Created by Phillips Lovecraft Cthulhu is considered to be one of the most famous characters in books in the genres of science fiction and horror. And although during the life of the writer his work remained in the shadows, it has passed almost a century since the day of his death, and the plots, heroes and atmosphere of the works still captivate not only readers, but also other writers.
Short biography of the author
Howard Lovecraft is an American writer. He is known for his stories and stories in the genres of mysticism, horror and fantasy. A distinctive feature of his work is the originality of style and ideas.
Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1890. He died there in 1937. He was 46 years old. He is one of the most famous writers of his genre. His name is known along with such a master of mysticism as Edgar Allan Poe, but during his life Lovecraft was not given the attention of the general public. True fame came to him years later.
Iconic character
Cthulhu is an alien deity. It has the ability to influence the consciousness of living beings. This character first appeared in Howard Lovecraft's short story “Call of Cthulhu.”
Externally, the creature resembles a hybrid of a humanoid with an octopus. The description in the fictional diary of the assistant captain, Gustaf Johansen, tells about a creature bleeding mucus during each movement, with a greenish torso with a gelatinous structure and very fast regeneration. Cthulhu has an impressive size.
The portrait of this creature is depicted in a clay bas-relief created by the character Henry Wilcox. He depicted a monster with a head dotted with tentacles, a body like a human, and skin covered with dragon scales.
Cthulhu of Lovecraft has the ability to influence the consciousness of other creatures, especially humans. Since the deity is under the thickness of the water, this skill is drowned out, and it can only control dreams.
Mythology of the Ancients
Cthulhu is a representative of an alien clan of the Ancients. The deity is in a state between sleep and death. It lives in the mysterious city island of R'laihe, which rises from the depths of the ocean above the surface of the water when the stars formed in the right way.
In the story "Call of Cthulhu" the monster sends so terrible dreams to people that many go crazy with them. It is a pure creation of the cosmos, alien to human nature. All earthly life is no more than the moment of his sleep. Many cults and sects are convinced of the unlimited power of this idol and await its awakening, although with a high degree of probability this will lead to the death of all mankind.
In the later years of his creative activity, Cthulhu of Howard Phillips Lovecraft received a detailed description. For example, he had three pairs of eyes.
In the earliest work, Cthulhu was woken up during an incident that happened on a ship passing near his habitat. The explosion caused huge damage to his body. This allowed the crew to escape, but after only a few minutes, the monster was able to recover again. Not possessing special physical strength, he is also strong in telepathy and regeneration, which makes him immortal.
In a board game based on Lovecraft's Myths of Cthulhu, an alien creature was defeated with a nuclear bomb. The explosion again put him into hibernation.
The plot of "Call of Cthulhu"
Lovecraft created a work consisting of three complementary parts. The story is a diary of Francis Thurston, a resident of Boston, keen on investigating the activities of cults worshiping the idol Cthulhu.
Horror imprinted in clay
At the beginning of the work, a strange bas-relief is described, on which a deity named Cthulhu was depicted. Thurston finds this artifact in the personal belongings of a relative of Professor Angell. The image itself was made by the sculptor Henry Wilcox. It is noteworthy that the sculptor created it, while in a state of half-nap. At that time, Henry Wilcox also suffered from hallucinations in which nonexistent cities appeared to him. Similar nightmares dreamed to many residents of the city. Mainly creative people suffered from this - sensitive and easily receptive.
Henry later relates his creation to Professor Angell. By a strange coincidence, this bas-relief looked like a figurine seized by police from one of the participants in the New Orleans religious sect.
The Story of Police Inspector Legrass
The action begins with Legrass speaking at a symposium, where he talks about how he took part in the capture of a sect whose members were followers of the Cthulhu cult.
The ideology of the sect is described by him as cruel, destructive, blasphemous. They performed sacrificial rites and staged chilling orgies. After the local residents appealed with complaints and statements about the loss of people, the police caught several sectarians, and the organization itself was completely stopped. Unfortunately, the interrogations of the captured sectarians yielded no results, as they defended the truth of their beliefs.
Madness from the deep sea
Investigations of Legrass continued in the third part, and the reader learns about the Norwegian sailor Johansen, who was the only survivor after a strange incident.
After the pirates attacked the ship where Johansen served, the surviving team had to transfer to a pirate yacht. There they discover a strange idol that causes unaccountable horror. This god was an image of Cthulhu and looked like a figurine seized from sectarians. The crew decided to continue their course, after which they stumbled upon an unknown island on which the city of the Ancients is located.
A few days later, the island again hides under water, and nightmares no longer torment people. Later it becomes known that Johanson himself died, but how and where is unknown.