The Call of Cthulhu, The Fantastical Story That Started the Mythos

Written in 1926 by H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu was first published in 1928.  Since that time, it has become a cult classic, its popularity leading it to spread across all forms of entertainment.  There are now boardgames, videogames, songs, roleplaying games, and much, much more associated with the Cthulhu mythos.

The story itself is short, about 30 pages.  It tells a tale of a man discovering files and documents of research on the cult of Cthulhu.  The cult of Cthulhu was supposedly spawned through the power of their gods, chief among them being Cthulhu.  These gods could no longer live on Earth, but they were protected by one of Cthulhu’s spells, which kept them alive, though they could not enter the world of the living of their own power and volition.  Therefore, they spoke to men.  Those who were sensitive to the powers of these beasts had their dreams touched and molded.  It was these men who then started the cult and were attempting to bring the beasts of old to life when the stars were in correct alignment.  Once Cthulhu and the rest returned, men would become much like these creatures of old.  Morals and laws would be cast aside and men would revel and kill each other joyfully.  The World would be full of nothing but ecstasy and freedom.  Finding out this information is understandably shocking and horrifying to the narrator, who believes that members of the cult will kill him because of his knowledge.

This story is not exactly scary.  It doesn’t cause the reader to jump out of fear or cringe at the suspense or tension.  It is more a story of the unknown.  What Lovecraft does is capture a sense of scale, a sense of how small humanity is and how these great, massive powers we can scarcely dream of are out there.  That is the scary part.  The fact that humans could be absolutely nothing in comparison to monstrosities within the cosmos.  At the beginning of the story, Lovecraft says, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”  In so doing, he is implying that we could find out more than we want to know, which is essentially the point the narrator makes over and over.

The Call of Cthulhu is definitely a classic.  It paints a picture on an incredibly grand scale, one that I believe gets Lovecraft’s point across quite well.  It’s a very quick read, and with all of the games, etc. today revolving around this mythos of Cthulhu, it remains relevant today.  I would highly recommend reading it, along with many of Lovecraft’s other stories.

 

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