Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

by Daniel Harms

  Despite all their magical and scientific knowledge, the Nug-Soth were unable to stop the dholes (or bholes) from burrowing through Yaddith’s core. For thousands of years, the sages of Yaddith conferred with each other and plumbed the universe for any means to put an end to this menace. All their efforts were doomed to failure. Eventually, the dholes that dwelt within Yaddith overwhelmed it, and the cities of Yaddith were destroyed. Most of its inhabitants escaped the destruction of their home, but according to some, even then the dholes hunted them in their dreams.

  Some say that Yaddith was once the home of Shub-Niggurath, who dwelt beneath the planet’s surface with her dhole servitors. Whether this is true or not, both the dholes and the Nug-Soth were the servitors of Shub-Niggurath, though their conflict was bitter nonetheless.

  See dholes; Ghorl Nigral; Harag-Kolath; Mthura; Nug-Soth; Shub-Niggurath; Shonhi; Tablets of Nhing; Vhoorl; Visions from Yaddith; Zaoth; Zkauba. (Visions from Yaddith, Carter; “Dreams in the House of Weir”, Carter; “Zoth-Ommog”, Carter; “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, Lovecraft and Price (O).)

  YADDITH-GHO

  Mountain in the kingdom of Kn’aa on Mu. Before the advent of humanity, beings from Yuggoth had built a fortress here to hold in the Great Old One Ghatanothoa. This site was of prime religious significance when humans dwelt on Mu, and remained the holiest place in that land until it sunk into the ocean. It is said that Yaddith-Gho shall rise once again when the Old Ones return.

  See Ghatanothoa. (“Out of the Aeons”, Lovecraft and Heald (O).)

  YAKSH

  Another name for the planet Neptune. It is noted for its curious fungoid inhabitants.

  See Hziulquoigmnzhah. (“The Family Tree of the Gods”, Smith (O).)

  YAKTHOOB

  Wizard and tutor of the young Abdul Alhazred. The tale of this man and his grisly end may be found in the Necronomicon.

  See Alhazred, Abdul; Amulet of the Hound; Hadoth; Necronomicon (appendices); Rituals of Yhe. (“The Doom of Yakthoob”, Carter (O).)

  YAMATH

  God of fire in Lemuria, and possibly a form of the god Cthugha. This spirit later became known as Yama, a lord of the dead, in Hindu and Buddhist myths.

  See Zarnak, Anton. (Thongor in the City of Magicians, Carter (O); “Admission of Weakness”, Henderson.)

  YARNAK

  Planet with three moons on the far side of Betelgeuse. Yarnak lies in the Grey Gulf of Yarnak, a region of space with curious properties. Its main city is Bel Yarnak. The Great Old One Mnomquah may have dwelt here at one time before being driven away.

  See Bel Yarnak; Vorvadoss. (“The Descent into the Abyss”, Carter and Smith; “The Eater of Souls”, Kuttner (O).)

  YCNÁGNNISSSZ

  Creature from an alternate universe who came to ours through a wormhole near the star Zoth, or who may manifest as that ultraviolet body. Ycnágnnisssz spawned a number of young by itself, the most famous of which is Zstylzhemghi.

  (“The Epistles of Eibon”, Price and Cornford; “Family Tree of the Gods”, Smith (O); “Ycnágnnisssz”, Tierney.)

  YDMOS (also CITY OF THE SINGING FLAME)

  City in an alternate dimension outside of time and space. Ydmos’ natural inhabitants were great emotionless giants, but the streets thronged with all manner of beings who had come on pilgrimages to its temple. This temple lay in the center of the city, and within its monumental walls sat a tall pulsating flame that put out a siren-like song. Many of the pilgrims would become so enchanted that they would throw themselves into the flame. Some said they would achieve a higher dimension, while others held that it brought nothing more than death. In the end, the Zarrians, or the lords of the “Outer Lands”, destroyed Ydmos after too many of their people perished in the flame.

  (“The City of the Singing Flame”, Smith (O); Selected Letters III, Lovecraft; The Winds of Zarr, Tierney.)

  YEB

  Being given the title “Yeb of the Whispering Mists.” Sometimes Yeb is called the servitor of Abhoth or the leader of Ghatanothoa’s servants, the Dark Ones, but usually it is mentioned with its twin Nug.

  See Black Litanies of Nug and Yeb; Furnace of Yeb; K’n-yan; Nug and Yeb; Shub-Niggurath. (“Behind the Mask”, Carter; “The Thing in the Pit”, Carter; “The Descent into the Abyss”, Carter and Smith; ““The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop (O); “Out of the Aeons”, Lovecraft and Heald.)

  YEGG-HA

  Minor Mythos being who took the form of a ten-foot bipedal monster with tiny wings and a featureless face. This creature entered our dimension thousands of years ago through a gateway somewhere near Hadrian’s Wall. In pre-Roman Britain, various tribes worshiped Yegg-ha. According to Lollius Urbicus’s Frontier Garrison, a company of Roman soldiers killed the being, but not until the enemy had slain over fifty of their number. The Romans, fearing that the tribesmen would discover the creature’s remains and return it to life, secretly buried its remains somewhere near Hadrian’s Wall.

  It has been said that Yegg-ha is the ruler of the nightgaunts, and in return serves Nyarlathotep. Aside from the physical similarity between nightgaunts and Yegg-Ha, however, there is no evidence to support this theory.

  See Frontier Garrison; nightgaunts. (“The Winfield Heritance”, Carter; “An Item of Supporting Evidence”, Lumley (O); The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley.)

  YEKUB

  World located in a far-off galaxy populated by a race of centipede-like beings. These beings are ruled by Juk-Shabb, a spherical being of untold might. According to the Eltdown Shards, these beings became capable of space travel and exterminated all other intelligent lifeforms in their galaxy. Their desire for conquest was unabated, and they began to make grander plans.

  The Yekubians constructed cubes of a quartz-like material which, when placed in light, had a hypnotic effect upon their viewers. They sent these cubes out from their home galaxy. When one of these items came upon a solid body’s gravitational field, it would shed its protective covering and land there. If an intelligent being found this cube, the Yekubians would exchange its mind with that of one of their explorers. While the Yekubians interrogated the alien’s mind for information about its home world, the Yekkubian explored its world, reporting back on its findings.

  Usually, after this had taken place, the two minds would be returned to their proper bodies. On the other hand, if the scientists of Yekub found a planet whose inhabitants were capable of space travel, they employed the cube to capture their minds and destroy that world’s people, or sent more of their number to subjugate them entirely. If the latter occurred, the Yekubians destroyed the captive alien minds and created a rough duplicate of their former civilization upon this new planet.

  In the entire history of the planet Earth, only one of these cubes has ever landed upon our world. This was during the era when the Great Race held sway over the planet. After the Yekubians took over a few Yithians, the Great Race noticed the danger and destroyed these scouts, even though this stranded their own captive minds upon Yekub. They did not want to destroy the cube, as it might prove useful later, so they kept it from all light and heat and guarded it vigilantly. During a war millions of years later, however, the artifact was lost. It is unknown whether this cube has survived to this day.

  See Eltdown Shards; Juk-Shabb. (Ye Booke of Monstres, Aniolowski; “The Challenge from Beyond”, Moore et. al. (O).)

  YELLOW CODEX (also XANTHIC FOLIO)

  Set of Pnakotic tablets found in the ruined city of Niya in China’s Xinjiang province. The tablets tell of a treaty between the cities of Hastur and Carcosa.

  Some have suggested that English copies of the Yellow Codex were circulating among literary circles even before the Tablets’ discovery. These copies might have inspired certain people to mention the King in Yellow in their work, or they might have served as background for the play’s authors.

  (“The Second Movement”, Adams; “The King in Yellow”, Bastienne (O).)

  YELLOW SIGN

  Symbol that is a focus for
the power of Hastur, the Unspeakable One. This sign is usually useless until the arrival of the King in Yellow into our world. Then this sign will warp the dreams of everyone that saw it, sending visions of the city of Carcosa on the Lake of Hali. This sign is the major symbol of the cult of Hastur.

  [The most common version of the Yellow Sign, a three-armed swirl, was created by Kevin Ross, the owner of the design. Originally meant to replicate the arms of a monster, the Sign was flipped and printed upside down in the original publication.]

  See Brothers of the Yellow Sign; Great Race of Yith; Hastur; Keeper of the Yellow Sign; King in Yellow; Koth, Sign of; Thale. (“The Yellow Sign”, Chambers (O); “Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?”, Ross.)

  Y’GOLONAC

  Great Old One who takes the form of a flabby headless human with mouths on the palms of his hands. Since Y’golonac takes possession of a human when he arrives, the exact details of the form may vary according to the person chosen.

  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 moder
n 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.