Cthulhu Mythos

The Cthulhu Mythos was created by the writer H.P. Lovecraft in the 1930s when he gradually interlinked several of his horror stories together with a shared universal background of Elder Gods and "Great Old Ones" inimicable to mankind that formerly ruled Earth and expect to do so once again "when the stars are right." He described a world where monstrous entities lurk in the shadows, under the earth, among the stars and beneath the waves, where those unlucky enough to discover the true nature of reality risk not only their lives, but their sanity. The name itself was coined after Lovecraft's early death by fellow author August Derleth, one of many writers who began adding stories to the overall canon, taking the name from one of Lovecraft's most famous stories, The Call of Cthulhu, with the titular Cthulhu being the name of a Great Old One trapped beneath the sea in the sunken ruins of the city of R'lyeh.

As well as Cthulhu, some of the best known aspects of the Cthulhu Mythos are the demonic tome Necronomicon, Miskatonic University in the county of Arkham (both fictitious) in Massachusetts, and the sinister coastal town of Innsmouth. Already well known to horror and fantasy aficionados, the Cthulhu Mythos' popularity was spread further in the 1980s when Chaosium Games released a tabletop roleplaying game The Call of Cthulhu.

## Connections TO the Cthulhu Mythos

* **30 Days of Night** The vampires of 30 Days of Night faced Shub Niggurath in the IDW miniseries *Infestation 2.*
* **Anno Dracula** Herbert West, the Re-Animator, has a cameo in the second novel.
* **Archie Comics** In *Afterlife with Archie*, Sabrina the Teenage Witch's aunts and fellow witches punish her for using the Necronomicon to unwittingly off the zombie apocalypse by marrying her to Cthulhu, banishing her to another dimension to meet her horrific "husband."
* **Danger Girl** Danger Girl faced Shub Niggurath in the IDW miniseries *Infestation 2.*
* **Doctor Who** The Virgin New Adventures novel *White Darkness* establishes that Great Old Ones exist in the Doctor's reality, as he tries to prevent one being released. The subsequent novel *All-Consuming Fire* reveals that was Cthulhu, sees the Doctor encounter Azathoth, and reveals that several of his past foes from the television series were Great Old Ones under other names.
* **Eaters of the Dead** The Necronomicon is listed in the in-character bibliography of Michael Crichton's novel Eaters of the Dead (filmed as The 13th Warrior).
* **Evil Dead** The Necronomicon is the book that unleashes the demons in the Evil Dead movies and tie-in comics and TV series.
* **Friday the 13th** The Necronomicon appears in ninth movie, Jason Goes to Hell.
* **Ghostbusters** The Ghostbusters faced Cthulhu in the Real Ghostbusters' cartoon *Collect Call of Cthulhu*.
* **G.I.Joe** The Joes faced Shub Niggurath in the IDW miniseries *Infestation 2.*
* **The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy** Cthulhu makes an appearance in the 6th novel *And Another Thing...*
* **Marvel Universe** The Necronomicon's author, the mad Abdul Alhazred, faced Wolverine in a story in Marvel Comics Presents. The Necronomicon itself appears in the crossover title Army of Darkness vs. the Marvel Zombies.
* **Scooby Doo** The Scooby Gang are enrolled at Miskatonic University in the final episode of Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated.
* **Sherlock Holmes** Holmes and Watson visited the Plateau of Leng and faced Azathoth in the Dr. Who novel *All-Consuming Fire*. They also encountered the Cthulhu mythos in Neil Gaiman's short story *A Study in Emerald*.
* **Stephen King multiverse** The Necronomicon makes an appearance in Stephen King's fantasy novel The Eyes of the Dragon, set in In-World, part of the Gunslinger's realm and the wider Stephen King multiverse.
* **Tarzan** The Necronomicon's author, the mad Abdul Alhazred, faced Tarzan in one of Marvel's Tarzan comics.
* **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles** The TMNT faced Shub Niggurath in the IDW miniseries *Infestation 2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*.
* **Transformers** The Transformers faced Shub Niggurath in the IDW miniseries *Infestation 2.*
* **What's New?** Cthulhu makes a cameo appearance in Dragon #60's What's New? strip.