World At Play Games Blog: Who Is Cthulhu? WorldatPlayGames

World At Play Games Blog Post

Thursday, October 1, 2009

This post brought to you by Patrick, with editorial comments by Noah.

Yesterday it hit me that we sell more than a few Arkham Horror Board Games and Call of Cthulhu Card and Role Playing Games, so I've decided to explain where the story of Cthulhu and Arkham Horror came from. I mean, come on ... what is a Cthulhu other than a funny-looking, misspelled word? And don't even get me started on Arkham Horror. That makes me think of a pig Noah ate on the Ark that gave everyone indigestion: 'Ark' 'Ham' Horror. [Editor's Note: He means the Biblical Noah, not me.]

Cheery fellow, isn't he?

Cthulhu is a creation of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. H.P. Lovecraft was a fantasy and sci-fi horror writer in a time when such a genre didn't really exist. At the time his books were written, they were known only as "weird fiction". Lovecraft was certainly weird - just look at him! Lovecraft was always a troubled child. He was often sick when he was younger, never finished school, and was deeply affected when his grandfather and grandmother died. In his younger years, he wrote many poems, but as he grew he began to write fiction. Many people believe that his horror stories were based on his night terrors, which he suffered from all his life.

One such horror that many Lovecraft fans are familiar with is Cthulhu. Lovecraft first wrote of Cthulhu in 1926, with a short called "The Call of Cthulhu" and the story was published in Weird Tales, February 1928. Suprisingly or not, this was the only story Lovecraft wrote that named Cthulhu as the main antagonist.

And I thought Lovecraft
looked scary!

While not strictly a character in the short story, Cthulhu does play a major role. Cthulhu is the lord of R'lyeh and is the ancient being that came from the stars hundreds of millions of years ago to destroy the elder beings on our world. After the task was completed, the god retreated to R'lyeh and became trapped in his sunken tomb. A huge, octopoid sea monster, sleeping for ages at the bottom of the ocean, dreaming, and destined to emerge from his slumber in an apocalyptic age.

Lovecraft himself was rather unimpressed with his own writing, describing it as "rather middling - not as bad as the worst, but full of cheap and cumbrous touches". It has since spawned a huge following, to the point that people have built an entire "mythos" around it, expanding and writing their own tales and stories of and about Cthulhu.

Now for Arkham.

Arkham is a fictional city in Massachusetts, part of the setting created by H. P. Lovecraft and is featured in many of his stories, as well as those of other Cthulhu Mythos writers.

The precise location of Arkham is unknown, although many believe it to be near both Innsmouth and Dunwich. However, it may be surmised from Lovecraft's stories that it is some distance to the north of Boston. The real-life model for Arkham seems to be, in fact, Salem - its reputation for the occult making it appealing to one who dabbles in weird tales - although that was never confirmed nor denied by Lovecraft himself.

Arkham’s most notable characteristics are its gambrel roofs and the dark legends surrounding the city for centuries. Occurrences such as the disappearance of children (presumably murdered in ritual sacrifices) at May Eve and other bad doings are accepted as a part of life for the poorer citizens of the city.

These horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft have inspired many horror writers. Even to this day, Lovecraft's influence is felt in both horror writing and in popular culture. Famous authors today, such as Stephen King, cite Lovecraft as a major influence. And, of course, there are many board games, card games, and RPGs based on the Cthulhu mythos.

by: World At Play Games

2 Comments:

LYNNE DEMETER said...: So...are you saying that Cthulhu was a guy who was swallowed up by some sort of octopus creature and now that is how he exists? Your Sunshine, Lynne.; October 2, 2009 1:54 PM
Theo Pater said...: "Massachusetts (is) part of the (fictional) setting created by H.P. Lovecraft"? Oh, so that explains it then, doesn't it?; March 27, 2010 8:53 PM

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