Idh-yaa

Quum-yaa, Star Mother, Yhd-ya, the Mighty Mother

### Associations

Birth, cold, consumption, destruction, fear, hopelessness, the infinity of the void, mi-go, motherhood, stars, star-spawn of Cthulhu, timelessness, Xoth

### Relatives

Ghatanathoa (offspring); Ythogtha (offspring); Zoth-Ommog (offspring); Cthylla (offspring)

### Common Blessings

**Strange Birth:** those blessed may give birth or produce strange offspring possessing Old One characteristics. In humanity, both males and females may be the “parent,” with the blessing being bestowed magically and not necessarily involving any physical contact. Likewise, such progeny is notably common among those mi-go who have taken an active interest in Idh-yaa, with those affected first compelled to consume great amounts of strange matter (such as rocks, metals, crystals, and the like), which presumably partially act as the material from which such creations are formed.

According to the *Ponape Scripture*, Idh-yaa, the Mighty Mother, gave birth to the star-spawn of Cthulhu on a planet in the Xoth star system after mating with Cthulhu. She specifically produced the sons of Cthulhu: Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, and Zoth-Ommog; and a daughter of Cthulhu: Cthylla.

This pulsating and eternally writhing entity is thought to dwell on or near to the double star Xoth, said to be the original home of Great Cthulhu and the star-spawn. The *Necronomicon* mentions Idh-yaa briefly, stating that the deity is unable to move from Xoth and suggests that it is somehow intrinsically linked to the star, causing some to speculate that the deity is the star, rather than a resident of it. If true, one may suppose Idhyaa is bound by either elder magic or cosmic forces, drifting slowly on the aether through space, and gives reason as to why the deity did not follow the other Old Ones in coming to Earth.

Some scholars have posited that Idh-yaa is akin to or the same as Shub-Niggurath, a “mother deity” figure from which many entities originate, with some claiming it is a female aspect of Azathoth, although such talk is derided by most. Idh-yaa consumes cosmic matter, perhaps in a similar manner to what humanity calls black holes, and has been said to have devoured lesser entities carried to it on the cosmic tides; perhaps, such raw material becomes reconstituted and “rebirthed” in strange forms or as larval beings.

The wizard Eibon wrote that Idh-yaa would one day give birth to a being he described as the “Augmentus Occisor,” an entity so powerful as to contend with the might of Azathoth and one who would “absorb the very light of the stars.” Such a prophecy may be in line with the notion of the “stars being right,” suggesting not only the requirement of a great cosmic alignment but the need for certain astral bodies to be destroyed to permit the rebirth of the Old Ones’ freedoms. Such arranging of cosmic matter would surely act to cause tremendous shifts on a planetary scale, and which would undoubtedly impact the Earth and our solar system in horrific ways.

## Cult

Seemingly sessile, Idh-yaa’s worship seems primarily centered on the native Xothans, although numerous cultures on alien planets revere this deity’s absolute destructive and creational power. The mi-go are one such race, who regard Idh-yaa as an avatar of Shub-Niggurath, and who have undertaken to study and learn from this entity, although at great cost. No human cults exist on Earth at this time, but it is feasible to expect some folk (perhaps those with associations to Great Cthulhu) to come to know the deity and, in so doing, begin to worship what they might consider to be the “wife” of Cthulhu and “mother” of the star-spawn.

## Encounters

Contact with Idh-yaa on Earth is rare, and, if at all, probably comes via cultist interaction, a reference in a tome, or when viewing the night sky. Those contacting or somehow summoning a portion of the deity to Earth may find the ground cracks violently open, revealing a milky-white glowing liquid below from which tendrils of mist rise. For those who do not accidentally fall in (to be consumed), this living portion of the deity made manifest may commune with worshippers, accept sacrifices, and possibly choose and pull in one or more to be transported to Xoth (although, for most humans, jumping or falling into this unnatural substance likely spells instant death). Other times, Idh-yaa may manifest in its worm-like form, bursting up from the ground or floating down from the stars.

## Aura

Anything touched by Idh-yaa possesses a distinct coldness, even viewing Xoth would send a chill shiver down the spine. A sense of timelessness and the infinity of the void are likely to overwhelm those who encounter the deity, causing those who fall to insanity to experience a tragic sense of hopelessness and utter fear.