by Daniel Harms
WHATELEY, LAVINIA (c. 1878–1926)
Albino daughter of Wizard Whateley, and mother of Wilbur. Lavinia gave birth to Wilbur in 1913, but began to grow apart from her son after Wizard Whateley’s death in 1924. On Halloween Night, 1926, Lavinia vanished, perhaps killed by her own son.
See Whateley, Wilbur. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft (O).)
WHATELEY, (WIZARD) ELEZER or NOAH (also OLD WHATELEY) (?–August 1, 1924)
Dunwich resident, reputed wizard, and father of Lavinia Whateley. The townsfolk lynched his father, Oliver Whateley, because he was suspected of witchcraft. Old Whateley’s own neighbors regarded him with fear and loathing, especially after one incident that occurred in one of the hilltop stone circles near Dunwich. Whateley was married at one time, and his wife gave birth to Lavinia around 1878. His wife’s violent death (circa 1890) does not seem to have been investigated to any extent. Whateley passed away in 1924 from natural causes.
See Kamog; Whateley, Lavinia; Whateley, Wilbur. (Return to Dunwich, Herber; “The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft (O); “Wilbur Whateley Waiting”, Price; “The Black Brat of Dunwich”, Sargent.)
WHATELEY, OLD
See Noah Whateley.
WHATELEY, WILBUR. (February 2, 1913 – August 3, 1928)
Child of Lavinia Whateley and an unknown father. Whateley grew up quickly, being able to speak when eleven months old and having almost reached eight feet in height at the time of his death. He was known to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Wizard Whateley in holding rites on top of the hills near Dunwich.
Despite his poor reputation among the townsfolk of his native town, Whateley gained some recognition as a scholar of the black arts and corresponded with many knowledgeable individuals, including Doctor Armitage of Miskatonic University. Whateley never fulfilled his potential, dying in a failed attempt to steal Miskatonic’s copy of the Necronomicon. His body vanished under shocking circumstances. His reputation remains strong in the Dunwich area, and rumors as to his “twin brother” still abound.
See Armitage, Henry; Bugg-Shoggog; Whateley, Lavinia; Whateley, Wizard. (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft (O).)
WHATELEY, WIZARD
See Whateley, Noah.
WHITE ACOLYTE
Mythical figure given great importance in the worship of Chaugnar Faugn, based on the prophecies of Mu Sang. It is said that a white man from the West will come to take Chaugnar Faugn away with him to his own land and nurse the god until it becomes so powerful that it no longer needs him. At this time, Chaugnar will devour the entire universe, and everything will come to an end. Some say that the legend of the White Acolyte was planted by another god who intends to lure others to Chaugnar to free himself.
See Chaugnar Faugn. (“The Horror from the Hills”, Long (O); Tatters of the King, Wiseman.)
WILMARTH, ALBERT N
Noted folklorist and assistant professor of English at Miskatonic University. Wilmarth became involved in the debate over the inhuman bodies seen after the Vermont floods of 1927. Wilmarth strongly asserted that the creatures sighted in the waters did not exist. After a spirited defense of his viewpoints, however, he inexplicably dropped out of the debate. Later, he visited a correspondent in Vermont, but upon arriving found his friend to be missing. The subsequent investigation turned up little evidence, and Wilmarth returned to Arkham baffled.
Following these events, Wilmarth confided in his colleagues Henry Armitage and Nathaniel Peaslee about his discoveries. These men began a campaign to discover the sources behind the legends that were the groundwork of their own experiences. Wilmarth made many long trips in order to visit sites and talk to his network of informants.
In the end, this proved to be his undoing. Overwrought by his experiences and horrified by the results of a trip to visit the West Coast poet Georg Fischer, Wilmarth became ill in 1937 and died shortly thereafter (though according to others he survived well into the sixties). His folklore collection is kept at the Miskatonic University Library.
See Akeley, Henry Wentworth; Emeritus Alcove; Vhoorl; Wilmarth Foundation. (“The Terror from the Depths”, Leiber; “To Arkham and the Stars”, Leiber; “The Whisperer in Darkness”, Lovecraft (O); The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; “The Atrocity Archives”, Stross.)
WILMARTH FOUNDATION
Organization based at Miskatonic University devoted to continuing the pioneering work of Albert Wilmarth. The founders established this organization just before Wilmarth’s death, and although its basic premises were thought absurd by many, the organization grew by leaps and bounds, gaining much support from highly placed individuals in various governments and corporations. Since then, the Wilmarth Foundation has mounted expeditions to many countries, including England, France, and Turkey, in search of their foes. Despite a major setback in 1980, when a storm and flood destroyed Miskatonic University, the institute has continued in its work, with a high degree of success.
The Wilmarth Foundation’s operations are usually organized in much the same way. First, telepaths capable of detecting Mythos entities are sent on a surveying mission to pinpoint the locations of any targets. Next, Foundation members bearing Elder Sign pendants arrive in the area, and use their influence on local authorities to keep their actions secret from the public. Finally, the threat is dealt with using the creature’s natural weakness, or barring knowledge of that, through the use of a carefully chosen amount of explosives. It is using this basic plan that the Wilmarth Foundation dealt with the American and British cthonian threat during the 1970s.
The Wilmarth Foundation is governed by a board of directors made up of senior professors at Miskatonic, headed by a president. During the 1970s, Wingate Peaslee held this post, but following his death in the events after the bombing of Devil’s Reef in 1980, Arthur Meyer took over. It has since transferred to Martin Wendy-Smith.
See Crow, Titus; G’harne Fragments; Marigny, Henri-Laurent de; Peaslee, Wingate; Silberhutte. (The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley (O); The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley; The Sand Dwellers, Niswander.)
WIND-WALKER
See Ithaqua.
WINGED ONES
Entities that, according to some ancient traditions, came from the stars to earth to instruct humanity in the Elder Lore. These creatures might have been the mi-go, but the Elder Things and the Fishers from Outside are also possible candidates.
(“Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, Lovecraft and Price (O).)
WITCH-HOUSE
House in Arkham at 197 E. Pickman Street which was the home of Keziah Mason. It gained some attention from antiquarians due to the curious angles of the walls in one of its rooms. After two centuries, it became a boarding house, but was forced to close due to the attacks of vicious rodents. In March 1931, a gale severely damaged the house. When it was demolished that December, the workmen found some shocking items which were later donated to Miskatonic University. The occultist Morgan Smith later bought the site and erected a house on it, hoping to exploit the place’s psychic energies.
See Brown Jenkin; Ellery; Gilman, Walter. (“The Dark Stairway”, Berglund and Weinberg; Arkham Unveiled, Herber et. al.; “The Dreams in the Witch-House”, Lovecraft (O).)
WOOD OF N’GAI
See N’gai, Wood of.
WONDROUS INTELLIGENCES
See Woodville, James.
WOODVILLE, JAMES
English merchant who lived in Suffolk during the time of Cromwell. After a curious bout of amnesia, Woodville wrote a book called Wondrous Intelligences, which discussed his unusual sex life and the Great Race of Yith.
(“City beneath the Sands”, DiTillio and Willis; “The Shadow out of Time”, Lovecraft (O); “The Adventure of Exham Priory”, MacIntyre.)
WORDS OF FEAR
Incantation that is said to be “unutterable,” and therefore useless.
(“The Offering”, Carter; “The Diary of Alonzo Typer”, Lovecraft and Lumley (O).)
WORLD OF SEVEN SUNS
Planet often thought to be near Fomalhaut, thoug
h this author speculates that it might refer to the Big Dipper due to its associations with Tezcatlipoca, Set, and Zeus Lycaeus. According to one visitor to this world, the species that once lived there created seven artificial suns to replace a natural sun which had burned out.
This star is believed to be a dwelling of Nyarlathotep, but others hold he lives on Sharnoth beyond the edge of the universe.
(“Sword of the Seven Suns”, Berglund; “The Color from Beyond”, Cabos; “The Whisperer in Darkness”, Lovecraft (O).)
WORM THAT WALKS
1) Summoned creature that resembles a rotting corpse with huge claws. The Worm is sent to pursue a specific victim, with whom it must form a psychic link before it can attack. While it does so, it can appear as another person for short periods of time. (“The Worm that Walks”, Petersen (O).)
2) Wizards who have such force of will that they are able to rebuild their bodies out of crawling beings, especially worms, after their deaths. These are some of the most feared priests of the Old Ones. (Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, Cook and Tynes.)
WORMIUS, OLAUS
Monk who translated the Necronomicon from Greek into Latin in the year 1228. This Olaus Wormius, who is not to be confused with the later doctor of the same name, was born in Jutland. He later went on to perform other translations in both Latin and Greek.
[See the appendix for a more detailed discussion of Wormius.]
See Necronomicon (appendices). (The Art of Playing Mythos, Aniolowski et. al.; “Zoth-Ommog”, Carter; “History of the Necronomicon”, Lovecraft (O).)
WORMS OF THE EARTH
Creatures that share the traits of both humans and reptiles. It is likely that the Worms of the Earth were crossbreeds between normal snakes and the serpent-people of Valusia, who withdrew into Britain during their decline. The Worms were the first people of that island, but the Pictish invaders drove from their surface homes. They withdrew into their burrows and caverns, from which they emerged only under the greatest need.
Over the years, the Worms of the Earth became less and less human in form, but their magical power grew as it never had before. As memory of the battles between the Picts and their foes faded, the Worms became the bogeymen of the newcomers, who blamed them for the abduction of infants from their cradles and other nefarious deeds.
Several scholars have advanced the belief that the “Little People” of legend were actually the aboriginal inhabitants of Britain, who fled into the wilds when other groups began to colonize their former lands and who carried out acts of guerrilla warfare against their foes. Traditionally, the Little Folk were believed to possess many supernatural powers, such as curdling milk, destroying crops, and stealing away people who came too near the hills in which they lived. It would seem that the Worms are the source behind these myths, as well as the Norse tales of the dvergar. It is unknown whether any of the Worms of the Earth still survive, or whether they have become extinct in the centuries since their exodus to their burrows.
The title “Worms of the Earth” has also been given to the yuggya, but it is unlikely that any connection between these and the cave dwellers of Britain exists.
See Bran Mak Morn; serpent people. (“The Winfield Heritance”, Carter; “People of the Dark”, Howard (O); “The Worms of the Earth”, Howard; Heir to Darkness, Rahman.)
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XADA-HGLA
Azathoth’s only known avatar. Xada-Hgla has a shell like that of a clam from which many long pseudopods protrude. Inside the shell is a hairy, green-eyed face. It was this form which Azathoth possessed before the Elder Gods took away his reason. Images of Xada-Hgla may still be found in the shan’s teleporting temples.
See Azathoth; Shan. (Ye Booke of Monstres, Aniolowski; “The Insects from Shaggai”, Campbell (O).)
XASTUR
Female being who may be an avatar of Hastur. Xastur is said to kill sleeping men, but she is also the subject of a Litany, the Eighth word of which may destroy supernatural creatures. In the teachings of Arthur Praxis’ Critical Mass Theologians, Xastur is the Collective Mind that desires to make contact with the people of Earth.
(“The Face from Below”, Cornford; Necronomicon, Levenda (O); Cthulhu Live: Lost Souls, Salmon et. al.; “The Litany of Xastur”, Sennitt.)
XICCARPH
World of three suns and four moons. Xiccarph, and five other planets of its solar system, was ruled by the wizard Maal Dweb from his palace and labyrinth at the time of Eibon, who considered the sorcerer a colleague. It may be that Maal Dweb may order the execution of all its inhabitants in the future, or that he will himself die and become the focus of a religion.
In one incantation, “Xicarph” is referred to as if it were an entity. The significance of this is unknown.
(“In the Vale of Pnath”, Carter; “The Death of Maal Dweb”, Henderson; “The Alchemist’s Notebook”, Hurd and Baetz; “The Legacy of Maal Dweb”, Shiflet; “The Maze of the Enchanter”, Smith (O).)
XICLOTL
World in the same system as Shaggai. The shan colonized this world, enslaving the large, semi-intelligent carnivorous monsters which were native to this planet. After the destruction of Shaggai, the shan came together on this world and made it their home for two hundred years. The insects finally left Xiclotl when they discovered the truths behind the Xiclotlian’s singular religious practices.
See Revelations of Glaaki; shan. (“The Insects from Shaggai”, Campbell (O).)
XIMES
See Averoigne.
XINAIAN
See K’n-yan.
XOTH (possibly ZOTH)
Green binary star from which Cthulhu came to Earth, and home of the being, Idh-yaa, upon whom Cthulhu is said to have spawned four children. This system may be found within the constellation Taurus in a cluster with the stars Abbith, Zaoth, and Ymar, but cannot be viewed with a conventional telescope.
[One scholar has suggested that “Xoth” is a variation on “Sothis”, the Egyptian name for the star Sirius, which has been linked with “fish-men” in the myths of the Dogon people of Mali. I believe that this is unlikely, as these Dogon myths were not printed in English until 1976. A more likely source is Smith’s “Zoth”.]
See Abbith; Cthulhu; Cthylla; Ghatanothoa; Idh-yaa; Ymar; Zaoth; Zoth; Zstylzhemghi. (“The Thing in the Pit”, Carter; “Zoth-Ommog”, Carter; The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley; “The Family Tree of the Gods”, Smith (O).)
XUTHLTAN
1) Former name of the town of Stregoicavar, Hungary. Xuthltan was the home to a cult which sacrificed victims kidnapped from neighboring communities at a monument known as the Black Stone. When the Muslim army came to this region in 1526, they destroyed Xuthltan and massacred all its people. The word “Xuthltan” is not native to the region, and may be a variation on Cthulhu. See Black Stone; Geoffrey, Justin; People of the Monolith; Stegoicavar. (“The Black Stone”, Howard (O); A Guide to the Cthulhu Cult, Pelton.)
2) Magician of ancient Arabia. Xuthltan traveled to a dark cavern in a distant land, stealing a magical gem known as the Fire of Asshurbanipal from a sleeping demon. While residing in the city of Kara-Shehr, the king imprisoned and tortured him to obtain the gem. Xuthltan died, and with his last breath he brought a curse down upon the king and his people. The city of Kara-Shehr still lies beneath the desert sands, holding the Fire of Asshurbanipal. See Kara-Shehr. (“The Fire of Asshurbanipal”, Howard (O).)
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YAANEK (also YARAK)
Volcano said to lie at the North Pole in the midst of a firestorm. Beast-men built shrines there, but only the ruins of these remain. In this place dwells the Great Old One Aphoom Zhah.
[Poe tells of “Mount Yaanek/In the realms of the boreal pole.” Lovecraft believed that he meant Mount Erebus, toward which the boreal, or north, wind blows. It is clear that Lin Carter did not accept this conclusion.]
(“The Book of Preparations”, Carter; “The Peak”, Fantina; “At the Mountains of Madness”, Lovecraft;
“Ulalume”, Poe (O).)
YAD-THADDAG
Elder God who is the equivalent to Yog-Sothoth, according to some sources.
See Elder Gods. (Elysia, Lumley (O).)
YADDITH
Planet circling five suns millions of light-years away, in the same section of the sky where Deneb can be seen from Earth. Eons in the past, the Nug-Soth, tapir-snouted beings who shared both reptilian and mammalian characteristics, inhabited this world. From what little we know of them, they were scholars ruled by the Arch-Ancient Buo. These people explored the universe, not only in their “light-wave envelopes” which could take them to twenty-eight nearby galaxies, but also through controlled dreaming and time travel.
