by Daniel Harms
Y’golonac spends most of his time behind a colossal wall in an undiscovered place, served by eyeless figures that crawl over his body. He manifests himself only in order that he may choose new priests for his earthly cult. Usually, these acolytes are chosen from among those who have suppressed their unnatural desires, which Y’golonac gives them freedom to experience in return for servitude. As a result, his worshipers are particularly depraved but are few in number, preferring to indulge their perversions in solitude. The largest known cult, called the Sons of the Hands that Feed, consists of only one hundred members worldwide.
Y’golonac can only call upon or affect those who have read a page from the Revelations of Glaaki – whether a specific one from the twelfth book or any page from any volume of that work is uncertain. As such, those who Y’golonac can attack are few and far between. The god has so far shown little initiative in expanding his sphere of influence, but this may change in the future.
See Revelations of Glaaki. (“Cold Print”, Campbell (O); “Two Minutes on High”, Nagel; “Love’s Lonely Children”, Watts.)
YGOTH RECORDS
Writings of the wizard Ygoth, who lived on the continent of Mu. The only known copy, bound in tlath-wood, was preserved at the Temple of Shub-Niggurath in Aglad-Dho, and it has not been reported since then. Only one part, in which Ygoth writes of the life, sorceries, and burial of his former master Iraan, has ever been quoted.
(“The Offering”, Carter (O).)
Y’HA-NTHLEI
City of the Deep Ones located off Innsmouth, Massachusetts, near the outcropping known as Devil’s Reef. A submarine’s torpedoes damaged this city during the government raid on Innsmouth in 1928. Due to reports of continued activity both Delta Green (1953) and the Wilmarth Foundation (1974) bombed the site again, but it is possible that the deep ones have returned to rebuild one of their greatest metropolises.
See Ahu-Y’hloa; Cthylla; deep ones; Innsmouth; Pth’thya-l’yi. (Delta Green, Detwiller, Glancy, and Tynes; “The Shadow over Innsmouth”, Lovecraft (O); The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley.)
YHE
Province of the land of Mu, now sunken beneath the Pacific Ocean. This place lies far to the south of Cthulhu’s tomb at R’lyeh, and it is mentioned in certain prayers sacred to Dagon. In addition, the mysterious being Ythogtha is imprisoned there.
See Rituals of Yhe; Ythogtha; Zanthu. (“Out of the Ages”, Carter; “Zoth-Ommog”, Carter; “The House on Curwen Street,” Derleth; “The Shadow out of Time”, Lovecraft (O).)
YHE RITUALS
See Rituals of Yhe.
YHOUNDEH
Elk-headed goddess whose worship became prevalent in the later years of the Hyperborean civilization. The priests of Yhoundeh began an inquisition that targeted many different heresies, but especially the worship of Tsathoggua. The cult began in the kingdom of Iqqua, but soon became prevalent in many of Hyperborea’s coastal towns and even dominated the rulers of that region.
This inquisition culminated with an assault upon the tower of the great sorcerer Eibon, who dealt with Tsathoggua in return for magical knowledge. During this attack, Eibon escaped, and High Priest Morghi, the head of the raiding party, disappeared soon thereafter. Due to this humiliating defeat, the worship of Tsathoggua superseded that of Yhoundeh during Hyperborea’s final years. Its worship will revive in the land of Zothique with its cult using the name Yahoonda.
Much less is known about the nature and attributes of Yhoundeh itself. It is said to be the guardian of the woodlands. Despite the antagonistic relationship of their cults, Yhoundeh and Tsathoggua are rumored to have mated.
See Cykranosh; Eibon; Hyperborea. (The Life of Eibon According to Cyron of Varaad, Carter; “The Door to Saturn”, Smith (O); “The Resurrection of Kzadool-Ra”, Vester.)
YHTILL
1) The name of the city in which the play The King in Yellow is set. Yhtill once existed on another world, until its sins became so great that it was incorporated into Carcosa.
See Aldones; Naotalba; Uoht. (“The Repairer of Reputations”, Chambers (O); Delta Green: Countdown, Detwiller et. al.; “Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?”, Ross.)
2) The word “Yhtill” means “stranger” in the language of the city of Alar. It is this word that the Pallid Mask gives as his name when he enters the city of Hastur.
See Aldones; King in Yellow; Pallid Mask. (“More Light”, Blish; “The Repairer of Reputations”, Chambers (O).)
YIAN
City located in the depths of China “across the seven oceans and the river which is longer than from the earth to the moon.” Some believe that it actually lies in the Dreamlands. In Yian, it is always summer, a thousand bridges cross its great river, and the ringing of silver bells fills the air. Only a few foreigners have ever come to this city (though some claim that outsiders invaded it once). The city serves as the headquarters of a brotherhood of Oriental sorcerers known as the Kuen-Yuin, so possibly it may be the center of the Chinese Cthulhu cult.
Yian is treated as a being in at least one spell.
See Kuen-Yuin; Yian-Ho. (“The Isle of Dark Magic”, Cave; “The Maker of Moons”, Chambers (O); The Slayer of Souls, Chambers; “The Whisperer in Darkness”, Lovecraft; Cthulhu Live: Lost Souls, Salmon et. al.)
YIAN-HO
Deserted metropolis of uncertain location. Some say it lies in upstate New York or Asia, while others have held that it is the ruined Elder Thing city in Antarctica, Yian, or the inner city at the magnetic poles. It is said to be the legacy of the Plateau of Leng, and all humans are said to hold ancestral memories of this great city.
A monster whose exact nature is unknown, and which only a mighty sorcerer who has the proper knowledge may pass, guards Yian-Ho. The Yogi Hiamaldi brought the mysterious four-handed clock which both Etienne-Laurent de Marigny and Titus Crow later owned from Yian-Ho. The explorer Friedrich von Junzt claimed to have visited Yian-Ho where he perceived the only copy of the Ghorl Nigral on earth.
See Book of Hidden Things; Bugg-Shoggog; Ghorl Nigral; Hiamaldi; Pnakotic Manuscripts; time-clock; Von Junzt, Friedrich. (“Zoth-Ommog”, Carter; Keeper’s Compendium, Herber; “The Diary of Alonzo Typer”, Lovecraft and Lumley; “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, Lovecraft and Price (O); “The Strange Fate of Alonzo Typer”, Price; The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley.)
YIANG-LI
Scholar of the empire of Tsan-Chan who will become known for his “overviews” of certain subjects.
(“The Terror from the Depths”, Leiber; “The Shadow out of Time”, Lovecraft (O).)
YIBB-TSTLL (also YIBB)
Alien god found in chaotic realms outside of this universe, which can be reached from behind the Palace of the Sacred Fount in the Dreamlands’ Jungle of Kled. Yibb-Tstll’s body is covered with a green cloak, beneath which may be seen many breasts upon which Yibb-Tstll’s nightgaunt servants feed.
Yibb-Tstll was the god of the Northmen of Theem’hdra, and the Priests of the Ivory Blade served it in the Dreamlands for a time. Its cult in modern times has remained relatively small, however. Those who wish to travel to Yibb-Tstll often do so through the Dreamlands, though it may also be contacted (through the dreams of those who use the Sixth Sathlatta) or summoned into this dimension (by thirteen people saying the Sixth Sathlatta three times).
This deity is omniscient, and it may be asked questions on any subject. If Yibb-Tstll is not pleased with the question, he may reach out and touch the petitioner, beginning the dreaded reversal. The change which this brings about may be physical (i.e. turning the victim apart), mental (curing an incurably insane person or vice versa), or spiritual (a change which has not yet been experienced).
Yibb-Tstll’s flaky black blood is called the Black, and wizards often summon it to attack their foes.
Yibb-Tstll is usually classified among the Great Old Ones, but other sources place him with Bugg-Shash among the “Drowners”, lesser beings who are parasites who feed on the Great Old Ones themselves.
; See Barrier of Naach-Tith; the Black; Bugg-Shash; Cthaat Aquadingen; Kant, Ernst; Legends of the Olden Runes; nightgaunts; Pnakotic Manuscripts; Sixth Sathlatta. (“Ulthar and Beyond”, Herber; “The Caller of the Black”, Lumley; “Cement Surroundings”, Lumley (O); “The Horror at Oakdeene”, Lumley.)
YIDHRA
Creature that came into being at the same time as life on this planet. Yidhra was a protoplasmic entity that could take on the appearances of any organism it devoured. Thus, over billions of years, Yidhra learned to adapt to the changing world and expand its power. Without other forms of life to feed upon, Yidhra could not have survived. The lama of Prithom-Yang is said to be the only being known to have seen its true form, which drove him insane.
Today, Yidhra still exists, though it now has split itself into several different entities. At various times in history, these fragments have established religions with the purpose of adding to Yidhra’s might. These cults have sprung up in such widely separated places as Chad, Laos, Burma, Sumeria, Texas, and New Mexico. In each of these places, Yidhra has taken an attractive form in which it visits its followers. Though this form is not perfect, it is able to conceal its true nature from its congregation.
Those who serve Yidhra are guaranteed good crops, no matter what disasters may befall them, and some may even gain eternal life. On the other hand, however, just as Yidhra becomes more like its worshipers with close contact, so they become more like it. As a consequence, many of the members of her cults’ inner circles, who are able to see Yidhra in its true form, gradually develop bestial traits. Fanged vulture-like beings which serve her have also been sighted.
See Black Sutra; Chronicles of Thrang; Cthonic Revelations; Uralte Schrecken. (“Predator”, DeBill (O); “What Lurks Among the Dunes”, DeBill; “Where Yidhra Walks”, DeBill.)
YIFNE
Green sun about which the world of Tond revolves.
See Tond. (“The Inhabitant of the Lake”, Campbell (O).)
YIG
Great Old One that takes the form of a great serpent-man, or sometimes a huge oriental dragon. It is said to be the offspring of the great dragon Mappo no Ryûjin, who dwells beneath Mu. Yig came to Earth eons ago from the world Zandanua, where its brother Rokon still dwells. When Yig arrived, it was responsible for the creation of reptiles, insects, and, according to some, humanity. Yig now lives in the Pit of Ngoth in the caverns of Yoth, or possibly in the underground land of K’n-yan.
The worship of Yig is thought to have begun in K’n-yan. From there it spread throughout western North America, south into Mexico (where it possibly inspired the myths of Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan), and to Mu and Valusia. It may also be linked with a few fringe Voudon cults. Some wizards serve Yig in exchange for material goods; it is propitiated through the sacrifice of living beings on both the full and dark of the moon. Yig’s followers are reputed to become part of its consciousness, provided they are worthy.
A few Native American tribes of the Great Plains still worship Yig today. Among one of these lives the descendants of Yig, who take on human form until adulthood, when they take on a human-reptile hybrid form. Such individuals are noted as children for their prophetic abilities, their deformities, and their bloodlust.
Unlike most of its fellow Great Old Ones, Yig is often benevolent toward humanity. In the autumn, however, it is necessary to propitiate it through drum-beating, offerings of corn, and various rituals, lest it visit its wrath upon those who harm the serpents, who are its spawn. Yig’s wrath takes the form of madness, mutated offspring, and visits by its “children”, snakes with a white crescent patch on their heads. Those who especially displease the god may themselves be transformed into snakes. Yig also sends its avatars out into the world, though these must hibernate at times.
Yig and Nyarlathotep are reputed to be rivals in the Necronomicon. He may also have ties to Nug and Yeb, which create the conditions in which he can live.
See Byatis; Han; K’n-yan; Mu; serpent-people; Set; Sss’haa; Ubbo-Sathla; Vatican Codex. (“The Snakefarm”, Ambuehl; “Where a God Shall Tread”, Aniolowski; “The Color from Beyond”, Cabos; “The Vengeance of Yig”, Carter; Secrets of Japan, Dziesinski; “Pursuit to Kadath”, Gallagher et. al.; “The Curse of Yig”, Lovecraft and Bishop (O); “The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop; “Out of the Aeons”, Lovecraft and Heald; “Scales of Justice”, Mackey; “Taste of Snake’s Honey”, Matsudono; Necronomicon, Tyson; “The Jest of Yig”, Webb.)
YIKILTH
See Rlim Shaikorth.
YITH
Planet from which the Great Race came to earth. Yith was the fourth of five planets circling the star Ogntlach, which might lie on the other side of the galaxy, between galaxies, or in another galaxy (though a few scholars have placed it around our own sun beyond Pluto’s orbit). The world possesses three moons. Despite Yith’s thin atmosphere, the geothermally heated seas support a wide variety of life. Since the flight of the Great Race, the most intelligent beings on the world are a species of winged, black-snouted creatures. It is believed that the Great Race has and will return and be driven away from Yith repeatedly over the aeons.
Dreamers who have visited Yith have seen the world’s deserted cities and learned of mighty beings imprisoned in their tombs until “Sotho”, who dwells in a great pit, can release them. Yith is also home to Drog-N’lyth, who may have incited the Great Old Ones to rebellion.
The mysterious winds of Yith are said to carry power of their own from this world to ours. Only a powerful magician can control them.*
[Lovecraft originally coined “Yith” as a title suggestion to Rimel, who had originally titled his poem cycle “Dreams of Yid.”]
See Eltdown Shards; Great Race of Yith. (“The Color from Beyond”, Cabos; “The Changeling”, DeBill; “History of the Great Race”, DeBill and Berglund; “Lord of Night”, Fantina; “The Shadow from Yith”, Gullette; “The Shadow out of Time”, Lovecraft; “The Totem Pole”, Pugmire; “Dreams of Yith”, Rimel (O).)
YITH-SHESH
Pool which lies in the Gilf Kebir Plateau in southwest Egypt. The region’s priests used it for divination long before the rise of the pharaohs. It is unknown whether it exists today.
(Khai of Ancient Khem, Lumley; “The Mirror of Nitocris”, Lumley (O).)
YITHIANS
See Great Race of Yith.
YLIDHEEM (“Cold Ones”)
Title given to those who serve Rlim Shaikorth having been protected from the intense cold that his home radiates.
See Rlim Shaikorth. (“The Fishers from Outside”, Carter (O).)
Y’M-BHI
Reanimated bodies of dead slaves that form an important part of K’n-yan’s work force.
See K’n-yan. (“The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop (O).)
YMAR
World of ill rumor which lies near Xoth and Abbith, and which is populated by intelligences far older and wiser than humans.
(“The Book of the Gates”, Carter; “Out of the Ages”, Carter (O); Visions from Yaddith, Carter.)
‘YMNAR
Avatar of Ngyr-Khorath, according to the book Uralte Schrecken. He was first created billions of years ago, coming into existence only when Ngyr-Khorath requires it. He is described as a shapechanger able to imitate all manner of life forms.
A mysterious race called the Rloedha worshiped ‘Ymnar before the appearance of life on Earth. Later, ‘Ymnar cloaked itself with an earthly form and was sent to our world by its master so that it might lead various species toward their ultimate destruction. It typically seduces members of the species interested in higher realities, giving them black magic and dangerous knowledge. This can be used for good purposes, but more often ends up destroying entire civilizations. Cults dedicated to ‘Ymnar are known to have existed for millennia; a group of natives in New Mexico was formed in the seventeenth century and has survived to the present day. Zombies and mandrelones, specially-bred baboon-headed hounds, are also among his servants.
‘Ymnar seems much like Nyarlathotep,
but the connection is disputable.
See Uralte Schrecken. (“From the Sea”, DeBill (O); “He Who Comes at the Noontime”, DeBill; “Where Yidhra Walks”, DeBill.)
YOG-SOTHOTH (also IOG-SOTOT)
Outer God also known by the title Lurker at the Threshold. Yog-Sothoth’s usual form is a congeries of iridescent spheres, but the Outer God can take forms of solid, liquid, or gas. One of its avatars, the Lurker at the Threshold, appears as a black amorphous horror. Another, Ramasekva, takes the form of a many-limbed human much like a Hindu deity. Those touched by Yog-Sothoth are almost always destroyed.