Mother Hydra

### Associations

deep ones, hidden depths, motherhood, rulership, the sea, sea monsters, timelessness, worship of Cthulhu

### Common Blessings

**Watery Breath:** granted gills to breathe underwater.**Call Deep Ones:** able to summon deep ones in coastal areas.

> The twin idols represented Father Dagon and Mother Hydra, carved as they were in a greenish soapstone. Despite their small size, the idols managed to convey a sense of scale, demonstrating that these gods should be considered to be huge in stature. [. . .] Hydra’s body, on the other hand, was represented as a long and twisting fishlike thing, more like some gigantic eel. Her head was similar to Dagon’s, although thinner and more angular.
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According to fragmentary notes in certain tomes concerning aquatic matters, Mother Hydra, alongside her consort Father Dagon, is considered the god-like leader of the deep ones, which may mean the two are essentially the grand high priest and priestess in terms of the deep one’s connection to Great Cthulhu. It is uncertain whether the pair rules deep one society on a day to day basis or whether they exist within but apart from that society, as figureheads or elders of great wisdom who are, mostly, left to their own contemplation.

There is debate as to whether or not they are lesser Great Old Ones or mere grotesquely mutated deep ones ~ though the latter seems more likely as they do not seem to show much in the way of supernatural power outside of their gigantic size and unnaturally long life span. Therefore, although considered a deity, Mother Hydra is not classified as a Great Old One.

Thus, accepted wisdom states these two entities were once “normal” deep ones but, over time, have grown to tremendous proportions; some accounts speak to beings over 20 feet (6 m) tall, while others suggest their size to be more like 100 feet (30 m) tall. Common to all accounts is the great age of Dagon and Hydra, said to be measured in millions of years.

One tale, told by an inhabitant of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, likened the pair to Cthulhu’s star-spawn, which remains a possibility in terms of their origin. Some conjecture that their names are honorific titles passed down a lineage, and so represent a status in deep one society rather than being the names of two long-lived individuals. Or perhaps that they are two individuals who exist as ghosts, residing in the title and taking over those who are given the title almost (but not quite) entirely, as a form of monarchical possession. Another reasoned argument proposes that Dagon and Hydra are facets or avatars of Great Cthulhu, portions of the whole that did not become trapped or imprisoned in sunken R’lyeh.

Various oceanic folklore and historical sightings of “sea monsters” bear some resemblance to these strange beings, and suggests that they sometimes roam free within the watery depths. Whether tales of the kraken, sea serpents and other ocean-borne weirdness are the result of sightings of Hydra and Dagon will, undoubtedly, remain a curious mystery.

## Cult

The worship of Dagon and Hydra by humanity appears to be ancient, with many cults flourishing and dying out throughout history. It is probable that many such human cults were interwoven, inspired by, or instigated by deep one contact.

In the modern world, the pair’s worship can most readily be seen in the Esoteric Order of Dagon, an insular religious movement believed to have originated in Innsmouth. Elsewhere, human communities influenced by the deep ones have used other names for such religious organizations, such as the Hearts of the Sea Mission, located in Skegness on the mid-eastern coast of the United Kingdom, or the Gilbourne Order of the Seas originating in Australia. Such organizations present a benign façade, allowing these cults to operate in public while hiding their true nature and purpose.

## Encounters

The growth of the Esoteric Order of Dagon along the New England coast, as well as other similarly fronted religious and fraternal orders elsewhere, means that the names of Dagon and Hydra are becoming relatively more well-known in certain quarters. Membership, infiltration, or examination of such sects is likely to uncover associations with this pair of aquatic deities, and may uncover the hidden extremes of human sacrifice and the possibility of a personal appearance from either Dagon or Hydra.

Otherwise, a chance sighting on the sea may warrant exploration. Those involved in sea-based archaeology, wreck salvage, and other oceanic activities may find sunken clues to the worship of Dagon and Hydra or, at worst, direct contact with these beings.

## Aura

The qualities of timelessness and hidden depths would be evident in encounters with these beings or things associated with them. Touching a representational idol likely conveys a sense of the sea, with both auditory and visual hallucinations possible, as well as something malign and apart from humans.