History Characters / CthulhuMythos

* AffablyEvil: At least in the form of Tawil at-'Umr, in an AboveGoodAndEvil way.

Cthulhu's benevolent brother, who's as good as his evil brother is in the ''Titus Crow'' series. See his entry in ''Characters/TitusCrow''

* YellowPeril: They're one of the most ''racist'' things to come out of the Mythos. Ironically, the degenerate cannibalism part was not inserted by the infamously racist Lovecraft; that characterization was introduced by the modern [[TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu role-playing game]]. Some players for both ''Call of Cthulhu'' and ''TabletopGame/DeltaGreen'' either depict them as so [[HumanoidAbomination vaguely human]] that they don't resemble Asian humans at all, depict the Tcho-Tcho who are involved with the Mythos as no more obligated to being cannibal cultists as the average man is obligated to become a serial killer, or simply depict them as an actual ethnic group.

* YellowPeril: They're one of the most ''racist'' things to come out of the Mythos. Ironically, the degenerate cannibalism part was not inserted by the infamously racist Lovecraft; that characterization was introduced by the modern [[TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu role-playing game]].

Entities of the Mythos who oppose the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods. They are not particularly well defined by Lovecraft himself (as he only ever wrote two of them; Nodens and Hypnos, and the latter is a confusing case of TheGhost suffering under UnreliableNarrator), though later writers would establish them as a pantheon of entities who are mortal enemies with the Great Old Ones. Though prone to BlueAndOrangeMorality as much as any EldritchAbomination in this page, they can be considered "helpful" to humanity in that they oppose Old Ones, whose mere presence can spread madness and whose servants tend to actively incite said abominations.

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Not necessarily "good" or "caring", but they ''are'' opposed to a bunch of eldritch horrors suffering from severe cases of BlueAndOrangeMorality or ObliviouslyEvil NonMaliciousMonster tendencies, along with the occasional ''[[GodOfEvil actually malevolent]]'' ones.

Based off the mythological goddess of the same name, Bast is the Elder God of Cats. Was classified as Elder God in the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'', since Lovecraft was rather fond of felines. Bast was also used in several Mythos tales by Creator/RobertBloch. The story of ''Literature/TheCatsOfUlthar'' is also tied to her in the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''. For further details, check out the [[Characters/EgyptianMythology Egyptian Mythology Character sheet]].

See ''Characters/TitusCrow''

* CoolOldGuy: What he appears to be (In any case, he ''is'' [[TimeAbyss old]]). While he may not fight the horrors out of compassion for humanity, he still occasionally helps out mortals, such as Randolph Carter.

* {{Egomaniac Hunter}}/HunterOfMonsters: He hunts the servants of Nyarlathotep and other horrors. Not because Nodens cares for humanity, but because the Great Old Ones provide the best sport.

A giant spider with a human face. Other forms include a young woman with multiple arms. It lives in a cavern under Mount Voormithadreth in ancient Hyperborea and works on an endless task of bridging a chasm. Because of its appearance, Atlach is considered the regent of all spiders. The ''Spiders of Leng'' (huge purple spiders) are believed to be her children and servitors.

%%* GiantSpider

* MiniMook: His servitors ''The Star-spawn of Cthulhu'', who are basically smaller versions of Big C. Even then, they're still ''very large'' relative to a human. Lovecraft never describes their size, but the ''Call of Cthulhu'' RPG specifies that they're 30 to 45 feet tall.

* RammingAlwaysWorks: Gets rammed into by the motorboat of the one person who survives him, breaking him up. It buys enough time for the survivor before Cthulhu returns into R'lyeh, which promptly sinks.

* FatBastard: In his "human" form.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Like the Old Ones, if they even ''have'' morality, it is utterly beyond human comprehension. The only exception, of course, being Nyarlathotep.

* FightingAShadow: It is generally assumed none of the Outer Gods actually enter the cosmos as they ''[[EldritchAbomination truly]]'' are, instead manifesting a physical form as a compromise of their true nature.

* AlmightyIdiot: He's the most powerful being in all of reality. He also has no mind to think with.

* DecadentCourt: Of a decidedly bizarre sort.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: He is described as the heart, the soul, and the messenger of the Outer Gods (particularly Azathoth, from whom all the others are born from). What does it really mean or how he is so has never been properly explained (as it is questionable if human concepts of heart or soul even apply to Outer Gods), thus it has been theorized he is the physical embodiment of the PsychicPowers of all Old Ones.

* BlackSheep: Unlike the rest of the Outer Gods, (and most {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in general) Nyarlathotep is NOT AboveGoodAndEvil. By human standards, that is.

* EvilIsPetty: Compared with Cthulhu's continent-destroying and Ghroth's world-shattering, Nyarlathotep is pretty small-scale in his schemes and tends to spend a significant amount of time tormenting beings who should by all rights be beneath his notice. [[ThePlan This is likely intentional]].

* HumansAreBastards: To a degree. The Outer God best in touch with the human sense of morality and yet, also by far one the most reprehensible.

* JerkassGods: And this itself is a MAJOR understatement.

* SouthernGothicSatan: Handsome and impeccably dressed in human form, building cults and corrupting communities. In ''Nyarlathotep'' he's a showman traveling from town to town, a StageMagician demonstrating untold technological wonders... and displaying images of other worlds which leave the inhabitants PlaguedByNightmares as he goes on to the next town.

Outer Goddess of fertility. One of the most worshiped of the Mythos entities, she is revered by the Mi-go, K'nyani, and human cults past and present, among others. While never described directly in Lovecraft's tales, Shub-Niggurath is often portrayed as a cloud with constantly changing hooves and tendrils. Notably, she is Cthulhu's grandmother.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Some writers list "her" as an Outer God, others as a Great Old One. Perhaps she's the borderline between the two?

* HorrifyingTheHorror: Nightgaunts has this effect on Nyarlathotep's servants.

* FoodChainOfEvil: Well, ghouls would argue that they're not really evil, especially compared to gugs, but ghouls and ghasts (the latter of which are degenerate, cannibalistic, Morlocks) make up the bulk of the gug food supply.

Cannibal humanoids with rubbery skin, bony claws, and dog-like faces. They tend to live underground, lurking near graveyards.

* ChangelingTale: Ghouls are also known for kidnapping babies and replacing them with ghoul babies. Don't worry though, they just teach the abducted children how to become ghouls. The ghoul babies also tend to return to ghoule society after living a few decades as humans.
* GoodAllAlong: Although presented as horrific, they are sometimes presented in a positive light, being loyal and helpful to some. Considering the Mythos being filled with unspeakable, apathetic horrors, ghouls are one of the nicer species one can encounter. If one knows their language...
* GraveRobbing: The ghouls probably call this "Grocery Shopping".

* OurGhoulsAreCreepier: Dog-faced and clawed only adds to the macabre.

* TunnelNetwork: Using these to move in both the Real and Dreaming worlds.
* TheUndead: Very much averted; Ghouls are an actual true-breeding living species, though humans can become ghouls.
* WasOnceAMan: Hanging out with ghouls long enough can transform a human into one, as what happened to [[spoiler:Richard Upton Pickman]].
** [[ChangelingTale Ghoul babies switched with human babies]] invert this, though eventually most discover their origins and return to ghoul society, making it a DoubleSubversion.

* CallASmeerpARabbit: Also called Shantak-birds. Except for flying, these creatures have little in common with birds.

* HorrifyingTheHorror: As servants of the Crawling Chaos, they're weak against Nightgaunts.

Beings that live in interstellar space, noted for their "great wings". Capable of traveling interstellar distances, they can be summoned to be used as transports. Just remember to take some Space Mead or a space suit, since you still need some sort of protection against the cold vacuum. Servitors of Hastur.

* MagicalLibrary / GreatBigLibraryOfEverything: At the "Fungi From Yuggoth" ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement, the Library of Celaeno is infested with Byakhee, who make sure no one smuggles out any books.

Lovecraft had a special love of Felines, and it is reflected within his work. In particular are the Cats of the Dreamlands, who are intelligent and more wonderful.

Protected by the Elder God, Bast.

* AlwaysLawfulGood: Earth's Cats are always depicted as heroic and benevolent, only ever fighting in defense of themselves or their allies. This makes them one of the few examples of unambiguous good in Lovecraft's writing and the Mythos as a whole.
* ArchEnemy: The Cats from Saturn, whom the Dreamland cats have set up outposts to be on the look out for.

* CatsAreMagic: The cats of the Dreamlands are practically Cat Folk: intelligent, have their own language, and are capable of leaping through space to other worlds.

"Creature"(?) from outer space, whose visible manifestation is an unknown hue. Contact with earthly life leads to ... [[FateWorseThanDeath terrible fates]].

* EnergyBeings: An early example.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_deep_ones.jpg]]

-->For the present they would rest; but some day, if they remembered, they would rise again for the tribute Great Cthulhu craved.
* BodyHorror: The below-mentioned hybrids start out seemingly human. And then, after a few years, they start to mutate...

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_elder_thing.jpg]]

[[quoteright:814:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yithian_3.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_hound_of_tindalos.jpg]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_hunting_horror.jpg]]

A massive monster looking like an ocean of gray goop, upon which sit many heads--some human, but mostly alien. Thankfully it dwells in AnotherDimension, but it has worshipers on Earth.

[[folder:Spawn of Cthulhu]]
!!!Star-Spawn of Cthulhu

Oddly enough, the descendants of the Great Cthulhu. An ancient civilization of SufficientlyAdvancedAliens who flew in to colonize the Earth many millions of years ago. Unfortunately, it has already been occupied by another interstellar civilization of the Elder Things. After a long and epic confrontation, the spawn of Cthulhu managed to stake out a land mass in the Pacific Ocean, where the city of R'lyeh was built. There they lived for an indefinitely long period, until the stars changed their position, and the entire population of the city fell into a planned hibernation, in their language called fhtagn. Some time later, as a result of geological processes, R'lyeh sank and sank to the bottom of the ocean, where it remains to the present, only occasionally rising for a short time due to perturbations of Earth's crust.

* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: ''Aku-Shin-Kage'', a Mask that plagues Japan. Looks like an armored samurai, but its face is [[TooManyMouths covered in mouths]]. Can also take a normal human look, which was UsefulNotes/OdaNobunaga in the past, but usually a businessman in the present.

* FlamingDevil: Nyarlathotep's avatar as the overlord of the Dreamlands is an extremely attractive youth in a sparkly robe and jewelry--a "real flamboyant dude," to quote the H. P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast.

** {{Kaiju}}: The ''Bloody Tongue'', a huge giant thing with a red tenatcle coming from an oriface.

* MadeOfIron: Capable of living under deep sea pressures.

* {{Precursors}}: To all terrestrial life.

* ProudScholarRace: The Elder Things were this to rival the Yithians in contrast to the more violent and monstrous races such as the Star Spawns and the Flying Polyps. In conflicts with other races and civilizations, what they lacked in physical or martial prowess, they made up with advanced technological weaponry as well as transdimensional sorceries.

* ProudScholarRace: The Elder Things were this to rival the Yithians in contrast to the more violent and monstrous races such as the Star Spawns and the Flying Polyps.

* MysteriousAntarctica: Where their last city ends up being located.
* NoBiologicalSex

* SolarSail: As a result of [[ScienceMarchesOn advances in science]], later writers explained that the Elder Things used their wings as living solar sails.

->'''Debut:''' "Cold Print", Ramsey Campbell

* CanonImmigrant: From the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG.

* CanonImmigrant: Another fellow from the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG.

* CanonImmigrant: The Harlot debuted in ''Fall of Cthulhu'', long after Lovecraft's death.

* CharacterFilibuster: His speech to Randolph Carter and the end of "[[http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thedreamquestofunknownkadath.htm The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath]]" goes on for several paragraphs on end. In the audio version, it goes on for seventeen minutes. This is all the more notable for being the only moment in the story in which anyone at all speaks—at all other times it is narrated that communication takes place.

A red-brown planet sized Outer God that travels space. When he approaches a world, it awakens the local Great Old Ones which leads to a planet's demise.

* SummoningArtifact: The image of Daoloth is needed to contact him, as well as some sort of black plastic pentacle to hold him. You do NOT want to botch the pentacle part.

!!!The Lord of The Abyss

* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Not necessarily "good" or "caring", but they ''are'' opposed to a bunch of eldritch horrors suffering from severe cases of BlueAndOrangeMorality or ObliviouslyEvil NonMaliciousMonster tendencies.

* AntiVillain: Described as almost friendly to the humans he speaks with. He also apparently has a strong dislike for Nyarlathotep.

%%* LightningGun
%%* NoBiologicalSex
%%* PsychicPowers

* CompositeCharacter: A nebulous ([[IncrediblyLamePun no pun intended]]) between this and {{Decomposite Character}}, since Lovecraft separately mentioned a "Magnum Innominandum" in one letter, and then a "The Nameless Mist" during a later correspondence. [[WordOfSaintPaul Lin Carter ultimately decided that those two were one and the same.]]

* ImAHumanitarian: He eats people with his PowerPalms.

* ImAHumanitarian: Human flesh is a dietary staple.

-->"... the nastiest people who ever lived ...They'd been living way up in those hills I don't know how many centuries, and whatever it is they were doing, they weren't going to let a stranger in on it."

* TheScottishTrope: You don't ''really'' want to summon the god of rape into this world, do you? Then please don't click that spoiler tag above.

* TheScottishTrope: "Azathoth" is a pseudonym. Its real name is (thankfully) unknown.

Extraterrestrials that worshiped Azathoth. Although highly advanced, this species was also extremely decadent. The Shan are about the size of a pigeon, with leathery wings, large lidless eyes, ten legs with tentacles, six brain lobes, and three mouths.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse / SadisticChoice: Eihort boasts a particularly shitty offer you can't refuse: die immediately or leave the maze with Eihort's egg inside your body and live only until it hatches. Basically, ''you don't want to be caught by Eihort under any circumstances''.

* DontWakeTheSleeper: In some versions he's meant to be kept asleep by the piping and drummming of his court of madness else he destroy reality as everything knows it. In Lovecraft's stories other than a mention of him being "lulled" he's implied to be very much awake, gnawing hungrily yet mindlessly.

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: The name ''Abdul Alhazred'' was invented by Lovecraft as a child and makes no sense in Arabic. Others have attempted to correct this, by saying that this is a corruption of the original name. Which is TruthInTelevision, since many ancient Arabic writers or works are better known by their bastardized names. Specifically, it is often said to be a corruption of ''Abd al-Azrad'', a name that can be translated as "servant of the Great Lord" or [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "slave of the Destroyer"]].

* {{Kaiju}}: Notable for having a same-name {{expy}} in ''Series/UltramanTiga''.