Knowra Cthulhu Mythos Cthulhu Mythos A shared fictional mythology of cosmic entities, ancient civilizations, and forbidden knowledge, begun by H. P. Lovecraft and expanded by other writers.
Cthulhu : A fictional Great Old One who lies dormant beneath the Pacific in H. P. Lovecraft’s stories. The mythos’s most famous entity gives its name to the wider body of fiction.
H. P. Lovecraft : An American writer whose weird fiction introduced many figures and settings central to the Cthulhu Mythos. His stories supplied the mythology’s foundational entities, atmosphere, and fictional history.
Weird fiction : A genre of speculative fiction that unsettles ordinary reality through uncanny, often inexplicable forces. Lovecraft’s Mythos grows from this genre’s blending of horror, fantasy, and the unknown.
Lovecraftian horror : Horror that emphasizes cosmic indifference, forbidden knowledge, and humanity’s limited understanding of reality. The Mythos became the principal source for this recognizable mode of horror.
Great Old Ones : Powerful, ancient beings in the Cthulhu Mythos, often associated with cosmic forces and human insignificance. These entities supply the mythos’s distinctive image of powers beyond human control.
The Call of Cthulhu : A 1928 short story by H. P. Lovecraft in which scattered evidence reveals a cult devoted to Cthulhu. This story established the creature most closely associated with the Mythos.
Cosmic horror : A form of horror centered on humanity’s insignificance before vast, indifferent forces or realities. This worldview connects the Mythos’s separate stories and its recurring sense of dread.
Cthulhu Mythos in popular culture : The use of Cthulhu Mythos beings, imagery, and themes in media beyond Lovecraft’s original fiction. Its recognizable monsters and symbols have traveled far beyond the stories that created them.
Necronomicon : A fictional grimoire created by H. P. Lovecraft, containing accounts of occult beings and forbidden lore. The invented book links forbidden knowledge to danger throughout the mythos.
The Dunwich Horror : A 1929 story by H. P. Lovecraft about a monstrous birth and a forbidden ritual in rural Massachusetts. It develops the Mythos through occult scholarship, family secrets, and a New England setting.
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