Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

by Harms, Daniel

  The Book of Thoth discusses the being known as Tawil at’Umr, as well as the Great Old Ones and the history of Hyboria. It also contains a spell that confers life to the dead (of a temporary nature), extensive astronomical data, hints on the nature of Ngyr-Khorath, and the secret of humanity’s creation. The third volume of the Book may deal with the opening of gates. One spell claimed to be within is the Rite of Abomination, which supposedly can plunge the world into darkness.

  [Though many different books that Thoth is said to have written have survived, there is not one specifically called the “Book of Thoth”. Many occultists use the term as another name for the Tarot deck, though in Mythos stories it is an actual text. The Mythos “Book of Thoth” should not be confused with Aleister Crowley’s treatise on the Tarot of the same name.]

  See ‘Umr at-Tawil. (The Secret Doctrine, Blavatsky; “Ngyr-Khorath”, DeBill; “The Dweller Beyond the Gate”, Glasby; “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, Lovecraft and Price; “The Lord of Illusion”, Price (O); The Gardens of Lucullus, Rahman and Tierney; “The Ring of Set”, Tierney; “The Scroll of Thoth”, Tierney; “The Soul of Kephri”, Tierney; The Winds of Zarr, Tierney.)

  BOREA. World in a parallel universe upon which Ithaqua was at one time imprisoned. The world has three moons, Dromos, Numinos, and another unnamed satellite. Due to the physics of this particular dimension, however, none of these bodies turns around another, and the planet itself does not circle the sun. Thus, parts of Borea are left in perpetual cold, while others enjoy an eternal tropical summer.

  Legend has it that the Elder Gods confined Ithaqua in a plateau near Borea’s southern pole following the revolt of the Great Old Ones. After many years, the Wendigo obtained his freedom and traveled to other worlds and dimensions, yet he still returns to Borea from time to time.

  Ithaqua’s habit of taking away with him those who have stirred his displeasure is well known. Though Ithuaqua usually drops these victims from the sky after weeks or months, others are taken to Borea. Over the years, Ithaqua has brought many sorts of life to this world and its moons, including various sorts of plants, bats, wolves, bears, whales, and even humans. These unfortunates are altered so that not even the bitterest cold may affect them; this trait, however, also makes them somewhat vulnerable to the same forces that repel the Great Old Ones.

  Upon their arrival, most of the humans are inducted into the Children of the Winds, Ithaqua’s cult on Borea, which boasts hundreds of thousands of members. Some, however, rebel against the Wind-Walker; colonies of these outcasts may be found in the plateau in which Ithaqua was imprisoned, as well as upon the Isle of Mountains on Numinos. These colonies are a consistent irritation for Ithaqua, but his cult’s forays against them have never been completely successful in eradicating them.

  See Elder Sign; Ithaqua; Khrissa; Numinos; Silberhutte, Hank. (In the Moons of Borea, Lumley; Spawn of the Winds, Lumley (O).)

  BORELLUS. Writer on science and mysticism, most likely Petrus Borel (1620-1689), who wrote the following passage:

  The essential Saltes of Animals may be so prepared and preserved, that an ingenious Man may have the whole Ark of Noah in his own Studie, and raise the fine Shape of an Animal out of its Ashes at his Pleasure; and by the lyke Method from the essential Saltes of humane Dust, a Philosopher may, without any criminal Necromancy, call up the Shape of any dead Ancestour from the Dust whereinto his Bodie has been incinerated.

  [Borellus is a real-life figure. The passage quoted above comes from Cotton Mather’s Magnalia Christi Americana. It has yet to be found in any of Borellus’ works.]

  (“The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”, Lovecraft.)

  BOWEN, (PROFESSOR) ENOCH (1795?-1868). Noted occultist and archaeologist from Providence, Rhode Island. He taught at history and philology at Brown University, though another source states he taught at, and donated a valuable Biblical manuscript to, Miskatonic University. His most memorable accomplishment was his excavation of the crypt of the forgotten pharaoh Nephren-Ka in 1843. The following year, Bowen inexplicably stopped his excavations and, upon returning to Providence, established the infamous Church of Starry Wisdom. His books include Description of Excavations at Tell-Basta (1833), Sacrificial Cults in Ptolemaic Egypt (1839), Excavations of Early Dynastic Egypt (1842), and the secret manual of the cult, The Pathway to the Darkness.

  In 1927, another individual named Enoch Bowen headed a branch of the Starry Wisdom cult in Arkham, but this can hardly have been the same person.

  See Starry Wisdom cult. (“Coming of Age”, Ballon; “The Shadow from the Steeple”, Bloch; “Cults Exposed!: The Starry Wisdom Church”, Harms; “The Haunter of the Dark”, Lovecraft (O); “Acute Spiritual Fear”, Price; Sherlock Holmes in the Adventure of the Ancient Gods, Vaughan.)

  BOYD, CLAIBORNE. Student of Creole culture. Boyd was born in Mississippi, and later resided in New Orleans, from which he continued his studies. After the death of his grand-uncle, a former professor at Harvard, Boyd came into possession of his papers detailing his mythological speculations. Boyd vanished shortly thereafter, though not before mailing off his papers to Miskatonic University. He may have been killed in 1986 in Fort Myers, Florida.

  (“The Gorge beyond Salanpunco”, Derleth (O); Other Nations, Marsh and Marsh.)

  BRAN MAK MORN (?-ca. 210). King of the Pictish peoples of Caledonia (Scotland) during the Roman occupation of Britain. Bran was born as the son of a Wolf clan chief, but quickly gained power until he became the king of the Picts, who had been split into small feuding tribes for over five hundred years. Bran was a brave and just ruler who attempted to wean the Picts away from the bloody rituals that they once practiced. His most famous deed, however, was the summoning of the Worms of the Earth to take revenge against the Roman legions. Bran eventually fell in battle due to the treachery of a Roman officer, and his kingdom crumbled.

  Over time, the tales of Bran’s deeds have become distorted, and many legends about his abilities have been invented. In his Unaussprechlichen Kulten, von Junzt mentions a statue of the king that the spirit of Bran inhabited after his death. This effigy was hidden in a cave, which remains the focus for a religion centering on Bran to this day. Members of this cult, made up of the descendants of the Picts, are expected to make a pilgrimage to this statue once in their lifetimes. According to this group’s teachings, one day the statue of Bran will return to life, and he and his people will come forth from his cavern to rule the world.

  [One mythological Bran was a Welsh deity of tremendous size, while another was the British hero whose severed head protected the British Isles from invasion after his death. Howard seems to have been unaware of this tradition, and named his hero after Brennus, a barbarian at the siege of Rome, and Gol Mac Morn, an Irish folk hero.]

  See Worms of the Earth. (“The Children of the Night”, Howard (O); “The Dark Man”, Howard; “Kings of the Night”, Howard; “Men of the Shadows”, Howard; “The Worms of the Earth”, Howard; Chronicle of the Black Labyrinth, Inabinet; “The Whisperer in Darkness”, Lovecraft.)

  BRAVING, MINNESOTA. Town in Minnesota notable for its numerous cases of missing persons and mysterious deaths. An uneasy air hovers over the town, and even Royceton University is known for the tension of its students and faculty.

  (“The Deep-Lord Awakens”, Ambuehl; “Sculpture”, Ambuehl (O).)

  BRICHESTER. Commercial hub of England’s Severn River Valley. Known in medieval times as Bicestre, today’s Brichester may be split into three parts: Mercy Hill to the north, Brichester proper, and Lower Brichester in the south. Brichester is home to Brichester University, one of the region’s most respected institutions of learning.

  This town has been the site of many strange happenings. Brichester University once held a copy of the Revelations of Glaaki donated in 1958, but this has since disappeared or been destroyed. A congregation of Brichester University students worshiping the Great Old Ones was broken up in the Twenties, and many of the professors at that institution also possess kno
wledge of the paranormal events in the surrounding countryside. It was in Brichester that the eccentric cult leader Robert Franklyn lived and published his book on reincarnation We Pass from View. Finally, a man living on Mercy Hill was induced through dream-communications to write the twelfth volume of the Revelations of Glaaki.

  See Devil’s Steps; Eihort; Glaaki; Goatswood; Mercy Hill; Revelations of Glaaki; Sentinel Hill; Severnford; Temphill; Undercliffe; We Pass from View. (“13 Place of Interest in Brichester”, Brownlow; “The Church in High Street”, Campbell (O); “Cold Print”, Campbell; The Darkest Part of the Woods, Campbell; “The Franklyn Paragraphs”, Campbell; The Horror from the Bridge”, Campbell; “The Mine on Yuggoth”, Campbell; “The Plain of Sound”, Campbell; “Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock”, Price.)

  BRICK CYLINDERS OF KADATHERON (also CYLINDERS OF KADATHERON). Seven artifacts brought out of the Middle East by an expedition led by a Mr. Angstrom. They were translated through use of the late Gordon Walmsley’ work, but the characters are so archaic that only a few scholars can read them. The Cylinders are currently kept at the British Museum. The Dreamlands city of Kadatheron holds another set.

  The Cylinders deal primarily with the history of the land of Mnar, especially as it relates to the pre-human city of Ib. They also include information on the Sarnath-sigil and tell the tale of the wizard Ilathos who went to speak with the high priest of Leng (though the ending of that story has been effaced). Another section provides the history and ruling dynasties of Kadatheron itself.

  See Ib; Kadatheron; Lh-yib. (“The Book of Dismissals”, Carter; “The Book of the Gates”, Carter; “The Lure of Leng”, DeBill; “The Doom that Came to Sarnath”, Lovecraft (O); Beneath the Moors, Lumley; “Passing of a Dreamer”, Myers.)

  BRINGER OF PESTS. See Nyarlathotep (Bringer of Pests).

  BROKEN COLUMNS OF GEPH. Monuments located within the coastal jungles of Liberia. No one knows how old the columns of Geph are, but they are mentioned in the writings of Teh Atht, a great wizard from the primal land of Theem’hdra. Upon these pillars the elders of the Ptetholites carved warnings against those who would use black magic against their foes, as well as the images of the Great Old Ones. Though the followers of the Old Ones have struck out some inscriptions and attempted to destroy the Columns themselves, these monuments have survived to this day, and are thought to be the center of worship for the natives of that region. With the help of Professor Gordon Walmsley of Goole, the characters upon these monuments were deciphered several years ago.

  See Geph Transcriptions; Ptetholites; Walmsley, Gordon. (“The Caller of the Black”, Lumley (O); “The Return of the Deep Ones”, Lumley; “Rising with Surtsey”, Lumley; “The Sorcerer’s Dream”, Lumley; The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley.)

  BROTHERHOOD OF THE BEAST. Organization founded in the twelfth century by a Chinese sage and a Romanian noble, so that the prophecy of Nophru-Ka, an Egyptian priest of the XIV Dynasty, might be fulfilled. The Brotherhood’s founders led the followers of Nophru-Ka from their exile in G’harne and brought them to Europe to intermarry. As this assimilation of Egyptian blood into the European population progressed, the Brotherhood kept detailed genealogical records of these matings. They hoped that one day a child would be born who would fulfill the high priest’s prophecy and aid Nyarlathotep in returning to Earth.

  Over the centuries, the Brotherhood has gained a great deal of power and has greatly expanded its membership as it continues to strive toward its goals. It has failed in several of its schemes, however, such as an attempt to found a country in Eastern Europe in the territory of the Teutonic Knights. More recently, the Brotherhood, having realized that the time of the Old Ones’ return is approaching, has begun preparations for a great globe-spanning operation calculated to destroy much of human civilization.

  See Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. (“The Brotherhood of the Beast”, Herber (O).)

  BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLACK PHARAOH. Cult devoted to the return of the Black Pharaoh avatar of Nyarlathotep. The group’s leadership has remained primarily Egyptian, but in recent years its branches have been attracting members from all backgrounds and nationalities. This group has known affiliations with the Cult of the Bloody Tongue, the Starry Wisdom church, and the Brotherhood of the Beast. One sub-cult of this group, the Children of the Sphinx, is dedicated to the production of animal-headed composite mummies.

  See Nyarlathotep (Black Bull). (Cairo Guidebook, Anderson; Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis (O).)

  BROTHERS OF CHAUGNAR FAUGN. Creatures that look like smaller versions of Chaugnar Faugn. When the Miri Nigri took Chaugnar to the East, the Brothers remained beneath the Pyrenees, to Chaugnar’s great displeasure. They have been known to come forth from the mountains and wreak havoc when Chaugnar Faugn himself is active. When Chaugnar awakens and devours the world, his brothers will be awakened to join him and be devoured by their master.

  See Chaugnar Faugn. (The Horror from the Hills, Long (O).)

  BROTHERS OF THE YELLOW SIGN (also CULT OF THE YELLOW SIGN). Cult of Hastur in his form of the King in Yellow. There are conflicting accounts of its origins; some say it began among the serpent people of Valusia, but it seems more likely that it started in the underground land of K’n-yan. Whatever the source, it now enjoys a small following among humans.

  The Brothers identify each other through hand signs or by rings or pendants with a yellow stone. Occasionally they congregate to destroy mi-go outposts and to worship Hastur and Shub-Niggurath. One of their secondary goals is the suppression of archaeology in the Gobi Desert, where they hold their most sacred rites. It has been suggested that the Cult of the Yellow Sign founded every religion ever created to strengthen the Great Old Ones, but this sounds unlikely.

  See Hastur; Yellow Sign. (Keeper’s Compendium, Herber; “The Whisperer in Darkness”, Lovecraft (O); The Illuminatus! Trilogy, Shea and Wilson.)

  BROWN JENKIN. Rat-like being with tiny paws like hands and a human face. According to Essex County court records, Keziah Mason claimed Brown Jenkin was her familiar. Though the witch herself has been dead for three centuries, reports from as far away as England, but centering in Mason’s home city of Arkham, have spoken of reports of her familiar’s ghost. Bones found when Arkham’s Witch-House was demolished in 1931 confirm at least that the creature existed.

  See Mason, Keziah; rat-things. (“The Dreams in the Witch-House”, Lovecraft (O); Prey, Masterton; “Small Ghost”, Minnis.)

  BUGG-SHASH. Great Old One who takes the form of an inky blackness covered with many eyes and mouths which make a chittering sound. Sorcerers have known Bugg-Shash since Atlantean times and called it into this dimension.

  Bugg-Shash may be called up quite easily, though it is important that the “Pentacle of Power” should imprison him when summoned. The would-be summoner should also be quick in telling Bugg-Shash where it may find a victim, or Bugg-Shash may take the caster instead. Bugg-Shash can only exist in darkness, but bringing the Great Old One into the light will not banish it permanently. Bugg-Shash must remain in this dimension until it has found and feasted upon a victim, after which it will return to its home. It may also have power over the dead, so those dealing with it should be especially cautious.

  Bugg-Shash is known to be one of the servants of Yog-Sothoth. Though often included among the Great Old Ones, some say that it is in fact only one of the parasites that feed off such beings. It is considered especially close in nature to Yibb-Tstll, and both are often classified as the “Drowners”, a term of uncertain meaning.

  [As far as I can tell, Lumley had mentioned Bugg-Shash in “Rising” before he read Sutton’s “Demoniacal”. Though Sutton’s story did not mention Bugg-Shash, Lumley wrote “Kiss” as a sequel which attached the name “Bugg-Shash” to Sutton’s monster.]

  See Cthaat Aquadingen; Mad Berkley’s Book; Necronomicon (appendices); Notes on the Cthaat Aquadingen; Sathlattae. (Elysia, Lumley; “The Kiss of Bugg-Shash”, Lumley; “Rising with Surtsey”, Lumley (O);
The Transition of Titus Crow, Lumley; “Demoniacal”, Sutton.)

  BUGG-SHOGGOG. Mysterious word on the lips of Wilbur Whateley upon his death. Interpretations include that it was part of an invocation to Yog-Sothoth, a generic term for an offspring of Yog-Sothoth, the title of Whateley’s brother, or Wilbur’s own name in Yian-Ho when the earth was cleared off. A seal of Bug-Shaggog, Grim Sentinel of Ild-Ryn, is employed in the Book of Eibon to ward off those unworthy of its rites.

  (“The Dunwich Horror”, Lovecraft (O); R’lyehian as a Toy Language, Marsh; “The Grey Rite of Azathoth”, Pulver; “Acute Spiritual Fear”, Price; Necronomicon, Tyson.)

  BUOPOTHS. Shy creatures of the Dreamlands which leave their forests to drink from the river Oukranos. Buopoths appear to be small elephants with brightly-colored hide and ridges on their backs, but in truth they are more closely related to the Rhinogradentia, or snouters. They are especially fond of the root of the tofflebol bush.

  (“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, Lovecraft (O); S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Creatures of the Dreamlands, Petersen et. al.)

  BYAGOONA. Being called “the Faceless One” to whom a “Secret Parable” is attributed. Byagoona was born to a creature named “Lu-Kthu” in the “Great Vortex”. Byagoona’s “Secret Parable” supposedly refers to his arrival on Earth at the time of the lost civilization of Altuas. At that time, Byagoona was known as the Lord of the Dead who would bring the dead to life and then feed upon their essences. He was said to bestow a great boon—those who created a statue of him from their own hands would be remembered forever. In later times, Byagoona became known as Nyarlathotep.

  See Nyarlathotep. (“The Bane of Byagoona”, Ambuehl; “The Faceless God”, Bloch; “The Grinning Ghoul”, Bloch (O); “The Sphinx of Abormis”, Cornford.)