{"id":17054,"date":"2026-07-29T22:23:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T22:23:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/libnews\/?p=17054"},"modified":"2026-08-11T18:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:02:49","slug":"evolution-of-cthulhu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.brown.edu\/create\/libnews\/evolution-of-cthulhu\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Cthulhu"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cthluhu illustration by Janaya Kizzie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In 1933, Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft published the story “At the Mountains of Madness,” creating a world that has captured imaginations. It is the looming ancient god of the story, Cthulhu, who gives the Cthulhu Mythos its name, both of which have spawned countless works (and nightmares) since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cthulhu Mythos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stories, films, songs and more have been written within the Cthulhu Mythos, characterized by creeping dread, disgusting creatures and cosmic horror. Its abundant cultural presence lends the mythos the ubiquity of an inside joke among science fiction, fantasy and weird fiction aficionados, and resonance far beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charting the Cthulhu Mythos through time is akin to charting plant and animal evolution; environmental adaptation is necessary to survival \u2014 and cultural relevance. It is important to note that the constant appropriation of Lovecraft\u2019s work has allowed the mythos to move away from its racist origins. As flora and fauna develop tougher bark and thicker coats to adapt to changes in climate, so too have the themes, places, figures and creatures of the Cthulhu Mythos taken new shapes to suit modern understanding and culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

H.P. Lovecraft Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Library’s extensive H.P. Lovecraft Collection<\/a> includes holdings of manuscripts, letters, editions of\u00a0Lovecraft’s works in all languages, periodicals, biographical and critical works, and many supportive collections of manuscript and printed materials of\u00a0Lovecraft’s\u00a0friends and associates. There are more than 1,000 books and magazines in 20 languages containing material by or about\u00a0Lovecraft\u00a0plus over 2,000 original letters and manuscripts of his essays, fiction and poetry. Many of the papers were given to the Library a few months after\u00a0his death in 1937.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Library holds array of materials related to weird fiction<\/a> that may also be of interest to Lovecraft fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolution of Cthulhu in the Collection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In honor of NecronomiCon Providence<\/a>, here is a sample of items held by the Library that demonstrate some of the ways that the Cthulhu Mythos has been adapted, remixed and changed from the mythos of Lovecraft\u2019s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoggoths<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A servile race known for its many eyes and underground travel, shoggoths were first seen in \u201cIn The Mountains of Madness.\u201d They have evolved to portray anything from beloved pets to free creatures roaming the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI want you to learn to be free,\u201d he told the shoggoth, \u201cand I want you to teach your brothers.\u201d
Elizabeth Bear, \u201cShoggoths in Bloom,\u201d 2008<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Long, Frank Belknap, “Episode No. 2 – Randolph Carter defies the daemons of Baal-Naplong” (1926).\u00a0Howard P. Lovecraft collection.<\/em>\u00a0Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.\u00a0https:\/\/repository.library.brown.edu\/studio\/item\/bdr:941871\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The King in Yellow<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The King in Yellow<\/strong>, sometimes known as Hastur, first appeared in The King in Yellow <\/em>by Robert W. Chambers in 1895, when H.P. Lovecraft was just five years old. The mysterious cosmic king haunts the minds of all who encounter the play written about him. More recently, the term \u201cKing in Yellow\u201d has been used to describe cult leaders, elder gods, and unspeakable terrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cSomething old and predatory and utterly terrible staring right back at me.\u201d
China Mieville, \u201cDetails,\u201d 2002<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), “The Science Library” (1904).\u00a0Howard P. Lovecraft collection.<\/em>\u00a0Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.\u00a0https:\/\/repository.library.brown.edu\/studio\/item\/bdr:729688\/<\/a> (Shown: page 26 of 28 from The Science Library<\/a>.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cthulhu<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Cthulhu<\/strong>, the central figure of the mythos, is an ancient god who appears half squid and half human. It is constantly intimated in the mythos that Cthulhu will end the world. Since his inception, Cthulhu has become everything from Davey Jones to cute plush toys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cGuys. We are not going to destroy the world nor eat anyone in this room. Are we clear?\u201d
Minions and Monsters, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Pencil<\/a>
Lovecraft, H.P. (Howard Phillips), “Cthulhu” (1934).\u00a0Howard P. Lovecraft collection.<\/em>\u00a0Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.\u00a0https:\/\/repository.library.brown.edu\/studio\/item\/bdr:926699\/<\/a> (Shown: page 3 of 6 from Chtulhu<\/a>.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Necronomicon<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate cursed book, the Necronomicon<\/strong> delivers a warning in Lovecraft\u2019s story \u201cThe Hound.\u201d It is said to hold spells to summon the dead (and worse). Over 100 years later, the accidental invoking of evil spells has become a trope and, at times,
a punchline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cTold you you should\u2019ve put the book back, Danny!\u201d
Evil Dead Rise, 2023<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Lovecraft, H. P. (Howard Phillips), “Chemistry, Magic, & Electricity” (1899).\u00a0Howard P. Lovecraft collection.<\/em>\u00a0Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.\u00a0https:\/\/repository.library.brown.edu\/studio\/item\/bdr:730451\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Racial Imaginaries of H.P. Lovecraft<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The permanent online exhibit, “A Blind Horror Beyond All Rational Proportion”: The Racial Imaginaries of H.P. Lovecraft<\/a><\/em>, examines Lovecraft’s correspondence for insight into his conceptualization of race and how it is reflected in his fiction. The exhibit was curated by the 2020 Brown University Library Exhibitions Proctor, Alberto Alcaraz Escarcega, Political Science Ph.D. candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John Hay Library Renovation and Access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can view Brown’s special collections in person! While the John Hay Library is renovating its exterior this summer, a temporary special collections reading room is available in the Absolute Quiet Room on level A of the Rockefeller Library. It is open on the following schedule by reservation only. Please see Visiting the Brown University Special Collections<\/a> for information about scheduling a reading room appointment via Aeon<\/a>. The Hay will reopen in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n