Satan as an Eldritch Abomination

The Judeo-Christian God is often described as beyond human comprehension. That if we were to try and grasp his full glory we would be destroyed.

So what if something like this was applied to Satan? How would the Prince of Darkness be described in a Lovecraftian nature akin to the Man Upstairs?

Well, all the angels, at least those of the upper echelons, as described in the Bible are pretty much full-blown Eldritch Abominations. I mean, have you read some of those descriptions? Wheels within wheels covered in eyes, men with three different animal heads, strange chimeras. There's a reason one of the first things angels tell people when they appear is "Fear not". It was only around the Renaissance era that the Hallmark card feathery wings, white robes, and golden halos became more prevalent.

Satan was once of the highest level of angels, until his hubris led to his fall and banishment. On one hand, he would still retain the already weird angelic form, on the other hand, who knows how his fall from Heaven twisted him even further. So feel free to describe him however you want. Impossible shapes fluctuating in and out of each other, covered with wings that most definitely do not serve in any sort of flight capacity, and eyeballs that are everywhere and see into the dark hearts of men, mayhaps with pupils that open up into little mouths that whisper lies and temptations into their ears. All shining from within with a mesmerizing light that somehow leaves one blinder than being in absolute darkness.

edited 26th Apr '17 2:13:37 PM by danime91

Not to mention there's his depiction in The Book of Revelation. Does that count as an Eldritch Abomination?

There's more to an Eldritch Abomination than just "looking really weird" and "having lots of tentacles/<<Insert body part here>>." To quote the trope page, "The Eldritch Abomination is a type of creature defined by its disregard for the natural laws of the universe as we understand them. They are grotesque mockeries of reality beyond comprehension whose disturbing otherness cannot be encompassed in any mortal tongue."

edited 26th Apr '17 5:36:40 PM by dragonfire5000

So a creature can look like a standard monster (like Satan's dragon form in Revelation) yet make the universe's head hurt?

edited 27th Apr '17 9:24:01 AM by superboy313

Pretty much? There's something off about an EA that not only doesn't belong, it absolutely shouldn't be a part of the setting it's in for so many reasons.

Like, imagine waking up one day, going to work, and your boss spends the day nude and "excited". No one can say 'stop that', either - it just keeps happening. He sees nothing wrong with it, and would appreciate it if you would pay attention during the meeting while he's talking.

Lunch is catered, but it's hot dogs and fresh Coconut Crabs. Very fresh.

Etc.

Thanks for the good advice.

Also, to REALLY nail in Satan as a Lovecraftian horror, why not portray him as a being of Primordial Chaos rather than a Fallen Angel?

But then, how did all those stories about Satan being a fallen angel come about?

Mythological Retcon

To have Satan be a Lovecraftian horror, it's not enough for him to be a being of primordial chaos. He needs to be completely different from what people presume to know about him. Remember, to quote from the Eldritch Abomination page:

This means that if you want Satan to be a Lovecraftian entity, he cannot simply be an enemy of God that seeks to damn humanity, because that's something humans can understand. Perhaps Satan really doesn't care about God or humanity at all, is actually more powerful than God by a wide margin, or maybe is actually what people see as "God," and the stories about him being a Fallen Angel are humanity's attempts to try and make him fit into their worldview. That can be a starting point.

Regardless, you have to remember that if you want him to be a Lovecraftian entity, the "unknowable" part is very, very important. Otherwise, you just have a monster that looks really weird.

edited 28th Apr '17 7:20:07 AM by dragonfire5000

Or we could just make him more like Nyarlathotep.

Honestly, I'm not even sure Nyarlathotep counts as "unknowable" since he seems to do the things he does for his own cheap giggles, something humans can very easily understand.

Then again, I'm not even sure I would count Cthulhu as an Eldritch Abomination, since "Green humanoid-thing with an octopus head and dragon wings with lots of power" isn't really "unknowable by human standards" nowadays...

Yeah, Nyarly has always perplexed me. Why would Lovecraft create a universe about unfathomable horrors that are beyond good and evil yet have one entity who is a legit God of Evil?

Well, Eldritch Abominations can have geometric appearances too. Just ask Daoloth.

Satan can still be a Fallen Angel and an Eldritch Abomination if the act of falling is the reason for his otherness. Let's say in a setting where God is an EA himself, but can't directly interact with the 3-dimensional physical world we live in. Thus, he created the angels which work as extensions of his willpower; they won't be really servants, but his "arms" into this world.

Now, here comes Satan, one of the angels that for some reason or other lost his connection with God. Once strayed from divinity, but keeping a nature alien to himans, he became twisted. Regarding Satan's intentions I'm not completely sure but I can see a couple of interesting possibilities.