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transfered quote to Quotes page. Redunant since the COC RPG already uses it.
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--> "We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far."
-->-- ''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
-->-- ''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
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--> "We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was "That is not meant that we should voyage far.dead which can eternal lie,
-->And with strange aeons even death may die.."
-->--''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu'' ''The Call of Cthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
-->And with strange aeons even death may die.."
-->--
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of the time, so cynical you could use the scale as a trebuchet, competes with Warhammer 40k for the title of most Cynical popular body of fiction.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of the time, so cynical you could use the scale as a trebuchet, competes trebuchet. Competes with Warhammer 40k for the title of most Cynical cynical popular body of fiction.fiction.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: In essence, there are three tiers to the Mythos; at the bottom are the "mere" horrors -- aliens, ghouls, mad sorcerers, etc. Above these, are the Great Old Ones, which are basically {{Physical God}}s. And above ''these'' are the Outer Gods, which are to the Great Old Ones what the Great Old Ones are to the lesser races. To put it in perspective, ''Cthulhu'' '''worships''' the Outer Gods.
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: In essence, there are three tiers to the Mythos; at the bottom are the "mere" horrors -- aliens, ghouls, mad sorcerers, etc. Above these, are the Great Old Ones, which are basically {{Physical God}}s. And above ''these'' are the Outer Gods, which are to the Great Old Ones what the Great Old Ones are to the lesser races. To put it in perspective, ''Cthulhu'' '''worships''' the Outer Gods.
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The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos" (depending on how you define it) post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Due to the SharedUniverse's informal nature there have arisen several rather divisive conceptions of the Mythos, generally categorized as the Lovecraft purists' version; the version including the broad post-1930s expansions by later writers like AugustDerleth (who is a controversy unto himself) and Ramsey Campbell; and then there's the rigidly codified and de-mystified TabletopRPG adaptations which crunch down MindScrewdriver-style to produce orderly game rules from an inherently disorderly canon. Information from the latter has tended to proliferate across the Internet disproportionately, resulting in simple Google searches producing a majority of pages derived from the game and its various campaigns, which are not always labeled as such.
Due to the SharedUniverse's informal nature there have arisen several rather divisive conceptions of the Mythos, generally categorized as the Lovecraft purists' version; the version including the broad post-1930s expansions by later writers like AugustDerleth (who is a controversy unto himself) and Ramsey Campbell; and then there's the rigidly codified and de-mystified TabletopRPG adaptations which crunch down MindScrewdriver-style to produce orderly game rules from an inherently disorderly canon. Information from the latter has tended to proliferate across the Internet disproportionately, resulting in simple Google searches producing a majority of pages derived from the game and its various campaigns, which are not always labeled as such.
to:
The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos" (depending on how you define it) post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Yog-Sothothery". Due to the SharedUniverse's informal nature there have arisen nature, several rather divisive conceptions of the Mythos, Mythos have arisen, generally categorized as the Lovecraft purists' version; the version including the broad post-1930s expansions by later writers like AugustDerleth (who is a controversy unto himself) and Ramsey Campbell; and then there's the rigidly codified and de-mystified TabletopRPG adaptations which crunch down MindScrewdriver-style to produce orderly game rules from an inherently disorderly canon. Information from the latter has tended to proliferate across the Internet disproportionately, resulting in simple Google searches producing a majority of pages derived from the game and its various campaigns, which are not always labeled as such.
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-->-- Literature/''TheCallOfCthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
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-->-- Literature/''TheCallOfCthulhu'' ''Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
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-->-- ''The Call of Cthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
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-->-- ''The Call of Cthulhu'' Literature/''TheCallOfCthulhu'' by Creator/HPLovecraft
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** "HPL" by Gahan Wilson even has Lovecraft (and Clark Ashton Smith) as summoners of [[EldritchAbomination Mythos entities]].
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** "HPL" by Gahan Wilson Creator/GahanWilson even has Lovecraft (and Clark Ashton Smith) as summoners of [[EldritchAbomination Mythos entities]].
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* OurTitansAreDifferent: The Great Old Ones once ruled the cosmos, but are now trapped, limited in power, or sleeping.
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* ProductPlacement: Partly a ShoutOut - in one of Derleth's stories, the characters acquire the anthology "The Outsider and Others" by H.P. Lovecraft for their investigation. "The Outsider" was the first book published by ''Arkham House'', Derleth's and Donald Wandrei's company that was founded to help preserve Lovecraft's legacy. It was also a practical way to get the word out to the fans.
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Sub-settings within the Cthulhu Mythos 'verse include:
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* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Islands or whole continents rising out of seas. This was the result of Lovecraft and pals cribbing from the Theosophists (using their ideas about Atlantis and Lemura to give a sense of authenticity), as well as [[ScienceMarchesOn the science of the time]]. Latter writers knew the scientific impossibility, but [[RuleOfCool just ran with it for the sake coolness]].
to:
* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Islands or whole continents rising out of seas. This was the result of Lovecraft and pals cribbing from the Theosophists (using their ideas about Atlantis and Lemura to give lend a sense of authenticity), as well as [[ScienceMarchesOn the science of the time]]. Latter writers knew the scientific impossibility, but [[RuleOfCool just ran with it for the sake of coolness]].
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* ChaosIsEvil: Nyarlathotep, the "Crawling Chaos" is a sinister figure. Literally with Azathoth.
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* ChaosIsEvil: Nyarlathotep, the "Crawling Chaos" is a sinister figure. The Lurking Chaos, Xexanoth is considered blasphemous. Literally with Azathoth.
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* ContinuityNod: Given they are part of a SharedUniverse, this is inevitable with many stories in varying degrees, ranging from very subtle such as an off-hand reference to Miskatonic University or the Necronomicon to more obvious ones like incorporating famous abominations, to outright referencing plot points from Lovecraft's stories, all of which can be put to great use depending on the nature of the tale.
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''Cthulhu fhtagn... what a wonderful phrase...''
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''Cthulhu fhtagn... what a wonderful phrase...''
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** "Love's Eldritch Ichor" by [[EstherFriesner Esther M. Friesner]] is a silly love story between a harried publisher and a romance writer, a descendant of Lovecraft who is protected by Cthulhu.
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** "Love's Eldritch Ichor" by [[EstherFriesner Esther M. Friesner]] Creator/EstherFriesner is a silly love story between a harried publisher and a romance writer, a descendant of Lovecraft who is protected by Cthulhu.
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It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}. At that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
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It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}. At that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but SpeculativeFiction, and more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
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** T.E.D. Klein's ''Black Man With A Horn'' has a character based off Frank Belknap Long.
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** T.E.D. Klein's ''Black Man With A Horn'' has a character based off Frank Belknap Long.
* CrypticBackgroundReference: Lovecraft did this often, and so did the Kalem Club, throwing out little bits and pieces of elder lore. It left fans wondering and wanting for more. Trying to piece them all together is part of the appeal of the Mythos.
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* TheDreaded: Most of the monsters don't need to kill you to disable you. They can do that just by looking really really scary. The Cthulhu Mythos is the TropeCodifier of EldritchAbomination for a reason.
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* TheDreaded: Most of the monsters don't need to kill you to disable you. They can do that just by looking really really scary. The Cthulhu Mythos is the TropeCodifier of EldritchAbomination for a reason.
* GratuitousGerman: The ''Unausprechlichen Kulten''.
* MysteriousAntarctica: "Literature/AtTheMountainsOfMadness", as well as the material that follow up on the plot, such as roleplaying supplements and the novel ''Hive''.
* TheOldGods: The Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods. Averted with the Elder Gods, who imprisoned the Great Old Ones.
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* PokeInTheThirdEye
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* PokeInTheThirdEyePokeInTheThirdEye: In Long's ''The Hounds of Tindalos'', the protagonist using mental time travel ends up going too far back and time, and attracting some really unwanted attention.
* PopculturalOsmosis: Thanks to the innumerable pop culture references, people have learned about the Mythos from almost everything but the original stories.
* PopculturalOsmosis: Thanks to the innumerable pop culture references, people have learned about the Mythos from almost everything but the original stories.
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See also the [[TabletopGame/CallofCthulhu Call of Cthulhu RPG]] .
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See also the [[TabletopGame/CallofCthulhu Call of Cthulhu RPG]] .
RPG]].
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** AmbroseBierce: Created the lost city of Carcosa and the name Hastur, which reappear in ''TheKingInYellow''.
** Creator/LordDunsany: Inspired Lovecraft's dream-prose period and the idea of creating a pantheon of his own.
** RobertWChambers: Wrote ''TheKingInYellow'', which was a great inspiration for Lovecraft, and was, in turn, inspired by Bierce.
** Creator/ArthurMachen: Wrote ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'', inspiring Lovecraft's take on {{Half Human Hybrid}}s, especially in "The Dunwich Horror".
** Creator/LordDunsany: Inspired Lovecraft's dream-prose period and the idea of creating a pantheon of his own.
** RobertWChambers: Wrote ''TheKingInYellow'', which was a great inspiration for Lovecraft, and was, in turn, inspired by Bierce.
** Creator/ArthurMachen: Wrote ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'', inspiring Lovecraft's take on {{Half Human Hybrid}}s, especially in "The Dunwich Horror".
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[[folder: Post Lovecraft Writers]]
!! Notable writers who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed away:
** Creator/BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
** ChiakiKonaka, who has written several Mythos stories in addition to his work as an anime screenplay writer.
** LinCarter: The major scholar and archivist of the Mythos, as well an editor and writer.
** RamseyCampbell: Notable for founding CampbellCountry.
** Creator/StephenKing: Contributed a couple of stories set in the Mythos.
** ThomasLigotti: More influenced by Lovecraft's bleak philosophy than by the particulars of the Mythos, but has written a few explicit homages like "The Sect of the Idiot."
!! Notable writers who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed away:
** Creator/BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
** ChiakiKonaka, who has written several Mythos stories in addition to his work as an anime screenplay writer.
** LinCarter: The major scholar and archivist of the Mythos, as well an editor and writer.
** RamseyCampbell: Notable for founding CampbellCountry.
** Creator/StephenKing: Contributed a couple of stories set in the Mythos.
** ThomasLigotti: More influenced by Lovecraft's bleak philosophy than by the particulars of the Mythos, but has written a few explicit homages like "The Sect of the Idiot."
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[[folder: Post Lovecraft Post-Lovecraft Writers]]
!! Notablewriters authors who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed away:
** * Creator/BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
** * ChiakiKonaka, who has written several Mythos stories in addition to his work as an anime screenplay writer.
** * LinCarter: The major scholar and archivist of the Mythos, as well an editor and writer.
** * RamseyCampbell: Notable for founding CampbellCountry.
** * Creator/StephenKing: Contributed a couple of stories set in the Mythos.
** * ThomasLigotti: More influenced by Lovecraft's bleak philosophy than by the particulars of the Mythos, but has written a few explicit homages like "The Sect of the Idiot."
!! Notable
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** RobertBloch killed off a character based on Lovecraft in "The Shambler from the Stars"; in response, Lovecraft killed off a character based on Bloch in "The Haunter of the Dark".\\
\\
And then Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
\\
And then Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
to:
** RobertBloch killed off a character based on Lovecraft in "The Shambler from the Stars"; in response, Lovecraft killed off a character based on Bloch in "The Haunter of the Dark".\\
\\
And thenDark".
** Latter, Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
\\
And then
** Latter, Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Contrary to popular belief, people can see the true form of many eldritch beings just fine. It's just sometimes the truth is just too much for the human mind. But here's a few that do play the trope straight. See the [[Characters/CthulhuMythos Character page]] for more detail.
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Contrary to popular belief, people can see the true form of many eldritch beings just fine. It's just sometimes the truth is just too much for the human mind. But here's there's a few that do play the trope straight. See the [[Characters/CthulhuMythos Character page]] for more detail.
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It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]], and as time went on, Lovecraft and his friends began referring to his {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and TomesOfEldritchLore in their writings, though usually not actual characters, and to share references made in his friends' stories or private letters. {{Mythopoeia}} defined the abstract, and original, cosmic setting.
The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos", depending on how you define it, post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]], and as time went on, Lovecraft and his friends began referring to his {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and TomesOfEldritchLore in their writings, though usually not actual characters, and to share references made in his friends' stories or private letters. {{Mythopoeia}} defined the abstract, and original, cosmic setting.
The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos", depending on how you define it, post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
to:
It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at {{Fandom}}. At that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut ShoutOuts]], and as Outs]]. As time went on, Lovecraft and his friends began referring to his {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and TomesOfEldritchLore in their writings, though usually not actual characters, and to share references made in his friends' stories or private letters. {{Mythopoeia}} defined the abstract, and original, cosmic setting.
The actual term "CthulhuMythos", depending Mythos" (depending on how you define it, it) post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut Shout
The actual term "Cthulhu
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!!'''This catalogue of inhuman actuality engrosses such specimens as''':
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* SufficientlyAdvancedBambooTechnology: Many of the alien tech look like they're ancient stone ruins or tools. Some of it is actually so very advanced it may be beyond human comprehension.
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Humans can only see Yog-Sothoth as a series of spheres. Campbell's "The Render Of Veils" uses this trope to great effect for reality itself.
to:
* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Humans Contrary to popular belief, people can only see Yog-Sothoth as a series the true form of spheres. Campbell's "The Render Of Veils" uses this many eldritch beings just fine. It's just sometimes the truth is just too much for the human mind. But here's a few that do play the trope to great effect straight. See the [[Characters/CthulhuMythos Character page]] for reality itself.more detail.
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[[folder: Sub-Settings]]
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[[folder: Sub-Settings]] Associated Backdrops]]
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!!'''Examples of''':
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Moving to quotes page.
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->Climbing from the depths abyssal
->To give mankind its dismissal,
->Soon will come the Great and Dreaded Old Ones!
->To destroy mankind, the bold ones
->Come at last the long foretold ones
->'Til o'er all the world they reign, the world they reign!
->Yog-Sothoth or mankind's blunder
->Soon will tear the veil asunder!
->Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
->Nylarlahotep, Crawling Chaos
->Comes from Azatoth to slay us!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
->P'raps we'll summon up a Shuggoth;
->Find our brains on distant Yuggoth!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
-->-- [[http://www.journalfen.net/community/the_hms_stfu/239597.html From "Climbing from the depths abyssal"]], a {{filk}} of GilbertAndSullivan's "Climbing over rocky mountain" by Adam Cuerden.
An informal and, appropriately, chaotic SharedUniverse that squarely defines the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and edgiest]] of genres, [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]. It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
->To give mankind its dismissal,
->Soon will come the Great and Dreaded Old Ones!
->To destroy mankind, the bold ones
->Come at last the long foretold ones
->'Til o'er all the world they reign, the world they reign!
->Yog-Sothoth or mankind's blunder
->Soon will tear the veil asunder!
->Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
->Nylarlahotep, Crawling Chaos
->Comes from Azatoth to slay us!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
->P'raps we'll summon up a Shuggoth;
->Find our brains on distant Yuggoth!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
-->-- [[http://www.journalfen.net/community/the_hms_stfu/239597.html From "Climbing from the depths abyssal"]], a {{filk}} of GilbertAndSullivan's "Climbing over rocky mountain" by Adam Cuerden.
An informal and, appropriately, chaotic SharedUniverse that squarely defines the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and edgiest]] of genres, [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]. It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
to:
->To give mankind its dismissal,
->Soon will come the Great
->To destroy mankind, the bold ones
->Come at last the long foretold ones
->'Til o'er all the world they reign, the world they reign!
->Yog-Sothoth or mankind's blunder
->Soon will tear the veil asunder!
->Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
->Nylarlahotep, Crawling Chaos
->Comes from Azatoth to slay us!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
->P'raps we'll summon up a Shuggoth;
->Find our brains on distant Yuggoth!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
-->--
An informal and, appropriately, chaotic SharedUniverse that squarely defines the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and edgiest]] of genres, [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic
It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
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* AssholeVictim: A common occurrence. Though, the reader may feel some pity towards some because of how nasty their deaths are.
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* AssholeVictim: A common occurrence. Though, the reader may feel some pity towards some these characters because of how nasty their deaths are.''horrific fates''.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: Lovecraft anthologies (such as the ''Del Ray'' ones) tend to have weird, surreal imagery that often doesn't have anything to do with anything in the stories. Though, it does communicate the atmosphere of the books well enough.
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* CoversAlwaysLie: Lovecraft anthologies (such as (especially the ''Del Ray'' ones) tend to have weird, surreal imagery that often doesn't have anything to do with anything in the stories. Though, it does communicate the atmosphere of the books well enough.
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* DivineRanks: The Mythos developed a hierarchy of entities, though it was latter until concrete definitions were developed.
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* DivineRanks: The Mythos developed a hierarchy of entities, though but it was latter wasn't formalized until concrete definitions were developed. latter.
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* HumanSacrifice: Whether it's being used in some unspeakable experiment/ritual or just being a snack for a ''Old One", it's very common.
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* HumanSacrifice: Whether it's being used in some unspeakable experiment/ritual or just being a snack for a ''Old One", an Old One, it's very common.
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* {{Kaiju}}: There are some ''really'' big monsters in the Mythos. Cthulhu is described as a walking "mountain". Most of his children are just are huge. Not to mention Dagon, Zhar and Lligor, several of Nyarlathotep's masks... all big. And then there's Ghroth, a monster the size of a ''planet''.
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* {{Kaiju}}: There are some ''really'' big monsters in the Mythos. Cthulhu is described as a walking "mountain". Most of his children are just are huge.large. Not to mention Dagon, Zhar and Lligor, several of Nyarlathotep's masks... all big. And then there's Ghroth, a monster the size of a ''planet''.
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens. Overall there are at least 30 intelligent races described.
to:
* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer co-writers have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens. Overall there are at least 30 intelligent races described.
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* LovecraftLite: The stories by Smith, Derleth, Lumley, and Howard in particular. Smith is more due to the focus on the weirdness, and Howard's characters were simply BadAss enough to face cosmic horrors and fight them. Even Lovecraft had some lighter tales.
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* LovecraftLite: LovecraftLite
** The stories by Smith, Derleth, Lumley, and Howard in particular.Smith is more due to the Smith's tales focus on the weirdness, weirdness than horror, and Howard's characters were simply BadAss enough to face cosmic horrors and fight them. Even Lovecraft had some lighter tales.
** The stories by Smith, Derleth, Lumley, and Howard in particular.
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* OccultDetective: Several characters attempt this, but often it doesn't end well. TitusCrow is a traditional example, while Teddy London is a private detective that got case involving the Mythos.
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* OccultDetective: Several characters attempt this, but often it doesn't end well. TitusCrow is a traditional example, while Teddy London is a private detective that got case worked on cases involving the Mythos.
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* ParanormalInvestigation
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* ParanormalInvestigationParanormalInvestigation: Plenty of investigators, and very few survivors.
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* ShoutOut: To Lovecraft and the other writers in Lovecraft's circle. What started as in-jokes [[RunningTheAsylum became hard continuity]] with AdaptationExpansion.
** References to the Mythos is also common in popular culture.
** References to the Mythos is also common in popular culture.
to:
* ShoutOut: To Lovecraft and the other writers in Lovecraft's circle. What started as in-jokes [[RunningTheAsylum became hard continuity]] with AdaptationExpansion.
**AdaptationExpansion. References to the Mythos is also common in popular culture.
**
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* TheTamingOfTheGrue: You can buy Cthulhu plushie dolls. [[http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=610&q=cthulhu+plush&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW]]
* TabletopGames: Several, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalyptic world).
** In addition, there was also the ''Mythos'' [[CollectibleCardGame CCG]], the ''Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game'', and even ''[[{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Cthulhu]]''.
* TabletopGames: Several, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalyptic world).
** In addition, there was also the ''Mythos'' [[CollectibleCardGame CCG]], the ''Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game'', and even ''[[{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Cthulhu]]''.
to:
* TheTamingOfTheGrue: You can buy [[EverythingsBetterWithPlushies Cthulhu plushie dolls.dolls]]. [[http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=610&q=cthulhu+plush&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW]]
*TabletopGames: Several, TabletopGames:
** Spawned several RPGs, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalypticworld).
world).
**In addition, there was The franchise also spawned Card Games, like the ''Mythos'' [[CollectibleCardGame CCG]], the ''Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game'', and even ''[[{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Cthulhu]]''.
*
** Spawned several RPGs, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalyptic
**
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* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction. Justified in that Cthulhu or by events from The Call of Cthulhu is alluded to in other stories.
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* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction. Justified in that Cthulhu or by the events from The Call of Cthulhu is alluded to in other stories.
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[[\folder]]
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[[folder: Sub-Settings]]
[[folder: Sub-Settings]]
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* '''The "Lovecraft Circle"''' : The original writers who corresponded with each other and used the elements of the mythos in their writings.
** AugustDerleth. Co-founder of Arkham House, and codifier of the Mythos. Also see ''TheTrailOfCthulhu''.
** ClarkAshtonSmith.
** DonaldWandrei. Co-founder of Arkham House.
** Creator/HPLovecraft. [[CaptainObvious Obviously.]]
** HenryKuttner.
** FrankBelknapLong.
** Creator/FritzLeiber
** RobertBloch.
** Creator/RobertEHoward.
* '''Pre-Lovecraft Authors''' : Writers whose works were before Lovecraft started, but were a great influence on him. Latter {{retcon}}ned into the Mythos:
** AugustDerleth. Co-founder of Arkham House, and codifier of the Mythos. Also see ''TheTrailOfCthulhu''.
** ClarkAshtonSmith.
** DonaldWandrei. Co-founder of Arkham House.
** Creator/HPLovecraft. [[CaptainObvious Obviously.]]
** HenryKuttner.
** FrankBelknapLong.
** Creator/FritzLeiber
** RobertBloch.
** Creator/RobertEHoward.
* '''Pre-Lovecraft Authors''' : Writers whose works were before Lovecraft started, but were a great influence on him. Latter {{retcon}}ned into the Mythos:
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!! The original writers who corresponded with each other and used the elements of the mythos in their writings.
[[folder: Pre-Lovecraft Authors]]
!! Writers whose works were before Lovecraft started, but were a great influence on him. Latter {{retcon}}ned into the Mythos:
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* '''Post Lovecraft Writers''': Notable writers who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed away.
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[[folder: Post Lovecraft
!! Notable writers who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed
[[/folder]]
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[[folder: Tropes A-F]]
[[folder: Tropes A-F]]
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[[folder: Tropes G-L]]
[[folder: Tropes G-L]]
[[\folder]]
[[folder: Tropes M-R]]
[[folder: Tropes M-R]]
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* PunyEarthlings
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* PunyEarthlingsPunyEarthlings: Everyone else in the cosmos is either vastly stronger, powerful, or more advanced than the fragile-minded humans.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Tropes S-Z]]
[[folder: Tropes S-Z]]
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* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction.
** He only appears in one, but he's mentioned, by his name or by events from The Call of Cthulhu in many others,
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]
** He only appears in one, but he's mentioned, by his name or by events from The Call of Cthulhu in many others,
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]
to:
* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction.
** He only appearsfiction. Justified in one, but he's mentioned, by his name that Cthulhu or by events from The Call of Cthulhu is alluded to in many others,
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]other stories.
** He only appears
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Humans can only see Yog-Sothoth as a series of spheres. Campbell's "The Render Of Veils" uses this to great effect.
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Humans can only see Yog-Sothoth as a series of spheres. Campbell's "The Render Of Veils" uses this trope to great effect.effect for reality itself.
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[[/folder]]
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* MagicFromTechnology: Often hinted that the "magic" of the Mythos is just advanced science.
* MagicIsEvil: There are plenty of evil (and insane) sorcerers. However, there are also examples of good people using "magic" to stop the bad guys. TitusCrow is one example, and Lovecraft's [[TheDunwichHorror Professor Armitage]] is another. It's hinted that the magic may not be evil outright, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation just extremely dangerous to us ignorant humans]]. It's this interpretation that the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG takes, were using spells will sap Sanity.
* MagicIsEvil: There are plenty of evil (and insane) sorcerers. However, there are also examples of good people using "magic" to stop the bad guys. TitusCrow is one example, and Lovecraft's [[TheDunwichHorror Professor Armitage]] is another. It's hinted that the magic may not be evil outright, [[GoMadFromTheRevelation just extremely dangerous to us ignorant humans]]. It's this interpretation that the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG takes, were using spells will sap Sanity.
* MultipleChoicePast: Details vary between story to story, even if it's the same author. It may have been done on purpose to create a sense of ambiguity.
* SentientCosmicForce: Yog-Sothoth for the Space-Time Continuum. The various Outer Gods could be interpreted to be this. For example, every nuclear reaction is Azathoth.
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* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Humans can only see Yog-Sothoth as a series of spheres. Campbell's "The Render Of Veils" uses this to great effect.
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* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Islands or whole continents rising out of seas. This was the result of Lovecraft and pals cribbing from the Theosophists (using their ideas about Atlantis and Lemura to give an feeling of realism), as well as [[ScienceMarchesOn the science of the time]]. Latter writers knew the scientific impossibility, but [[RuleOfCool just ran with it for the sake coolness]].
to:
* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Islands or whole continents rising out of seas. This was the result of Lovecraft and pals cribbing from the Theosophists (using their ideas about Atlantis and Lemura to give an feeling a sense of realism), authenticity), as well as [[ScienceMarchesOn the science of the time]]. Latter writers knew the scientific impossibility, but [[RuleOfCool just ran with it for the sake coolness]].
* AuthorAppeal: Being a lover of cats, Lovecraft tended to treat felines rather fondly in his works. Friends and latter writers would actually add Lovecraft into his own Mythos because of his influence.
* ChristmasEpisode: Lovecraft's "The Festival".
* DivineRanks: The Mythos developed a hierarchy of entities, though it was latter until concrete definitions were developed.
* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Played with - the primary reason that so many sealed evils are concentrated on Earth is precisely because they are ''not'' concentrated on Earth. There's just so damned many of them that Earth ends up having its fair share of octopoid elder gods as a matter of normal statistical distribution.
** In ''TheDunwichHorror'', young Whateley's diary states that the alien intelligences are interested in Earth as an element in their long-range plans. Organic life, on the other hand, is considered an obstruction, and their real plans can get started once they erase all life on Earth and take it out of three-dimensional space.
** In ''TheDunwichHorror'', young Whateley's diary states that the alien intelligences are interested in Earth as an element in their long-range plans. Organic life, on the other hand, is considered an obstruction, and their real plans can get started once they erase all life on Earth and take it out of three-dimensional space.
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* FantasyPantheon
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* FantasyPantheonEvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: If any of the Great Old Ones are ever freed or awakened fully, then it's good-bye to mankind.
* ExpandedUniverse: A rather informal one, with Lovecraft's tales being the nucleus of the chaos.
* ExternalRetcon: Happens, but most notable with Hastur.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Wilbur Whateley has eyes where they should not be.
* FantasyPantheon: With three sets of them!
* FantasyKitchenSink: Despite not being an real mythology, the Mythos tends to get tossed into such stories.
* ExpandedUniverse: A rather informal one, with Lovecraft's tales being the nucleus of the chaos.
* ExternalRetcon: Happens, but most notable with Hastur.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Wilbur Whateley has eyes where they should not be.
* FantasyPantheon: With three sets of them!
* FantasyKitchenSink: Despite not being an real mythology, the Mythos tends to get tossed into such stories.
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* LivingBodysuit: Nyarlathotep, Hastur, Y[[spoiler:'Golonac]], and the Insects from Shaggai.
* LizardFolk: The Serpent Men.
* LizardFolk: The Serpent Men.
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* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Upper-class Anglo-Saxons seem to be the only people on Earth unaware of the horrors going on.
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* AbsoluteXenophobe: Yekubians, a alien species who destroyed all other intelligent life in their home galaxy.
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* AlienAnimals: Cats, at least in the Dreamlands, are intelligent, speak their own languages, and can leap across space. They're also at war with the Cats from Saturn.
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* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The majority of beings in the Mythos - the Deep Ones, Great Old Ones, the Tcho-tcho, the Insects from Shaggai - come off as this. Sometimes may be due to how [[BlueAndOrangeMorality alien]] these beings are. Sometimes not.
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* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Islands or whole continents rising out of seas. This was the result of Lovecraft and pals cribbing from the Theosophists (using their ideas about Atlantis and Lemura to give an feeling of realism), as well as [[ScienceMarchesOn the science of the time]]. Latter writers knew the scientific impossibility, but [[RuleOfCool just ran with it for the sake coolness]].
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** BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
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** BrianLumley: Creator/BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
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* '''Post Lovecraft Writers'''
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* '''Post Lovecraft Writers'''Writers''': Notable writers who have written for the mythos after Lovecraft had passed away.
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* HostileTerraforming: Allies of the Mythos are trying to work towards "clearing off the Earth" for the Great Old Ones.
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* {{Terraform}}: More like de-terraform. Allies of the Mythos are trying to work towards "clearing off the Earth" for the Great Old Ones.
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens.
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* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens. Overall there are at least 30 intelligent races described.
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!!Examples of:
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->Climbing from the depths abyssal
->To give mankind its dismissal,
->Soon will come the Great and Dreaded Old Ones!
->To destroy mankind, the bold ones
->Come at last the long foretold ones
->'Til o'er all the world they reign, the world they reign!
->Yog-Sothoth or mankind's blunder
->Soon will tear the veil asunder!
->Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
->Nylarlahotep, Crawling Chaos
->Comes from Azatoth to slay us!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
->P'raps we'll summon up a Shuggoth;
->Find our brains on distant Yuggoth!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
-->-- [[http://www.journalfen.net/community/the_hms_stfu/239597.html From "Climbing from the depths abyssal"]], a {{filk}} of GilbertAndSullivan's "Climbing over rocky mountain" by Adam Cuerden.
An informal and, appropriately, chaotic SharedUniverse that squarely defines the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and edgiest]] of genres, [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]. It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]], and as time went on, Lovecraft and his friends began referring to his {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and TomesOfEldritchLore in their writings, though usually not actual characters, and to share references made in his friends' stories or private letters. {{Mythopoeia}} defined the abstract, and original, cosmic setting.
The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos", depending on how you define it, post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Due to the SharedUniverse's informal nature there have arisen several rather divisive conceptions of the Mythos, generally categorized as the Lovecraft purists' version; the version including the broad post-1930s expansions by later writers like AugustDerleth (who is a controversy unto himself) and Ramsey Campbell; and then there's the rigidly codified and de-mystified TabletopRPG adaptations which crunch down MindScrewdriver-style to produce orderly game rules from an inherently disorderly canon. Information from the latter has tended to proliferate across the Internet disproportionately, resulting in simple Google searches producing a majority of pages derived from the game and its various campaigns, which are not always labeled as such.
Creator/HPLovecraft has his own trope listing, so tropes here should be for tropes that are not specific to his work, or have been greatly expanded from his work. See also CosmicHorrorStory (for works which deal with Lovecraft's ''themes'' [and, optionally, make use of the Mythos) and LovecraftLite for works that take Lovecraft and Mythos less seriously.
See also the [[TabletopGame/CallofCthulhu Call of Cthulhu RPG]] .
Sub-settings within the Cthulhu Mythos 'verse include:
* LovecraftCountry: Lovecraft's own setting; Arkham, Dunwitch, Innsmouth, and Kingsport, and anywhere nearby that fits the imagery.
* CampbellCountry: Named after the work of RamseyCampbell. Any Mythos-derived setting in Europe, most often England. The old castle from HPL's ''The Rats in the Walls'' and Ramsey Campbell's ''Severn Valley'' region are ideal examples.
* The [[{{Dreamland}} Dreamlands]]: Fantastical world created by people's dreams, focusing more on the surreal than terror.
* DeltaGreen: The Mythos meets government conspiracies and black ops. This began as supplement for the ''Call of Cthulhu'' RPG game.
* Hyperborea: Prehistorical Greenland before the ice age. Created by ClarkAshtonSmith, it focuses more on the weirdness than [[CosmicHorrorStory horror]].
* {{Kull}}, ConanTheBarbarian, and BranMakMorn: Creator/RobertEHoward's works form a peripheral part of the Mythos - the stories tend to be human-centric. "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant", one of the best early Conan stories, features a Lovecraftian abomination.
----
!![[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_Mythos_writers Notable Cthulhu Mythos writers include]]:
* '''The "Lovecraft Circle"''' : The original writers who corresponded with each other and used the elements of the mythos in their writings.
** AugustDerleth. Co-founder of Arkham House, and codifier of the Mythos. Also see ''TheTrailOfCthulhu''.
** ClarkAshtonSmith.
** DonaldWandrei. Co-founder of Arkham House.
** Creator/HPLovecraft. [[CaptainObvious Obviously.]]
** HenryKuttner.
** FrankBelknapLong.
** Creator/FritzLeiber
** RobertBloch.
** Creator/RobertEHoward.
* '''Pre-Lovecraft Authors''' : Writers whose works were before Lovecraft started, but were a great influence on him. Latter {{retcon}}ned into the Mythos:
** AmbroseBierce: Created the lost city of Carcosa and the name Hastur, which reappear in ''TheKingInYellow''.
** Creator/LordDunsany: Inspired Lovecraft's dream-prose period and the idea of creating a pantheon of his own.
** RobertWChambers: Wrote ''TheKingInYellow'', which was a great inspiration for Lovecraft, and was, in turn, inspired by Bierce.
** Creator/ArthurMachen: Wrote ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'', inspiring Lovecraft's take on {{Half Human Hybrid}}s, especially in "The Dunwich Horror".
* '''Post Lovecraft Writers'''
** BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
** ChiakiKonaka, who has written several Mythos stories in addition to his work as an anime screenplay writer.
** LinCarter: The major scholar and archivist of the Mythos, as well an editor and writer.
** RamseyCampbell: Notable for founding CampbellCountry.
** Creator/StephenKing: Contributed a couple of stories set in the Mythos.
** ThomasLigotti: More influenced by Lovecraft's bleak philosophy than by the particulars of the Mythos, but has written a few explicit homages like "The Sect of the Idiot."
----
!!Examples of:
* AffectionateParody: Several, including:
** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The aptly named]] CthulhuSavesTheWorld is a huge love letter to both 16 bit {{RPG}}s and to the Mythos as a whole.
** Webcomic/TheUnspeakableVaultOfDoom
** "Love's Eldritch Ichor" by [[EstherFriesner Esther M. Friesner]] is a silly love story between a harried publisher and a romance writer, a descendant of Lovecraft who is protected by Cthulhu.
** {{Pokethulhu}}, crossing the mythos and Pokemon.
** Webcomic/HelloCthulhu
** LightNovel/NyarkoSan, a romantic-comedy which features Nyarlathotep as a {{moe}}, hyperactive schoolgirl.
* AlienGeometries: One of the most notable examples being on the island of R'lyeh, in "The Call of Cthulhu".
* AliensAreBastards: Just about everything not of this Earth is evil and/or horrifying. About the only exception are Elder Thing and the Great Race of Yith, who still do freaky things like body-swapping with humans so they can visit Earth, and politely mind-wiping the unfortunate human when they switch back.
* AncientAstronauts: In addition to Lovecraft's Cthulhu, Elder Things, Mi-go, Yithians, and Flying Polyps, later writers added the Shan, Star Vampires and Yuggs.
* AnotherDimension: Where Cthulhu and the Mi-go originated. Also the Dreamlands.
* APlanetNamedZok: Most every planet mentioned in the Mythos follows this, the most well-known being Yuggoth.
* ApocalypticLog: Often found by investigators, and some stories are entirely these.
* ArtifactOfDoom: Plenty, but the [[AlienGeometries Shining Trapezohedron]] is probably the most noted. Also an ArtifactOfDeath, if you differentiate between the two.
* AssholeVictim: A common occurrence. Though, the reader may feel some pity towards some because of how nasty their deaths are.
* AuthorAvatar:
** An unusual example is that Lovecraft himself became a figure in his own mythos and was written into several stories by other authors, either as an avatar or even more curiously as himself. In addition to this, the first Lovecraft short story collection ''The Outsider and Others'', put together posthumously, was inserted into the mythos as one of the arcane tomes frequently referenced in the stories of other authors.
** RobertBloch killed off a character based on Lovecraft in "The Shambler from the Stars"; in response, Lovecraft killed off a character based on Bloch in "The Haunter of the Dark".\\
\\
And then Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
** Frank Belknap Long had another character based off Lovecraft in "The Space-Eaters".
** The main character of Fritz Leiber's "Terror from the Depths" shares many similarities to ClarkAshtonSmith.
** "HPL" by Gahan Wilson even has Lovecraft (and Clark Ashton Smith) as summoners of [[EldritchAbomination Mythos entities]].
** Lovecraft himself had several avatars: Ward Phillips, Randolf Carter, and Abdul Alhazred (which was Lovecraft's childhood play name).
** T.E.D. Klein's ''Black Man With A Horn'' has a character based off Frank Belknap Long.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Almost all the aliens in the mythos have this. There's fungus-crab-bat things, Crinoid[=/=]plant lifeforms, giant shape-shifting amoeba-like monsters, and giant telepathic squid-worms. And that's not getting to the Great Old Ones, who aren't even of normal "matter".
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: An alternative take on the Mythos by some authors. Most of the beings in the Mythos are beyond good and evil, as we understand it. For example, Long presents the ''Hounds of Tindalos'' as "Foul" and "descended of angles". Humans are somewhat "Pure" and literally descended from curves. In "A Note on the Cthulhu Mythos", Derleth explains that the entities of the Mythos are "beyond mundane morality".
* CanonWelding: Very common.
* ChaosIsEvil: Nyarlathotep, the "Crawling Chaos" is a sinister figure. Literally with Azathoth.
* CityWithNoName: "The Nameless City".
* CoversAlwaysLie: Lovecraft anthologies (such as the ''Del Ray'' ones) tend to have weird, surreal imagery that often doesn't have anything to do with anything in the stories. Though, it does communicate the atmosphere of the books well enough.
* {{Cult}}s: The Mythos is filled with Old One worshipers with [[ReligionOfEvil horrible rituals]]. They range from the ''Arkham Witch Coven'', various madmen like the Whateleys, ''The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign'', and the English ''Temphill Cult'' to name a few.
* CulturalCrossReference: Mythos references have been made in Japan - some subtle (BigO, Franchise/{{Digimon}}) and others outright ([[LightNovel/NyarkoSan Haiyore! Nyarko-san]]).
* DarkFantasy: Really Dark.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Inspector Legrasse]] in the 2005 silent film adaptation of ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Call of Cthulhu]]''. [[spoiler:In the literature, he not only lives, but also stars in a series of short stories.]]
** The same goes for a bunch of other characters in ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Whisperer In Darkness]]'' as well. Most prominently, [[spoiler: Albert Wilmarth crashes a plane into a Mi-Go ritual site, after which the aliens [[BrainInAJar save his brain]]]].
* DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu?:
** Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror". Yog-Sothoth mates with a human woman [[spoiler: and produces the offspring who will be known as Wilbur Whateley.]]
** Michael Shea's "Fat Face". An "escort" seeks comfort from a large, seemingly kindly man. [[spoiler: It's not a man, and it doesn't end well.]]
** Played with Ramsey Campbell's "The Faces At Pine Dunes". The protagonist and his girlfriend is investigate his parents' strange behavior. [[spoiler: His father is a Human[=/=]EldritchAbomination hybrid, and so is the protagonist.]]
* TheDreaded: Most of the monsters don't need to kill you to disable you. They can do that just by looking really really scary. The Cthulhu Mythos is the TropeCodifier of EldritchAbomination for a reason.
* DugTooDeep: Happens in a Lumley tale [[spoiler:In which an oil drill ends up drilling into a sleeping Great Old One.]]
* EldritchAbomination: For all practical purposes, this is the [[TropeMaker font and origin of all blobby god-things with unpronounceable names]].
* EldritchLocation: Lots and lots.
* FantasyPantheon
* FictionalDocument: The various unspeakable books, commentaries on said books, as well as the various final testaments.
* FishPeople: The Deep Ones and their HalfHumanHybrids, obviously.
* GenocideBackfire: ''The Doom that Came to Sarnath''.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: TropeNamer.
* HalfHumanHybrid: And not the [[BodyHorror cute furry kind]], [[InTheBlood nor the sympathetic outcast kind]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Whoever finds out too much about the Mythos (such as the Cthulhu Cult) [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade tend to be hunted down and killed]]. That is, if the person in question doesn't go insane first or get eaten.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: It's common for Mythos stories by later authors to feature Lovecraft himself as a character, often with the premises that he wrote truth disguised as fiction. ''LovecraftIsMissing'' is a prominent example.
* HowWeGotHere: Typically of the "See, this is why I must commit suicide before sundown..." variety
* HumanSacrifice: Whether it's being used in some unspeakable experiment/ritual or just being a snack for a ''Old One", it's very common.
* IHaveManyNames: All of the Great Old Ones and other incomprehensible beings have multiple aspects and/or names. Part of this is due to multiple attempts at spelling a alien word (Cthulhu, Ktulu, Clooloo, Q'thulu, Tulu, etc.) and partly just due to the use of epithet (''Nuclear Chaos'' or ''The Daemon Sultan'' for Azathoth) in the case of TheScottishTrope where the true name is forbidden (even "Azathoth" is a pseudonym).
* InsectoidAliens: The Mi-Go and the Insects From Shaggai.
* {{Kaiju}}: There are some ''really'' big monsters in the Mythos. Cthulhu is described as a walking "mountain". Most of his children are just are huge. Not to mention Dagon, Zhar and Lligor, several of Nyarlathotep's masks... all big. And then there's Ghroth, a monster the size of a ''planet''.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens.
* LovecraftLite: The stories by Smith, Derleth, Lumley, and Howard in particular. Smith is more due to the focus on the weirdness, and Howard's characters were simply BadAss enough to face cosmic horrors and fight them. Even Lovecraft had some lighter tales.
** Naturally, the Mythos parodies and homages tend to be this as well.
* {{Masquerade}}: One of the defining aspects of the Mythos, living in ignorance of the true horrors of reality.
* MediumAwareness: Lovecraft encouraged the authors he corresponded with to use elements of his mythos in their stories, even if those stories were not part of the mythos itself. This emergence of common elements in seemingly unrelated works of literature created the impression that the mythos was actually real, thus leading to the fan theories that Lovecraft actually had encounters with eldritch entities. This culminated in a peculiar case when an infamous MoralGuardian by the name of Patricia Pulling included in a questionnaire submitted to police as a means of investigating people for possible occult affiliations, a question regarding whether or not the suspect had heard of and read the Necronomicon. This question, among various other things, led to her discrediting as a credible expert in the area of occult crime.
* MoeAnthropomorphism: You can find most, if not all, of the mythos beings depicted as human girl. Cthylla is notable that, being called Cthulhu's daughter, it's much easier to search for her moe art than squid-like form. NyarkoSan takes this to [[UpToEleven the next level]], with Nyarlathotep, Cthugha, and Atlach-Nacha as cute {{moe}} girls.
* MushroomMan: The Fungi from Yuggoth.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Pretty much all of them, unsurprisingly.
* NoHuggingNoKissing:
** Lovecraft's stories contain virtually no hanky-panky. His narrators are universally chaste. Females characters are consistently abominations in disguise. On the very rare occasions that sexual activity is implied, it is depicted negatively and guaranteed to result in inhuman hybrid demon spawn.
** There's the poor Lavinia Whatley in ''Literature/TheDunwichHorror'', who goes over her head under the coaxing of her grandfather, and meets a grisly ending later one because she's not happy with the idea of destroying humanity. Most of the time women aren't so much evil as completely absent from Lovecraft's stories, since he had no idea how to write female characters. [[spoiler:Even Asenath Waite was actually a man's spirit inhabiting the body of his daughter.]]
** As in the space of a story (days, maybe weeks) the male heroes spend time among creatures like [[HalfHumanHybrid Innsmouth hybrids]] or [[IAmAHumanitarian man-eating degenerate beings]] from ''The Lurking Fear'', it would be pretty horrible to imagine what they could do if they ''weren't'' chaste.
** Averted with Smith and Campbell, where romance plays a role in some of their stories.
* NonIndicativeName: Cthulhu only appears in one of the original Lovecraft stories, and his role beyond that one is fairly minimal. Though he is the most iconic character in the Mythos, he is definitely not the central figure--technically, "The Great Old Ones Mythos" would be a more accurate title.
* NotSoSafeHarbor: Not surprising considering how it's mostly set on NewEngland, but Innsmouth is especially noteworthy. Also not surprising considering Lovecraft's phobia towards all things aquatic, thus marine and octopoid creatures as a consistent source of horror.
* OccultDetective: Several characters attempt this, but often it doesn't end well. TitusCrow is a traditional example, while Teddy London is a private detective that got case involving the Mythos.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The fungoid creature in "The Shunned House" is Lovecraft's version of a vampire. It bears little resemblance to the undead humans of other works. Other authors added "Star Vampires" and "Fire Vampires", which are even less conventionally vampire-like.
* ParanormalInvestigation
* PlantAliens: Both the Mi-Go and the Elder Things are described as being fungoid.
* PokeInTheThirdEye
* PosthumousCollaboration: Several stories were finished after Lovecraft's death by Derleth.
* PublicDomainCharacter: Even when it was created. H.P. Lovecraft encouraged creative diversity in the original Cthulhu Circle, such that there was (and is) no ''single'' all-enjoining {{Canon}}, but rather what amounts to multiple authors' AscendedFanon. In this sense, the Cthulhu Mythos more resembles an organic {{Mythology}} with numerous variations.
* PsychologicalHorror
* PunyEarthlings
* PurpleProse: Lovecraft, Howard, and Smith used this often. Latter writers, not so much.
* {{Retcon}}:
** All over the place. Range from Derleth's ideas of morality or Smith's Greek pantheon-style genealogy (including such gems as Cthulhu being Hastur's half-brother), to FanWank trying to avert ScienceMarchesOn, like explaining various winged creatures like the Byakhee & Elder Things flying through space, originally ascribed to "ether", as biotechnological solar sails.
** Lovecraft even did it to himself, such as placing the locales of some of his earlier short stories into the setting of the Dreamlands (you'll notice that 'The Cats of Ulthar', for instance, never mention being anywhere but in the real world, let alone a shared dream consciousness).
* SapientCetaceans: One story in ''Tales from Innsmouth'' has the Dolphins as allies of the Deep Ones.
* ScienceFiction: Several of the various monsters are given scientific (or quasi-scientific) explanations and origins.
* ScrapbookStory: Most famously, the original ''Call of Cthulhu'' story does this, and other writers have followed suit.
* ShoutOut: To Lovecraft and the other writers in Lovecraft's circle. What started as in-jokes [[RunningTheAsylum became hard continuity]] with AdaptationExpansion.
** References to the Mythos is also common in popular culture.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of the time, so cynical you could use the scale as a trebuchet, competes with Warhammer 40k for the title of most Cynical popular body of fiction.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:The narrator]] in the 2005 silent film adaptation of ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Call of Cthulhu]]''. [[spoiler: At the beginning of the original story refers to the "late" Francis Wayland Thurston. How he died is not revealed. The movie doesn't really hint at this at all.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Intentionally; most of the Great Old Ones and the like have names that [[TheUnpronounceable can't be rendered in human languages]], so they're spelled in all sort of different ways in different stories.
* StarfishAliens: All of HPL's aliens, and quite a few earth-dwelling creatures. Howard, for such an early writer, was good at ensuring his aliens were actually alien. And in the case of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Things Elder Things,]] one of the more sympathetic species, almost ''literal'' StarfishAliens. Latter authors have followed suit.
* StuckInTheirShadow: In-universe example: The protagonist of ''Black Man With A Horn'' feels that his literary career was overshadowed by his friend, H.P. Lovecraft.
* {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s:
** The Great Old Ones are some of the, er, oldest examples. All too often this aspect of them gets forgotten in favor of TheThemeParkVersion's ''literal'' gods.
** In an inversion, in their introductory story, the Elder Things are presented as being ''men''- that is, in comparison to the other aliens and horrors out there, the Elder Things built things, created a civilization, wrote, created, learned, taught. They built things and invented things. They're human compared to the nigh-godly Cthulhu Spawn and the horrific Shoggoth(s?).
* TheTamingOfTheGrue: You can buy Cthulhu plushie dolls. [[http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=610&q=cthulhu+plush&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW]]
* TabletopGames: Several, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalyptic world).
** In addition, there was also the ''Mythos'' [[CollectibleCardGame CCG]], the ''Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game'', and even ''[[{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Cthulhu]]''.
* {{Terraform}}: More like de-terraform. Allies of the Mythos are trying to work towards "clearing off the Earth" for the Great Old Ones.
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow
* TooManyMouths: One of the classic eldritch abomination traits. In a particularly corporeal case, the Great Old One Y'golonac ([[RunningGag you fool]], [[SpeakOfTheDevil you've doomed us all!]]) has them on his palms.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Several stories involve the protagonist discovering something unpleasant about his heritage.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: Most notably the ''Necronomicon'', but also ''De Vermis Mysteriis'', the ''Pnakotic Manuscripts'', the... well just [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_arcane_literature look at the list.]] Name-dropping one of these is a stock horror ShoutOut.
* TownWithADarkSecret: Oh so many, from ''Innsmouth'' to ''Jerusalem's Lot'' to ''Temphill''...
* {{Tuckerization}}: In addition to all the Author Avatars and Shout Outs, the Lovecraft Circle tossed out references to their pals:
** Lovecraft mentions the Atlantean priest ''[[ClarkAShtonSmith Klarkash-ton]]''.
** Robert Bloch wrote of the Egyptian ''[[Creator/HPLovecraft Luveh-Keraph]]'', priest of Bast.
** A ''[[AugustDerleth Comte d'Erlette]]'' wrote the ''Cultes des Goules''.
* TropeOverdosed: Think this page has a lot of tropes? Check out the character page.
* {{Ultraterrestrials}}: Deep Ones, Ghouls, and Sand Dwellers.
* UniverseConcordance: Daniel Harms' ''The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia'' and earlier ''Encyclopedia Cthulhiana''.
* TheUnpronounceable:
** All the Great Old Ones qualify.
** In one short story a fan of Lovecraft in a world where the stories are in truth based on reality has surgery to allow her to pronounce R'lyehian correctly. This gives her an eldritch look, and when she actually practises the ability, it sort of causes the end of the world as a side effect.
* WeaksauceWeakness:
** The Cthonians ''dissolve in water.'' Justified: Considering the Cthonians are able to survive intense heat and pressures, can borrow underground, and have telepathic powers capable of controlling people's minds, the fact that Earth is mostly water may be the only reason why they haven't wiped humanity out.\\
\\
Not a particularly exploitable weakness for the bigger ones though. Shudde-M'ell (the chief Chthonian) is described as ''a mile long'', so immersing him in water would be ... pretty challenging.
** Water isn't good for the Great Old Ones according to ''The Call of Cthulhu'', either - it blocks their telepathic powers completely, trapping them to their lairs both physically and mentally, until R'lyeh rises again.
** The Haunter in the Dark, one of Nyarlathotep's many forms, is extremely weak against light. Granted, it comes from a dimension where no visible light exists (and where it would presumably be invincible), and it can't be killed, only banished back to that dimension, but still, it's an EldritchAbomination that can kept at bay with ''a flashlight''! But you'd better hope [[TenSecondFlashlight your batteries last]] until you find something else... the Haunter can wait, it only needs to catch you once.
*** In RobertBloch's story "The Shadow From the Steeple" (considered [[FanonDisContinuity out of canon by some]]) it gets better: after a ''serious'' blunder by a university professor attempting to contain it, [[spoiler:it [[GrandTheftMe takes over his body]], therefore becoming almost unaffected by light, changes the man's field of expertise to theoretical physics, then joins the Manhattan project so we'll succeed in creating a weapon that could actually annihilate us. It's also an avatar of the god Nyarlathotep, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Crawling Chaos]].]]
** ''Call of Cthulhu'' itself offers one. You may be surprized that, despite being an ancient and unspeakably powerful entity able to drive to insanity with nary a glance, Cthulhu is just as vulnerable as anything else to being rammed with large objects.
* WeirdTales: Many of Lovecraft and pals wrote for the magazine.
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: The Great Old Ones will return when ''The Stars Are Right''.
* WhoYouGonnaCall: Professor Shrewsbury, Inspector Legrasse, Titus Crow, The Wilmarth Foundation, Delta Green, and Teddy London.
* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction.
** He only appears in one, but he's mentioned, by his name or by events from The Call of Cthulhu in many others,
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]
* WordOfDante: Several common aspects of the Cthulhu Mythos (such as the good/evil dichotomy and the Necronomicon as a powerful BrownNote) come from Lovecraft's friend, August Derleth, rather than Lovecraft himself.
----
''Cthulhu fhtagn... what a wonderful phrase...''
->To give mankind its dismissal,
->Soon will come the Great and Dreaded Old Ones!
->To destroy mankind, the bold ones
->Come at last the long foretold ones
->'Til o'er all the world they reign, the world they reign!
->Yog-Sothoth or mankind's blunder
->Soon will tear the veil asunder!
->Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!
->Nylarlahotep, Crawling Chaos
->Comes from Azatoth to slay us!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
->P'raps we'll summon up a Shuggoth;
->Find our brains on distant Yuggoth!
->Soon the Old Ones come again!
-->-- [[http://www.journalfen.net/community/the_hms_stfu/239597.html From "Climbing from the depths abyssal"]], a {{filk}} of GilbertAndSullivan's "Climbing over rocky mountain" by Adam Cuerden.
An informal and, appropriately, chaotic SharedUniverse that squarely defines the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest and edgiest]] of genres, [[CosmicHorrorStory cosmic horror]]. It was started unintentionally by Creator/HPLovecraft and his circle of peers (informally called the 'Kalem Club') who belonged to the embryonic {{Fandom}}, at that stage less about SpeculativeFiction but more about writing short amateur "weird" stories for the 'pulp' magazines, at least for Lovecraft.
Lovecraft had already incorporated small elements of Creator/RobertWChambers' earlier ''TheKingInYellow'' and the writings of Creator/ArthurMachen by way of [[ShoutOut Shout Outs]], and as time went on, Lovecraft and his friends began referring to his {{Eldritch Abomination}}s and TomesOfEldritchLore in their writings, though usually not actual characters, and to share references made in his friends' stories or private letters. {{Mythopoeia}} defined the abstract, and original, cosmic setting.
The actual term "Cthulhu Mythos", depending on how you define it, post-dates Lovecraft's death, at which time H. P. Lovecraft's work got seized and expanded on by AugustDerleth. Lovecraft himself called his budding mythology "the Yog-Sothothery".
Due to the SharedUniverse's informal nature there have arisen several rather divisive conceptions of the Mythos, generally categorized as the Lovecraft purists' version; the version including the broad post-1930s expansions by later writers like AugustDerleth (who is a controversy unto himself) and Ramsey Campbell; and then there's the rigidly codified and de-mystified TabletopRPG adaptations which crunch down MindScrewdriver-style to produce orderly game rules from an inherently disorderly canon. Information from the latter has tended to proliferate across the Internet disproportionately, resulting in simple Google searches producing a majority of pages derived from the game and its various campaigns, which are not always labeled as such.
Creator/HPLovecraft has his own trope listing, so tropes here should be for tropes that are not specific to his work, or have been greatly expanded from his work. See also CosmicHorrorStory (for works which deal with Lovecraft's ''themes'' [and, optionally, make use of the Mythos) and LovecraftLite for works that take Lovecraft and Mythos less seriously.
See also the [[TabletopGame/CallofCthulhu Call of Cthulhu RPG]] .
Sub-settings within the Cthulhu Mythos 'verse include:
* LovecraftCountry: Lovecraft's own setting; Arkham, Dunwitch, Innsmouth, and Kingsport, and anywhere nearby that fits the imagery.
* CampbellCountry: Named after the work of RamseyCampbell. Any Mythos-derived setting in Europe, most often England. The old castle from HPL's ''The Rats in the Walls'' and Ramsey Campbell's ''Severn Valley'' region are ideal examples.
* The [[{{Dreamland}} Dreamlands]]: Fantastical world created by people's dreams, focusing more on the surreal than terror.
* DeltaGreen: The Mythos meets government conspiracies and black ops. This began as supplement for the ''Call of Cthulhu'' RPG game.
* Hyperborea: Prehistorical Greenland before the ice age. Created by ClarkAshtonSmith, it focuses more on the weirdness than [[CosmicHorrorStory horror]].
* {{Kull}}, ConanTheBarbarian, and BranMakMorn: Creator/RobertEHoward's works form a peripheral part of the Mythos - the stories tend to be human-centric. "Literature/TheTowerOfTheElephant", one of the best early Conan stories, features a Lovecraftian abomination.
----
!![[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Cthulhu_Mythos_writers Notable Cthulhu Mythos writers include]]:
* '''The "Lovecraft Circle"''' : The original writers who corresponded with each other and used the elements of the mythos in their writings.
** AugustDerleth. Co-founder of Arkham House, and codifier of the Mythos. Also see ''TheTrailOfCthulhu''.
** ClarkAshtonSmith.
** DonaldWandrei. Co-founder of Arkham House.
** Creator/HPLovecraft. [[CaptainObvious Obviously.]]
** HenryKuttner.
** FrankBelknapLong.
** Creator/FritzLeiber
** RobertBloch.
** Creator/RobertEHoward.
* '''Pre-Lovecraft Authors''' : Writers whose works were before Lovecraft started, but were a great influence on him. Latter {{retcon}}ned into the Mythos:
** AmbroseBierce: Created the lost city of Carcosa and the name Hastur, which reappear in ''TheKingInYellow''.
** Creator/LordDunsany: Inspired Lovecraft's dream-prose period and the idea of creating a pantheon of his own.
** RobertWChambers: Wrote ''TheKingInYellow'', which was a great inspiration for Lovecraft, and was, in turn, inspired by Bierce.
** Creator/ArthurMachen: Wrote ''Literature/TheGreatGodPan'', inspiring Lovecraft's take on {{Half Human Hybrid}}s, especially in "The Dunwich Horror".
* '''Post Lovecraft Writers'''
** BrianLumley: Whose TitusCrow, ''Primal Land'', and ''Hero of Dreams'' forms a part of the mythos.
** ChiakiKonaka, who has written several Mythos stories in addition to his work as an anime screenplay writer.
** LinCarter: The major scholar and archivist of the Mythos, as well an editor and writer.
** RamseyCampbell: Notable for founding CampbellCountry.
** Creator/StephenKing: Contributed a couple of stories set in the Mythos.
** ThomasLigotti: More influenced by Lovecraft's bleak philosophy than by the particulars of the Mythos, but has written a few explicit homages like "The Sect of the Idiot."
----
!!Examples of:
* AffectionateParody: Several, including:
** [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The aptly named]] CthulhuSavesTheWorld is a huge love letter to both 16 bit {{RPG}}s and to the Mythos as a whole.
** Webcomic/TheUnspeakableVaultOfDoom
** "Love's Eldritch Ichor" by [[EstherFriesner Esther M. Friesner]] is a silly love story between a harried publisher and a romance writer, a descendant of Lovecraft who is protected by Cthulhu.
** {{Pokethulhu}}, crossing the mythos and Pokemon.
** Webcomic/HelloCthulhu
** LightNovel/NyarkoSan, a romantic-comedy which features Nyarlathotep as a {{moe}}, hyperactive schoolgirl.
* AlienGeometries: One of the most notable examples being on the island of R'lyeh, in "The Call of Cthulhu".
* AliensAreBastards: Just about everything not of this Earth is evil and/or horrifying. About the only exception are Elder Thing and the Great Race of Yith, who still do freaky things like body-swapping with humans so they can visit Earth, and politely mind-wiping the unfortunate human when they switch back.
* AncientAstronauts: In addition to Lovecraft's Cthulhu, Elder Things, Mi-go, Yithians, and Flying Polyps, later writers added the Shan, Star Vampires and Yuggs.
* AnotherDimension: Where Cthulhu and the Mi-go originated. Also the Dreamlands.
* APlanetNamedZok: Most every planet mentioned in the Mythos follows this, the most well-known being Yuggoth.
* ApocalypticLog: Often found by investigators, and some stories are entirely these.
* ArtifactOfDoom: Plenty, but the [[AlienGeometries Shining Trapezohedron]] is probably the most noted. Also an ArtifactOfDeath, if you differentiate between the two.
* AssholeVictim: A common occurrence. Though, the reader may feel some pity towards some because of how nasty their deaths are.
* AuthorAvatar:
** An unusual example is that Lovecraft himself became a figure in his own mythos and was written into several stories by other authors, either as an avatar or even more curiously as himself. In addition to this, the first Lovecraft short story collection ''The Outsider and Others'', put together posthumously, was inserted into the mythos as one of the arcane tomes frequently referenced in the stories of other authors.
** RobertBloch killed off a character based on Lovecraft in "The Shambler from the Stars"; in response, Lovecraft killed off a character based on Bloch in "The Haunter of the Dark".\\
\\
And then Bloch wrote a sequel which mentions both to the [[{{Expy}} Expies]] ''and'' to himself and Lovecraft. You would think that Bloch or Blake would have realized that they were carbon copies of each other down to having written almost identical stories. To top it off, the main character (Fiske) is also an avatar, as Bloch wrote under a pen name of "Tarleton Fiske".
** Frank Belknap Long had another character based off Lovecraft in "The Space-Eaters".
** The main character of Fritz Leiber's "Terror from the Depths" shares many similarities to ClarkAshtonSmith.
** "HPL" by Gahan Wilson even has Lovecraft (and Clark Ashton Smith) as summoners of [[EldritchAbomination Mythos entities]].
** Lovecraft himself had several avatars: Ward Phillips, Randolf Carter, and Abdul Alhazred (which was Lovecraft's childhood play name).
** T.E.D. Klein's ''Black Man With A Horn'' has a character based off Frank Belknap Long.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Almost all the aliens in the mythos have this. There's fungus-crab-bat things, Crinoid[=/=]plant lifeforms, giant shape-shifting amoeba-like monsters, and giant telepathic squid-worms. And that's not getting to the Great Old Ones, who aren't even of normal "matter".
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: An alternative take on the Mythos by some authors. Most of the beings in the Mythos are beyond good and evil, as we understand it. For example, Long presents the ''Hounds of Tindalos'' as "Foul" and "descended of angles". Humans are somewhat "Pure" and literally descended from curves. In "A Note on the Cthulhu Mythos", Derleth explains that the entities of the Mythos are "beyond mundane morality".
* CanonWelding: Very common.
* ChaosIsEvil: Nyarlathotep, the "Crawling Chaos" is a sinister figure. Literally with Azathoth.
* CityWithNoName: "The Nameless City".
* CoversAlwaysLie: Lovecraft anthologies (such as the ''Del Ray'' ones) tend to have weird, surreal imagery that often doesn't have anything to do with anything in the stories. Though, it does communicate the atmosphere of the books well enough.
* {{Cult}}s: The Mythos is filled with Old One worshipers with [[ReligionOfEvil horrible rituals]]. They range from the ''Arkham Witch Coven'', various madmen like the Whateleys, ''The Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign'', and the English ''Temphill Cult'' to name a few.
* CulturalCrossReference: Mythos references have been made in Japan - some subtle (BigO, Franchise/{{Digimon}}) and others outright ([[LightNovel/NyarkoSan Haiyore! Nyarko-san]]).
* DarkFantasy: Really Dark.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Inspector Legrasse]] in the 2005 silent film adaptation of ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Call of Cthulhu]]''. [[spoiler:In the literature, he not only lives, but also stars in a series of short stories.]]
** The same goes for a bunch of other characters in ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Whisperer In Darkness]]'' as well. Most prominently, [[spoiler: Albert Wilmarth crashes a plane into a Mi-Go ritual site, after which the aliens [[BrainInAJar save his brain]]]].
* DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu?:
** Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror". Yog-Sothoth mates with a human woman [[spoiler: and produces the offspring who will be known as Wilbur Whateley.]]
** Michael Shea's "Fat Face". An "escort" seeks comfort from a large, seemingly kindly man. [[spoiler: It's not a man, and it doesn't end well.]]
** Played with Ramsey Campbell's "The Faces At Pine Dunes". The protagonist and his girlfriend is investigate his parents' strange behavior. [[spoiler: His father is a Human[=/=]EldritchAbomination hybrid, and so is the protagonist.]]
* TheDreaded: Most of the monsters don't need to kill you to disable you. They can do that just by looking really really scary. The Cthulhu Mythos is the TropeCodifier of EldritchAbomination for a reason.
* DugTooDeep: Happens in a Lumley tale [[spoiler:In which an oil drill ends up drilling into a sleeping Great Old One.]]
* EldritchAbomination: For all practical purposes, this is the [[TropeMaker font and origin of all blobby god-things with unpronounceable names]].
* EldritchLocation: Lots and lots.
* FantasyPantheon
* FictionalDocument: The various unspeakable books, commentaries on said books, as well as the various final testaments.
* FishPeople: The Deep Ones and their HalfHumanHybrids, obviously.
* GenocideBackfire: ''The Doom that Came to Sarnath''.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: TropeNamer.
* HalfHumanHybrid: And not the [[BodyHorror cute furry kind]], [[InTheBlood nor the sympathetic outcast kind]].
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Whoever finds out too much about the Mythos (such as the Cthulhu Cult) [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade tend to be hunted down and killed]]. That is, if the person in question doesn't go insane first or get eaten.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: It's common for Mythos stories by later authors to feature Lovecraft himself as a character, often with the premises that he wrote truth disguised as fiction. ''LovecraftIsMissing'' is a prominent example.
* HowWeGotHere: Typically of the "See, this is why I must commit suicide before sundown..." variety
* HumanSacrifice: Whether it's being used in some unspeakable experiment/ritual or just being a snack for a ''Old One", it's very common.
* IHaveManyNames: All of the Great Old Ones and other incomprehensible beings have multiple aspects and/or names. Part of this is due to multiple attempts at spelling a alien word (Cthulhu, Ktulu, Clooloo, Q'thulu, Tulu, etc.) and partly just due to the use of epithet (''Nuclear Chaos'' or ''The Daemon Sultan'' for Azathoth) in the case of TheScottishTrope where the true name is forbidden (even "Azathoth" is a pseudonym).
* InsectoidAliens: The Mi-Go and the Insects From Shaggai.
* {{Kaiju}}: There are some ''really'' big monsters in the Mythos. Cthulhu is described as a walking "mountain". Most of his children are just are huge. Not to mention Dagon, Zhar and Lligor, several of Nyarlathotep's masks... all big. And then there's Ghroth, a monster the size of a ''planet''.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces: HPL himself mentioned or sometimes showed a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_the_Cthulhu_Mythos#Beings few dozen aliens and monsters]], and subsequent authors and co-writer have expanded this greatly. That's not even getting into the godlike deity-aliens.
* LovecraftLite: The stories by Smith, Derleth, Lumley, and Howard in particular. Smith is more due to the focus on the weirdness, and Howard's characters were simply BadAss enough to face cosmic horrors and fight them. Even Lovecraft had some lighter tales.
** Naturally, the Mythos parodies and homages tend to be this as well.
* {{Masquerade}}: One of the defining aspects of the Mythos, living in ignorance of the true horrors of reality.
* MediumAwareness: Lovecraft encouraged the authors he corresponded with to use elements of his mythos in their stories, even if those stories were not part of the mythos itself. This emergence of common elements in seemingly unrelated works of literature created the impression that the mythos was actually real, thus leading to the fan theories that Lovecraft actually had encounters with eldritch entities. This culminated in a peculiar case when an infamous MoralGuardian by the name of Patricia Pulling included in a questionnaire submitted to police as a means of investigating people for possible occult affiliations, a question regarding whether or not the suspect had heard of and read the Necronomicon. This question, among various other things, led to her discrediting as a credible expert in the area of occult crime.
* MoeAnthropomorphism: You can find most, if not all, of the mythos beings depicted as human girl. Cthylla is notable that, being called Cthulhu's daughter, it's much easier to search for her moe art than squid-like form. NyarkoSan takes this to [[UpToEleven the next level]], with Nyarlathotep, Cthugha, and Atlach-Nacha as cute {{moe}} girls.
* MushroomMan: The Fungi from Yuggoth.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Pretty much all of them, unsurprisingly.
* NoHuggingNoKissing:
** Lovecraft's stories contain virtually no hanky-panky. His narrators are universally chaste. Females characters are consistently abominations in disguise. On the very rare occasions that sexual activity is implied, it is depicted negatively and guaranteed to result in inhuman hybrid demon spawn.
** There's the poor Lavinia Whatley in ''Literature/TheDunwichHorror'', who goes over her head under the coaxing of her grandfather, and meets a grisly ending later one because she's not happy with the idea of destroying humanity. Most of the time women aren't so much evil as completely absent from Lovecraft's stories, since he had no idea how to write female characters. [[spoiler:Even Asenath Waite was actually a man's spirit inhabiting the body of his daughter.]]
** As in the space of a story (days, maybe weeks) the male heroes spend time among creatures like [[HalfHumanHybrid Innsmouth hybrids]] or [[IAmAHumanitarian man-eating degenerate beings]] from ''The Lurking Fear'', it would be pretty horrible to imagine what they could do if they ''weren't'' chaste.
** Averted with Smith and Campbell, where romance plays a role in some of their stories.
* NonIndicativeName: Cthulhu only appears in one of the original Lovecraft stories, and his role beyond that one is fairly minimal. Though he is the most iconic character in the Mythos, he is definitely not the central figure--technically, "The Great Old Ones Mythos" would be a more accurate title.
* NotSoSafeHarbor: Not surprising considering how it's mostly set on NewEngland, but Innsmouth is especially noteworthy. Also not surprising considering Lovecraft's phobia towards all things aquatic, thus marine and octopoid creatures as a consistent source of horror.
* OccultDetective: Several characters attempt this, but often it doesn't end well. TitusCrow is a traditional example, while Teddy London is a private detective that got case involving the Mythos.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The fungoid creature in "The Shunned House" is Lovecraft's version of a vampire. It bears little resemblance to the undead humans of other works. Other authors added "Star Vampires" and "Fire Vampires", which are even less conventionally vampire-like.
* ParanormalInvestigation
* PlantAliens: Both the Mi-Go and the Elder Things are described as being fungoid.
* PokeInTheThirdEye
* PosthumousCollaboration: Several stories were finished after Lovecraft's death by Derleth.
* PublicDomainCharacter: Even when it was created. H.P. Lovecraft encouraged creative diversity in the original Cthulhu Circle, such that there was (and is) no ''single'' all-enjoining {{Canon}}, but rather what amounts to multiple authors' AscendedFanon. In this sense, the Cthulhu Mythos more resembles an organic {{Mythology}} with numerous variations.
* PsychologicalHorror
* PunyEarthlings
* PurpleProse: Lovecraft, Howard, and Smith used this often. Latter writers, not so much.
* {{Retcon}}:
** All over the place. Range from Derleth's ideas of morality or Smith's Greek pantheon-style genealogy (including such gems as Cthulhu being Hastur's half-brother), to FanWank trying to avert ScienceMarchesOn, like explaining various winged creatures like the Byakhee & Elder Things flying through space, originally ascribed to "ether", as biotechnological solar sails.
** Lovecraft even did it to himself, such as placing the locales of some of his earlier short stories into the setting of the Dreamlands (you'll notice that 'The Cats of Ulthar', for instance, never mention being anywhere but in the real world, let alone a shared dream consciousness).
* SapientCetaceans: One story in ''Tales from Innsmouth'' has the Dolphins as allies of the Deep Ones.
* ScienceFiction: Several of the various monsters are given scientific (or quasi-scientific) explanations and origins.
* ScrapbookStory: Most famously, the original ''Call of Cthulhu'' story does this, and other writers have followed suit.
* ShoutOut: To Lovecraft and the other writers in Lovecraft's circle. What started as in-jokes [[RunningTheAsylum became hard continuity]] with AdaptationExpansion.
** References to the Mythos is also common in popular culture.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Most of the time, so cynical you could use the scale as a trebuchet, competes with Warhammer 40k for the title of most Cynical popular body of fiction.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:The narrator]] in the 2005 silent film adaptation of ''[[LovecraftOnFilm The Call of Cthulhu]]''. [[spoiler: At the beginning of the original story refers to the "late" Francis Wayland Thurston. How he died is not revealed. The movie doesn't really hint at this at all.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Intentionally; most of the Great Old Ones and the like have names that [[TheUnpronounceable can't be rendered in human languages]], so they're spelled in all sort of different ways in different stories.
* StarfishAliens: All of HPL's aliens, and quite a few earth-dwelling creatures. Howard, for such an early writer, was good at ensuring his aliens were actually alien. And in the case of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elder_Things Elder Things,]] one of the more sympathetic species, almost ''literal'' StarfishAliens. Latter authors have followed suit.
* StuckInTheirShadow: In-universe example: The protagonist of ''Black Man With A Horn'' feels that his literary career was overshadowed by his friend, H.P. Lovecraft.
* {{Sufficiently Advanced Alien}}s:
** The Great Old Ones are some of the, er, oldest examples. All too often this aspect of them gets forgotten in favor of TheThemeParkVersion's ''literal'' gods.
** In an inversion, in their introductory story, the Elder Things are presented as being ''men''- that is, in comparison to the other aliens and horrors out there, the Elder Things built things, created a civilization, wrote, created, learned, taught. They built things and invented things. They're human compared to the nigh-godly Cthulhu Spawn and the horrific Shoggoth(s?).
* TheTamingOfTheGrue: You can buy Cthulhu plushie dolls. [[http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1280&bih=610&q=cthulhu+plush&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW]]
* TabletopGames: Several, including the ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' RPG, ''Trail of Cthulhu'' (using the GUMSHOE system and focused in the 1930's), ArkhamHorror and ''Yellow Dawn - The Age of Hastur'' RPG (set in a post-apocalyptic world).
** In addition, there was also the ''Mythos'' [[CollectibleCardGame CCG]], the ''Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game'', and even ''[[{{Munchkin}} Munchkin Cthulhu]]''.
* {{Terraform}}: More like de-terraform. Allies of the Mythos are trying to work towards "clearing off the Earth" for the Great Old Ones.
* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow
* TooManyMouths: One of the classic eldritch abomination traits. In a particularly corporeal case, the Great Old One Y'golonac ([[RunningGag you fool]], [[SpeakOfTheDevil you've doomed us all!]]) has them on his palms.
* TomatoInTheMirror: Several stories involve the protagonist discovering something unpleasant about his heritage.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: Most notably the ''Necronomicon'', but also ''De Vermis Mysteriis'', the ''Pnakotic Manuscripts'', the... well just [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu_Mythos_arcane_literature look at the list.]] Name-dropping one of these is a stock horror ShoutOut.
* TownWithADarkSecret: Oh so many, from ''Innsmouth'' to ''Jerusalem's Lot'' to ''Temphill''...
* {{Tuckerization}}: In addition to all the Author Avatars and Shout Outs, the Lovecraft Circle tossed out references to their pals:
** Lovecraft mentions the Atlantean priest ''[[ClarkAShtonSmith Klarkash-ton]]''.
** Robert Bloch wrote of the Egyptian ''[[Creator/HPLovecraft Luveh-Keraph]]'', priest of Bast.
** A ''[[AugustDerleth Comte d'Erlette]]'' wrote the ''Cultes des Goules''.
* TropeOverdosed: Think this page has a lot of tropes? Check out the character page.
* {{Ultraterrestrials}}: Deep Ones, Ghouls, and Sand Dwellers.
* UniverseConcordance: Daniel Harms' ''The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia'' and earlier ''Encyclopedia Cthulhiana''.
* TheUnpronounceable:
** All the Great Old Ones qualify.
** In one short story a fan of Lovecraft in a world where the stories are in truth based on reality has surgery to allow her to pronounce R'lyehian correctly. This gives her an eldritch look, and when she actually practises the ability, it sort of causes the end of the world as a side effect.
* WeaksauceWeakness:
** The Cthonians ''dissolve in water.'' Justified: Considering the Cthonians are able to survive intense heat and pressures, can borrow underground, and have telepathic powers capable of controlling people's minds, the fact that Earth is mostly water may be the only reason why they haven't wiped humanity out.\\
\\
Not a particularly exploitable weakness for the bigger ones though. Shudde-M'ell (the chief Chthonian) is described as ''a mile long'', so immersing him in water would be ... pretty challenging.
** Water isn't good for the Great Old Ones according to ''The Call of Cthulhu'', either - it blocks their telepathic powers completely, trapping them to their lairs both physically and mentally, until R'lyeh rises again.
** The Haunter in the Dark, one of Nyarlathotep's many forms, is extremely weak against light. Granted, it comes from a dimension where no visible light exists (and where it would presumably be invincible), and it can't be killed, only banished back to that dimension, but still, it's an EldritchAbomination that can kept at bay with ''a flashlight''! But you'd better hope [[TenSecondFlashlight your batteries last]] until you find something else... the Haunter can wait, it only needs to catch you once.
*** In RobertBloch's story "The Shadow From the Steeple" (considered [[FanonDisContinuity out of canon by some]]) it gets better: after a ''serious'' blunder by a university professor attempting to contain it, [[spoiler:it [[GrandTheftMe takes over his body]], therefore becoming almost unaffected by light, changes the man's field of expertise to theoretical physics, then joins the Manhattan project so we'll succeed in creating a weapon that could actually annihilate us. It's also an avatar of the god Nyarlathotep, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Crawling Chaos]].]]
** ''Call of Cthulhu'' itself offers one. You may be surprized that, despite being an ancient and unspeakably powerful entity able to drive to insanity with nary a glance, Cthulhu is just as vulnerable as anything else to being rammed with large objects.
* WeirdTales: Many of Lovecraft and pals wrote for the magazine.
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: The Great Old Ones will return when ''The Stars Are Right''.
* WhoYouGonnaCall: Professor Shrewsbury, Inspector Legrasse, Titus Crow, The Wilmarth Foundation, Delta Green, and Teddy London.
* WolverinePublicity: Cthulhu only appears in one story, yet his name is used for the whole body of fiction.
** He only appears in one, but he's mentioned, by his name or by events from The Call of Cthulhu in many others,
** Maybe all those references to him and pop-cultural awareness are [[FridgeHorror because of his dreams reaching and influencing us?]]
* WordOfDante: Several common aspects of the Cthulhu Mythos (such as the good/evil dichotomy and the Necronomicon as a powerful BrownNote) come from Lovecraft's friend, August Derleth, rather than Lovecraft himself.
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''Cthulhu fhtagn... what a wonderful phrase...''
