Would anyone care to explicate Lovecraft's pantheon?

[tom lear]

I'm sure the correct answer would be that the stories weren't written with a hard continuity in mind and its futile to pursue it, but what I'm looking for is something along the lines of Sherlock fans putting together a timeline even though the collected Sherlock stories sometimes don't agree. I think a lot of fun can be had when fans create elaborate explanations for the inconsistencies.

So can anyone tell me about a book or website or write a detailed reply below that goes into specifics about how the various supernatural beings are related to each other in the Cthulhu Mythos?

I would appreciate any information or opinions. Thanks

[Dizzy D]

I'm sure the correct answer would be that the stories weren't written with a hard continuity in mind and its futile to pursue it, but what I'm looking for is something along the lines of Sherlock fans putting together a timeline even though the collected Sherlock stories sometimes don't agree. I think a lot of fun can be had when fans create elaborate explanations for the inconsistencies.

So can anyone tell me about a book or website or write a detailed reply below that goes into specifics about how the various supernatural beings are related to each other in the Cthulhu Mythos?

I would appreciate any information or opinions. Thanks

You already mentioned yourself the lack of continuity, but the Chaosium Games has established a loose hierarchy on which most books post-Lovecraft seem to be based.

This hierarchy has Azatoth on top with Yog-Sothoth being independent from him and just a bit below him. Below them would be Nyarlathotep.

Fill out the rest of the Outer Gods and Elder Gods: Abhoth, Daoloth, Shub-Niggurath, Tulzscha, Ubbo Sathla, Yibb-Tstll, Nodens, Hypnos and Bast.

Lesser Outer Gods come next.

Then the Great Old Ones: Cthugha, Cthulhu, Hastur, Ithaqua, Shudde M'Ell, Tsathoggua et al.

Followed by the Greater Independents and Servitors: Dark Young, Star-spawn, Elder Race, Servitors of the Outer Gods, more evolved Shoggoths et al. Mother Hydra and Father Dagon of the Deep Ones go here as well.

Followed by the Lesser Independents and Servitors: Deep Ones, Chtonians, Mi-Go et al.

[CaptMagellan]

I second "The Call of Cthulhu" roleplaying game by Chaosium. It's the best source for understanding the mythos, the timeline of history, etc. Especially if you want to include other authors than Lovecraft who contributed to the mythos cycles.

[Ouzo Man]

The most brief explanation I could provide would be to say that Lovecraft posited a universe so controlled by evil and/or indifferent forces on a scale such that humanity was not only helpless in context, but pretty much irrelevant. These took various non-human forms (or anti-human, or no form at all) and reminded the reader of Lovecraft's fears of a collapse into decadence on pretty much all the axes (moral, evolutionary, or whatever). Given what was happening in the world when he wrote, it's not hard to see the world reflected symbolically through his anti-heroic, human-destructive imaginary cosmos. The specifics (like figures such as Cthulhu) are just, in some ways, details in this picture.

[CaptMagellan]

Also, part of why we're so insignificant and helpless is that we were just an experiment. The Great Race of Yith (I think I'm remembering this right) created the forms that eventually evolved into humans. Think of the Earth as a big petrie dish.

[Paul McEnery]

The most brief explanation I could provide would be to say that Lovecraft posited a universe so controlled by evil and/or indifferent forces on a scale such that humanity was not only helpless in context, but pretty much irrelevant. These took various non-human forms (or anti-human, or no form at all) and reminded the reader of Lovecraft's fears of a collapse into decadence on pretty much all the axes (moral, evolutionary, or whatever). Given what was happening in the world when he wrote, it's not hard to see the world reflected symbolically through his anti-heroic, human-destructive imaginary cosmos. The specifics (like figures such as Cthulhu) are just, in some ways, details in this picture.
Adding to this:

This is also the classic moment of ego-defense on the way to enlightenment: Grof's Basic Perinatal Matrix 2, Ayahuasca visions of the great nasties, the Hindu vision of the wheel of Samsara, Dante's Inferno, etc.

Basically, as you slip into mystical trance, you're heading for the bliss zone where the ego is annihilated. And it doesn't want to go! Quite right, too. The ego's a useful thing, and it protects you from hideous errors of judgement. But at a certain level, it just has to let go -- it's doing the right job at the wrong time.

So the ego hallucinates everything that is non-self in the form of monsters, basically. Gives it something to fight against on the way down. You can see the same thing in any imperialist or authoritarian government when it demonizes its opponents. Great Satans start popping up all over the place in times of war.

Of course, in Lovecraft's case, it's been said that his body was fighting back against syphilis, and that's what gave rise to the imagery. That and his Western Christian fear of Jews and Darkies.

[Dizzy D]

Also, part of why we're so insignificant and helpless is that we were just an experiment. The Great Race of Yith (I think I'm remembering this right) created the forms that eventually evolved into humans. Think of the Earth as a big petrie dish.

It was the Elder Things, not the Great Race.

And in other stories humans just evolved like all life on Eart from Ubbo Sathla.

[CaptMagellan]

Thanks for the clarification Dizzy D.

And in regards to what Paul said above about ego annihilation and 'initiatory crises'... if the stories about Lovecraft's ideas and creatures being born of his dreams is true then he was tapping into some pretty powerful subconscious (possible transpersonal) stuff.

If that's the case then it's too bad that he was so terrified of himself. It would have been interesting to see what he would have written if he had synthesized with his 'Great Old Ones'.

But, like he said above, maybe it was just the syphillis and xenophobia.

[Paul McEnery]

Thanks for the clarification Dizzy D.

And in regards to what Paul said above about ego annihilation and 'initiatory crises'... if the stories about Lovecraft's ideas and creatures being born of his dreams is true then he was tapping into some pretty powerful subconscious (possible transpersonal) stuff.

If that's the case then it's too bad that he was so terrified of himself. It would have been interesting to see what he would have written if he had synthesized with his 'Great Old Ones'.

But, like he said above, maybe it was just the syphillis and xenophobia.
Hey, there's no reason that has to be an either/or.

Which is kinda what you come up against every time you go skinny-dipping in the transpersonal.

[BoosterBronze]

Guys, just POSTING on this thread, and reading it are serious threats to all of our sanity. There are some things men are not meant to know!

FOR GOD SAKES MODERATOR, LOCK THIS THREAD!! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

[CaptMagellan]

Hey, there's no reason that has to be an either/or.

Which is kinda what you come up against every time you go skinny-dipping in the transpersonal.

Yup. Quite the tightwire walk trying to figure out where the objective and subjective aspects of one's processes collide. Other than ours hearts and minds that is. ;)

Guys, just POSTING on this thread, and reading it are serious threats to all of our sanity. There are some things men are not meant to know!

FOR GOD SAKES MODERATOR, LOCK THIS THREAD!! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

You're just afraid to look inside. ;) Come on BoosterBronze look deep inside yourself... was that a tentacle moving behind that memory of your favorite stuffed animal?

Dare ya to grab it.

Double dog dare ya. :p