Mi-Go

The Mi-Go, also known as the Fungi from Yuggoth, are a fictional alien species first introduced by H. P. Lovecraft in his 1931 short story The Whisperer in Darkness and frequently referenced in other Cthulhu Mythos fiction. They are depicted as an extragalactic species that has colonized numerous worlds, including Yuggoth (which Albert Wilmarth believed to be the dwarf planet Pluto). They are described as winged fungal creatures that resemble crustaceans, with large claws and heads covered in antennae.
The Mi-Go are a scientifically and technologically advanced race, having a particularly sophisticated grasp of surgical techniques and neuroscience. Their name originates from the Mi-Go or "Abominable Snow-Men" of Nepalese folklore, although they're also referred to as the Outer Ones or Outer Beings. To the Pennacook, they are known as the Winged Ones and believed to have come from Ursa Major. Elsewhere they're known simply as "those ones", or "the old ones". (: The Whisperer in Darkness)
==Description==
Several types of Mi-Go exist, including winged and wingless variations. Those that have wings use them to fly through the "ether" of outer space (a pre-Einsteinian concept). The wings do not function well on Earth. (: The Whisperer in Darkness) Several other races in Lovecraft's Mythos have wings like these as well, suggesting they are a standard mode of interplanetary travel.
On Earth, the Mi-Go are known to be present in the Vermont hills and the Himalayas. They usually walk on all their limbs, but are also capable of standing on their hindmost pair of limbs and leaving the others free to carry objects with them. They don't have a fixed size, but the most common ones appear to be around five feet in length. (: The Whisperer in Darkness) Some, however, can be as large as a grizzly bear. (: "The Dweller in the Tomb")
The Mi-Go are fundamentally alien with respect to Earthly life; according to two reports in the original short story, their bodies consist of a form of matter that does not occur naturally on Earth. Similarly, the artwork of the Elder Things of Antarctica depicts both the Mi-Go and the Cthulhi as being made of an unearthly type of matter. (: At the Mountains of Madness)
Due to their alien composition, the Mi-Go do not appear in photography, since the matter they are made of reflects light differently, and they can't consume Earth food. When they die, their bodies dissolve within a few hours. In terms of their biology, they are described as being most like fungi, although their outward appearance is much like that of a crustacean, and they also have something akin to chlorophyll. Their blood has been described as a "foetid green ichor" or a "green sticky stuff". (: The Whisperer in Darkness) Interestingly, they are capable of going into suspended animation until softened and reheated by the sun or some other source of heat. (: Malleus Monstrorum)
The Mi-Go typically communicate by changing the color of their heads, however they are oftentimes able to speak the human language. If not, they can surgically modify their bodies to make them able to speak. However, there will always be a buzzy sound when they speak and their voice sounds frightening. Additionally, they are capable of telepathy. (: The Whisperer in Darkness)
The Mi-Go can transport humans from Earth to Yuggoth (and beyond) and back again by removing the subject's brain and placing it into a "brain cylinder", which can be attached to external devices to allow it to see, hear, and speak. Being accustomed to the darkness of space and distant worlds such as Yuggoth, the Mi-Go prefer to avoid sunlight and are most active at night, particularly when there is no moon. However, this aversion to light is not related to eyesight, since the Mi-Go are in fact blind and perceive the world by other senses. (: The Whisperer in Darkness)
One of the moons of Yuggoth holds designs that are sacred to the Mi-Go. The symbols inscribed upon the moon are useful in various processes mentioned in the Necronomicon. It is said that transcriptions of these designs can be sensed by the Mi-Go, and those possessing them shall be hunted down by the few remaining on Earth.
The Mi-Go will drown if they are submerged in water. (: The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana)
==Technology==
The Mi-Go are a technologically advanced race, especially in medical and surgical technology. Body modification and brain extraction are trivial matters to them (: The Whisperer in Darkness). Their creations include Ghadamon, the Shining Trapezohedron, the Mi-Go Brain Cylinder, the Bio-Web Armor, the Earthquake Mining Machine, the Electric Gun, the Mist Projector, a network of magical gates connecting their outposts, and a number of biological automatons. (: A Time to Harvest)
==Religion ==
The Mi-Go worship the beings Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath (: The Whisperer in Darkness), Sedmelluq (: Imagon), Ghroth, Ubbo-Sathla (: Malleus Monstrorum), Yog-Sothoth, and Ghizguth (: The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana) among others. In newer works it is acknowledged that the Mi-Go are at war with the Elder Gods. Their moral system is completely alien, making them seem highly malicious from a human perspective. (: The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana)
According to some accounts, Hastur apparently despises the Mi-Go. His cult, servants of "Him Who Is Not to be Named", are dedicated to hunting them down and exterminating the fungoid threat. (: The Whisperer in Darkness)
Conversely, according to other accounts, the Mi-Go serve and worship Hastur specifically, similar to the Deep Ones worshipping Dagon, and have an alliance with the Byakhee, who also serve Hastur. They have a leader who directs them according to Hastur's wishes, named N'gah-Kthun. (: The Necronomicon: The Dee Translation, : "The Horror in the Gallery"). The Mi-Go are identified as servants of Hastur in John Dee's translation of the Necronomicon (: "The Winfield Heritance") and a human ally of the Mi-Go mentions "Him Who is not to be Named" in the list of honored entities along with Nyarlathotep and Shub-Niggurath. (: The Whisperer in Darkness)
== History ==
The Mi-Go first established their bases on Earth in the Jurassic period, about 100 million years ago. Their purpose was to mine rare metallic ores and minerals, research humans as well as other, less understandable reasons. They fought off attacks from the Elder Things, then settled in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly stayed there till this day. Unable to consume Earth food, they had to grow fungi as a source of nourishment from the collected minerals. For that they set up hidden mining bases in the Andes, the Appalachians, and the Himalayas. (: Malleus Monstrorum, The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana)
Over time, they gradually lessened their footprint until only a few bases in isolated locations were left. (: Malleus Monstrorum)
==Behind the Mythos ==
The Mi-Go might be the same as the "Yuggoth-spawn", a.k.a. "Elder Ones from Yuggoth", mentioned by Lovecraft in the short story "Out of the Aeons", which colonised the continent of Mu in prehistory, and brought along their god, Ghatanothoa, as well as mysterious cylinders of lagh metal. However, Lin Carter's "Out of the Ages" mentions the "Yuggoth-spawn" and the "Abominable Mi-Go" as if they were different species.
Since The Whisperer in Darkness establishes that Yuggoth was inhabited by another civilisation prior to the arrival of the Mi-Go, it's possible the worshipers of Ghatanothoa who colonised Mu might have been this other race. In "The Return of the Lloigor", Colin Wilson identifies them as the Lloigor species.
==See Also==
*Mr. Stone, a Mi-Go who features prominently in Peter J. Evans' novel Feeders from Within.
*Mite of Yuggoth, an offshoot of the Mi-Go species adapted to survive permanently on Earth.
==External Links==
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==Gallery==
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Category:Species Originating From Lovecraft Circle Works
Category:Sapient Species
Category:Extraterrestrial Species