Cthulhu

Cthulhu (alternate spellings: Tulu, Cthulu, Ktulu and many others) is a fictional character in the Cthulhu mythos of H. P. Lovecraft.

Related Topics:
Fictional character - Cthulhu mythos - H. P. Lovecraft

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"Cthulhu" is usually pronounced as {{IPA|/kəˈθuːluː/}}, {{IPA|/k?????lu?/}}, or {{IPA|/k??t???lu?/}} (IPA transliteration). However, according to Lovecraft, this may simply be the closest that human beings can come to pronouncing the sounds of a name in an utterly alien language. In fact, Lovecraft speculated that "Khlul'hloo" might be closer to the actual pronunciation.{{Ref|Akeley-a}}

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Although the cycle of stories written by Lovecraft, his proteges, and his literary successors bear the label "Cthulhu mythos" (a term invented by August Derleth), Cthulhu himself is actually one of the least terrible creatures in the pantheon. Indeed, he appears in person only once in Lovecraft's writings: the short story "The Call of Cthulhu" (though he is mentioned in passing in a few other of Lovecraft's works). Much of what is now termed the "Cthulhu mythos" varies greatly from Lovecraft's original conception of a meaningless, value-less universe with no eternal struggle. Furthermore, much of the mythos lore that came after Lovecraft's death was mostly concocted by Derleth – there is never any mention of alliances between Cthulhu and other entities (with the exception of his cult) within Lovecraft's works.{{Ref|Cthulhu-mythos}}

Related Topics:
August Derleth - Short story - The Call of Cthulhu

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