Announcing Cthulhu Thursday

We all need a bit more Cthulhu in our lives.  Knowing that there is a titanic alien entity snoring below the earth that at any time may emerge from it’s slumber and destroy us all  is somehow a comforting thought.  I’ve been a fan of the Cthulhu Mythos and Lovecraft’s work in general for a long, long time (aeons!)  So for the next few months I’ve decided to get a bit more Cthulhu in my life and share it’s eldrich horror with you gentle readers.  So tremble each Thursday as I unleash: Cthulhu Thursday (and it starts later today, when the stars will be right!)

So for those new to all this, who the hell is Cthulhu?

Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by horror author H. P. Lovecraft in 1926. The first appearance of the entity was in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu” published in Weird Tales in 1928.

Cthulhu is the high priest to the Great Old Ones and one of the central figures of the Lovecraft Mythos. It is often cited for the extreme descriptions given of its hideous appearance, its gargantuan size, and the abject terror that it evokes. Cthulhu is often referred to in science fiction and fantasy circles as a tongue-in-cheek shorthand for extreme horror or evil.

After its first appearance in “The Call of Cthulhu”, Cthulhu makes a few minor appearances in other Lovecraft stories. August Derleth, a correspondent of Lovecraft’s used the creature’s name to identify the system of lore employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors, the Cthulhu Mythos.

And here is what Lovecraft sketched him to look like:

Lovecraft’s Cthulhu

And here is the story, The Call of Cthulhu that started it all.  Don’t read it in the dark….

(Cthulhu Thursday is a dose of Mythos to brighten darken your week. More on the idea can be found here and a list of posts thus far, here. Also some upcoming Cthulhu news, sign up to the Auroch Digital’s newsletter. Enjoy!)