try to abduct the narrator at the end of the novel… but what were they to ''do'' ? Some human who thought they were evil demons was about to escape town and tell the world that they were devils waiting to be burnt at the stake ! They wanted to kill him, but reluctantly so, simply because it was either that or their whole species destroyed. For the "sacrifices" the old drunk talks about, maybe he was exaggerating that part, or being misinformed about it. Or perhaps they just sacrificed the humans Captain Obed offered them to some god of theirs — genuinely, not maliciously —, making them a "primitive" and "savage" people, but a sapient, humanlike people all the same, which remains far from the "feelingless devils" description they are often given. |
| 5 | * Or alternately they wanted to abduct the narrator because they knew he was a [[spoiler:deep one hybrid.]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | [[WMG: Hannibal Lecter is an avatar of Nyarlathotep]] |
| 9 | Like Nyarlathotep, Series/{{Hannibal}} is a tall, regal man with a brilliant mind who delights in murder, deception, and manipulation. To boot, he pushes Will into madness, another calling card of Lovecraftian gods. Clearly, he's a 21st century avatar of the Outer Gods' messenger. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[WMG: [[Myth/AztecMythology Huehuecoyotl]] is another avatar of Nyarlathotep.]] |
| 12 | I mean, they both are divine entities that can change their shape and [[GenderBender gender]] at will, regulary interact with the human race, and they both ''[[FortheEvulz enjoy]]'' to cause mayhem among them. Seriously, it's hard not to see Huehuecoyotl as Nyarlathotep's [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom fursona]]. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | [[WMG: MrsRobinson from ''Film/TheGraduate'' is yet ''another'' avatar of Nyarlathotep.]] |
| 15 | She seduces Benjamin, fucks with his head and his life, and drives him insane. Look at him by the end of the movie, and how insane he has become (especially around Elaine). |
| 16 | |
| 17 | [[WMG: When cultists summon Eldrich Abominations, they aren't actually summoning them]] |
| 18 | What they are actually getting is the equivalent to an Eldrich Abomination's answering machine. An image appears (the more simplified and comprehensible avatar of the thing) it addresses the summoner and asks them what they want. Most of the real Eldrich Abominations are still slumbering, and have never encountered a human, and whose forms really are Inconceivable. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[WMG: Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth]] |
| 21 | Azathoth is the Big Bang, caused it, or is the byproduct of it. Either way, he exists at the physical center of the universe, where everything came into being. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Yog-Sothoth is the membrane described in M-theory that is the universe. |
| 24 | * I read somewhere (cannot remember where) that Azathoth is very powerful, but he is (as close as it can describe for an unknowable horror) blind and handicapped. He was throwing a tantrum and accidentally made our three dimensional universe. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[WMG: A lot of the Eldrich Abominations aren‘t as malevolent as they seem.]] |
| 27 | Much as we all adore Lovecraft, there’s no denying he was a viciously racist human being, and since most of his First-Person Narrator protagonists tended to be author self-inserts they shared a lot of his views. Just look at how Herbert West’s assistant describes Buck “Harlem Smoke” Robinson in Herbert West: Re-Animator. Now imagine how someone who holds such fear and contempt for a different branch of their own species would react to even the most benevolent Starfish Alien. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | Not that that we should start fitting Cthulhu for a pair of [[DracoInLeatherPants leather pants]], mind, but most of what we know about the various Mythos beasties comes second hand from potentially Unreliable Narrators of one kind or another. Sure the cultist Castro rants about how the Dread Cthulhu will “teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom“, but then again, Castro was freaking insane. Maybe Cthulhu will bring about the end times when he awakens, or maybe he’ll just fly off into space and never return, or perhaps the world would just get better. |
| 30 | * So it's essentially "The way we see bugs on the sidewalk is the way the Elder Gods see us"? |
| 31 | * This is more-or-less heavily implied by the man himself. While said unspeakably alien "Gods" were certainly not pleasant to deal with and were tied to various "dirty" races, we have virtually no reason to believe that most of them have any real concept of us as... anything sentient. The "bugs on sidewalk" analogy is usually the most frequent, but to some degree it is more like humanity is even smaller than that in their eyes (bacteria, perhaps). Aside from Nyarly, most of the Elder Gods show us all the hate and contempt we would a mangy, probably diseased cat that has moved into our house ''if'' that. For all we know, they may be wonderful... um, things in their relations to one another. They are just so impossibly more powerful and alien than us that we can't understand them nor can they understand us, and thus they walk over us when they are in the way. |
| 32 | * It may also be worth noting that, before he goes on a rampage, Cthulhu is described as communicating with early humans. He comes across as almost benevolent, being interested in sharing ideas and a planet with us. It could just be that when he (briefly) emerged from his city in the early 20th century, his multi-dimensional body hadn't properly 'stabilised', so instead of being rational and sensible, he was ruled by animal instincts. Given more time for his body to properly prepare itself after thousands of years of slumber, Cthulhu could have emerged as a sane and lucid octopus-faced dragon thing instead of a slobbering monster. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[WMG: Most of the really big things, the ones that don't even notice other beings and could accidentally knock a large planet out of orbit, are spaceships from OrganicTechnology.]] |
| 35 | Because [[FTLTravel the reality-warpin' wunz go fasta]]. Some of the creatures really are living beings in their own right, or carry "passengers" like parasites or symbionts, but a good many of them (particularly the ones that just spend hundreds or thousands of millennia floating around in space) are the organic shipsof much smaller species that may have actually bioengineered the ships beyond mere symbiosis. This is supported by ''The Colour out of Space'', where the meteorite seems to be carrying living tissue inside the pockets and [[HumansAreCthulhu Humans Could Have Been Interpreted As Cthulhu]]. If you find it far-fetched, imagine the [[VideoGame/{{Creatures}} Shee ark]] crash-landing in industrial England or modern New York City, and compare the probable results to ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' or ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}''. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep was actually a god of {{UsefulNotes/Kawaisa}} long ago]] |
| 38 | Because his name starts with "[[VerbalTic Nya]]". |
| 39 | * Wait a minute, is that a Japanese word up there? No wonder... |
| 40 | * [[Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove Confirmed?]] |
| 41 | |
| 42 | [[WMG: Franchise/TheDCU, The Franchise/MarvelUniverse, The Franchise/MortalKombat {{multiverse}}/[[TheVerse universe]], The Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}, [[Franchise/TransformersGeneration1 the]] [[WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated various]] Franchise/{{Transformers}} [[Anime/TransformersArmada conti]][[WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime nu]][[VideoGame/TransformersWarForCybertron it]][[Film/TransformersFilmSeries ies]] and of course the Cthulhu Mythos ([[SerialEscalation not to mention the near endless continuities]] that are either part of or [[EpilepticTrees thought to be connected to]] it) share a common [[MegaCrossover multiverse]] or possibly some kind of [[WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd "Ultraverse" or "Megaverse"]] that [[MoreThanInfinite contains]] [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment multiple]] [[MoreThanInfinite multiverses]].]] |
| 43 | * Well the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}} bit is confirmed at least. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | [[WMG: ''Homo sapiens sapiens'' is the result of Old Ones (or one of their servant races) impregnating hominids in the distant past]] |
| 46 | This explains why HumansAreCthulhu. Those who physically appeared more like [[EldritchAbomination EldritchAbominations]] than non-threatening hairless apes were likely put to death at birth. |
| 47 | * If the above is true, then this troper is inclined to suspect Nyarly of being the one responsible since it'd certainly explain [[HumansAreBastards a few things]]. Plus the identity of the Million Favoured Ones has never actually been revealed beyond them being Nyarlathotep's progeny and them being us would be a pretty good TomatoInTheMirror moment. |
| 48 | |
| 49 | [[WMG: Earth is important because of the Yithians]] |
| 50 | Lovecraft's claims that we and our planet have little to no cosmic significance do not seem to square with the frequent visits here from aliens (including important Great Old Ones like Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep). While this could be handwaved in favour of allowing him to write interesting stories, perhaps our planet actually ''does'' have some in-universe significance, and it derives from some of the earliest alien visitors here: the Great Race of Yith (from ''The Shadow Out of Time''). The Yithians figured out how to escape their extinction by body-hopping, and happened to arrive on Earth to do it. This may have drawn the attention of the Great Old Ones, and so a previously unimportant backwater planet became a noteworthy destination for alien travellers. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Maybe the Old Ones want to actively encourage the Yithians' research, seeking a form of immortality themselves (these are beings that die if the stars move, which isn't a great trait to have in this universe, so they might welcome the discovery of a way to prevent this). The Old Ones' various cults, then, are working (knowingly or unknowingly) to 'remake' Earth into a planet that is more hospitable for Yithians (whatever bodies they have at the time), to allow them to best continue their work, and eventually find a solution for the Old Ones' relative fragility. The destruction of humanity is a mere side-effect in the creation of a 'New Yith', which is itself merely instrumental in the Great Old Ones' discovery of immunity from death. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | |
| 55 | [[WMG: The Cthulhu Mythos is not a single universe, but an entire multiverse.]] |
| 56 | Every single work of fiction which makes reference to the Mythos (be it a major reference, such as the inclusion of a Lovecraftian deity, or a minor reference, such as a mention of the Necronomicon) is part of this multiverse. Cosmic beings like Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu have avatars in many universes simultaneously, so they have the experience of existing in billions of places at once. Apparent contradictions between Lovecraft-inspired works can be explained by the simple fact that they do not take place in one single 'Verse, but many adjacent ones. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[WMG: Cthulhu is the Could-have-been-king.]] |
| 59 | And his spawn are his army of meanwhiles and never-weres. At least I didn't say he was a time lord. |
| 60 | * Yog-Sogoth very well could be a time lord. |
| 61 | ** Yog-Sothoth is what the Time Lords worship. |
| 62 | ** Yog-Sothoth is the Great Intelligence. |
| 63 | *** The Great Intelligence is a genuinely evil consciousness without a true body-he's more Nyarlathotep than Yog-Sothoth. |
| 64 | *** The Expanded Universe novels make it explicit that the Great Intelligence is Yog-Sothoth, even the Doctor does not want to meet Nyaralthotep. |
| 65 | *** For the record, there's an entire subculture based around the idea that the Doctor ''is'' Nyarlathotep. |
| 66 | |
| 67 | [[WMG: Ephraim Waite effectively turned himself into a trans man.]] |
| 68 | Anyone who's trans can tell you how ''incredibly'' uncomfortable it is to be in a body that's the wrong sex. This would explain "Asenath's" infamous comment about women's brains being inferior - Ephraim, having transferred himself to a female body, was experiencing gender dysphoria and interpreted it as something being wrong with female brains. Although considering Asenath was a HalfHumanHybrid that would eventually [[Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth mutate]], he was gonna eventually end up with a body that was both the wrong sex ''and'' the wrong damn ''species''. Kinda makes you wonder how well he thought this out. |
| 69 | * He didn't have options available. He needed someone of high intelligence and weak will, and his daughter was the only one available. |
| 70 | ** This. This is also why s/he courted Edward Derby, to get back in a male body. Also, the talks about how much better a male brain is more likely means he either a) is a male chauvinist, b) was born male and so has an easier time exerting his mind when it is housed in a male brain, or c) both. Also, since Ephraim was a Waite himself, he more than likely was also a Deep One hybrid, as the Waites are one of the old Innsmouth families who made a deal with the Deep Ones. |
| 71 | |
| 72 | [[WMG: The Old Ones are [[Website/OrionsArm Archailects]]]] |
| 73 | They were created by some of the many seemingly [[{{Precursors}} extinct species]] whose ruins have been found. Terragen transapients and [[DeusEstMachina archai]] think in ways that are incomprehensible to nearbaseline humans and modosophont xenos are almost as "alien". Just think what a xenoarchailect would be like. |
| 74 | |
| 75 | [[WMG: Ghroth known as Manga/{{Remina}}.]] |
| 76 | Take a look at the image! |
| 77 | * ''Alternate theory:'' The Hellstar itself is a servitor of Azathoth. Based on this [[http://www.deviantart.com/godofwarlover/art/Remina-190053741 short fanfic.]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | [[WMG: [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian Fiction]] is actually a {{deconstruction}} or parody of {{God}}, Theism, and how "God works in mysterious ways" in general.]] |
| 80 | Let's see, an omnipotent and omniscient entity that apparently existed before the fabric of space and time and has the ability to divide by zero, manipulating humanity for some vague plan that the ancients try to interpret over the millennia. [[HollywoodAtheist Skeptics]] who would try to argue that said entity is illogical and thus impossible will be met by apologetics on how '''''said alien is beyond our puny human reason and we can never really comprehend it''''' (That right there is the definition of EldritchAbomination). Those who even dare commit the seemingly minor ThoughtCrime of blasphemy and non-believing upon said entity will suffer a FateWorseThanDeath for all eternity. |
| 81 | |
| 82 | Now, does this sound like something from a generic Nyarlathotep-like cult... or Yahweh from Judaism and Christianity? |
| 83 | |
| 84 | It's very likely for Lovecraft, as an atheist, to have found the concept of any Gods existing in reality as having UnfortunateImplications. The existence of some God or Gods would have made our existence PunyEarthlings in return. As for theists who believe that it is the existence of God that gives us meaning in life and therefore remove our PunyEarthling status there are some FridgeHorror that would have made Lovecraft's apathetic universe merciful in return: "YouCantFightFate because God says so" does give you a purpose in the sense that you are just simply a tool with a specific purpose for some plan. Not only that, [[BigBrotherIsWatching some alien entity is watching us]] and we must believe and worship him/her/them without a cent of doubt [[DisproportionateRetribution lest we suffer some]] FateWorseThanDeath in some [[EldritchLocation afterlife]].... |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[WMG: Cthulhu is really an overzealous real estate developer]] |
| 87 | Knowing that the sunken city of R'yleh would one day be valuable property, he attempted to keep it safe by starting a rumor that it was haunted. He paid artists and other creative people to come up with stories about seeing the city in their dreams and make sculptures of monstrous creatures. To spread the word further, he and the other members of his agency dressed up as cultists and performed made-up rituals. This eventually got out of hand, and he was forced to spend all of his money on a giant puppet. This is why the so-called god was able to be defeated by a ram to the head with a boat. If there is anything Scooby-Doo has taught us, it's that this type real estate development is the source of all monsters. |
| 88 | * And he would have got away with it if it wasn't for you meddling kids! |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[WMG: Chuck Norris is Cthulhu]] |
| 91 | This all stemmed from a very simple idea- replace all instances of the name Chuck Norris in Chuck Norris Facts with Cthulhu. |
| 92 | * ''Outer Space is only outer because it doesn't want to be on the same planet as Cthulhu.'' |
| 93 | * ''There is no evolution- only a list of creatures Cthulhu allows to live.'' |
| 94 | * ''Cthulhu does not sleep. He waits.'' |
| 95 | '''''Ia! Ia! Chucthulhu fhtagn!''''' |
| 96 | * [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic CTHUUUUUULLLLHUUUU FFFHTAAAAAGGGGGGNNNN!! Whoops, I mean, UH-CHUCK-UH-NORRRISSSSSSSSSS!!]] |
| 97 | * [[SarcasmMode ''Yes''. It makes perfect sense.]] |
| 98 | * Meaning... [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Bruce Lee was even more badass than we thought.]] |
| 99 | * Actually, what the Hulk got stuck in a black hole instead of events of ''ComicBook/PlanetHulk'' and ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' unfolding? According to Einstein and Hawking, black holes emit gamma radiation that escapes its huge gravity that warps time. Therefore, Hulk continued to mutate to be stronger and dumber from the gamma radiation until he grew sixth fingers and toes, wings and a face like Zoidberg and exist both in space, in R'lyeh, and in all of the issues where he appeared. In fact, he could even fight himself! |
| 100 | |
| 101 | [[WMG: The Deep Ones are masters of biotechnology.]] |
| 102 | This would explain the {{Half Human Hybrid}}s & the immortality, which otherwise defy the laws of nature. |
| 103 | * Immortality doesn't defy the laws of nature (which are really more like guidelines) -- Hydra is immortal. although of course it is a very simple cnidarian and not a frog/fish ruler of the Deep Ones. |
| 104 | ** That we know of. |
| 105 | ** It is possible that the "immortality" might have been somewhat exaggerated. We know that they technically ''can'' die, just not from old age. It could, however, just be that on average Deep Ones have lifespans that are significantly longer than those of humans, perhaps to such an extent that it simply ''seems'' like living forever by comparison. Alternatively it could just be that Deep Ones have extensive lifespans and this was blown out of proportion by the Esoteric Order of Dagon to provide more of an incentive for people to follow them. |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[WMG: Herbert West's Re-Agent is somehow related to the Elder Things.]] |
| 108 | The Elder Things have the ability to come back to life, much like Herbert West tried to do for humans. It may be the West somehow got ahold of specimens of them & attempted to adapt their vital fluids for human use, or perhaps the Elder Things' ability to revive is artificial, created using a perfected version of the Re-Agent, based on the same scientific principles which West simply discovered independantly. |
| 109 | |
| 110 | [[WMG: H.P. Lovecraft was right and there is proof!]] |
| 111 | ...I'll...just...get back to you on that... |
| 112 | * May I suggest you look in Astoria, Oregon? It is surrounded by tall hills of dark pines, frequently rainwashed. Until November, 1922, the entire town was built on planks, with the tide moving under the city (basically a dark dripping, fishy smelling maze under there). Then the whole place mysteriously burnt down (maybe that was the only way to contain the evil). Plus the local Chinook legends about the Star People who came down from outer space and settled in undersea villages, becoming the Salmon People. In one legend, the first wave of Star People went undersea because they were hiding from the bad star people. |
| 113 | ** Uh... Isn't Astoria, Oregon where the Goonies live? |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[WMG: H.P. Lovecraft's stories were all personal accounts]] |
| 116 | No wonder the poor bastard was so screwed up. |
| 117 | * True, in a way. Among others, "The Statement of Randolph Carter" is an almost word-for-word recounting of one of his nightmares. |
| 118 | |
| 119 | [[WMG: H.P. Lovecraft's stories were all completely fictitious.]] |
| 120 | I know this one's tough to swallow, but hear me out. The protagonists are often clear author stand-ins and the world reflects Lovecraft's personal philosophy. My theory (which was rejected AGAIN for dissertation!) is that H.P. Lovecraft was a mere mortal who lived during the early twentieth century and wrote works of fiction for pleasure, philosophical exposition, and profit. Naturally, we need to fear nothing from the mind-blasting horrors described in H.P. Lovecraft's work. After all, mathematicians deal with non-Euclidean geometry all the time. The cake is your friend... |
| 121 | |
| 122 | EAT IT!!! |
| 123 | |
| 124 | EAT IT NOW!!! |
| 125 | |
| 126 | Nonetheless, Lovecraft's writing is [[MST3KMantra *C0MPL3T3LY*]] fictitious. Hey, wait a minute... |
| 127 | |
| 128 | * Go tell that to the ghoul formerly known as Kenneth Grant. |
| 129 | ** [[WesternAnimation/InvaderZim Lies!]] [[LargeHam The filthy earth boy/girl/smizmar LIIIIIEEEEEEEESSSS!!!]] |
| 130 | |
| 131 | [[WMG: The troper who wrote the above theory is from Innsmouth.]] |
| 132 | The "hey wait a minute" was their humanity resurging briefly before being once more subsumed by their unholy fishman side, which wants to keep up foolish plains apes in the dark. |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[WMG: Lovecraft is actually Edgar Allen Poe]] |
| 135 | Like Charles Dexter Ward's grandfather, EAP used a dark ritual to ensure that one day a reincarnation would be born, and then EAP's spirit could take over his body. Alternatively, same theory, but with Lord Dunsany rather than EAP. |
| 136 | ** That last one doesn't work very well because Dunsany OUTLIVED Lovecraft by 20 years. |
| 137 | ** That's only a problem if you assume that time is linear... |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[WMG: Lovecraft was an opium user.]] |
| 140 | Opium does give you some pretty weird dreams. |
| 141 | ** Alternately, like that guy from "Literature/{{Dagon}}", he used morphine a lot. Or maybe he just had really freaky dreams. [[AcidRefluxNightmare Something he ate?]] |
| 142 | ** He didn't need any drugs. He didn't even drink alcohol, disliking the effect of losing control - a gentleman must keep his dignity at all times. He just naturally had some really, really weird dreams. |
| 143 | ---> I am forever dreaming of strange barren landscapes, cliffs, stretches of ocean, & deserted cities with towers & domes. . . All this dreaming comes without the stimulus of cannabis indica. Should I take that drug, who can say what worlds of unreality I might explore . . . - HPL to his friend Rheinhart Kleiner, 1919 |
| 144 | ---> "I never took opium, but if I can’t beat [Thomas de Quincy] for dreams from the age of three or four up, I am a dashed liar! Space, strange cities, weird landscapes, unknown monsters, hideous ceremonies, Oriental and Egyptian gorgeousness and indefinable mysteries of life, death, & torment were daily – or rather nightly – common places to me before I was six years old.[[note]]Keep in mind we're talking about a six-year-old who was familiar with his grandpa's ghost stories, ''Arabian Nights'', Shakespeare and the original Grimms' Fairytales, among other things.[[/note]] Today is the same, save for a slightly increased objectivity. . ." HPL, also to Kleiner, 1920 |
| 145 | ** However, he DID do LSD... |
| 146 | *** Not possible. Lovecraft died in 1937. LSD wasn't created until 1938. |
| 147 | *** Possibly having something to do with having to deal with a mentally ill parent. |
| 148 | *** Metaphysical theses have been composed on the theory of Lovecraft's imagination being fueled by family mental illness. Biographers S.T. Joshi and W. Scott Poole have examined the available evidence and cleared up a lot of misconceptions. First off, HPL wrote that his early childhood was actually pretty idyllic (similar to Creator/AgathaChristie), but ''became'' crappy when the family lost their money and had to sell their house, the true home of his heart. Winfield's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_paresis_of_the_insane psychosis was caused by syphilis he'd caught years before]]. There's no evidence that Susie caught the disease. HPL, age 2 1/2, wouldn't have witnessed his dad behaving strangely because it happened on a business trip and he was hospitalized directly. If he was told anything it was probably 'Papa's been working too hard'.[[note]]Both insanity and VD were ''extremely'' hushed up at the time (1890s). Doctors of that era were just catching onto the fact that syphilis has three stages and you ''look'' cured until decades later when it affects the brain -- it was proved in 1913. Winfield was a known workaholic, so his illness could conveniently be attributed to that.[[/note]]. Poole thinks it did affect him in that he probably caught on that ''something'' was going on (something whispered about, something ''nameless'').\ |
| 149 | Susie's severe anxiety and panic attacks started after Winfield's death and especially her father's, when the family lost most of their money[[note]]Phillips had made a very bad investment and after his death his well-meaning son mismanaged the remaining inheritance with more bad investments leaving himself, Susie, Lillian and Annie with next to nothing[[/note]]. Susie was not psychotic, it was more like a nervous breakdown, and her hospitalization was likely more what they called a "rest cure". She spoke openly about things that frightened her. But she was not the lunatic she's been portrayed. She taught HPL to read and write, supported and even joined in all his interests. In that era, "insane" women were those who violated the status quo -- it was an actual diagnosis, "moral insanity".[[note]]Susie was an artist, a fan of French literature and a women's rights activist. That alone was enough to label her "mentally unbalanced" for that time period.[[/note]] In other words, don't believe everything Winfield Townley Scott and Clara Hess say about her. Other incidents couldn't be helped, like his aunts marrying and moving away, or the family's deep mourning attire that terrified him when his grandmother died -- his abduction by night-gaunts started at that time. But he had other steady, loving family members -- Grandma Robie had got him interested in astronomy and his Aunt Lillian in chemistry. His grandfather, who loved ghost stories, set especially lasting examples, even cured him of being afraid of the dark! The wonder is not that he came from a "haunted" background but what he ''did'' with it. |
| 150 | *** For an author with a truly horrific childhood and adult life, including mental illness and drug addiction, who did make use of it to write some of the creepiest, ''nastiest'' horror fiction of all time, look no further than [[https://web.archive.org/web/20081204234335/http://www.violetbooks.com/bowen.html Marjorie Bowen]]. Her ''real life'' is NightmareFuel in a way HPL's never was. |
| 151 | |
| 152 | [[WMG: The Elder Sign is just the Elder Things' logo.]] |
| 153 | There's nothing mystical about it. Eldrich critters just tend to avoid it because the Elder Things managed to kick most of their asses, aside from the Shoggoths. |
| 154 | * And the Elder Things were just a frighteningly effective corporate entity. |
| 155 | * Yet, it's hard to ignore how the Elder Thing's special ability to pick up a fight with any species other than their own with ridiculous ease managed to be their own downfall. |
| 156 | * Actually, you're right about it not being an arcane symbol of magic, but you're wrong about it being a logo. It's really just an ideographic symbol in the Elder tongue, and it translates roughly to, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFKifpMtlNs I can't believe I ate]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the whole thing]]." They never really meant for it to be their sign at all, it was just misinterpreted as such. |
| 157 | |
| 158 | [[WMG: Lovecraft was the actual EldritchAbomination]] |
| 159 | The Outer Gods, while beings of great power, are not eldritch abominations. While humanity is not their primary concern, they still have the best intentions towards us. The Outer Gods make sure everything in the universe keeps running smoothly and if they were only the only Powers in the universe, then it would be a paradise. However, there is a group of Powers who don't want a smoothly running universe. To aid in this, they needed to make humanity distrust the Outer Gods. What better way of doing this then painting in the worst light and outright lying about their intentions? H. P. Lovecraft (which isn't the entity's real name, of course) infiltrated humanity to do just this. |
| 160 | * Alternately, he didn't have an agenda, he just wanted to write some stories. As above they were personal accounts, but not from the angle you'd expect... |
| 161 | * I don't know, it sure would explain his superhuman vocabulary.... |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[WMG: Herbert West is the Narrator's [[Literature/FightClub Tyler Durden]] analogue.]] |
| 164 | * It would explain a lot. |
| 165 | ** Indeed. |
| 166 | |
| 167 | [[WMG: HP Lovecraft had some kind of mental disorder]] |
| 168 | Perhaps a form of schizophrenia- something that'd make him obsessive, paranoid (enhancing his racism), socially inept and having a seriously overactive imagination. I failed Psychology, so I can't pin it down. |
| 169 | * I'm not sure where your signs and symptoms are coming from - in all the biographies and letters I've read, I haven't seen the slightest hint of paranoid behavior and he had an awful lot of friends for a socially inept person. While his letter writing was out of hand and his dreams were rather bizarre (writing while dreaming! dreams with a novel-like complexity!) this certainly doesn't seem symptomatic of anything. The only time in his life when he could be said to have a mental disorder was when he was deeply depressed (and nearly a hermit) from 18-23 after grieving the loss of family members and his childhood home. For a guy who had both parents wind up in an insane asylum (well... one was because of syphilis) he would up surprisingly normal. |
| 170 | ** Well if he had any mental disorder grounded from his life it's certain he had night terrors: which may have been the inspiration for ''The Call of Cthulhu'' and his Cosmic Horror Stories. Maybe he also had depression, considering his strong Nihilist beliefs and the "nervous breakdowns" he suffered due to the loss of his grandfather's estate and failure to become an astronomer... |
| 171 | *** Agreed. Depression or dysthymia seem to be the closest possible fit. The best way to judge HPL's mental state is by his letters. He wrote his fictional works for money and his letters clearly emphasize he was consciously making it up. See above for dissertation on Susie Lovecraft. |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[WMG: HP Lovecraft, were he alive today, would be an avid troper.]] |
| 174 | Obsessive. Paranoid. Socially inept. Overactive imagination. Sound like anyone? JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife. |
| 175 | * Lovecraft ''was'' a troper. Ever read [[http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/essays/shil.aspx Supernatural Horror in Literature?]] |
| 176 | --> This novel dramatic paraphernalia consisted first of all of the [[HauntedCastle Gothic castle]], with its [[AncientEvil awesome antiquity]], vast distances and ramblings, deserted or ruined wings, [[GhostlyChill damp corridors]], [[AncientTomb unwholesome hidden catacombs]], and [[GhostStory galaxy of ghosts]] and [[CosmicHorrorStory appalling legends]], as a nucleus of suspense and daemoniac fright. In addition, it included the [[MagnificentBastard tyrannical and malevolent nobleman as villain]]; the [[MarySue saintly, long-persecuted, and generally insipid]] [[HauntedHeroine heroine]] who [[DamselInDistress undergoes the major terrors]] and serves as a point of view and focus for the reader’s sympathies; the valorous and immaculate [[TheHero hero]], always [[KingIncognito of high birth but often in humble disguise]]; the convention of [[StockForeignName high-sounding foreign names]], mostly [[GratuitousItalian Italian]], for the characters; and the infinite array of stage properties which includes [[WillOTheWisp strange lights]], damp [[TrapDoor trap-doors]], [[LightsOffSomebodyDies extinguished lamps]], [[TomeOfEldritchLore mouldy hidden manuscripts]], [[StockSoundEffects creaking]] [[SoMuchForStealth hinges]], [[{{Poltergeist}} shaking arras]], and the like. All this paraphernalia reappears with amusing sameness, yet [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools sometimes with tremendous effect]], throughout the history of the Gothic novel... |
| 177 | * It's conceivable. He did keep his social life mainly in the form of writing while he was alive. Stephen King has speculated that if he lived in modern times, "he would likely exist most vibrantly in various internet chatrooms." |
| 178 | * Plus he wasn't ''that'' socially inept. He had a lot of friends and, finances permitting, went to visit them all the time. One of the reasons he stayed in New York as long as he did was because he had friends there. |
| 179 | |
| 180 | [[WMG:The Narrator of "Herbert West - Reanimator" is West's [[TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression Beholden]].]] |
| 181 | The Narrator is basically West's all-purpose [[TheIgor Igor]], and after medical school, seems to be the only person who "gets" what West is trying to do at all. As West Transgresses more and more, he becomes more and more erratic, eventually more or less self-destructing at the hands of the reanimated marvels he abandoned. The narrator seems like an unusually faithful sidekick for one working with a crazy man, as well as a little too understanding. He can see why and how West does what he does, if not achieve the same results himself. West could certainly get another, better assistant, but is bound to this one particular person. |
| 182 | |
| 183 | [[WMG: Cthulhu was sealed away by the Elder Things.]] |
| 184 | It is mentioned they fought against Cthulhu & his minions in ''Mountains of Madness''. The Cthulhu cult's mantra "when the stars are right" doesn't refer to anything astrological, but rather the Elder Things' [[StarfishAliens distinctively shaped heads]] & that they made a mistake sealing him away & should let him out & join in worshiping him. |
| 185 | * This may also explain the need for the Cthulhu cult & the {{Half Human Hybrid}}s. If all life native to Earth is descended from the Elder Things' biotechnology, perhaps only humans would be able to deactivate the barriers keeping Cthulhu in check, while aliens like the Cthulhu Spawn would be kept out by some kind of biotmetric lock. |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[WMG: Wilbur Whateley's father is not Yog Sothoth but Azathoth.]] |
| 188 | Consider the fact that he & his "brother" are similar to Azathoth & Nyarlathotep, who are said to be different aspects or components of the same entity. One is vaguely humanoid & intelligent, while the other is a blobby, apparently mindless tentacle monster, whereas Yog Sothoth is said to resemble a cloud of bubbles. The Whately family probably just got confused due to their similar names, or possibly due to the fact that their copy of the Necronomicon was the [[{{Macekre}} infamously poorly translated English edition]]. |
| 189 | ** ...and the giant thing crying "HELP ME! FATHER! YOG-SOTHOTH" was what? |
| 190 | *** That was the giant thing crying for his father's help ''against'' Yog-Sothoth. =) |
| 191 | ** The idea of Azathoth as a giant tentacular blob and Yog-Sothoth as a cluster of bubbles comes from August Derleth, not Lovecraft himself, so he wouldn't have followed those descriptions before they were even invented. Azathoth is supposed to be an "atomic chaos", not an organic being at all, while Yog-Sothoth ought to be impossible to describe - the elements in his sons give a hint to what he might be like as an Earthly life-form, but not what he ''really'' is. Wilbur writes in his diary that once the world has been "cleansed", he would be given a new body, more suitable for the new conditions. |
| 192 | *** Actually, Lovecraft first described Yog-Sothoth as a congeries of iridescent globes in "The Horror in the Museum." |
| 193 | *** Lovecraft did not write that story, he only proofread it. Derleth loved mislabeling his works as Lovecraft's own for some reason. |
| 194 | |
| 195 | [[WMG: The "humans" are small mammals from after the next Ice Age. [[HumansAreCthulhu We are the Great Old Ones]].]] |
| 196 | We ruin our world and flee to hibernate with our advanced technology under the sea. The stories are told from the perspective of some small non-human mammals that pick up where we leave off. The reader is given familiar terms so as not to spoil the big reveal, and to suggest commonalities. When HPL writes "London" the reader is meant to assume "large coastal capitol city full of small non-human mammals". |
| 197 | * Then how come they look like squids and such |
| 198 | * The WMG that could be written by Lovecraft himself! Great twist. And, uh... I'd better go eat some small mammals. |
| 199 | * And that would make Cthulhu...a dog? A puppy would definitely fit the "mindless and puts everything in its mouth to see if its edible" part. The tentacles are just stylized dogs' tails, known in households around the world as weapons of mass destruction. |
| 200 | ** Given Lovecraft's opinion of dogs as opposed to cats, this makes perfect sense. |
| 201 | |
| 202 | [[WMG: Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth are the same entity.]] |
| 203 | Both are depicted as the all-powerful forces sustaining the universe and have never been established as separate. The simple explanation is that all the power in the universe is divided between Azathoth, who contains and sustains it in its rawest form, and Yog-Sothoth, who is pretty much the manifestation of Azathoth's will, actually ''using'' the power for stuff. |
| 204 | * But Azathoth is said to be present at the center of the universe, while Yog-Sothoth is present at all points in space and time. And even if you count him as the 'will' of Azathoth, they are still not the same entity for the same reason Nyarlathotep is not the same entity as either of them. |
| 205 | ** Doesn't the centre of the universe also count as a point in space and time? |
| 206 | *** Is the central point of a sphere a point on its surface? |
| 207 | *** Are all the points of a sphere contained solely on its surface? |
| 208 | *** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere Yes]]. A sphere is defined as "the set of points that are all the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space". If a sphere expands, the center of the expansion is not a point of the sphere, just like, for the same reason, the center of the universe is not a point in the universe itself. |
| 209 | *** Not exactly. The above defines an isomorph of a sphere embedded in an ambient space. A sphere does not need an ambient space to have a center in. Indeed, that is the problem with questions like "what lies outside the universe?" they assume uneeded things about geometry. That said, it is a fun way to give a modern geometric notion of the universe a center. |
| 210 | * Wait a minute: Azathoth + Yog Sothoth = [[{{God}} Yahweh]]. |
| 211 | ** YHWH is what would happen if they ever had a child. |
| 212 | ** No, at some point Yahweh was (somehow! don't ask me how!) defeated and split into two parts, and thus rendered (relatively) harmless: one part is mindless, and the other is locked out of our world. |
| 213 | ** That explains Azathoth "being asleep" and reality being its dream. Maybe it "waking up" would be both entities re-uniting and Azathoth forging the universe into something other than chaos? This of-course would make the "song" that the elder gods sing being what's keeping them apart. As for what split them in the first place: I propose it being the alien color from the Color Out of Space. Think about what that actually means for a second. Azathoth and Yog Sothoth are all of observable space, but said color is somehow from "out of space" meaning it isn't part of them or their will. Even in the original story it has no clear relation to anything in the mythos and has a totally different origin. Most of the eldritch beings need some summoning and interact with humans a little. The color doesn't care about anything humans or earthly. While the abominations mildly resemble biological creatures or at the very least appear as them to the humans, the color is just a sort of force that spreads. It just corrupts reality with no real goal or purpose, even moreso than the other aliens. They generally have something resembling an end "goal" to all the weird stuff they do but it just mutates everything for some reason. It's the eldritch abomination's eldritch abomination, and may God help you if it's ever anywhere near you. Or maybe not since it apparently split God. |
| 214 | ** Or, maybe, Azathoth is the Father. Gnarly is the Son. Yog is the Holy Ghost. |
| 215 | ** The Cthulhu Mythos is the MirrorUniverse of Literature/TheBible-instead of [[GodIsGood benevolent]]([[GodIsEvil or malevolent]]) EldritchAbomination that [[DidYouJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu wants to have a relationship with us]], we have an [[BlueAndOrangeMorality incomprehensible]] EldritchAbomination that [[InsignificantBluePlanet sees us as a sand particle on the beach.]] |
| 216 | |
| 217 | [[WMG: Uwe Boll is actually Nyarlathotep, and is attempting to drive us all insane with his movies.]] |
| 218 | And agreeing to stop making videogame movies if the petition gets enough signatures? That's part of an elaborate Xanatos gambit to get movie rights to every videogame in existance, and thus drive fans into utter despair. And then he'll move on to making anime movies... |
| 219 | * Anime movies? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! *goes mad from the revelation* |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[WMG: The "things" that the De La Poer ate were not humans... but just barely]] |
| 222 | The narrator's term to describe the creepy creature he saw on the cave is "swineherd". That word was unknown to me, though I could imply the meaning from analogy(shepherd => sheep, thus swineherd => swine, pigs), so it must be important for the understanding of the story. Near the end, the team of scientists find many skeletons in the grotto under the castle that are actually quadrupedal. The horrible conclusion is that the creatures being raised as cattle by the De La Poer were actually pigs, mutated into human-like creatures, whose evolution was accelerated by artificial selection and quick disposing of the unwanted individuals(for eating, of course). If the artificial selection of more human-like pigs was perpetrated due to pity or if it was the original objective of the family, though, is a mystery best unsolved... |
| 223 | ** Lovecraft's original intention was almost certainly for them to be humans so degenerate and bred for maximum meat production that they resemble pigs more than anything else. Really, the chances are that if you saw a deformed, filthy, morbidly obese human crawling on all fours, you'd think of pigs as well. |
| 224 | ** One of the scientists points out that the quadruped were originally bipedal; the text says "...some of the skeleton things must have descended as quadrupeds through the last twenty or more generations." In the next paragraph, the story mentions the quadrupeds being kept, together with the occasional "bipedal recruits", in the stone pens the explorers see. |
| 225 | * Long pig, anyone? |
| 226 | |
| 227 | |
| 228 | [[WMG:Nyarlathotep is to DreamLand as Azathoth is to the real world.]] |
| 229 | Azathoth is said to be the avatar or focal point of the cosmic forces of the physical world. As such, he is a force of nature & therefore mindless. Some sources say that Nyarlathotep is Azathoth's disembodied consciousness, however. This could be because he is the avatar of Lovecraft's Dreamlands, a world made from the [[UsefulNotes/CarlJung collective unconscious]] of all intelligent life, in a way, the "consciousness" of the universe. Since intelligent life is so rare in the vast cosmos he is so much smaller & less powerful than Azathoth, but infinitely more versatile & dangerous. This also handily explains why he is the most humanlike of Lovecraft's cosmic monsters, because in a way he is part human. |
| 230 | ** I think this is partly subverted in the end of ''Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'', where he executes his ultimate dick move and almost destroys Randolph Carter's sanity by tricking him into riding a Shantak into the court of Azathoth. This sorta proves that Azathoth exists in both the dreamlands and the real world, so it brings some doubt into the theory. |
| 231 | ** Azathoth is mentioned right up front and all the way through ''Dream-Quest'', along with his inconceivable, unlighted chambers, his disco, and the Other Gods whose soul and messenger is Nyarlathotep. |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[WMG:All other Cosmic Horrors exist because of humanity.]] |
| 234 | [[HumansAreCthulhu Humanity itself is the top dog Cosmic Horror]]. The only reason the others seem so powerful is because we locked our powers away and made ourselves forget. All the other ones want us back, so they are using cultists as a means to an end. |
| 235 | * Whoa, so we are like Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya? |
| 236 | |
| 237 | [[WMG:Lavinia Whateley was a victim of tentacle rape.]] |
| 238 | I cannot see any other reason as to how the Dunwich horrors actually came to be. |
| 239 | * The Whateleys were a crazy family of worshippers, and willingly set Wilbur and his brother's conception up? |
| 240 | ** They were, but it still can't have been too pleasant experience, when even her much crazier father was apparently half-mad with fear when she gave birth - as well as the fact that she was the one to get cold feet and became afraid of her inhuman sons. |
| 241 | |
| 242 | [[WMG:The Elder Things created the Shoggoths by reverse-engineering Shub-Niggurath's young.]] |
| 243 | Would explain the similarities. Plus, some Mythos sources have identified the Shoggoths as followeers of Shubby, although this is admittedly suspect, since Lovecraft himself never mentioned the connection IIRC. |
| 244 | * Well, ''The Thing in the Doorstep'' does imply that the Shoggoths (or "Shaggoths" as they are called in the story) are somehow involved with the Witch-Cult that invokes the name of Shub-Niggurath. Ofcourse it's just as possible that the people giving them names just didn't make much difference between two amorphous blob-creatures disregarding their different origins, if they even know about them. |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[WMG:H.P. Lovecraft was the son of an outer god]] |
| 247 | ''Literature/TheDunwichHorror'' was semi-autobiographical. It was also the reason for his racism-he was just barely able to avoid disgust and fear towards human beings who looked like him, but was unable to do so towards anyone different. His dislike of seafood was due to his unknowing identification with sea creatures. His stories were mixes of fact and fiction. |
| 248 | ** This outer god would have possessed Winfield Lovecraft, and subsequently departed, leaving Winfield insane. |
| 249 | |
| 250 | [[WMG:Nyarlathotep is the real mind behind the ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'' fan fiction as an attempt to drive the entire internet insane.]] |
| 251 | I feel like I lost some of my sanity rating just reading the page on it. |
| 252 | * ''Literature/SweetErmengarde'' is Lovecraft's ''My Immortal''. |
| 253 | |
| 254 | [[WMG: Cthulhu's power is directly linked to the existence of humanity.]] |
| 255 | Cthulhu is one of the most 'normal' of the various Lovecraftian horrors, but one of the most popular, and treated as one of the most powerful. The ability to actually perceive the physical form of the horrors is directly linked to their power. The more esoteric entities lack power over human beings because the humans can't properly process them. What can we process? Big ol' squid-dragons. Advantage: Cthulhu. |
| 256 | |
| 257 | [[WMG: Azathoth is a supermassive [[UsefulNotes/BlackHoles black hole]].]] |
| 258 | We know that Azathoth is blind and mindless, and lurks at the center of the universe. Lovecraft grew up in a time when "the universe" meant the Milky Way galaxy, which ([[ScienceMarchesOn we now know]]) has a supermassive black hole at its center. Azathoth is described as "blaspheming", yet Lovecraft was an athiest, so it's hard to say what would constitute "blasphemy" in his reckoning ... unless, that is, it's warping physics and the nature of reality, ''blaspheming'' against all that is reasonable, which black holes do by their very nature (Black holes are one of the most prominent examples of actual Lovecraftian {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in Real Life). Azathoth is also said to "bubble", but ''what'' he bubbles in the void of space isn't specified; the event horizon of a black hole, however, is a spherical border not unlike a giant bubble. As for the "piping" that tunelessly serenades the Big A, it's possible that the Milky Way black hole releases pulses of radiation into intergalactic space (i.e. it's a quasar), creating a rhythmic, tuneless "beat" that even tone-deaf Lovecraft could've interpreted as music.[[note]]HPL was not tone-deaf. He had a pleasant tenor singing voice, and as a preteen played the [[http://chrisperridas.blogspot.com/2006/03/zobo.html Zobo]], teaming up with a couple of classmates to form the "Blackstone Military Band". He liked pop tunes/ barbershop quartet type songs and paid attention to the background music in movies. Sonia used to put on "Danse Macabre" and do a kind of improvised cakewalk, which her husband found "enchanting".[[/note]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | In short, Azathoth is Lovecraft's unwitting anticipation of the discovery of a supermassive black hole at the core of the Milky Way: an indestructible, mindless creator and destroyer of our galaxy, as it's what drew material together to make it and what will gobble up its remnants when it dies. If stars, planets and constellations are named for their semblance to god-figures from mythology, then "Azathoth" is the ''perfect'' name for that big hungry mutha at the galactic core. |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[WMG:Eric Zahn was the Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof.]] |
| 263 | Before moving to that creepy rooming house in Paris, he lived in Anatevka, where he stood on top of people's houses and played to keep Azathoth from coming and wiping out the village. Sadly, this technique didn't prove nearly as effective against the Cossacks. |
| 264 | |
| 265 | [[WMG:"Noyes" from ''The Whisperer in Darkness'' is Nyarlathotep.]] |
| 266 | A suspicious yet standard-looking ominous fellow getting involved in rituals with the Mi-Go with a calm demeanor and higher-than-average knowledge about entities like Shub-Niggurath? Who could it be? |
| 267 | * Someone who participates in a ritual which celebrates the impending coming of Nyarlathotep, as explicitly told in the story? Why would the Mi-Go order him to collect information to give to Nyarlathotep, if he was the deity himself? To quote directly: |
| 268 | -->'''(Buzzing Voice):'''...go out among men and find the ways thereof, that He in the Gulf may know. To Nyarlathotep, Mighty Messenger, must all things be told. And He shall put on the semblance of men, the waxen mask and the robe that hides, and come down from the world of Seven Suns to mock... |
| 269 | -->'''(Human Voice):'''(Nyarl)athotep, Great Messenger, bringer of strange joy to Yuggoth through the void, Father of the Million Favoured Ones, Stalker among... |
| 270 | ** Perhaps Nyarlathotep didn't want anyone knowing who he was. |
| 271 | ** This is [[https://www.deviantart.com/malakialagatta/art/LL-Evil-Forces-Pag-19-466654495 Sara Bardi's take on Nyarly]] in ''Webcomic/LovelyLovecraft''. |
| 272 | |
| 273 | [[WMG:The reason the protagonist of ''The Music Of Eric Zahn'' can never find the Rue D'Auseil again is because Azathoth erased it from existence.]] |
| 274 | After Zahn stopped playing, Azzy got bored with it and wiped the place out. But since he's an eldritch god thing who controls space and time, when Azathoth destroys something, not only does he end its future, he wipes out its past as well. There never was a Rue D'Auseil, hence why it doesn't show up on any maps and why nobody remembers it. As to why the narrator does, maybe Azzy's just messing with him. |
| 275 | ** Nah, [[Webcomic/TheUnspeakableVaultOfDoom his house just became Cthulhu's iPod.]] |
| 276 | |
| 277 | [[WMG:The Magna Mater from ''Rats in the Walls'' is actually Shub Niggurath.]] |
| 278 | Also, the voodoo sect the guy's cousin joined is the one from ''Call Of Cthulhu''. No reason other than it'd tie it into the Cthulhu Mythos. |
| 279 | |
| 280 | [[WMG: HP Lovecraft is ''not really'' a nihilistic [[StrawNihilist Nietzsche Wannabe]]]] |
| 281 | Okay, this might be more of a Poison Oak Epileptic Tree, but Lovecraft is actually just acting some of his nihilism so that he can make and write his stories better and more memorable. You know, fully understanding and comprehending a fictional universe by acting them as though they are real experiences. He was just living his life as though it was a work of art. Well, if he was truly that of a nihilist, then the probability of him [[HeroicBSOD collapsing]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation from the revelation]] increases. After all, a meaningless story is fun but easily disposable, but a philosophic story that questions our existence is more memorable and interesting. Remember how the anime ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' became famous due to its philosophic mindscrewyness? |
| 282 | * I cant tell if this was a joke or not because if youve read his letters its clear he never was a Nihilistic Nietzsche Wannabe its also clearly he wasnt a nihilist he had philosophical beliefs he held to firmly, the only remarks he ever really made that implied he was one was when he was suffering severe depression after the death of his mother. |
| 283 | * Part of his expressed nihilism was also an element of his [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decadent_movement Decadent]] phase, when he was writing things like "The Quest of Iranon" and "Celephais". He goes into detail on this at the opening of ''The Silver Key'' where Randolph Carter is seeking into various philosophies and worldviews after losing his way to the dreamlands. |
| 284 | |
| 285 | [[WMG:Danforth from ''Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness'' didn't really go crazy.]] |
| 286 | He was killed by a Shoggoth and replaced. His apparent insanity is due to the creature not figuring out how to imitate human behavior convincingly. His repetitive babbling is the Shoggoth repeating things it heard the real Danforth say. After all, the ancient tablets told of the Shoggoths disguising themselves as Elder Things, why not people? |
| 287 | * Exactly where in the novel it is mentioned that the Shoggoths could disguise themselves as Elder Things? They are way, way too large for such a feat, and descriptions are only given to their imitation of their masters' voices and writing, nothing about their physical forms. |
| 288 | |
| 289 | [[WMG: Webcomic/{{Shadowgirls}} theory about Lovecraft is true]] |
| 290 | Shadowgirls, webcomics that makes big use of Cthulhu Mythos, has recently finished short story revealing that Lovecraft was a member of secret society of writers, who were gathering the knowledge about all kind of supernatural like aliens, vampires, werewolves or eldritch abominations and publishing them as fiction. If they would reveal their knowledge as truth, nobody would believe them, but if they claimed to made it up, their knowledge would survive in collective human memory as tropes - we know that stake and sunlight kills a vampire and silver bullet is fatal to the werewolf, because we read about it in books. Lovecraft himself has passed informations about how to deal with at last some of creatures his characters encounters - The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath describes how to survive encounters with many creatures inhabiting Dream World and even how to get saved from Nyerlaotheph. His stories where monstrosities cannot be stopped serves as a warning for people so then can recognize early signs of those creatures when they see them and run. |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[WMG: The things in the tomb in "The Statement of Randolph Carter" were [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic parasprites]].]] |
| 293 | "Curse these hellish things--legions--My God!" |
| 294 | |
| 295 | [[WMG:Shoggoths are the central creature linking all the Cthulhu Mythos.]] |
| 296 | Here's the reasons why: |
| 297 | ->The Elder Things/Old Ones of Antarctica created the Shoggoths as servitors- who rebelled. |
| 298 | ->In regards to Deep Ones or other followers of Cthulhu, the Esoteric Order of Dagon use Shoggoths for some of their plans. (''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'') |
| 299 | ->In regards to the Outer Gods/Great Old Ones, the cultists who worship Shub-Niggurath in Chesuncook, Maine have a whole pit of Shoggoths. ("The Thing on the Doorstep") |
| 300 | ->What about the Dreamlands? Didn't Abdul Alhazred say that Shoggoths only existed in the dreams of druggies? |
| 301 | |
| 302 | [[WMG: The pantheon is dead.]] |
| 303 | It turns out that the conqueror of the Great Old Ones weren't the Elder Gods, or even [[LovecraftLite man]]...it was time itself. All of those Great Old Ones said to be [[HesJustHiding lying dormant in some far-distant place]]? Chances are, if they weren't dead to begin with, they have died of old age by now. Their myths, meanwhile, still resonate with the few alien races still alive in the universe. We all are tricked into believing the eldritch abominations of the universe still threaten our existence, [[NothingIsScarier when there is nothing threatening our existence at all]]. |
| 304 | * [[FridgeBrilliance Rather fitting]]: considering that if the universe is truly as cold, meaningless and callous as Lovecraft claimed, the Great Old Ones would be just as insignificant as humanity. This could possibly even play to the Outer Gods, with the laws of physics themselves making them seem like nothing. |
| 305 | |
| 306 | [[WMG: [[HumansAreCthulhu Humanity is driving Nyarlathotep insane]].]] |
| 307 | By whatever standards Eldritch Abominations have. Supposedly humans shouldn't even blip on most of the Mytho's radar, yet Nyarly is obsessed with them; changing them, dominating or destroying them. He purposely deals with them and actively works to change human society. He is not AboveGoodAndEvil; indeed, his behaviour is [[Creator/FriedrichNietzsche Human, All Too Human]]. See, the GoMadFromTheRevelation thing is ''two-way.'' Nyarlathotep set his perceptions on a radically different species (humans) and the perspective is driving him bonkers. |
| 308 | ** As for why he's set his perceptions on us, well, going by the works in which he appears he's been trying to make us do ourselves in for a very long time and so far hasn't suceeded in doing so. Basically he's bored and we're a challenge. |
| 309 | |
| 310 | [[WMG: Its more than that-humanity made Nyarlathotep the monster that he is.]] |
| 311 | Nyarlathotep is described as the soul of the Outer Gods. However this doesn't make much sense, considering that the Outer Gods are both practically unaware of mankind's existence and beyond any human value system. So why is Nyarlathotep such a dick? He's the soul of the Outer Gods, but not necessarily the mind. Without a true body or identity, Nyarly is vulnerable to humanity's unconscious awareness. They recognize him as the Outer Gods, and because mankind isn't capable of understanding what value system ([[AboveGoodAndEvil if any]]) the Outer Gods have, [[BlackAndWhiteMorality they apply their own]]. [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity This is never a good thing]], and when [[CosmicHorrorStory learning what the Outer Gods are]], the human race declared them "evil." Nyarlathotep's dickishness is the bastardized version of the Outer Gods, mistaking [[InsignificantLittleBluePlanet careless apathy]] with [[ForTheEvulz outright maliciousness]]. Notice how Nyarlathotep started out as simply trying to prevent humanity from gaining forbidden knowledge, [[{{Flanderization}} but was flanderized]] to basically be [[EldritchAbomination Lovecraftian]] Satan. That's the result of humanity learning more about the Outer Gods. It is possible that the events of Literature/TheBible were a similar phenomenon, but inverted: we once (and [[GodIsEvil mostly]] still in RealLife) believed that GodIsGood - so Nyarlathotep was made [[AllLovingHero good]]. |
| 312 | |
| 313 | [[WMG: The Doctor is One of the Million Favored Ones.]] |
| 314 | The Nightmare Fuel entry for Doctor Who already pointed out the similarities between Nyarly and The Doctor, and in the EU The Doctor expressed fear at the idea of encountering him. It would certainly explain a few oddities about The Doctor, as well as his tendency the be viewed as a HumanoidAbomination |
| 315 | * (Pasted from DW Nightmare Fuel) Both the Doctor and the Master are charming, suave fellows with timetravelling capabilities, entirely alien biologies, the skill to charm the pants off ''anybody'', the power to change their face, masters of technology and engineering, and are both merciless killers who follow their own established order. Y'know who else fits that description? Nyarlathotep. |
| 316 | * The Timelords as a whole ARE the Million Favored Ones. |
| 317 | |
| 318 | [[WMG: The [[Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth Deep Ones and their half-human spawn]] are [[NonHumanUndead zombies]]!]] |
| 319 | Lovecraft and subsequent writers explicitly portray them as having a nauseating fish odor. Actually, it's only [[http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/why-fish-smells-more-than-meat/ DEAD fish]] that smell. Which means . . . "[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Iä! Iä! BRRAAAIIINNNS!]]" |
| 320 | * Considering the Deep Ones are (possibly) aliens, that fishy smell might just be their B.O. |
| 321 | ** Nah, I think the story makes it pretty clear they're another species native to Earth. ("Seems that human folks has got a kind a' relation to sech water-beasts - that everything alive come aout o' the water onct an' only needs a little change to go back agin." "Can it be possible that this planet has actually spawned such things. . .") Lovecraft's aliens are REALLY alien. |
| 322 | |
| 323 | [[WMG: [[Literature/TheDunwichHorror Wilbur]] is [[Literature/CharlottesWeb Wilbur]].]] |
| 324 | Because they're both the runt of the litter and they live on a farm. |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[WMG: Fitting the theme of a universe that has no meaning, Nyarlathotep would be the final step of evolution of every single being in existence]] |
| 327 | Nyarly is the Soul or the Telepatic representation of the Outer Gods and if you think about it for a moment you will notice that the Outer Gods(the most powerful beings in all Lovecraft Mythos and therefore the most aliens in mind and body) end up making a creature that is not so different from the human way of thinking. So no matter how alien, bizarre or godlike you are, you will always manifest your "Soul", "Essence" or "Mind" as a creature that wants only suffering and madness spread all over every plane of existence just for fun. Meaning that even gods and lowly earthlings cant escape him because they are all the one and the same, the sense of self-identity and morals are just masks for the very "soul" that drives every motivation you make and fits perfectly with a universe with no meaning or salvation. If the so called god who is omnipotent and benevolent its a blind child that created the universe by accident then evolution in mind and body (the tool that all the creatures uses to achieve adaptation over the environment) its also flawed and meaningless because all change will always lead into being like Nyarlathotep in the end and worse yet there is no escape from it because like every aspect that the Outer Gods represent (Radiation, Childbearing, Time and Space) its a necessary aspect that keeps reality from falling apart, unchanging, constant, absolute. |
| 328 | * Why would evolution in an universe without meaning actively direct life-forms towards a single point? Evolution doesn't work that way. Also, the while the Lovecraftian Other Gods are meant to act as personifications of the blind forces of physics, having there be specific gods for things like radiation or childbearing would be rather anticlimactic, and would rob them from much of their mystique and alienness. |
| 329 | ** Evolution is a weird word today but what I meant is that even living being adapt very slowly towards a better future for their species in the end it wont change the fact that they still will be as insane and twisted in their inner desires as Nyarlathotep. Thus making the universe a place where you cant rely on your god because its to apathetic to care or because its a mindless and also a place that even if you adopt a Anti-Nihilistic view upon the world trying to live and help others now that there is no one to help us in the cold and infinite space it STILL wont change anything at all, because the weak minded will always be overwhelmed by their desire of destruction and madness. Thus this illusion called "Evolution" or "Progress" meaningless because our decisions are just as smart as running in circles over and over and over, moving constantly but never reaching any other shape beyond a circle forever. If Nyarly manages to be the most humanlike creature of all the pantheon even if he is the Soul or Mind of this godlike creatures that are supposed to be too alien to grasp, its because even them are meaningless and have become prisioners of a principle of the universe that being like Nyarly at the very core. For the "Having gods for specific thing would be Anticlimatic" opinion i could say that maybe that its part of the charm in the "go mad from the revelation". Maybe the true is THAT anticlimatic and lame that you will go in denial and in anger like a madman. Even if that wasnt the case it wont change the fact that some of the forces of physics are actually pretty alien on their own that all that is missing is that they were sentient but even that could be debatable considering that our perception of reality its too small that even if we do consider something as non sentient we may as well be very wrong. |
| 330 | * So what you mean is that being the Anthropomorphic Representation of the Soul or Telepathic powers of the Outer Gods isnt his function, but instead the function that Lovecraft had for him is a Take That to evolution and intelligent design? by declaring that the gods manifested him as a monstruosity that manipulates and changes forms or "masks" for his own amusement just like a lowly life form? Also, i believe that the concepts of the Outer Gods being related to cosmic scale principles was after Lovecraft writings and made into the Call of Cthulhu RPG. But even if none of them have any purpose, Nyarlathotep still seems like a pretty odd creation on their part enough to question if they are really that different they from us |
| 331 | ** The Other Gods as representations of the abstract forces of the universe is a concept that originates in the prosaic poem ''[[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep Nyarlathotep]]'', the first introduction of the character, even though the Other Gods as entities had not been quite fleshed out yet. In it Nyarlathotep is presented as an immortal but human scientist who brings terrifying truths of the universe to the hapless masses. The term "Other Gods" is not present, only the idea of the blind forces of the physics as the true deities of this world: |
| 332 | --> And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled, maddening beating of drums, and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes from inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond Time; the detestable pounding and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic, tenebrous ultimate gods — the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles whose soul is Nyarlathotep. |
| 333 | ** Incidentally, the second explanation of the original [=WMG=] is contradictory with the original text; how can Nyarlathotep be the "peak" of all evolution is evolution is an illusion? In any case, the idea of Nyarlathotep as a trickster-bully who messes with humans for his own amusement is an idea of later authors. In Lovecraft's own work Nyarlathotep is always an intermediary between our "normal" world and the cosmic horrors. When you try to pass the boundaries of the human existence, you have to deal with him in some shape or form. This concept is present in ''The Dreams in the Witch-House'', ''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'', ''The Haunter of the Dark'', and is even implied in ''The Whisper in Darkness''. |
| 334 | *** Evolution Its an illusion made by the humans by their inability to fully comprehend the very fabric of reality around that concept. For them, its a method that ensures that a species will always find a way to adapt to their environment and survive in the long run. In the grand scale of things however it doesnt mean anything because its like taking 1 step forward and 1 step back over and over. All decisions are, at the very core, driven by the desire of spread suffering and the only thing changing is actually how our bodies manage to convince us into do actions of this kind without our conscious mind detecting them as such. However, like you said, this will only apply if the original works around Nyarlathotep actually had him being a "for the evulz" kind of mentality. It must have been the Character Sheet from the Cthulhu Mythos page that made me believe this interpretation of Nyarly when i was looking for further answers. And begs the question, what tropes are from the original writings and what are the tropes made by other authors?? |
| 335 | *** Sorry, but this still fails to make sense to me. If the purpose of evolution is to spread suffering, then evolution is not without purpose, and is in fact goal-driven, unlike real-life evolution which is simply perpetuation of genetic patterns that prove succesful in action. As for Nyarlathotep, his characterization as an evil trickster mostly stems from his presentation in ''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'' where he guards Earth's gods in Dreamlands against mortal intrusion, but clearly holds these gods in contempt at the same time, and demonstrates some creative cruelty in disposing of the main protagonist, Randolph Carter. However, this is only one aspect of Nyarlathotep, and it is still performing a role of guarding the border between mundane and the otherworldly, rather than actively pursuing people to torment. |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[WMG: [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Nightmare Moon]] is Cthulu.]] |
| 338 | Locked some place cold and dark (Moon/Depths of Ocean), incredible powers, will escape ''when the stars are right'', treated as myth by the local civilization (Ponyville/Everyone who hasn't been involved in anything) but known by foreigners (Zecora/cults) and people who read far too much (Twilight/?), its form is sort of comprehensible but aspects are well beyond what people can grasp (Mane and fact she's an Alicorn / Giant octopus-dragon-man {{Starfish Alien|s}}). |
| 339 | ** And [[MadGod Discord]] is ''obviously'' Nyarlathotep. |
| 340 | |
| 341 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep is, among other things, more or less the god of trolling]] |
| 342 | Sowing chaos, check. ForTheEvulz, check (well, sort of). Likes messing with people, check. Dickishness, check. Sockpuppets, check. |
| 343 | |
| 344 | [[WMG: Contrary to popular belief, you ''can'' [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Punch Out Cthulhu]]]] |
| 345 | Which may explain how he got knocked out by a boat. This is the actual reason why Cthulhu drives you insane: it's a defense mechanism. Cthulhu knows that squishy little mortals may try to nuke it to oblivion, but thanks to its psychic powers, people are too insane to attack it. Granted, it would still take a lot of force and psychological willpower to kill it, but it still is possible. |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[WMG: You ''cannot'' Punch Out Cthulhu, but only if the stars are right]] |
| 348 | His waking in ''Call of Cthulhu'' was premature, humans disturbed his resting place and drove him out while he was thousands of times weaker than he would have been had he woken up in due time. This led to his getting torn apart by a boat, and since he's now probably too wounded to come out for a while, he missed the actual date when the stars ''were'' right. |
| 349 | * Then the solution is to move the stars, so they're never right. Or flee the universe when they're about to |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[WMG: There are many Cthulhus]] |
| 352 | Well, they aren't necessarily all named Cthulhu, but there are more like "him". Cthulhu is basically the queen of the hive (his spawn) that settled on earth. Other hives with similar queens live on other planets. |
| 353 | |
| 354 | [[WMG: The ''Color Out Of Space'' created or summoned everything eldritch on Earth.]] |
| 355 | Everything Lovecraftian on Earth is a product of meteorites like the one in ''Color''. Proof? Before the meteorite landed near Arkham, there's nothing that implies the existence of ''anything'' out of the ordinary in the Miskatonic Valley area. The old gods and elder gods already existed on Earth, called by previous ''Color''-like objects that had landed, but for some reason they can only manifest where the meteorites are. Maybe they were in parts of Egypt, wherever Alhazred lived, etc. It would account for the [[LovecraftCountry locality]] of Lovecraft's books. |
| 356 | * And [[EldritchLocation R'lyeh]] was just a ''really big'' meteorite. |
| 357 | |
| 358 | [[WMG: Shub-Niggurath is actually just a giant he-goat.]] |
| 359 | He is refered to in official Lovecraft works as a ram which is a male goat and is also called ''The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young'' and since there is no other description of Shub-Niggurath he must be a goat(specifically a giant goat that eats people and spits them out as [[EldritchAbomination EldritchAbominations]] like Nug the parent or creater of Cthulhu due to it absorbing Yog-Sothoth's energy into it's stomach) |
| 360 | |
| 361 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep's true form ''is'' the Black Pharaoh and is also The High Prophet of The Outer Gods.]] |
| 362 | Lovecraft's own notes make it quite clear that Nyarlathotep is indeed a man and just The High Prophet of The Outer Gods and not an Outer God himself, why his master Azathoth gave him the power to manifest in the form of '''the Haunter in the Dark''' is unknown. |
| 363 | |
| 364 | [[WMG: At least one of Lovecraft's Abominations is afraid of Humans]] |
| 365 | Going with the "[[PunyHumans we are but ants compared to the Great Old Ones]]" concept, since we are so small and strange looking relative to Cthulhu and the gang, some of them are probably creeped out by us the way some humans are scared of bugs. |
| 366 | |
| 367 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep is [[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Tzeentch]] ]] |
| 368 | Both are constantly making inconceivably complex [[ThePlan plans]], and don't seem to have a final objective in their scheming. Both Tzeench and Nyarlathotep have constantly changing appearances and love messing with people. |
| 369 | * And Nodens is the God-Emperor of mankind. |
| 370 | * Alternatively, it's all a lie by Tzeentch. He really is Nyarlathotep, but he's also Lovecraft himself. His Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes acted as the Great Old ones while the lesser Daemons acted as the lesser supernatural entities and the other three Outer Gods represent the other three Chaos Gods. It was all a ploy to take away worshippers from the other three powers. |
| 371 | ** Or alternatively, that's just what I want you all to think who I am, Tropers. Therefore you cannot interfere with my plans. Or maybe my plan relies on your interfence. Who knows? |
| 372 | *** Hail Tzeentch the Great Old One of Change! |
| 373 | |
| 374 | [[WMG: Azathoth isn't mindless at all.]] |
| 375 | Azathoth is both incomprehensibly powerful and totally batshit bonkers. However, rather than being completely mindless, the reality is that his/its brain/mind/whatever is so broken that the only ones who can perceive its intelligence (let alone actually understand it) are Yog-Sothoth and ''maybe'' Nyarlathotep. It does have thoughts, ideas, and opinions; it's just so insane nowadays that it literally can't think in any way but its natural way, making its thought processes too advanced/Eldritch for lesser beings to comprehend by default (as opposed to Gnarly, who can lower himself enough to think like we PunyHumans and who we can most definitely classify as malevolent). |
| 376 | |
| 377 | This isn't to say that Azathoth isn't a complete idiot (which, if this theory makes any sort of sense to you, could either be caused or compounded by its insanity), but it isn't simply an all-powerful force of nature that just so happened to create the Universe. |
| 378 | * Well reality ''is'' supposed to be Azathoth's dream. He could actually be intelligent, and we think he's mindless because Azathoth isn't a lucid dreamer. |
| 379 | |
| 380 | [[WMG: The Defiler is a priest of Nyarlathotep.]] |
| 381 | The Defiler is the Great Old One of Squick, perversions and is probably the only Lovecraftian deity besides Nyarlathotep who's genuinely evil instead of [[BlueAndOrangeMorality not following human principles.]] Being interested in perversions does not seem like something [[TimeAbyss an eons-old]] entity unrelated to the human race. Perhaps its because the Defiler is following an Outer God that ''does'' follow human morality. Much like how Great Old One [[BreakoutCharacter Cthulhu]] is the High Priest to Outer God [[SpaceMaster Yog-]][[TimeMaster Sothoth]], Great Old One [[DepravedBisexual the Defiler]] is a follower to Outer God [[OnlySaneMan Nyarlathotep.]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | |
| 384 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep is the The Nameless Mist.]] |
| 385 | The Nameless Mist has been refered to as Nyog' Sothep which sounds ''very'' similar to the name Nyarlathotep... |
| 386 | |
| 387 | This means Nyarlathotep is Yogg-Sothoth's ''father!!!'' |
| 388 | |
| 389 | [[WMG: As of Literature/TheTrailOfCthulhu: Cthulhu is dead and Hovarth Blayne is the new High Priest of the Great Old Ones.]] |
| 390 | That's what the story seems to hint. Even if someone kills Cthulhu the Old Ones will find ''someone'' to awaken/summon them to begin their reign causing the EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. All the heroes did was prolong the inevitable. |
| 391 | |
| 392 | |
| 393 | [[WMG: The Dark Pharaoh wasn't just another of Nyarlathotep's disguises...]] |
| 394 | [[FromNobodyToNightmare The Dark Pharaoh was Nyarlathotep's old human identity]] [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence before ascending to godhood]]. Related to the above "The Dark Pharaoh is Nyarlathotep's true form", The Dark Pharaoh only ruled an Egyptian kingdom (albeit as brutally and cruelly as you'd expect a future EldritchAbomination would), but eventually stumbled upon the legends of the Ancient Ones, and [[AGodAmI decided getting the powers of an Eldritch God was WAY too good to pass up]]. Cue one even-more-demonic-than-usual cultist ceremony, and The Dark Pharaoh became Nyarlathotep. Assuming this theory is true, it'd probably explain why Nyarlathotep is described as having the "soul" of the Ancient Ones, and is THE definitive GodOfEvil in the Cthulhu Mythos while the other Ancient Ones run on BlueAndOrangeMorality - [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters as a former human, Nyarlathotep still has a soul with him]], [[AmbitionIsEvil only one rendered black with an insatiable lust for power]], [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide and made even worse now that he has Eldritch god-powers at his fingertips]]. |
| 395 | |
| 396 | [[WMG: Innsmouth in New England is named for the English town of Innsmouth in Celephais.]] |
| 397 | |
| 398 | [[WMG: Nyalrathotep's differences from the rest of the Outer Gods are due to his age]] |
| 399 | In general, Nyalrathotep is depicted as the most petty, or, one might say, CHILDISH, of his pantheon. It's been said that if humans are insects to them, he's a kid who passes his time by terrorizing an anthill. So, why is this? Because, as Outer Gods go, that's exactly what he is. Azathoth created the universe as an incubator for his children, and Nyalrathotep is the youngest. Yog-Sothoth is either his eldest sibling or [[BizarreSexualDimorphism his other parent]]. Shub-Nigurath, Daoloth and the rest are teenagers, somewhere between Nyalrathotep and Azathoth in ther species' life cycle. |
| 400 | |
| 401 | [[WMG: You can't [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Punch Out Cthulhu]] but you can deal him into a human.]] |
| 402 | Interesting story idea. Basically we have this dude calling her Alister and she fights {{Eldritch Abomination}}s by making deals with the other gods. So Alister makes a real with like one of Nyartholeps bosses to seal Nyar into a baby. So that baby is an amnesiac Nyartholep. |
| 403 | |
| 404 | [[WMG: Lovecraft was greeted by {{Psychopomp}}s at the very end of his life.]] |
| 405 | And they were, of course, two adorable kittens. On October 20, 1936, HPL walked in Squantum Woods near Narragansett Bay. Two tiny kittens appeared and followed him, like guardians; a cuddly, playful tortie, the other grey and standoffish, only following the Old Gentleman so he wouldn't lose track of his sibling. They remained behind in the woods as he went on his way. Five months later Lovecraft was dead. This has been an official SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}. (And Tim Powers' short story "Dispensation" takes this seriously.) |
| 406 | |
| 407 | [[WMG: The Mi-Go are {{Empathic Shapeshifter}}s]] |
| 408 | Akeley describes them as giant horrible lobster-bat-mushroom things. Wilmarth suggests that they inspired legends of TheFairFolk and Yetis, but I defy you to show me any account in history that describes either of those things as lobster-bat-mushroom creatures. Therefore, I posit that they have (or Nyarlathotep gave them- created them with?) the ability to change appearance to match the preconceptions of whomever sees them; fairies at one point in history, yetis in another, and bizarre alien invaders to more recent conspiracy nuts. |
| 409 | |
| 410 | [[WMG: Nyarlathotep went into the TV business.]] |
| 411 | He still showcases the wonders of science, prophesies the end-times, and mocks the mild gods of earth, he just shortened his name so it would be easier to rhyme… |
| 412 | |
| 413 | [[WMG: Azathoth is the unknowable God]] |
| 414 | Explains why that no one knows his "true name" |
| 415 | also explain this little tidbit in Gnosticism "There is an unknowable {{God}}, who gave rise to many lesser spirit beings called Aeons. The creator of the (material) universe is not the supreme {{god}}, but an inferior spirit (the Demiurge). Gnosticism does not deal with "sin," only ignorance. To achieve salvation, one needs gnosis (knowledge)." |
| 416 | 1. Azathoth and the unknowable God of Gnosticism exist outside of reality. |
| 417 | 2. Azathoth and the Unknowable God are both have "avatar children" Nyarlathotep and Avatar of Synthesis respectively. beings that exist outside of reality |
| 418 | 3. Unknowable true forms and that they differ for each person that try to envision the unknowable God and Azathoth |
| 419 | 4. ??? |
| 420 | 5. they both not known that they created reality by creating the Aeons/other outer/void gods respectively. |
| 421 | Conclusion: the Unknowable God of Gnosticism and Azathoth are the same being! Who agrees with me?? |
| 422 | |
| 423 | [[WMG: Azathoth and Yog-Sothoth are [[{{Foil}} direct antitheses]] of one another.]] |
| 424 | Consider their roles and what can be discerned by their characterization. Azathoth exists "in the center of infinity", a singularity of sorts, while Yog-Sothoth simultaneously exists outside space-time and all across it. One exists in a single location, the other in every single location and no locations at all. Azathoth is an AlmightyIdiot, while Yog-Sothoth displays great intelligence and may even be TheOmniscient. Azathoth is a GodOfChaos, Yog-Sothoth seems to embody a cosmic order, at least in the sense of "being underpinning laws of physics", though as Afrogomon it also takes offense to those those who violate the laws of time. If Azathoth is {{God}}, Yog-Sothoth is TheAntiGod, though just not quite in the respect of being equal in power since everything will cease to exist if Azathoth wakes up. They could even be two halves of the same being. Nyarlathotep is the small discrepancy in their power and a weaker {{Foil}} to both/what's left over from them if they were once the same being-relatively smaller, emotional and semi-comprehensible to mortals as opposed to being emotionless, and involved instead of oblivious or uninterested. A sort of twisted Holy Trinity where Azathoth is the Father, Yog-Sothoth the Spirit, and Nyarlathotep the Son. |
| 425 | |
| 426 | [[WMG: A number of the Outer Gods are Azathoth's disembodied consciousness.]] |
| 427 | While appearing to be an AlmightyIdiot, that's only true right now because its consciousness is in other beings. Its consciousness is mainly manifested in Yog-Sothoth(hence why it is typically the second most powerful Outer God), while Nyarlathotep holds the bulk of Azathoth's emotions(hence why Nyarlathotep is the most emotive and thus human Outer God), with other Outer Gods having what's left. This is why all reality simply ends when Azathoth wakes up-its consciousness returns back to it, which unmakes the various Outer Gods that maintain/are the fundamental aspects of existence. |
| 428 | [[WMG: Hastur's FaceHeelTurn happened shortly after Haïta the Shepherd]] |
| 429 | Given how in later works Hastur is more malevolent, it is safe to assume that he became this way after basically being blackmailed by Haïta and the latter not even keeping up his end of the deal. |
| 430 | [[WMG:Abdul al-Hazred had a speech impediment]] |
| 431 | The redundant "al" is not a mistranslation but a contemporary nickname making fun of his stutter, not unlike how the Dodo in ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' is based on Creator/LewisCarroll's nickname "Do-Do-Dodgson". |
| 432 | |
| 433 | [[WMG: The reason why Nyarlathotep doesn't fall under BlueAndOrangeMorality.]] |
| 434 | It's due to his nature as the herald and MouthOfSauron of the Outer Gods. Since he's supposed to be their voice and messenger, he adapts to having a personality comprehensible to whoever he visits. So if he were to interact with an alien race with a different morality, he would resemble their morality instead of humanity morality. Why does that make him malevolent as well? Because most decent humans would regard the Outer Gods' cosmic indifference and the fact that they could step on them like they absentmindedly step on ants on the sidewalk as incredibly evil. If a species thought what the Outer Gods are doing was benevolent, or humanity as a whole worshipped the Outer Gods as they are, Nyarlathotep would come off as benevolent. Contrast this with Azathoth ([[AlmightyIdiot who lacks consciousness]] and has no way to adapt to whatever race it comes across it) or Yog-Sothoth ([[TheOmniscient who perceives all time and space]] and has no reason to adapt to whatever race it comes across). |
| 435 | |
| 436 | [[WMG: H.P Lovecraft [[DevilInDisguise was one of Nyarlathotep's identities.]] ]] |
| 437 | He wrote the ''Cthulhu Mythos'' [[FictionAsCoverUp so people would assume anything "Lovecraftian" was fictional]], and any warning of an actually eldritch danger [[CassandraTruth would be seen as over-reacting nerds]]. The author's introverted, odd and [[ValuesDissonance politically incorrect]] views were just the HumanoidAbomination not being able to fully hide [[HatesEveryoneEqually his contempt for everyone and everything]]. People being scared of cosmic horror [[{{Troll}} was a little gift to himself]]. Any official records and physical evidence of Lovecraft and his family were easy to fake for a CosmicEntity. Of course, this also means [[CardCarryingVillain Nyarly knows he's evil given how he portrays himself]], [[JerkassGods but are you really surprised?]] |
| 438 | |
| 439 | [[WMG: The CthulhuMythos isn't the inspiration of multiple works that created their own cosmic horrors, but a RussianReversal where mythos's like TheElderScrolls, NightmareonElmStreet, AdventureTime and such similar ideals converged these concepts to create this mytos through some weird time-magic bs and inspired H.P Lovecraft to write the horros we know and love. Such a weird TimeLoop that either thinking about it gives you brain cancer or brain fog via laziness as the mythos is incomplete?]] |
| 440 |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext WMG / CthulhuMythos
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load
