by Daniel Harms
Crow’s life came to an end when occult forces destroyed Blowne Manor on October 4, 1969, though some reports suggest otherwise. Interested readers should turn to Dr. Ryan Millbue’s Titus Crow: A Memoriam.
See Cthaat Aquadingen; Cultes des Goules; Davies, Chandler; Frontier Garrison; Geph Transcriptions; G’harne Fragments; Legends of the Olden Runes; Marigny, Henri-Laurent; Tiania; time-clock; Yian-Ho. (“Titus Crow: A Sketch of His Life”, Harris; “Billy’s Oak”, Lumley (O); The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; “Inception”, Lumley; “The Lord of the Worms”, Lumley; “Name and Number”, Lumley; “Titus Crow vs. Dracula”, Lumley; “The Viking’s Stone”, Lumley; Miskatonic University Graduate Kit, Petersen and Willis.)
CRYSTAL OF CHAOS
See Shining Trapezohedron.
CRYSTALLIZER OF DREAMS
Yellow egg-shaped item that periodically emits a whistling noise. The Revelations of Glaaki states that the Crystallizer can be used to view far-off places (such as the world of Tond) in dreams, as well as allowing its possessor to perceive higher dimensions. According to some, the Crystallizer allows its user to bring items or creatures back from the Dreamlands to the waking world for a brief while. The user must always be cautious to avoid the Crystallizer’s guardian, a creature like a translucent jellyfish that is a servant of Hypnos.
See Revelations of Glaaki; Tond. (“Mysterious Manuscripts”, Aniolowski et. al.; “The Inhabitant of the Lake”, Campbell (O); “The Render of the Veils”, Campbell; H. P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands, Petersen et. al..)
CTHAAT AQUADINGEN
Mythos tome by an unknown early medieval author. The origin of the word “Cthaat” is unknown; it might be a reference to the Kthatans, who predate the speakers of Naacal, or to a god of darkness and water not noted elsewhere than this book. “Aquadingen” is a mixture of German and Latin meaning “things of the water.”
The book’s history has been a matter of considerable controversy. Some say that the Cthaat Aquadingen is only one in a series of similar books of forbidden lore collected in Northern Europe around the year 400, as the manuscripts found within this volume bear great resemblance to those in the other volumes (see Codex Dagonensis for more on this matter). A few state that the book was originally a German text, while others maintain that the first copies were a mixture of Gothic and R’lyehian. The more recent copies of this book are in English, and at least one Hindi copy has turned up. The author Edward Roberts is purported to have issued Cthaat Aquadingen: A Translation, though few references to that volume have been found.
Only five copies of the Cthaat Aquadingen exist (supposedly). The British occultist Titus Crow owned one of these, bound in human skin and with two of the most sensitive chapters bound separately. This one was probably destroyed when wind-demons demolished Crow’s home in 1969. The British Museum has repeatedly denied possessing any copy of this work, though it has been suggested that the restricted collections hold one in secrecy. One copied manuscript and partial translation is kept at Oakdeene Sanitarium in England, and the Great Library of the Dreamland possesses this book as well.
The Cthaat Aquadingen holds information about Yibb-Tstll, as well as the Small Crawler aspect of Nyarlathotep. It also contains certain Tsathogguan rituals, the Sixth Sathlatta, a spell to dismiss Bugg-Shash, and information on the Barrier of Naach-Tith. One of the rites within claims to bring immortality, so long as the caster consumes the flesh of the dead and their own body. As its title implies, though, the Cthaat Aquadingen is mainly focused on myths dealing with water spirits, and various spells used in their invocation.
See Barrier of Naach-Tith; the Black; Codex Dagonensis; Codex Maleficium; Codex Spitalski, Feery, Joachim; Hoy-Dhin; Mad Berkley’s Book; Notes on the Cthaat Aquadingen; Nyarlathotep (Small Crawler); Nyhargo Dirge; Sathlattae; Sixth Sathlatta; Spellman, Martin. (“The Plague of St. James Infirmary”, Asamatsu; Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis; “The Curse of the Toad”, Hall and Dale; Keeper’s Compendium, Herber; “Ulthar and Beyond”, Herber; “Billy’s Oak”, Lumley; The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; “The Cyprus Shell”, Lumley (O); “The Horror at Oakdeene”, Lumley; “The House of the Temple”, Lumley; “The Kiss of Bugg-Shash”, Lumley; “The Return of the Deep Ones”, Lumley.)
CTHONIANS (or CHTHONIANS)
Race of subterranean burrowers resembling short-tentacled, eyeless squids, which are led by a gigantic member of their species named Shudde-M’ell. These beings were imprisoned near the African city of G’harne, but escaped their bondage and spread throughout the world by tunneling through the earth’s crust. The cthonians move by burrowing through rock, using a process that seems to melt the stone through which they travel. By use of a similar ability, the cthonians may create earthquakes and subsidences wherever they desire. In fact, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 has been credited to this species.
The cthonians possess amazing telepathic powers. Not only are they able to communicate with each other (and psychically sensitive members of other species) telepathically, they can also overpower a person’s will to chain him or her to one place or confuse his or her senses. Fortunately, the cthonians only use the latter ability when they or their young are threatened, or sometimes against those who have made themselves nuisances to the species.
The life cycle of cthonians is quite lengthy. A female only lays a few eggs at a time. As a consequence of this, cthonians are quite protective of their eggs (which appear to be spherical mineral formations) and young, and will go to great lengths to rescue them if they are removed from their nests.
Cthonians are vulnerable to very few substances. High-powered explosives only hurt them slightly, and due to their tunneling activities, extremes of temperature do not affect them. On the other hand, the Tikkoun Elixir, the ankh, the Vach-Viraj chant, and especially the Elder Sign, can be of some use against these beings. Radiation or immersion in water can also cause serious damage to cthonians. Cthonians are quite intelligent, however, and unlikely to put themselves into a position where they might be in danger. Their telepathic contact with each other makes it unlikely that any strategy will work twice.
The cthonians are not known for their technology, though some believe that curious devices on the ocean’s floor might have belonged to them at one time.
See Elder Sign; G’harne; Kagwamon K’thaat; Lesser Old Ones; Marigny, Henri-Laurent; Shudde-M’ell; Tikkoun elixir; Vach-Viraj chant; Wilmarth Foundation. (“The Statue of the Sorcerer”, Edwards and Eliot; The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; “Cement Surroundings”, Lumley (O); “The Jennifer Morgue”, Stross.)
CTHONIC REVELATIONS
See Chthonic Revelations.
CTHUGHA
Great Old One who takes the form of a huge airborne conflagration. Cthugha was the first of the Great Old Ones to come to the earth, which was still molten at the time. As the planet cooled, Cthugha and his children retreated beneath the surface until the Elder Gods expelled him. Cthugha now dwells in a small star called Korvaz near Fomalhaut, though a possible gate to his home may exist in a palace within a volcano in an alternate reality.
Cthugha has been classified as a fire-elemental, in his case an appropriate label. Some say Cthugha participated in a war between the Great Old Ones and Elder Gods, during which he was irradiated and became permanently insane. Enmity exists between Cthugha and Nyarlathotep.
The priests of Stygia revered Cthugha, and his worship later became entwined with that of the Carthaginian gods Melkart and Moloch. The most famous cult dedicated to Cthugha was that of Nestar Mobedan Mobed, a Zoroastrian prophet who lived during the sixth century. Cthugha is usually served only by his attendant fire-vampires, and beings called the “Jinni” which may or may not be the same as the former.
If a person wishes to summon Cthugha, the following chant must be repeated three times when Fomalhaut is over the horizon:
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthugha Fomalhaut n’gha-ghaa naf’l thagn! Iä! Cthugha!
Some sources hold that the caller should have a fire ne
arby as well, though this is not always the case. Those who would summon Cthugha should be cautious; the calling up of one of his servitors alone is believed to have caused the Great Fire of London in 1666, and those unable to dismiss the Great Old One may find themselves unpleasantly surprised. The Tunguska explosion has been attributed to Cthugha, though others argue Azathoth was responsible.
See Aphoom Zhah; elemental theory; fire vampires; Fthaggua; Letters of Nestar; Nestar Mobedan Mobed; Nyarlathotep; Yamath; Yomagn’tho; Zegrembi Manuscript. (“This Fire Shall Kill”, Bishop; “The Dweller in Darkness”, Derleth; “The House on Curwen Street”, Derleth (O); “The Black Mirror”, Glasby; “The Nameless Tower”, Glasby; Elysia, Lumley; Call of Cthulhu Rulebook, 5th edition, Petersen and Willis; “To What Green Altar”, Sunseri; “The Pillars of Melkarth”, Tierney; Deities and Demigods Cyclopedia, Ward with Kuntz.)
CTHULHI
See Mu, star-spawn of Cthulhu.
CTHULHU (also KUTULU or KTHULHUT or THU THU or TULU)
Great Old One resembling a bat-winged, clawed, octopus-headed humanoid. Cthulhu sleeps in a deathlike trance beneath the Pacific Ocean, but he will one day awaken to rule the world.
Records of Cthulhu’s origins are fragmentary, but it seems that he originated on the world of Vhoorl in the twenty-third nebula. He later traveled to the green double star of Xoth, where he mated with a creature named Idh-yaa to produce the Great Old Ones Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, and Zoth-Ommog. From here, Cthulhu, his children, and a species known as the star-spawn flew to Saturn, descending to Earth from there.
Upon their arrival, Cthulhu and his retinue took up residence on a continent in the Pacific Ocean, on which they built the great stone city of R’lyeh. At first, Cthulhu’s spawn encountered resistance from the Elder Things, who had dwelt on the earth for millions of years before Cthulhu’s coming. Following a war in which Cthulhu’s spawn destroyed all of the Elder Things’ land cities, the two species declared peace and agreed not to interfere with each other. Following this arrangement, Cthulhu enjoyed many years of freedom on this world, but soon they fell into a period of deep hibernation.
During these millions of years, humanity slowly evolved. According to later doctrine, Cthulhu spoke to these new beings in their dreams, telling them where to find the statues in his image he had brought down from the stars and instructing them in the proper worship of the lord of R’lyeh. In this way, the cult of Cthulhu began.
One day, disaster struck black R’lyeh. It may have been the vengeance of unknown deities, changes in the stars, or the moon being ripped from the earth (though evidence suggests that Cthulhu’s followers might have had a hand in this). The time of this catastrophe is also uncertain; according to cult doctrine, this happened after the founding of his first cults, but others suggest that it occurred long before humanity’s rise. No matter the cause or time, the city of R’lyeh sank beneath the Pacific Ocean, trapping Cthulhu and all of his spawn. The water blocked most of their telepathic signals, cutting off all contact with their worshipers except through occasional dreams. Cthulhu was helpless to do anything but wait until the stars came right, when he would be freed from his prison.
Since then, Cthulhu’s tomb has emerged from the water from time to time, freeing Cthulhu for a brief while. These have only been short respites for the Great Old One, for each R’lyeh has sunk back beneath the sea after a few days or weeks. A day will come, however, when the black city will not return to the sea floor. Cthulhu will then raven and slay across the world, ushering in a new age.
The pioneering work of Professor Angell and his successors has given us much information about this secretive organization. Cthulhu’s cults are quite widespread; traces of his worship have appeared in Haiti, Louisiana, the South Pacific, Mexico, Arabia, Siberia, K’n-yan, and Greenland. The deathless priests who lead the cult live somewhere in the mountains of China, but the cult’s true center is or was located somewhere in the Arabian desert near Irem. For the most part, this cult has remained secret, but the Hawaiian islanders still tell legends of Kana-loa, the evil squid-god who was imprisoned in the underworld. Cthulhu’s rites are often performed near the ocean or a large body of water, and Halloween is considered to be one of his high holy days.
Rumor has it that Cthulhu himself is merely the high priest of Yog-Sothoth. He is mentioned more often than the other Old Ones, and it has been suggested that his coming signals the rise of the others. Some enmity exists between Cthulhu and his “half-brother,” Hastur the Unspeakable. Still, no one knows just how Cthulhu and Hastur are related or why this conflict between them exists.
A good number of apocryphal beliefs about Cthulhu and his nature have sprung up. In some texts, Cthulhu is called a water elemental, even though it is the ocean that blocks his telepathic signals to humanity. The Sussex Manuscript mentions Cthulhu as a manifestation of Nyarlathotep, though no other source interprets him in this way. Francis Laney attempted to link Cthulhu to the Quicha-Ayar war-god Huitzilopochtli. This is seriously flawed, however; not only is Huitzilopochtli an Aztec god, but he bears absolutely no resemblance to Cthulhu. Finally, some have drawn parallels between Cthulhu and K’tholo of Souchis, a high priest of Mu who fled that continent’s destruction and took up residence in South America. Few accept any of these hypotheses.
See Alhazred, Abdul; Angell, George Gammell; Black Tome of Alsophocus; B’moth; Castro; Chorazin; Confessions of the Mad Monk Clithanus; Copeland, Harold Hadley; Cthaat Aquadingen; Cthulhu Among the Victorians; Cthulhu in the Necronomicon; Cthylla; deep ones; Dreamlands; Dwellers in the Depths; Elder Sign; Elder Things; elemental theory; Esoteric Order of Dagon; Fishers from Outside; Ghatanothoa; Great Old Ones; Hastur; Idh-yaa; An Investigation into the Myth-Patterns; Irem; Kassogtha; K’n-yan; Kthanid; Kuen-Yuin; Laniqua Lua’huan; Legends of the Olden Runes; Legrasse, John Raymond; Mark of Cthulhu; Masters of the Silver Twilight; mi-go; Mylakhrion; Notes on Nessie; Nug and Yeb; Nyarlathotep; Othuum; Ph’nglui mglw’nafh; Ph’thya-L’yi; Polynesian Mythology…; Ponape Scripture; Prehistoric Pacific in Light of the “Ponape Scripture”; R’lyeh; R’lyeh Text; R’lyehian; sand-dwellers; Seal of R’lyeh; shoggoths; Sorcerie de Demonologie; star-spawn of Cthulhu; Thurston, Francis Wayland; Unaussprechlichen Kulten; Vhoorl; Xoth; Xuthltan; Yian; Yog-Sothoth; Ythogtha. (Strange Eons, Bloch; “The Tugging”, Campbell; “Star-Spawn of Hyperborea”, Fultz; Necronomicon: The Book of Dead Names, Hay ed.; “Castle Dark”, Herber; “At the Mountains of Madness”, Lovecraft; “The Call of Cthulhu”, Lovecraft (O); “The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop; The Philosopher’s Stone, Wilson.)
CTHULHU AMONG THE VICTORIANS
Volume by Laban Shrewsbury published by Miskatonic University Press in 1929. Since the book was issued during Shrewsbury’s twenty-year absence, it was likely assembled from the professor’s notes and published in the memory of the vanished anthropologist.
This book seems to be a collection of Cthulhoid events that happened during the last few decades of the nineteenth century. Shrewsbury asserts that this age was one of the critical times in our planet’s history, when the Mythos made great strides in re-taking the world.
See Shrewsbury, Laban. (Cthulhu by Gaslight, Barton(O); The Trail of Cthulhu, Derleth.)
CTHULHU CYCLE DEITIES
See Great Old Ones.
CTHULHU IN THE NECRONOMICON
Manuscript by Professor Laban Shrewsbury, and intended as a sequel to his Investigations into the Myth-Patterns of Latter-Day Primitives. The first part of Shrewsbury’s unfinished book arrived at the publishers in 1938, shortly before the Professor’s supposed death in a mysterious fire at his home. This portion was probably published even though the rest of the manuscript no longer exists, as the book has turned up in several places since then.
In this book, Shrewsbury correlates the Cthulhu Mythos as outlined in the Necronomicon and the R’lyeh Text with the myths of cultures around the world. He also speculates on whether it might be effective to pit the Great Old Ones, especially Cthulhu and Hastur, agains
t each other.
See Necronomicon (appendices); Shrewsbury, Laban. (“Introduction” to Dreams from R’lyeh, Carter; “The House on Curwen Street”, Derleth (O).)
CTHYLLA
Cthulhu’s daughter, mothered by Idh-yaa, a creature from the black star Xoth. Cthylla appears to be a six-eyed octopus whose number of tentacles varies between eight and twelve. She once dwelled near the underwater city of Y’ha-nthlei, but more recent sightings indicate that she has moved her feeding grounds to the Pacific or to Lake Titicaca between Peru and Bolivia.
Cthylla is rarely alluded to within the books of the Mythos, for her destiny was so hideous even the authors of these volumes feared to speak of her. If ever Cthulhu is destroyed, his spirit will depart and be reincarnated in the womb of Cthylla. Thus Cthulhu might return to the world, even in the event of his complete destruction.
(“In His Daughter’s Darkling Womb”, Jens; The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley (O); “Aus den dunklen Zwischenreichen”, Schiemichen.)
CULT OF THE BLOODY TONGUE
Kenyan religion worshiping an avatar of Nyarlathotep. The cult’s power is great, and few in the area speak of its rites. It has a few branches elsewhere in the world, but these are quite weak in comparison to the main organization. The Cult was possibly responsible for the Mau Mau campaign of terror in the 1950’s.