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The following fictitious biographies showcase the most important characters in the Cthulhu Mythos.
Overview:
- Name. The name of the character appears first.
- Birth/Death. The date of the character's birth and death (if known) appears in parenthesis below the character's name. Ambivalent dates are denoted by a question mark. (Note: ca. is the abbreviation for "circa".)
- Description. A brief description of the character follows next.
- References. Finally, the stories in which the character makes a significant appearance or otherwise receives important mention appear below the description. A simple two-letter code is used—the key to the codes is found here. If a code appears in bold, this means that the story introduces the character.
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| Contents: | A B C D E F G H I J K L M N P R S T U V W Y Z |
| References—Notes |
A
Alhazred, Abdul
(655?–738)The infamous "mad Arab" credited as the author of Al-Azif (the Necronomicon).
Akeley, George Goodenough
(1871–1928?)The son of Henry Wentworth AkeleyIn 1928, before he wrote "The Whisperer in Darkness" (1931), Lovecraft took a trip through rural Vermont with a man named Arthur Goodenough. During his jaunt, he met a local farmer with a name that bears a striking resemblance to the ill-fated character of Lovecraft's tale: one Bert G. Akley. (Pearsall, The Lovecraft Lexicon, p. 51.). After his father retired, he moved to San Diego, California where he married and had four children, though most died shortly after their births except his daughter, Aimee Doyle Akeley. In 1937, he was consulted at his home by Professor Albert Wilmarth. Inspired by the evangelist Aimee McPherson, Goodenough started a sect called the Spiritual Light Brotherhood and served as its leader, the Radiant Father. After his death, his granddaughter, Elizabeth Akeley, took over the role.
Akeley, Henry Wentworth
(1871–1928?)Vermont folklorist and correspondent of Albert Wilmarth. An account suggests that he was born the illegitimate son of Abednego Akeley, a minister for a Vermont sect of the Starry Wisdom Church, and Sarah Phillips, Abednego's maidservant. Henry Akeley became a noted academic, probably in the study of folklore. His wife died in 1901 after giving birth to his only heir, George Goodenough Akeley.
When he retired, Akeley returned to his ancestral home, a two-story farmhouse in the Vermont hills near the slopes of Dark Mountain. In September of 1928, he was visited by Professor Wilmarth, who was researching bizarre legends of the region. Shortly thereafter, Akeley disappeared mysteriously from his mountaintop home—though Wilmarth believed that he fell victim to the machinations of the sinister Fungi from Yuggoth.In his sequel to "The Whisperer in Darkness", "Documents in the Case of Elizabeth Akeley" (1982), Richard A. Lupoff explores the overlooked possibility that perhaps Akeley did not fall prey to the Mi-go as is generally supposed, but instead joined them willingly. (Price, "About 'Documents in the Case of Elizabeth Akeley'", p. 212, The Hastur Cycle.)
Allen, Zadok
(ca. 1831–1926?)Alcoholic who dwelt in Innsmouth and knew the secret of the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
Angell, George Gammell
(1857–November 23, 1926)Professor Emeritus of Semitic Languages at Brown University and renowned scholar of the worldwide Cthulhu cult. His groundbreaking research into the cult paved the way for future scholars, beginning with his nephew Francis Thurston. Angell died of a supposed heart attack in 1926.
Armitage, Henry
(1855–1939/1946?)The librarian at Miskatonic University who retired around 1936 due to failing health. As a young man, he graduated from Miskatonic in 1881 and went on to obtain his doctorate from Princeton University and his Doctor of Letters degree at Cambridge. He became interested in the occult in 1882 after hearing of a strange meteorite that fell near Arkham. This event prompted him to read Miskatonic's copy of the Necronomicon. Years later, and with the help of professors Warren Rice and Francis Morgan, Armitage used this work to defeat the "Dunwich Horror".
Conflicting accounts are given for Armitage's demise. In one account, he was killed in 1939 by a fire in the library when he tried to save Miskatonic's Rare Book collection. In another account, he died of a heart attack outside the library in 1946 after being frightened by a guard dog. Before his death, Armitage published two books on the occult: Notes toward a Bibliography of World Occultism, Mysticism, and Magic (Miskatonic University Press, 1927) and Devils and Demons in the Miskatonic Valley.
Atal
Resident of Ulthar in the Dreamlands. In "The Cats of Ulthar" (1920), he is the young son of an innkeeper and witnesses the weird rites of the cats on the night that the old cotter and his wife are killed. Later, he becomes the apprentice of Barzai the Wise and accompanies him on his doomed climb to the top of Mount Hatheg-Kla to see the gods in "The Other Gods" (1933). When Randolph Carter visits Atal in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926), he is the patriarch of the Temple of the Elder Ones and is by now well over three hundred years old, "but still very keen of mind and memory". After many drafts of moon-wine, he reveals an important piece of information that helps Carter in his quest. As befits his age and station, Atal sports a long beard.B
Barzai (the Wise)
High-priest of the Gods of Earth (the Great Ones) in Ulthar and one-time teacher of Atal. He often delved into the unknown, reading such works as the Pnakotic Manuscripts and the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. He vanished shortly after climbing to the top of Hatheg-Kla to see the gods reveling on its peak.Billington, Alijah
Inheritor of Richard Billington's estate in the early 19th century. He entered into a rivalry with Reverend Ward Phillips, who accused Billington and his forebear of practicing sorcery. The feud culminated with the disappearance of John Druven, one of Phillips supporters. Afterwards, Billington left for England with his son Laban and his Indian servant Quamis and remained there until his death.Blake, Robert Harrison
Writer who died while investigating the Starry Wisdom cult of Enoch Bowen. He is based on Robert Bloch, a Lovecraft devotee and later writer of the novel Psycho (1959).Blayne, Horvath
(ca. 1925–1948)Bowen, Enoch
(?–ca. 1865)A renowned occultist and archaeologist who lived in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1843, Bowen earned some measure of fame when he found the tomb of the unknown pharaoh Nephren-Ka. A year later, Bowen mysteriously ceased his archaeological dig and returned to Providence where he founded the Church of Starry Wisdom.
Boyd, Clairborne
Bran Mak Morn
(?–ca. 210)Last king of the Picts.
C
Carter, Randolph
(1873-1928?)Boston author, occultist, and legendary "dreamer".
Castaigne, Hildred (1)
Author of The King in Yellow. After writing the play, he disappeared from the institution where he was confined.Castaigne, Hildred (2)
Man from a New York City in a parallel universe. After suffering a head injury, he became obsessed with the play The King in Yellow and even produced a translation. He was institutionalized at an asylum for the criminally insane when he tried to kill his brother's fiancée.Castro
Aged sailor and Cthulhu cultist. He was arrested on November 1, 1907 during a police raid on a cult ceremony. His extensive knowledge of the cult's doctrines proved invaluable to George Angell's research.Chalmers, Halpin
(1891–July 3, 1928)Mystic, esteemed writer of horror fiction, and the victim of a gruesome, unsolved murder. He was born in Partridgeville, New York and was a graduate of Miskatonic University, class of 1918. Later he became the Curator of Archaeology at the Manhattan Museum of Fine Arts in Brooklyn. After Chalmers' death, his fiction became hugely popular. His most famous work is The Secret Watcher (London's Charnel House Press). Posthumous collections about Chalmers include The Collected Letters of Halpin Chalmers and Halpin Chalmers: Voyager of Other and Many Dimensions, a biography by Fred Carstairs.
Chandraputra, Swami Sunand
Disguise of Randolph Carter.Colum, Nayland
London writer who vanished from the ship bringing him home from Arabia. His most well-known work is the novel The Watchers from the Other Side. He was planning a sequel at the time of his disappearance.Copeland, Harold Hadley
(ca. 1860–May 15, 1926)Corsi, Bartoloneo
A 12th century Florentine monk and body-swapped victim of the Great Race of Yith.Crom-Ya
(15,000 B.C.)Cimmerian chief, worshipper of Tsathoggua, and body-swapped victim of the Great Race.
Crow, Titus
(1916–1968?)British occult researcher and psychic dedicated to combating the Cthulhu Cycle Deities.
Curwen, Joseph
(1663–1771)Necromancer who came back to corporeal existence through his descendant Charles Dexter Ward.
D
Danforth
(?–ca. 1988)Graduate student of Miskatonic University. During the ill-fated Pabodie Expedition in Antarctica (1930–31), he accompanied Professor Dyer on a survey flight over the "Plateau of Leng" and went mad from something he saw. He later recovered after being treated with experimental drugs developed by Professor Morgan, though he never recalled the horror he saw on the plateau. Afterwards, he became a professor of psychology at the university. He is one of the few that has read Miskatonic's copy of the Necronomicon.
Davenport, Eli
Vermont folklorist and writer of an 1839 monograph entitled Legends of New England. In addition to detailing the people of the region, the piece also recounts the legend of a race of strange beings (the Mi-go) that dwelt beneath the Vermont hills.Davies, Chandler
(?–May ? 1962)Renowned British artist and friend of Titus Crow. His macabre paintings are legendary; foremost is his piece Stars and Faces. After his mistress burned his latest work, G'harne Landscape, he went mad with rage and was confined to Woodholme Sanitorium, where he died shortly thereafter.
De la Poer, Thomas
(ca. 1855–?)De Marigny, Étienne-Laurent
New Orleans occultist.De Marigny, Henri-Laurent
(1923–)Son of Étienne-Laurent de Marigny and New Orleans mystic. In the 1930s, his father sent him to England, where he became the inseparable colleague of Titus Crow.
Dee, (Doctor) John
(1527–1608)A real person incorporated into the mythos. He is said to have translated the Necronomicon into English.
Derby, Edward Pickman
(1890–1933)Occultist and victim of Ephraim Waite.
D'erlette, Comte
Title of French aristocrat and the supposed author of Cultes des Goules. (An obvious reference to real-life author August Derleth.)Dewart, Ambrose
(ca. 1870–1924)Reclusive descendant of Alijah Billington and scholar in Arkham. Locals believed that he was somehow involved with a series of unexplainable disappearances in the area. He was found murdered at his home in 1924.
Dexter, (Doctor) Ambrose
(1898–December 28, 1973)Removed the Shining Trapezohedron from the Church of Starry Wisdom after the death of Robert Blake. He later dropped it — while open — into Narragansett Bay. However, he did not realize that the eternal darkness of the depths gave Nyarlathotep unlimited power of darkness. Nyarlethotep promptly possessed Dr. Dexter and maneuvered him into a position on a nuclear physics team. He was last known to be helping develop advancements in nuclear bombs for the purpose of ending the world.
Du Nord, Gespard
Wizard in 13th century Averoigne. He is believed to have translated the Greek version of the Book of Eibon into French circa 1240.Dyer, William
(ca. 1875–?)Professor of geology at Miskatonic University and leader of the disastrous Pabodie Expedition to Antarctica in 1930–31. In 1935, he accompanied an expedition to Australia's Great Sandy Desert to search for the ruins of a primordial civilization.
E
E-poh
Wizened leader of the Tcho-Tcho people, possibly killed when Alaozar was destroyed by the Elder Gods. He was well over seven thousand years old and led the cult of Zhar and Lloigor.Eibon
Renowned wizard of Hyperborea, author of the Book of Eibon, and worshiper of Tsathoggua.Eldin the Wanderer
(?–1979)Companion of David Hero on his adventures in the Dreamlands. In the waking world, he was Leonard Dingle, a professor of psychology and anthropology and dream researcher. After he died, he became a permanent resident of the Dreamlands and remains one of its greatest figures. He now serves at the pleasure of King Kuranes of Celephaïs.
Elton, Basil
(ca. 1870–?)Custodian of the North Point lighthouse near Kingsport and traveler of the Dreamlands. He lost his dream-self during his quest for unknown Cathuria.
Exior K'Mool
Third most powerful wizard of Theem'hdra, after his master Mylakhrion and Teh Atht. Like his former master, he tried to attain immortality by making a bargain with the Great Old Ones. However, his home and the ruined city of Humquass were destroyed when Nyarlathotep arrived to deal with him in person.F
Feery, Joachim
(?–1934)Franklyn, Roland
(?–1967)Leader of a cult in Brichester, England in the mid-1960s. In January of 1964, he published his cult's dogma in We Pass from View (True Light Press). Among the claims made in the book is that the deceased must be cremated in order for the soul to be reincarnated. Otherwise, the "burrowers of the core may drag off his body from the grave with him still in it to the feast of Eihort."Ramsey Campbell, "The Franklyn Paragraphs", p. 71, Cthulhu's Heirs. The late Roland Franklyn himself, alas, was not cremated.
Geoffrey, Justin
(1898–1926)Gilman, Walter
(?–May 1, 1928)Gordon, Edgar Hengist
Failed writer of horror fiction who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. His morbid writings (such as "Gargoyle", "The Principle of Evil", Night-Gaunt, and The Soul of Chaos) drove away readers and publishers alike.Grimlan, John
(March 10, 1630?–March 10, 1930)Gustau, Thelred
(?–1972)H
Hero, David
Hoag, (Captain) Abner Exekiel
(1697–?)Hutchinson, Edward
I
Ibn Schacabao
Wizard mentioned in the Necronomicon.J
Johansen, Gustaf
K
Kant, Ernst
Klarkash-Ton
Atlantean high-priest credited with recording the "Commoriom myth-cycle" of ancient Hyperborea. (The name is Lovecraft's pun for his friend and correspondent Clark Ashton Smith.)Keane, Abel
Another assistant of Laban Shrewsbury. He was a Boston divinity student from New Hampshire who mysteriously disappeared after becoming involved with Andrew Phelan, a former tenant of his residence. Like many of Professor Shrewsbury's former assistants, he likely fled to Celaeno after learning too much about the Cthulhu cult.Kirowan, (Professor) John
Kuranes
A king in the Dreamlands, originally a hobo in the waking world.L
Lapham, Seneca
Professor of Anthropology at Miskatonic University and a graduate of the same institution (class of 1879). He investigated the death of Ambrose Dewart and procured several of his book for the library.Legrasse, John Raymond
New Orleans police inspector who came across the Cthulhu cult. On November 1, 1907, he led a raid on a cult ceremony in the bayou and arrested the group's leader, Castro. In 1908, he brought a strange idol confiscated from the cult to a meeting of the American Archaeological Society. This idol would reveal the existence of the worldwide Cthulhu cult.LLanfer, (Doctor) Cyrus
(?–ca. 1950)A Chief Librarian of Miskatonic University Library. After graduating from the university in 1902, he became the assistant director of the library and later took over Henry Armitage's post some time before 1936. He is noteworthy for compiling "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", a huge catalog of the arcane books kept in the Special Collections department.
Luveh-Keraphf
High priest of Bast during Egypt's 13th Dynasty and writer of the Black Rites. (The name is obviously Robert Bloch's homage to Lovecraft.)M
Marsh, Obadiah
Marsh, Obed
A sea captain and the founder of the Esoteric Order of Dagon in Innsmouth. He was referred to by Zadok Allen as being the man who first summoned the Deep Ones to Innsmouth. In 1846, he was jailed after the towns bordering Innsmouth became suspicious of his crew.Mason, Keziah
Misquamacus
Montagny, Pierre-Louis
Morgan, (Professor) Francis
Professor of Medicine and Comparative Anatomy (or Archaeology) at Miskatonic University. In 1928, he helped Henry Armitage and Professor Rice defeat the Dunwich Horror. He became mentally unbalanced after a disastrous university-funded expedition to British Honduras in 1937. Nonetheless, he remained active at the university (though under the watchful eye of the senior faculty) for many years thereafter.Mülder, (Doctor & Professor) Gottfried
Mylakhrion
N
Nephren-Ka
The Black Pharaoh/Nyarlathotep?P
Peaslee, Nathaniel Wingate
(ca. 1870–?)Professor of Political Economy at Miskatonic University and one-time victim of the Great Race of Yith.
Phelan, Andrew
(ca. 1910–1938?)One-time assistant of Laban Shrewsbury.
Phillips, Ward (1)
First president of the institution later known as Miskatonic University and one of the three instructors at the school. In 1693, he donated the first books to what would become Miskatonic's famed library.Phillips, Ward (2)
Great-grandson of the Phillips described above and reverend of the Second Church (later First Baptist Church) of Arkham. In 1805, he became the librarian at Miskatonic University. He is chiefly known for his book Thaumaturgical Prodigies in the New-England Canaan. When Richard Billington found out that the book accused his ancestor of practicing sorcery, he started a feud with Phillips, which lasted several months. Shortly after one of his proponents, John Druven, disappeared, Phillips seemingly had a change of heart and began buying and burning every copy of his book that he could lay his hands on.Phillips, Ward (3)
Aged writer of pulp fiction in Providence, Rhode Island and friend of Randolph Carter. (The character is based on Lovecraft, hence the name.)Phillips, Winfield
(1907–1937)Pickman, Richard Upton
(1907–1937)Renowned Boston painter infamous for his ghoulish works. In 1926, he vanished from his home (though years later he resurfaced as a ghoul in the Dreamlands).
Pott, Johannes Henricus
Prinn, Abigail
(?–December 14, 1690)Descendant of Ludwig Prinn, alleged witch, and self-proclaimed high priest of Nyogtha in Salem, Massachusetts. She died mysteriously before the Salem witch trials began. Fearing she had cursed the town, superstitious colonists drove a stake through her heart before burying her.
Prinn, Ludwig
(?–1542)Sorcerer and author of De Vermis Mysteriis.
R
Rice, (Professor) Warren
Professor of Classical Languages at Miskatonic University and a member of the famous trio that defeated the Dunwich Horror.S
Schrach, Gerhard
Shrewsbury, Laban
(1864–1938?)An anthropologist and professor of philosophy at Miskatonic University. Although he was born in Wisconsin, Shewsbury spent most of his life in Arkham, Massachusetts. After publishing his first book, the controversial An Investigation into the Myth-Patterns of the Latter-Day Primitives with Especial Reference to the R'lyeh Text, in 1915, Shewsbury mysteriously disappeared. Shortly thereafter, a posthumous collection of his writings, titled Cthulhu among the Victorians, saw publication.
Just as mysteriously, Shrewsbury reappeared twenty years later and immediately began work on his next book, Cthulhu in the Necronomicon. Before he could complete this work, however, his home in Arkham was destroyed by an inexplicable fire in 1938. Shrewsbury was presumed dead and his unfinished volume was published as a posthumous work.
Though most believed he had died in the blaze, Shrewsbury had actually escaped to Celaeno, fleeing certain mythos horrors. Shrewsbury's manuscript, the Celaeno Fragments, remains under lock and key at the library of Miskatonic University.
Silberhutte, Hank
A telepath from Texas with the ability to sense the minds of alien beings. In 1966, he joined the Wilmarth Foundation to help fight the Cthulhu Cycle Deities (the Great Old Ones).Sincaul, Cyprian
Renowned San Francisco sculptor with a reputation for producing morbid works. (Perhaps Clark Ashton Smith's answer to Lovecraft's Richard Upton Pickman.)Smith, Japhet
Agent of the Cthulhu cult who pursued Clairborne Boyd to Lima, Peru. He is believed to have been killed here, though accounts differ in this regard.Smith, Morgan
Occult scholar and author of the seminal Sign of the Skull.T
Thurston, Francis Wayland
Bostonian anthropologist who died mysteriously on the waterfront near Providence, Rhode Island. He was the grand-nephew of George Angell and the sole heir and executor of his estate. While going through the late Professor Angell's papers, he discovered the secret of the Cthulhu Cult, a revelation that probably sealed his doom.
Tuttle, Amos
T'yog
High priest of Shub-Niggurath and sorcerer in the province of K'naa in ancient Mu. He sought to challenge the power of Ghatanothoa by confronting the god in its lair on Yaddith-Gho. To protect himself from the god's medusa-like ability, he prepared a special scroll. Unfortunately, T'yog was defeated when Ghatanothoa's priests replaced his scroll with a fake.Typer, Alonzo Hasbrouch
U
Undercliffe, Errol
(ca. 1937–1967?)Enigmatic writer of horror fiction in Brichester, England. He disappeared in 1967 after looking into the death of Roland Franklyn. His stories appear in two collections: The Man Who Feared to Sleep and Photographed by Lightning.
Upton, Daniel
(ca. 1884–?)V
Von Junzt, Friedrich Wilheim
(1795–1840)An eccentric German poet and philosopher noted for his extensive travels and membership in myriad secret societies. He is mainly remembered as the author of the Unaussprechlichen Kulten (Nameless Cults or The Black Book), which was published shortly before his death. Six months after his return from an expedition to Mongolia, he was found dead in a locked and bolted chamber with taloned finger marks on his throatRobert M. Price compares the death of Von Junzt to the demise of Abdul Alhazred, author of the Necronomicon: "* Lovecraft's tongue-in-cheek 'History of the Necronomicon',... he recounts the doom of Abdul Alhazred. 'He is said by Ebn Khallikan . . . to have been seized by an invisible monster in broad daylight and devoured horribly before a large number of fright-frozen witnesses.' ...And 'what of the monstrous hand that strangled out his life?' In both cases, the coroner reports the cause of death as a phantom monster suspiciously like the one that rent Lovecraft himself limb-from-limb in Robert Bloch's 'The Shambler from the Stars'." (Price, "The Borrower Beneath (Howard's Debt to Lovecraft in 'The Black Stone')", Crypt of Cthulhu #3.). At the time of his death, von Juntz was working on a second book, the contents of which are unknown since it was burnt to ashes by his friend, the Frenchman Alexis Ladeau. Afterwards, Ladeau slit his own throat with a razor after having read the work. Von Juntz was one of the few people to have read the Greek version of the Necronomicon.
W
Waite, Asenath
(1905–1932)Daughter and victim of Ephraim Waite.
Waite, Ephraim
Father of Asenath Waite who later possessed her body.Walmsley, Gordon (of Goole)
Ward, Charles Dexter
(1902–1928?)Descendant of Joseph Curwen who brought his ancestor back to life.
Warren, Harley
Occult friend of Randolph Carter.Webb, William Channing
Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and explorer. When Inspector Legrasse conferred with a meeting of the American Anthropology Society regarding a raid on a cult practicing human sacrifice, Professor Webb was the only member of the assembly to be familiar with an idol found during the raid and the ritualistic chants used by the cult. He had seen something similar on a tour of Greenland and Iceland; in particular, he found a certain chant to be very significant: "Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn", which translates to "In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming".Wendy-Smith, Sir Amery
(?–1933)Whateley, Lavinia
(ca. 1878–October 31 1926?)Deformed albino daughter of Noah Whateley. In 1913, she gave birth to Wilbur Whately by an unknown father. On Halloween night in 1926 she disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Whateley, (Wizard) Noah
(?–August 1, 1924)Backwoods farmer and reputed sorcerer. Wizard Whateley was a central figure in the events leading up to the Dunwich Horror.
Whateley, Wilbur
(February 2, 1913–August 3, 1928)Precocious grandson of Wizard Whateley. His fanatical efforts to summon the "Old Ones" resulted in his untimely demise and brought about the Dunwich Horror.
Wilmarth, Albert N.
Folklorist and assistant professor of English at Miskatonic University. He investigated strange events that followed in the wake of the historic Vermont floods of 1927.Woodville, James
Wormius, Olaus
Y
Yakthoob
Wizard who apprenticed the young Abdul Alhazred. He perished horribly during an ill-fated summoning of a demon.Yiang-Li
Z
Zamacona Y Nuñez, Panfilio De
(ca. 1512–?)Spanish Conquistador who accompanied Coronado on an excursion into the New World. After Coronado turned back in 1541, Zamacona continued into what is now present-day Oklahoma searching for a lost city of gold. He eventually discovered the underground realm of K'n-yan, where he spent many years, and later perished when he tried to escape.
Zanthu
Zarnak, (Doctor) Anton
Zon Mezzamalech
References
- Robert M. Price (ed.), Bloomfield, NJ: Cryptic Publications. URL accessed on October 22, 2005.
Notes
"Cthulhu Mythos biographies"