Thanaroa

Thanaroa is a mysterious entity introduced in Abraham Merritt's fantasy novel The Moon Pool. Its name recalls that of Polynesian creator god Tangaroa.
Although unseen in the novel, Thanaroa is the primal god worshiped by the Murians, and is distinct from and greater than the Dweller in the Moon Pool (a.k.a. the Shining One).
==Description==
Thanaroa is a creator god and the highest deity worshiped in the ancient continent of Muria in the South Pacific (cf. Lemuria or Mu), where the ruins of Nan-Matal in Ponape now stand. When most of the continent sank, its people migrated to an underground land that they also named Muria, and continued to worship the same gods, with Thanaroa as the greatest, albeit the most distant, indifferent to the affairs of man.
Dr. Walter T. Goodwin believes that Thanaroa is the original name of the Polynesian god Tangaroa, suggesting that its cult has persisted long after the sinking of Muria. The Russian scientist Marakinoff was familiar with it, and gained the confidence of the Murian ruler Lugur by making a gesture in praise of Thanaroa. The Silent Ones' handmaiden, Lakla, described Thanaroa as "the maker of all things, dwelling far away". (: The Moon Pool)
==Behind the Mythos==
The Moon Pool was originally published in two parts, titled "The Moon Pool" (1918) and "Conquest of the Moon Pool" (1919). The novel is sometimes cited as an influence on "The Call of Cthulhu" by H. P. Lovecraft, which may in turn have itself influenced Merritt's later story Dwellers in the Mirage.
Category:Other Supernatural Beings
Category:Characters Originating From Lovecraft Circle Works