For me, it doesn't even have to be deep, it just has to be a body of water where I can't see the bottom. The thought that something unknown could be hiding in the endless darkness just creeps me out, imagining Cthulhu in the darkness is both Excitingly awesome and cripplingly terrifying
He almost sounds like a horror version of Vishnu. He's dead and dreaming while his dead body feeds the Lotus that brings new life. Almost like a dead koi at the bottom of the pond. I guess god has had many bodies he has shed.
3:38 uh, I think Lovecraft states inside the Cthulhu story that the stars must be in alignment for them to travel so maybe the stars going OUT of alignment caused them to go dormant? Then maybe when the stars realign at some point in the future, Cthulhu begins to contact humans in their dreams hoping one will make it to his city to release him? I don't know!
It’s been said in the myths humanity is insignificant, so we are not needed for we are unimportant. But that has never stopped some people and humanity still accomplishes much.
Whoa I was already subscribed to your channel because of your amazing musical skills and now I see your comment on a random Cthulhu Mythos video. You are a legend
You can know more about cthulu imprison in The Mountains of Madness, since The Elder Things appelled to Azatoth Ritual in charge to sink R'lyeh. The stars aligned means a cosmic configuration in which the Great Old Ones should allow Cthulu to awakens for certain period of time, even this, is part of Nyarlathotep plans for Earth in which humanity is meaningless, In the pass of eons Nyarlathotep plans should complete and involves Cthulu in some way.
There's a fun little coincidence called the Bloop. In the 90s a massive underwater sound was picked up by microphones off the coast of South America. The nature of the sound suggested something massive (like bigger then the largest blue whale) and some scientists thought it was consistent with marine life. What makes this awesome is that it was detected not terribly far from the coordinates Lovecraft gives for R'yleth. To be fair they're pretty much certain at this point it was an icequake in Antartica that caused the sound (like an earthquake but with ice) but still pretty cool.
It could be many things, just not Cthulu or a Megalodon. The most plausible are underwater volcanoes, whale calls, tectonic plates and noises created by the environment.
Cthulhu is the easiest to describe... Does that mean he's the most popular Lovecraft monster because he's the LEAST Lovecraft of them all? That's gotta be the most insulting success story ever! That's great!
Simplicity can do wonders for an icon. Even if there's been some many different versions of them like Batman for example. From old goofy and childish to cryptic and adult.
Well when you think of most other of the beings in the Cthulhu mythos their descriptions can differ from peoples interpretations. Like Nyarlathotep, maybe you imagine a person hiding behind a mask, a hulking tentacle horror with no face, or just the guy next door, it varies. But you just say "octopus head" and Cthulhu is probably already on your mind, add in it's giant and has bat like wings, definitely Cthulhu.
GuyUWishUWere I mean yeah if you think about it. While other lovecraftian monster are scary as hell, most of their feature make zero sense body wise. Most people could agree that Lovecraftian is very detail with his monster but it is very clear that there is very little purpose to their appearance. It seem like he just make a blob of something so reader could be disgust by it but it has little to no purpose. Their concept and the cosmic mythos are amazingly scary but their appearance wise is just what the fuck man? How can any of these monster even function as a being?
Sam here. He looks fantastic, his kit looks powerful. Thing was, I knew little to nothing about him in any shape or fashion. Trying to learn a bit of his backstory lol.
The idea that no matter what we do, no matter how far we strive, no matter how much we develop, we are existing on borrowed time and Cthulhu WILL awaken and destroy everything is quite possibly the most metal thing in existence.
Turd Ferguson Steve Jobs will return and save us all by combining his soul with the Note 7, merging two of the greatest powers that us humans could possibly harness, destroying Cthulu entirely.
stephen connell the concept of being in this sense would be nearly impossible to capture in a movie sense. The project will become a failure or a bad movie. I do really want a movie but I know it will be inaccurately represented.
+ToLazyTooPlay Actually it could be made fairly accurate if its made by the Lord of the rings producers and animators or the Pirates of the caribbean. However, it would still need 3-4 movies to represent the full story :/
What's funny is he pretended to be Dagon, who is actually based on Cthuhlu and was named after the creature/god named Dagon. He then became his servant, later stealing his powers. One of my favorite Fauxcraft stories.
As you should, puny mortal, for when the stars are right R'lyeh will rise and the time of humanity will come to a most gruesome end. Or some shit like that.
Cthulhu is a great example of irony in Lovecraft's works in cosmic horror. It's only popular because fans made Cthulhu tangible and recognizable. This literally goes against everything Lovecraft was trying to do, with everything being unexplainable and foreign to any human concept of organization. The description should be a human's attempt at force fitting what they are perceiving into our limited perceptions, which is why it was given humanoid and animals shapes; those are things humans are familiar with. Instead, most people just go insane with the inability to process it. However, without this tangibility, people probably wouldn't even know about Lovecraftian cosmic horror. It's not a horror genre that's easy to jump into without some knowledge of what it's all about. Cthulhu became a tangible mascot that brings people in to what it's all really about, or gets pulled out of context into just another large monster, but still builds interest in the stories.
When I finally read the story I was struck by the impression of a Green Jelly like creature. It was unlike various images of Squidward I have already seen. Far less formed it was.
R’lyeh could have sunk do to continental drift. The entire Cthulhu mythos was based on the fear of the unknown, the ocean, space, underground, and other planets.
@@rishisaaptacha That’s ignorable, just acknowledge the focus, it’s the unknown and vastness of the voids. What’s hiding below the deserts? What’s sleeks in the jungles? What’s sleeping in the deep? What’s going on in the other worlds? I don’t give a damn about what he says about humans, there’s a distinct difference between the human characters (regardless of race) and the monsters (such as the deep ones, lost race, and yithians) which means his racism isn’t connected to the monsters as much which makes it so you don’t have to acknowledge it as much and with the monsters being the focus, not the humans, it’s easy to ignore the few unfavorable words and opinions. Not saying being disgusted by his poor word choice is bad, just saying it’s kinda boring to say “Oh He WaS rAcIsT” like somehow no one knows that despite the obvious word usage and very prominent presence of H.P.Lovecraft “hey this guy was a little bit of a dick” warnings everywhere. I am a bi femboy who identifies as nonbinary, he would hate me, do I care? No, he’s dead and his opinions don’t matter, and because he’s dead, I don’t have to worry about supporting a racist. That’s why I hate Harry Potter, because unlike H.P.Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, the creator is alive and an ass. Not saying your comment is bad btw, just saying you don’t need to say the stuff everyone already heard when it doesn’t really matter anymore.
I have to say, I absolutely LOVE this series you've done. As a huge Lovecraft fan, and an English major, it's nice to have a somewhat simple, easy to follow breakdown of these characters. Lovecraft's work can be overwhelming, and I always recommend your videos to anyone who's just starting to explore his mythos. Thank you so much. You rock! I'd love to do a collaboration some time!
the more I know about these things the more haunting , the more twisted and dark my dreams become , they are becoming lovecraftian in a way , they are becoming cryptic and untraditional ,in one a creature informed me that I was dreaming , and I continued to struggle to wake up , but I'd just end up in different realities. it was disturbing.
Lovecraft's description of Cthulhu was so perfect and vivid. I remember drawing him how he described the small stone idol in the story before seeing anyone else's rendering and years later finding countless images on the internet just like mine.
The thing that's been confusing me about The Call of Cthulhu: After the guy in the story wakes up Cthulhu, isn't that the end for humanity? Does ramming his ship into its face and briefly inconveniencing it put it back to sleep?
That's what we're led to believe, but we have a very unreliable narrator, so it's hard to say. I've always felt that Cthulhu isn't really that powerful, since most of what we hear about that comes from his worshippers. At the end of the day, some of it is up to reader interpretation.
I like the description of Cthulhu breaking up and recombining in some undescribable way. I envision it as looking like globules of water floating in zero-G.
Or maybe something more powerful than Cthulhu drove him back down for its own reasons. There was a terrible storm after Cthulhu awoke and began to leave, perhaps that was a Great One driving Cthulhu back down. In the end, we can only guess what happened.
I prefer to imagine it more like you're trying to nap and some kids starts playing really loud outside your house so all you can muster is getting up, yelling at them then going back down for your nap.
Cthulhu is also mentioned in H.P. Lovecraft’s book, At the Mountains of Madness. It is mentioned when the last two remaining explorers find one of the Old Ones’ large cities and they explore the hallways reading the ancient pictures that are on the wall. At one point they read that Cthulhu came down and invaded Earth until both the Old Ones and Cthulhu make a treaty and end the war.
I think currently widespread interest in this series was caused by the popularity of franchise who used the elder gods as inspiration for thier own deites ,example Warcraft and Warhammer 40k
Fallout 3 with The Dark Heart of Blackhall quest, & 4 with Dunwich Borers and Kingsport Lighthouse. The Elder Scrolls (Hermaeus Mora through the series and in The Dragonborn DLC of Skyrim and other Lovecraftian references such as Shadow over Hackdirt in Oblivion).
I can't help but feel that certain changes in society itself in the past few decades has drawn people to Lovecraft's theme of "insignificance". We live in a world now where mega-corporations and the mega-rich do as they please and the common individual is helpless to do anything. Our governments abuse their power right in our front of our faces and don't listen to us when we voice our concerns. We are graduating college with diplomas that can't get us jobs. And even when we do find a job, the guarantee of keeping that job just isn't there anymore. As time goes by we feel smaller and smaller and utterly helpless.
Undead Nightorc After a good mass sudden global culling of the human race, things will be set back right again eventually. Those that actually survive and use their brains for the first time in a hundred years will be fine. Likely things will go back to running farms like in the 1800's, if anything that might do some good. Still Lovecrafts work and similar works will still be as popular as they ever were.I also do not doubt that those works are at least based in some sort of fact and that the Necronomicon is real, also that The Mad Arab was a real man. I honestly find this all much easier to believe than anything in mainstream religion, far more interesting as well.
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At 3:35 you get into Cthulhu's deathlike slumber inside the sunken city of R'lyeh and state the reasons for it is unclear. This is not the case and I'd like to point out a passage in the tale itself that goes as follows; "When the stars were right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live." I'd call that an unfortunate handicap, but I guess Cthulhu and his star-spawn are connected to the cosmos in ways we couldn't even begin to understand.
Why would these creatures from the mythos all come to Earth, whats so good about Earth, there are Trillions of planets. There has to be better planets out there. It's like Earth is a giant party.
Earth is the only planet in LIGHTYEARS, that actually has life. Every other planet is uninhabited and probably has terrible and dangerous other creatures
@@themadclown4077 The old ones travel from planet to planet through portals and most of them travel from one galaxy to another or live on multiple plains of reality. Cthulhu just stays on earth because he is in a deep sleeping state but if he was still conscious he would probably also travel to other planets to conquer them. They don’t really prefer earth they just conquer any planet they come across plus humans have a very fragile understanding of the universe and so multiple old ones and elder gods just mess around with humans to destroy their minds basically and drive them insane
@@themadclown4077 and most cosmic beings don’t really live on earth. They mostly just communicate with humans through their minds and take on forms so they could directly interact with humans through their dreams or through some kind of telepathy
Man thank you for covering this. Not only that but you included info from the just as interesting Expanded Universe as well. You sir have earned my subscription and I can't wait to see more. Especially on the bigger guys like Yog Sothoth or Azathoth which are even harder to comprehend.
Derek Bates Look, don't blame Lovecraft for all the hype one of his many monsters happens to get for some reason. Cthulu is still awesome, just not as powerfull as some might portray him as.
Hahaha, that was a good anime. I knew Cthulhu much earlier but when I've watched the series the references made it more enjoyable. Also, it had a lot of other references to the other series and pop culture.
Before I even found out about Lovecraft, I had a dream about something that looked like Cthulhu when I was a kid. The dream took place on a beach. There was a HUGE storm. Wind blowing the sand every which way, lightning and thunder, people running everywhere. Off into the distance was a VERY, VERY. VERY LARGE figure approaching. Looked exactly like Cthulhu. I woke up terrified to say the least.
Well I think the reason he died is because He was never meant to be a physical being, he was supposed to be the definition of terror and insanity, not a physical being, so the moment he was able to take physical form, was the moment he lost. I think that's all but u guys should watch extra credits on Cthulhu
Everyone brings this up and yet it's like they didn't read the actual book. Yes he was rammed by a boat but immediately reformed like nothing happened. Why didn't he chase after the boat? Probably couldn't be bothered and just wanted the idiots off his lawn so he could continue his nap.
mrwindupbird101 the implication is that if a tiny fishing boat in the 1920's or whatever could accidentally blow his head off, an actual military offensive would easily stop him. ....and yes, I know that's unfair, but whatever.
LAVATORR "could mildly inconvenience it" is what you meant to say. It didn't kill it, it didn't stop it. It literally reformed right after it moved through it. Shoot it with missiles, nuke it, carpet bomb it, whatever. It will reform, and end you. The only reason it didn't chase the boat is that it did not care to chase it, Cthulhu was going to get it's beauty nap.
I just stumbled onto this video SOMEHOW, and I absolutely love it. The exploration of different mythos is so exciting! It really helps when I want to think about it all down to what it could possibly represent if you were to articulate it in certain ways. Like which beings represent what parts of the human psyche and such. Learning and deciphering a mythos is a good way to test your critical thinking skills and further your imagination. I can't wait to delve deeper. I subscribed after I checked your channel and saw all of the other mythos from the LoTR and the Elder Scrolls to Norse.
Im sure some of the popularity was the metallica song in the 80's. Tens of millions of stoner freaks learning of that. Come on... that had to be a SIGNIFICANT bump.
LSB there were 2 actually. The first one was released on their second album Ride the Lightning and titled after the book, The Call Of Cthulhu. The second one was from their next album Master of Puppets which was called The Thing That Should Not Be. The inspiration was from their bassist, Cliff Burton who had just recently read the book and was fascinated by the concept.
It describes an anthropoid dragon with a face like an octopus with rudimentary wings on its back. Later it says it's the size of a mountain, green and gelatinous. No extra eyes, mouths, whatever...actually, pretty straight forward for Lovecraft.
Lovecraft also drew two crude sketches of Cthulhu as part of letters he sent to friends. In these it looks like Cthulhu has six eyes. He drew three eyes on the visible side of the head, we can assume there are three more on the other side.
As a person who had only ever heard of Chtulu in passing reference, this was a wonderful introduction and a very clear origin story. Thank you for putting the time and effort towards aducating us lesser mortals.
You did an amazing job telling the story! I've been researching for a while and have been confused by multiple things but you cleared it all up so effectively in a short video. Thank you!
Very nice video, both informative (for the uninitiated) and also entertaining. I've always been fascinated by Lovecraft's mythos but never got around to reading his books. As a lover of fantasy, this was very interesting to listen, and certainly helps that there are so much great graphic art on the subject. All and all, a great video. Kudos.
It's possible that part of the reason for Cthulhu's popularity is because he's like a border between cosmic and human horror. Beings like Azathoth, while powerful, are apathetic to humanity and could end known existence without a second thought. Cthulhu appears interested in human affairs and developing a cult among them. Perhaps knowing that something actually actively seeks the dominion over humanity makes it scarier.
Considering Cthulhu is really more of an uncaring being, I usually see him as a grumpy old guy who just so happens to scare people during his morning jogs.
I had a dream about this creature back in the start of 2020 when this covid fiasco started. I didn’t know what this thing was back then and the dream was so vivid as I watched it emerge out of the ocean with its army to terrorize the coastal cities. It communicated with me telepathically that it will be emerging soon. I woke up frightened. It was so real. Only months later did I find out about this creature online. I had goosebumps.
Cthulhu and the giant creatures that lives beneath the sea seems to be the reason of why the sea is always in movement through violent waves produced by the steps of the great Cuthulhu.
My interpretation of Cthulhu is that he is as strange in form as any of the other gods, non-euclidean. The man/dragon/octopus form is a depiction his followers use when creating idols due to their cognitive limitations, the way the demons and mythical creatures throughout history have been depicted as chimeras. The sailor never describes him like that and in Lovecraft's work his is the only account from a first hand witness.
At the end of "The Call of Cthulhu" story the sailor describes him as "the awful squid-head with writhing feelers". But it doesn't necessarily mean that he looks just like the carvings. Actually, he might be more like an amorphous or weirdly-shaped entity with just a partial, slight resemblance to a squid or octopus - and the cultists' imagination did the rest. I find your interpretation very intriguing, I think it might really make sense.
Fun fact: if you have seen bird box then if you look closely at one of the pictures it resembles cthulhu alot. Besides...i like to pretend that the that the monsters off of bird box are spawns of cthulhu.
Jesus Christ, this video came up in my recommended today. 6 years ago.. I remember when you took the vote for this one. How have I been listening to your sweet, sweet voice for half a decade??
I might be wrong but you say the reason for cthulhus slumber is unclear but I think I remember from the book it was because when the stars aligned themselfs correctly the old ones could travel as they wished between worlds however when the stars were wrong they could not live and would lay in their stone houses. Here are 2 chapters from the book that caught my attention, granted those phrases are by human description and could be inaccurate. I think from the description that cthulhu went into slumber when the stars were wrong in wait for the to be right. Sorry for the poor english, its my second language Thank you for the videos they are very interesting and informative! here are the phrases: "This was that cult, and the prisoners said it had always existed and always would exist, hidden in distant wastes and dark places all over the world until the time when the great priest Cthulhu, from his dark house in the mighty city of R’lyeh under the waters, should rise and bring the earth again beneath his sway. Some day he would call, when the stars were ready, and the secret cult would always be waiting to liberate him." "These Great Old Ones, Castro continued, were not composed altogether of flesh and blood. They had shape-for did not this star-fashioned image prove it?-but that shape was not made of matter. When the stars were right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live. But although They no longer lived, They would never really die. They all lay in stone houses in Their great city of R’lyeh, preserved by the spells of mighty Cthulhu for a glorious resurrection when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for Them"
+BigRustyRedNS2 Yes, you do bring up good points, and I would certainly agree that when the stars aren't right, it doesn't seem that Cthulhu and his spawn can travel from world to world. But we also have very clear evidence that Cthulhu can rise out of R'lyeh even when the stars aren't right, since that's exactly what happens at the end of the story. I don't think there's any way the cult can know all the details about Cthulhu and R'lyeh, especially after so many years. If I had to hypothesize, I would say Cthulhu's imprisonment was from an outside source, perhaps the Elder Things, and he's merely in a weakened state while he slumbers.
Actually the ritual chant to awaken Cthulhu is written in The Shadow over Innsmouth too so Cthulhu is also mentioned in that story as well, just not in the way as the reader knows who he is unless the reader has already read the Call
I love how the first assumption of any god-like entity is that they have to have a great plan or thought on anything albeit their creations or existence as a whole. Something so large and powerful doesn't necessarily have to be malevolent or benevolent. It can just exist without a second thought to anything or anyone.
Been watching the channel for a while and just realized i hadnt subscribed, so i corrected this travesty. Keep up the good work, love a bunch of the different topics you dive into
I never like to know what the backstory behind all of these mythical creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft stated that the greatest fear is the unknown and when you take that mystery and unknowing away, the fear is lost. I would never think in a million years that Cthulhu has a family! Cthulhu is not about the monster, it's about the idea of that monster, and if it were to exist, where would we be? There can be a huge, expansive mythos, but does it have to be explained? those are just my 2 cents on this.
Wow, you have really improved on your delivery, both tone, inflection and pace. Your newer videos are slowed down to have greater thematic effect and your tone is on point. This video, though greatly appreciated, seems like an information dump in comparison to your newer stuff. I'm proud to be a subscriber.
The Call of Ktulu by Metallica is what introduced me to Cthulhu. Then my brother wants me to learn how to play Magic: The Gathering, and saw Cthulhu. Was really interested in who he is. Also Lovecraft has another book called “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” - is that story related to Cthulhu? Metallica also made a song called The Thing That Should Not Be that references that book.
I always found it really disappointing that in CoC, some random sailor _actually managed_ to bring down Cthulhu himself with a goddamn _boat._ Should have just been one of his Star-Spawn.
I think Cthulhu is in Black ops 3 on The Shadow of Evil as the gigantic squad like monster in the Sky once the rituals have been completed and pack a punch is mafe available to the players. So yeah, Cthulhu is in a lot of media: stories, films, games, these videos.
Well. This seems interesting. I guess I'll watch more. I've got a question though, (Maybe it'll be answered later on), but is Cthulhu evil? I mean, does he even have a sense of morality on a scale like ours? I've seen images of him to where he looks less evil and more downright sorrowful. ( 0:57 and 2:40 for example) I've always preferred the idea he was just confused after waking up from his slumber and seeing this whole new world of people. Just like to point out, I haven't read any books so if I sound like an idiot, that is why.
There will be others I'm sure to argue this, but Cthulhu and other entities in Lovecraft's works don't really operate on a sense of good or evil as we understand it. Cthulhu and his kin are no strangers to war though, and if Cthulhu's cultists are to be believed, Cthulhu's awakening would fundamentally change humanity as we know it. It's easy for us to think of them as evil and us as good, but its more like an antelope against a lion.
That is what I thought. A big part of Lovecraft's work (from what little I have seen) really embodies the idea that our feelings, sense of morality, and lives don't matter on a cosmic scale. I agree with your analogy, but antelopes can escape lions. I think it is more like we are just bugs to them. They see us, but we are so insignificant that they just rather not think about the lives of each individual ant they tend to step on while walking down the street. I'll ask this though, on the level of them. A point past our human emotions, is there a scale of good and evil? Like, do the gods like Cthulhu care about their own morale. Similar to how even though we don't care about ants, we do care about other humans.
Going purely by Lovecraft, he doesn't really provide any info on that. Other authors have tried to put in qualities like that into the pantheon, but some think that's straying away from a strict "canon".
As I'm watching you're series I'm slowly growing my own canon. Which involves each of the monsters having their own agenda and set of ideas. Which undermines the whole nihilistic "Life is meaningless" point of view these stories seem to represent. I kind of find it interesting just trying to relate to the monsters because either you find a way to make it seem like what is going on really matters, and they do care in a weird way, or you stick to the idea that these things just do not care about humans. If you find a way to give them morals you're breaking canon, if you keep it nihilistic then you realize life is meaningless. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
This is the first of these I've watched, so maybe it'll change if I watch further but I'm not sure I can agree with your train of thought in the latter bit there. I mean, when it comes to The Call of Cthulhu, the gist of that is that his vaguest (and pre-mature) stirrings in his sleep was enough to all but drive significant numbers of sensitive types mad, or at least give them strange, unnatural dreams. He's a being so alien and beyond our comprehension that the whole concept of death simply doesn't even apply. I believe the vaunted nihilistic element of that particular story is simply that Cthulhu WILL wake up. It's inevitable. And when he does, human civilisation will likely be swept aside. Maybe we'll survive in some form, maybe we won't but our world as we know it will die. And it won't be because of a grand plot by alien gods, or because Cthulhu hungers for revenge for getting a boat straight to his sleep-walking head. It'll happen as an afterthought. Without malice or spite or even really his meaningful attention. Thousands and thousands of years of culture and technological development will sink into the metaphorical ocean in the blink of an eye and the universe will not even notice. Cthulhu himself may have understandable motivations or goals. He's vaguely anthropomorphic so it's not hard to personify him and it's not impossible that he would have thought processes that we could in some way wrap out head around or even empathise with on some level. The nihilism doesn't come from Cthulhu's viewpoint, or the lack of moral and ethical structures for the various strange beings and otherworldly things that are encountered in Lovecrafts tales but more so in what it means for us, for our understanding of and place in the universe. And ultimately in some cases, our long term prospects for survival as a species. But it's worth remembering, in a lot of Lovecraft's stories even though in the long run there's that looming dread and some terrible revelations about mankind's place in the universe, in the immediate short term, things are different. If you're lucky and if you're prepared to do what needs to be done, you can turn back the tide if only for a moment. You can escape, or even turn back the threat. You might survive. You might even survive with your sanity largely intact. There is still room for hope in the Lovecraft mythos, however transitory it might be on the cosmic scale.
Lovecraft's space-faring beings have wings that, due to some extra-dimensionality or whatever, are able to interact with the aether that fills space. Their wings are not able to interact with atmosphere, so the creatures have trouble flying on Earth.
Because he said Cthulhu is pronounced in an alien tongue there’s a very real possibility it pronounced Carl
c a r l
Phil swift *LOOK OUT! ITS* c a r l
Caaarl, that kills people!!
The Cult of _c a r l_
Farrel 1 *Death to the world!* c a r l *has come!*
I can sympathise with lovecrafts fear of deep water
For me, it doesn't even have to be deep, it just has to be a body of water where I can't see the bottom. The thought that something unknown could be hiding in the endless darkness just creeps me out, imagining Cthulhu in the darkness is both Excitingly awesome and cripplingly terrifying
Same
Dude the ocean is fucking terrifying. It has goblin sharks.
Me to
Lovecraft was pretty much afraid of everything. He was actually a fairly pathetic guy.
Everybody gangsta until the squid starts walkin
swagmaster143 one of the best comments I read on this video!
Love him ir hate him, hes spittin straight facts!
Man, Splatoon is weird.
And the people start screaming
Soon
So "Call of Cthulhu" is basically an early version of a "found footage" story?
Yeah, but so is Dracula and Frankenstein.
It is one of thw earliest ones inthe genre yes.
They ended up making a game on it. Extremely good look it up its called the call of Cthulhu it's free on Xbox rn
yep, it's called epistolary
He almost sounds like a horror version of Vishnu. He's dead and dreaming while his dead body feeds the Lotus that brings new life. Almost like a dead koi at the bottom of the pond. I guess god has had many bodies he has shed.
In English class, ‘the Call of Cthulhu’ was assigned to read. Well, I read it and had no issues. My friend on the other hand had nightmares for weeks.
I tried to read it
But hella hard to follow
Oya
I dont even think this story is one of the better HP lovecraft stories... I like From Beyond, The Temple, The White Ship.
Andy G. Wait did u? I did wait wtf that’s wierd please tell me you did
That must have been a cool school to go to. Here in my school, the most we do is read crappy fiction about A & M.
3:38 uh, I think Lovecraft states inside the Cthulhu story that the stars must be in alignment for them to travel so maybe the stars going OUT of alignment caused them to go dormant? Then maybe when the stars realign at some point in the future, Cthulhu begins to contact humans in their dreams hoping one will make it to his city to release him? I don't know!
What an amazing theory!
It’s been said in the myths humanity is insignificant, so we are not needed for we are unimportant. But that has never stopped some people and humanity still accomplishes much.
I doubt Lovecraft himself even knows how cthulhu was truly imprisoned. He wasn’t really the type of writer to care about lore details like that.
Whoa I was already subscribed to your channel because of your amazing musical skills and now I see your comment on a random Cthulhu Mythos video. You are a legend
You can know more about cthulu imprison in The Mountains of Madness, since The Elder Things appelled to Azatoth Ritual in charge to sink R'lyeh. The stars aligned means a cosmic configuration in which the Great Old Ones should allow Cthulu to awakens for certain period of time, even this, is part of Nyarlathotep plans for Earth in which humanity is meaningless, In the pass of eons Nyarlathotep plans should complete and involves Cthulu in some way.
There's a fun little coincidence called the Bloop. In the 90s a massive underwater sound was picked up by microphones off the coast of South America. The nature of the sound suggested something massive (like bigger then the largest blue whale) and some scientists thought it was consistent with marine life. What makes this awesome is that it was detected not terribly far from the coordinates Lovecraft gives for R'yleth. To be fair they're pretty much certain at this point it was an icequake in Antartica that caused the sound (like an earthquake but with ice) but still pretty cool.
BALDOMAR bALDOMAR
What do you mean "unfortunately"
You filthy cultist you want Cthulhu to rise?!
Paranormal Encyclopedia Also, it could connect to Atlantis.
FUCK FUCK FUCK THEY'RE COMING FUCK FUCK FUCK
It could be many things, just not Cthulu or a Megalodon. The most plausible are underwater volcanoes, whale calls, tectonic plates and noises created by the environment.
Um, to be honest, I kind of do....
Cthulhu is the easiest to describe...
Does that mean he's the most popular Lovecraft monster because he's the LEAST Lovecraft of them all?
That's gotta be the most insulting success story ever! That's great!
Simplicity can do wonders for an icon. Even if there's been some many different versions of them like Batman for example. From old goofy and childish to cryptic and adult.
Well when you think of most other of the beings in the Cthulhu mythos their descriptions can differ from peoples interpretations. Like Nyarlathotep, maybe you imagine a person hiding behind a mask, a hulking tentacle horror with no face, or just the guy next door, it varies. But you just say "octopus head" and Cthulhu is probably already on your mind, add in it's giant and has bat like wings, definitely Cthulhu.
Perverse Farce
The End is Night it gaves me nightmares
GuyUWishUWere I mean yeah if you think about it. While other lovecraftian monster are scary as hell, most of their feature make zero sense body wise. Most people could agree that Lovecraftian is very detail with his monster but it is very clear that there is very little purpose to their appearance. It seem like he just make a blob of something so reader could be disgust by it but it has little to no purpose.
Their concept and the cosmic mythos are amazingly scary but their appearance wise is just what the fuck man? How can any of these monster even function as a being?
I had to come back here after he was released in Smite. This is still one of the most well executed videos explaining Cthulhu.
same here lmfao after seeing that release trailer i had to dive back into cthulu related vids 💀
Hello again mustache guy
Same
I'm maining him for sure, was getting more into Guardians anyways, love the class.
Sam here. He looks fantastic, his kit looks powerful. Thing was, I knew little to nothing about him in any shape or fashion. Trying to learn a bit of his backstory lol.
The idea that no matter what we do, no matter how far we strive, no matter how much we develop, we are existing on borrowed time and Cthulhu WILL awaken and destroy everything is quite possibly the most metal thing in existence.
Lovecraft took a lot of inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, the ultimate nihilistic metalness.
Emo's. I have more metal inside me in the form of calcium than either of those two mopey Morresy wannabes put together.
Turd Ferguson Steve Jobs will return and save us all by combining his soul with the Note 7, merging two of the greatest powers that us humans could possibly harness, destroying Cthulu entirely.
***** Yeah, 'cus a rotting corpse is gonna do loads to save his people.
***** Yeah, but can he murder fuck a chaos God into existence? I don't think so.
Dancing space elves can.
Bring on Ynnead and the Rhana Dandra
Its a wonder Hollywood hasn't made a movie about Cthulhu.
stephen connell its impossible
ToLazyTooPlay
Why?
stephen connell the concept of being in this sense would be nearly impossible to capture in a movie sense. The project will become a failure or a bad movie. I do really want a movie but I know it will be inaccurately represented.
ToLazyTooPlay Thanks. I understand your point of view
+ToLazyTooPlay Actually it could be made fairly accurate if its made by the Lord of the rings producers and animators or the Pirates of the caribbean.
However, it would still need 3-4 movies to represent the full story :/
Cthulhu for president, 2020.
Why choose the lesser evil?
Yeah, let’s all just get crazy and go stupid!!!
Yes let us!
Better than Trump.
Aurore Andrea Gislaine Duquenne Ok liberal
If azaroth is bigger than god and Jesus. Why no pray to the elder
"Hello, have you thought of buying Eldrich creature insurance?"
The Cold-Call of Cthulhu
One of the best marketing jokes you can make
"Gaaaah mommm, its them agaaaain"
Wait... What is an "Eldritch" Creature?
So ironically, Cthulhu became the most popular part of the Lovecraft mythos because he's one of the easiest to comprehend and understand.
2:34 shub.. what.. do you have an nword pass from the alien
H.P. Lovecraft was incredibly racist, so yeah, Shub Niggurath is definitely named after the N-word.
Lovecraft was terrified of anything different, he was especially afraid of non white people, making him horribly racist in his writings.
H. P. Lovecraft: America’s favorite racist.
@@LordDeathwing17 no
The world's favourite racist
Cthulhu: What will you do mortal? Shoot me?
Guy with gun: NOPENOPENOPE!
Just the ringtone on Cthulu's cell phone has driven people insane :)
Billy and mandy
the crazy frog
top kek
i must have that ringtone
Andy Hanterink no way me to
Cthulhu did nothing wrong
#cthululivesmatter
Flandredivision lol
We wuz old ones n sheeeit
#JoinTheCthulhuCult
#MACTHA
Dude that's literally Giant squidward.
Looks like Spongebob and Patrick really pushed him over the edge this time
With God mode On and reality bending .
I recognize C'thulu as vilgax from Ben 10.
me too i think he looks an knock off cthulu
Pretty much. He even has a similar M.O.
What's funny is he pretended to be Dagon, who is actually based on Cthuhlu and was named after the creature/god named Dagon.
He then became his servant, later stealing his powers.
One of my favorite Fauxcraft stories.
Call of Cthulhu was loosely based on an earlier Lovecraft story called Dagon
Dagon is also the name of the creature Vilgax impersonates to be worshiped, and nursed back to health by a cult, after his ship blew up in the ocean.
Cthulhu honestly scares the shit out of me
As you should, puny mortal, for when the stars are right R'lyeh will rise and the time of humanity will come to a most gruesome end. Or some shit like that.
I think thats the point...
Turd Ferguson lol
The other aliens scare me more than cthulu
C'THUN! C'THUN! C'THUUUN!
Cthulhu is a great example of irony in Lovecraft's works in cosmic horror. It's only popular because fans made Cthulhu tangible and recognizable. This literally goes against everything Lovecraft was trying to do, with everything being unexplainable and foreign to any human concept of organization. The description should be a human's attempt at force fitting what they are perceiving into our limited perceptions, which is why it was given humanoid and animals shapes; those are things humans are familiar with. Instead, most people just go insane with the inability to process it.
However, without this tangibility, people probably wouldn't even know about Lovecraftian cosmic horror. It's not a horror genre that's easy to jump into without some knowledge of what it's all about. Cthulhu became a tangible mascot that brings people in to what it's all really about, or gets pulled out of context into just another large monster, but still builds interest in the stories.
When I finally read the story I was struck by the impression of a Green Jelly like creature.
It was unlike various images of Squidward I have already seen. Far less formed it was.
You could say that about literally any fictional character. Hell half of lovecraft's creatures were just ripped straight out of E.A.Ps work
@@illegalalien6542 sorry, who's EAP?
Edgar Allan Poe
Much better explanation than the video.
5:45 Thanks for the nightmare fuel, man. Really, thanks a lot
You're welcome Bob
I shouldn't have clicked on that time line.. fuuuu
I 'l never swim in the ocean again...
opjp35 Why be the same when you can stand out and be different?
Its not really that scary, if anything its pretty cool hahaha
5:06 I think HP Lovecraft's favorite description was "indescribable."
R’lyeh could have sunk do to continental drift.
The entire Cthulhu mythos was based on the fear of the unknown, the ocean, space, underground, and other planets.
R'lyeh lays deep within the sea of consciousness 😏 it exists in mind but not in matter, much as every eldritch being
Is the bs I spout
@@rishisaaptacha That’s ignorable, just acknowledge the focus, it’s the unknown and vastness of the voids.
What’s hiding below the deserts? What’s sleeks in the jungles?
What’s sleeping in the deep?
What’s going on in the other worlds?
I don’t give a damn about what he says about humans, there’s a distinct difference between the human characters (regardless of race) and the monsters (such as the deep ones, lost race, and yithians) which means his racism isn’t connected to the monsters as much which makes it so you don’t have to acknowledge it as much and with the monsters being the focus, not the humans, it’s easy to ignore the few unfavorable words and opinions.
Not saying being disgusted by his poor word choice is bad, just saying it’s kinda boring to say “Oh He WaS rAcIsT” like somehow no one knows that despite the obvious word usage and very prominent presence of H.P.Lovecraft “hey this guy was a little bit of a dick” warnings everywhere. I am a bi femboy who identifies as nonbinary, he would hate me, do I care? No, he’s dead and his opinions don’t matter, and because he’s dead, I don’t have to worry about supporting a racist. That’s why I hate Harry Potter, because unlike H.P.Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, the creator is alive and an ass.
Not saying your comment is bad btw, just saying you don’t need to say the stuff everyone already heard when it doesn’t really matter anymore.
I have to say, I absolutely LOVE this series you've done. As a huge Lovecraft fan, and an English major, it's nice to have a somewhat simple, easy to follow breakdown of these characters. Lovecraft's work can be overwhelming, and I always recommend your videos to anyone who's just starting to explore his mythos. Thank you so much. You rock! I'd love to do a collaboration some time!
Kratos vs. Cthulhu
Atreus: "You are trespassing on this reality and on this Earth."
Kratos: "It means get lost Squidward!"
Good one
FIGHT
I feel it should be the other way around.
@@galecaie928 fr tho
BOI
5:42 *Have you truly forgotten that I am the Collector of Feet, for I am Cthulu, The Great Foot Fetish One.*
Oh no
Maybe... I am something of a Chtulu myself
@@pantsuslayer8631 Cthulhu
I bet he mains gladiator in for honor
the more I know about these things the more haunting , the more twisted and dark my dreams become , they are becoming lovecraftian in a way , they are becoming cryptic and untraditional ,in one a creature informed me that I was dreaming , and I continued to struggle to wake up , but I'd just end up in different realities. it was disturbing.
it is spine chilling. I'll continue to learn about the mythos , but it is without a doubt haunting , I love it.
Lovecraft's description of Cthulhu was so perfect and vivid. I remember drawing him how he described the small stone idol in the story before seeing anyone else's rendering and years later finding countless images on the internet just like mine.
"and his great grandfather is AzaTHOTh himself"
raven
If she dreams she's a THOT
Lemons AKATOSH
"Shub-Niggurath"
@@ezradyson2464 you mean....
If she was born, she's a THOT!
The thing that's been confusing me about The Call of Cthulhu: After the guy in the story wakes up Cthulhu, isn't that the end for humanity? Does ramming his ship into its face and briefly inconveniencing it put it back to sleep?
That's what we're led to believe, but we have a very unreliable narrator, so it's hard to say. I've always felt that Cthulhu isn't really that powerful, since most of what we hear about that comes from his worshippers. At the end of the day, some of it is up to reader interpretation.
I like the description of Cthulhu breaking up and recombining in some undescribable way. I envision it as looking like globules of water floating in zero-G.
+Donny Lurch maybe he put us in stasis in a zoo or something, and everything we know is just a dream
Or maybe something more powerful than Cthulhu drove him back down for its own reasons. There was a terrible storm after Cthulhu awoke and began to leave, perhaps that was a Great One driving Cthulhu back down. In the end, we can only guess what happened.
I prefer to imagine it more like you're trying to nap and some kids starts playing really loud outside your house so all you can muster is getting up, yelling at them then going back down for your nap.
5:42 NOPE NOPE NOPE ROPE
AGREED AGREED AGREED AGREED
Xavier Reichel IKR IKR IKR IKR
ROPE WOULDN’T HELP
@EvilTweezers hey ehats touching my foo
OH HELL NAW TO THE NAW NAW NAW
HECK NAW BOIS WHERE WE DROPPING NOT CLOSE TO THE SEA HE K NAW!!!!!!
Cthulhu is also mentioned in H.P. Lovecraft’s book, At the Mountains of Madness. It is mentioned when the last two remaining explorers find one of the Old Ones’ large cities and they explore the hallways reading the ancient pictures that are on the wall. At one point they read that Cthulhu came down and invaded Earth until both the Old Ones and Cthulhu make a treaty and end the war.
I think currently widespread interest in this series was caused by the popularity of franchise who used the elder gods as inspiration for thier own deites ,example Warcraft and Warhammer 40k
Fallout 3 with The Dark Heart of Blackhall quest, & 4 with Dunwich Borers and Kingsport Lighthouse. The Elder Scrolls (Hermaeus Mora through the series and in The Dragonborn DLC of Skyrim and other Lovecraftian references such as Shadow over Hackdirt in Oblivion).
I can't help but feel that certain changes in society itself in the past few decades has drawn people to Lovecraft's theme of "insignificance". We live in a world now where mega-corporations and the mega-rich do as they please and the common individual is helpless to do anything. Our governments abuse their power right in our front of our faces and don't listen to us when we voice our concerns. We are graduating college with diplomas that can't get us jobs. And even when we do find a job, the guarantee of keeping that job just isn't there anymore. As time goes by we feel smaller and smaller and utterly helpless.
Undead Nightorc After a good mass sudden global culling of the human race, things will be set back right again eventually. Those that actually survive and use their brains for the first time in a hundred years will be fine. Likely things will go back to running farms like in the 1800's, if anything that might do some good.
Still Lovecrafts work and similar works will still be as popular as they ever were.I also do not doubt that those works are at least based in some sort of fact and that the Necronomicon is real, also that The Mad Arab was a real man. I honestly find this all much easier to believe than anything in mainstream religion, far more interesting as well.
Yep, I got interested in Cthulhu because of the Old Gods from Warcraft lore.
They are quite common in RPGs. D&D, Final fantasy, Elder Scrolls and the list goes on.
Cthulhu's motive is to get an anime girl harem.
Isn't that everybody's motivation?
Hey guys quick LOVE ALERT♥️♥️
God loves you and desires to have a relationship with you through his Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died on the cross to wash us clean of all of our sin and then was resurrected from the grave 3 days later. Whoever believes and trusts in Jesus Christ will inherit eternal life in heaven and escape eternal torment and separation from God in hell🔥
We need to turn back to God before it’s too late♥️♥️
@@KUYA_AUSTIN isn't it more effective to type this out as its own comment or is this ironic umu
@@KUYA_AUSTIN I’m good
@@KUYA_AUSTIN well it will be more non effective if you comment that in a video about Lovecraftian gods,
Or it's gonna be lot effective
*Cthullu awakens*
Cthullu: Nice place n****
I think you meant nigga
@@mcgfn no he meant n**, it's in an alien tongue you cant understand
Cthulhu: B******
Fuck yo planet
That’s how the squid part formed: “his legs was like linguine”
Cthulhu: I am the king of the sea
Cthulhu: huh? Who is this bald man standing infront of me?
I don't get ir
Neon 1234 this joke is poop, what does this mean
Haha
The bald man: imma impale this man's whole career
@@null7493 one punch man one punched the king of the sea
@@23abedabed23 How do you critisize something you cannot understand? It is from One punch man. He one punched thee king of the sea.
Cthulu 2016: Why chose the lesser of two evils? NO MORE YEARS!!!! :)
I'll vote for him
+Blu KareBear WAIT... What if... Trumps combover... Is... Cthulhu?
Nooblet678 Given the insanity of his supporters you could be on to something :)
Cthulhu for President, 2018!
MisterTutor2010 his supporters didn't riot
People: "Call of Cthulhu."
Eye of Cthulhu: *sad tears drop*
At 3:35 you get into Cthulhu's deathlike slumber inside the sunken city of R'lyeh and state the reasons for it is unclear.
This is not the case and I'd like to point out a passage in the tale itself that goes as follows; "When the stars were right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when the stars were wrong, They could not live."
I'd call that an unfortunate handicap, but I guess Cthulhu and his star-spawn are connected to the cosmos in ways we couldn't even begin to understand.
Cthulu: BOW TO ME, I AM UNSTOPPABLE!
Mars: *moves a few thousand miles from earth*
Cthulu: oh sh-
*thud*
5:46 fuck that. Why did you show me that image
LMAOOOOO
lmao forever sand bathing for me guys YOLO
imagine seeing that at night with your friends but you cant swim away
even if you could swim away you'd be screwed
true
Why would these creatures from the mythos all come to Earth, whats so good about Earth, there are Trillions of planets. There has to be better planets out there. It's like Earth is a giant party.
Earth is the only planet in LIGHTYEARS, that actually has life. Every other planet is uninhabited and probably has terrible and dangerous other creatures
@@Frostedlyre if they have other dangerous creatures then those planets would have life on them?
@@themadclown4077 i don’t know lmao i read it from some other comment
@@themadclown4077 The old ones travel from planet to planet through portals and most of them travel from one galaxy to another or live on multiple plains of reality. Cthulhu just stays on earth because he is in a deep sleeping state but if he was still conscious he would probably also travel to other planets to conquer them. They don’t really prefer earth they just conquer any planet they come across plus humans have a very fragile understanding of the universe and so multiple old ones and elder gods just mess around with humans to destroy their minds basically and drive them insane
@@themadclown4077 and most cosmic beings don’t really live on earth. They mostly just communicate with humans through their minds and take on forms so they could directly interact with humans through their dreams or through some kind of telepathy
Man thank you for covering this. Not only that but you included info from the just as interesting Expanded Universe as well. You sir have earned my subscription and I can't wait to see more.
Especially on the bigger guys like Yog Sothoth or Azathoth which are even harder to comprehend.
For all his bad ass and ferocity, he gets taken out by an old ship; how epic.
Luke van Kleef
Of course.
Derek Bates Look, don't blame Lovecraft for all the hype one of his many monsters happens to get for some reason. Cthulu is still awesome, just not as powerfull as some might portray him as.
Luke van Kleef You would think that would be clear to some, and yet folks tend to forget that he got pwned by a boat.
Derek Bates Folks also tend to forget that the wound caused by said boat got instantly healed.
Luke van Kleef
just as American victory in the Tet Offensive in regards to the overall war itself was irrelevant, so is this.
How I know Cthutlu?
Nyaruko-san
What? Is that an anime?
I see that you're a person of culture
@@TheBroGamer14082 Yes
@@ThamTvMaster bohooooo take your anime outta here
Hahaha, that was a good anime. I knew Cthulhu much earlier but when I've watched the series the references made it more enjoyable. Also, it had a lot of other references to the other series and pop culture.
Before I even found out about Lovecraft, I had a dream about something that looked like Cthulhu when I was a kid. The dream took place on a beach. There was a HUGE storm. Wind blowing the sand every which way, lightning and thunder, people running everywhere. Off into the distance was a VERY, VERY. VERY LARGE figure approaching. Looked exactly like Cthulhu. I woke up terrified to say the least.
the video was really well made and informative. keep up the good work.
Oh yea peenee grande 🍆
I’m not scared of Cthulhu, or the ocean. But this 5:45 is genuinely terrifying.
Meh i think if it was angled differently it would have been better
By "terrifying encounter" do you mean "lightly bumped into and murdered him accidentally"?
sure why not?
Well I think the reason he died is because
He was never meant to be a physical being, he was supposed to be the definition of terror and insanity, not a physical being, so the moment he was able to take physical form, was the moment he lost.
I think that's all but u guys should watch extra credits on Cthulhu
Everyone brings this up and yet it's like they didn't read the actual book. Yes he was rammed by a boat but immediately reformed like nothing happened. Why didn't he chase after the boat? Probably couldn't be bothered and just wanted the idiots off his lawn so he could continue his nap.
mrwindupbird101 the implication is that if a tiny fishing boat in the 1920's or whatever could accidentally blow his head off, an actual military offensive would easily stop him.
....and yes, I know that's unfair, but whatever.
LAVATORR "could mildly inconvenience it" is what you meant to say. It didn't kill it, it didn't stop it. It literally reformed right after it moved through it. Shoot it with missiles, nuke it, carpet bomb it, whatever. It will reform, and end you. The only reason it didn't chase the boat is that it did not care to chase it, Cthulhu was going to get it's beauty nap.
I just stumbled onto this video SOMEHOW, and I absolutely love it. The exploration of different mythos is so exciting! It really helps when I want to think about it all down to what it could possibly represent if you were to articulate it in certain ways. Like which beings represent what parts of the human psyche and such.
Learning and deciphering a mythos is a good way to test your critical thinking skills and further your imagination. I can't wait to delve deeper.
I subscribed after I checked your channel and saw all of the other mythos from the LoTR and the Elder Scrolls to Norse.
“Love craft was inspired by his fear of the water when creating cthulu”
He was also inspired by his fear of other races and spherical geometry too
Reddit moment.
I love his cats name! One of the greatest writers of the last 100 years
Not to mention ultraviolet light
Remember the story he wrote because he was scared of air conditioners?
Im sure some of the popularity was the metallica song in the 80's. Tens of millions of stoner freaks learning of that. Come on... that had to be a SIGNIFICANT bump.
LSB there were 2 actually. The first one was released on their second album Ride the Lightning and titled after the book, The Call Of Cthulhu. The second one was from their next album Master of Puppets which was called The Thing That Should Not Be. The inspiration was from their bassist, Cliff Burton who had just recently read the book and was fascinated by the concept.
Streethawk1219 you know your Metallica facts my friend jaja
Also Who comes up with these images? I thought in the book they only described his appearance a little bit yet there's so much fan art!
It describes an anthropoid dragon with a face like an octopus with rudimentary wings on its back. Later it says it's the size of a mountain, green and gelatinous. No extra eyes, mouths, whatever...actually, pretty straight forward for Lovecraft.
TheBlues32 thanks for that info. I never read any of the books just whatever was on Wikipedia I know not a very reliable source.
+westnile21 probably because there are not books only short stories
Lovecraft also drew two crude sketches of Cthulhu as part of letters he sent to friends. In these it looks like Cthulhu has six eyes. He drew three eyes on the visible side of the head, we can assume there are three more on the other side.
ya? thats why its called fan art
As a person who had only ever heard of Chtulu in passing reference, this was a wonderful introduction and a very clear origin story. Thank you for putting the time and effort towards aducating us lesser mortals.
I'd be jealous of this guy if I could.
Gets all the recognition, all the nice songs. Why don't I get more songs.
Here because, Bloodborne
same lol
Literally just because bloodborne is heavily based on the Cthulhu mythos
@Kyros Droztamyr well, someone didn't play the DLC lol
@Kyros lamo, the dlc is pretty fucking good I'm not even a console player
@Kyros Droztamyr what about all the WoW expansions?
You did an amazing job telling the story! I've been researching for a while and have been confused by multiple things but you cleared it all up so effectively in a short video. Thank you!
I put this playlist on every night when I sleep. Awesome video series bud for every series you do!
Very nice video, both informative (for the uninitiated) and also entertaining. I've always been fascinated by Lovecraft's mythos but never got around to reading his books. As a lover of fantasy, this was very interesting to listen, and certainly helps that there are so much great graphic art on the subject. All and all, a great video. Kudos.
It's possible that part of the reason for Cthulhu's popularity is because he's like a border between cosmic and human horror. Beings like Azathoth, while powerful, are apathetic to humanity and could end known existence without a second thought. Cthulhu appears interested in human affairs and developing a cult among them. Perhaps knowing that something actually actively seeks the dominion over humanity makes it scarier.
Considering Cthulhu is really more of an uncaring being, I usually see him as a grumpy old guy who just so happens to scare people during his morning jogs.
@caitlyncarvalho7637"this wound in reality tastes really good"
"why can I hear people's thoughts?"
"what the hell even are these colours?"
Wait, so c'thulu lives in atlantis?!?!?!?
thats cityist
Victor Barton - He lived on the continent of Mu.
Victor Barton he lives in my ass!
this is why the senate wanted you dead
Yep he killed all of the people of atlantis
When you realize that Cthulhu is the most friendly face of cosmic horror in comparison with the rest.
I had a dream about this creature back in the start of 2020 when this covid fiasco started. I didn’t know what this thing was back then and the dream was so vivid as I watched it emerge out of the ocean with its army to terrorize the coastal cities. It communicated with me telepathically that it will be emerging soon. I woke up frightened. It was so real. Only months later did I find out about this creature online. I had goosebumps.
and didn't it communicate to people in their dreams too 😳
@@sovietrat892
Yes ! I was completely shaken when I found that out.
Bro talked to Ultra Instinct Squidward 💀
2:33 WOAH WOAH WOAH HARD R BRO CHILL
Lovecraft was racist so that's kinda the point
@@ZyroidX I know aha it was just a joke
He said it with no hesitation😂
Listening to this almost five years after it’s conception, and I gotta say, your narration has improved dramatically.
Cthulhu and the giant creatures that lives beneath the sea seems to be the reason of why the sea is always in movement through violent waves produced by the steps of the great Cuthulhu.
Soon I rise. Prepare.
well shit
+Cynical Cthulhu go back to your slumber Cthulhu, The Dragon Knight is hunting you.
spartanMN300 No threat to one such as I.
ALL BOW TO THE DARK LORD CTHULHU
hell no!
I like that you inform people that lovecraft didnt have anything to do with the mythos. Really great video
Me: Wow, he speaks a lot faster and less dramatic in this o-
*4 years ago*
He's gotten better over time.
Cthulhu : *Exists*
Terraria Veterans : Im about to end this whole mans carreer
Jaide Geronimo Fear my Yo-Yo
He's not a boss.
@DKylis that might be the most retarded logic ever.
@DKylis I didn't play Terraria I dont know shit but take this enchanted golden apples
The moon lord is supposed to be Cthulhu
You channel is far beyond to be affected by time, this is so enjoyable to watch, even after months or years, *_it's history, a f t e r a l l_*
My interpretation of Cthulhu is that he is as strange in form as any of the other gods, non-euclidean. The man/dragon/octopus form is a depiction his followers use when creating idols due to their cognitive limitations, the way the demons and mythical creatures throughout history have been depicted as chimeras. The sailor never describes him like that and in Lovecraft's work his is the only account from a first hand witness.
At the end of "The Call of Cthulhu" story the sailor describes him as "the awful squid-head with writhing feelers". But it doesn't necessarily mean that he looks just like the carvings. Actually, he might be more like an amorphous or weirdly-shaped entity with just a partial, slight resemblance to a squid or octopus - and the cultists' imagination did the rest.
I find your interpretation very intriguing, I think it might really make sense.
Fun fact: if you have seen bird box then if you look closely at one of the pictures it resembles cthulhu alot. Besides...i like to pretend that the that the monsters off of bird box are spawns of cthulhu.
Jesus Christ, this video came up in my recommended today. 6 years ago.. I remember when you took the vote for this one. How have I been listening to your sweet, sweet voice for half a decade??
I might be wrong but you say the reason for cthulhus slumber is unclear but I think I remember from the book it was because when the stars aligned themselfs correctly the old ones could travel as they wished between worlds however when the stars were wrong they could not live and would lay in their stone houses.
Here are 2 chapters from the book that caught my attention, granted those phrases are by human description and could be inaccurate.
I think from the description that cthulhu went into slumber when the stars were wrong in wait for the to be right.
Sorry for the poor english, its my second language
Thank you for the videos they are very interesting and informative!
here are the phrases:
"This was that cult, and the prisoners said it had
always existed and always would exist, hidden in distant wastes and dark
places all over the world until the time when the great priest Cthulhu, from
his dark house in the mighty city of R’lyeh under the waters, should rise
and bring the earth again beneath his sway. Some day he would call, when
the stars were ready, and the secret cult would always be waiting to liberate
him."
"These Great Old Ones, Castro continued, were not composed altogether
of flesh and blood. They had shape-for did not this star-fashioned image
prove it?-but that shape was not made of matter. When the stars were
right, They could plunge from world to world through the sky; but when
the stars were wrong, They could not live. But although They no longer
lived, They would never really die. They all lay in stone houses in Their
great city of R’lyeh, preserved by the spells of mighty Cthulhu for a glorious
resurrection when the stars and the earth might once more be ready for
Them"
+BigRustyRedNS2 Yes, you do bring up good points, and I would certainly agree that when the stars aren't right, it doesn't seem that Cthulhu and his spawn can travel from world to world. But we also have very clear evidence that Cthulhu can rise out of R'lyeh even when the stars aren't right, since that's exactly what happens at the end of the story. I don't think there's any way the cult can know all the details about Cthulhu and R'lyeh, especially after so many years. If I had to hypothesize, I would say Cthulhu's imprisonment was from an outside source, perhaps the Elder Things, and he's merely in a weakened state while he slumbers.
I slumbered merely to wait until I may unleash my chaos once more
BigRustyRedNS2
At this point I'm just watching these to see what horror will be unleashed in December
I think the awakening of Cthulhu can be compared with your own awakening in the morning and discovering that ants are all over the kitchen.
If more and more people start to believe in Cthulhu and the Mythos, we could bring them to life one day.
Actually the ritual chant to awaken Cthulhu is written in The Shadow over Innsmouth too so Cthulhu is also mentioned in that story as well, just not in the way as the reader knows who he is unless the reader has already read the Call
I love how the first assumption of any god-like entity is that they have to have a great plan or thought on anything albeit their creations or existence as a whole. Something so large and powerful doesn't necessarily have to be malevolent or benevolent. It can just exist without a second thought to anything or anyone.
Fun fact: Lovecraft owned a cat until 1904, and that cat was called "Ni**er Man". I'm not even joking.
On god bro?
The cat in Lovecraft's story "The rats in the walls" has that very name, too.
Based name
@@SenhorAlien you're so ugly and weird
South Park man!
MICROAGRESSION
Brandon James im ur 100th like
mintberry crunch
Man bear pig
Eli Cantu I hate you lol
Been watching the channel for a while and just realized i hadnt subscribed, so i corrected this travesty. Keep up the good work, love a bunch of the different topics you dive into
Winston: Cthulhu hey I heard of him he's bad right. Egon: he makes Gozer look like little Mary sunshine
Thank for doing this awesome series. It really clear some things up. I can't wait for the game!
The art in this video is incredible. So cool.
Theistic Nihilism in its purest.
I never like to know what the backstory behind all of these mythical creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft stated that the greatest fear is the unknown and when you take that mystery and unknowing away, the fear is lost. I would never think in a million years that Cthulhu has a family! Cthulhu is not about the monster, it's about the idea of that monster, and if it were to exist, where would we be? There can be a huge, expansive mythos, but does it have to be explained? those are just my 2 cents on this.
Wow, you have really improved on your delivery, both tone, inflection and pace. Your newer videos are slowed down to have greater thematic effect and your tone is on point. This video, though greatly appreciated, seems like an information dump in comparison to your newer stuff. I'm proud to be a subscriber.
"Ktulu awakeeeeen!
Dreaming no more.."
@stargazer _099timeless sleep, has been upset, he awakens, hunter of the shadows is rising
Cristian Escobar IMMORTAL
Yeaaaaaaaaah a fellow Metallica fan!!! 🤘🤘
The Call of Ktulu by Metallica is what introduced me to Cthulhu. Then my brother wants me to learn how to play Magic: The Gathering, and saw Cthulhu. Was really interested in who he is. Also Lovecraft has another book called “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” - is that story related to Cthulhu? Metallica also made a song called The Thing That Should Not Be that references that book.
In other words, C’thulu is the most popular because of the elder gods he has the form we can most easily grasp.
Watch with subtitles/captions and go to 5:10
LOL
LOL thats amazing.
All hale Lord Shit Nigga Roth!
All haill
Sounds like a black SephiRoth I'd hail that!
Cthulhu: You can't beat me
United States Military: We know, but he can
Godzilla in the background: *does his iconic roar
King kong and the Avengers alongside Godzilla:*prepare for battle
Good joke
I always found it really disappointing that in CoC, some random sailor _actually managed_ to bring down Cthulhu himself with a goddamn _boat._
Should have just been one of his Star-Spawn.
It's because he wasn't fully awake yet, he was able regenerate his had back to its place instantly.
.....
What if it was? 🤔
Bro glitched into his head and dealt 10 billion damage 💀
I think Cthulhu is in Black ops 3 on The Shadow of Evil as the gigantic squad like monster in the Sky once the rituals have been completed and pack a punch is mafe available to the players. So yeah, Cthulhu is in a lot of media: stories, films, games, these videos.
Thijs van der Voort have you seen Johnny's video about the connection????
+Burrito beans Roach i think not
Ooh boy am I glad your wrong, that would fuck up the whole story
I don’t think it’s Cthulhu, I shouldn’t have said you were wrong, I just think it’s inspired by him
I think it asathoph because he sits in the centre of chaos and shadows of evil is very chaotic
They need to do an entire cinematic universe on Cthulhu. The entire thing is just batshit insane and needs to be explored
Well. This seems interesting. I guess I'll watch more. I've got a question though, (Maybe it'll be answered later on), but is Cthulhu evil? I mean, does he even have a sense of morality on a scale like ours? I've seen images of him to where he looks less evil and more downright sorrowful. ( 0:57 and 2:40 for example) I've always preferred the idea he was just confused after waking up from his slumber and seeing this whole new world of people.
Just like to point out, I haven't read any books so if I sound like an idiot, that is why.
There will be others I'm sure to argue this, but Cthulhu and other entities in Lovecraft's works don't really operate on a sense of good or evil as we understand it. Cthulhu and his kin are no strangers to war though, and if Cthulhu's cultists are to be believed, Cthulhu's awakening would fundamentally change humanity as we know it. It's easy for us to think of them as evil and us as good, but its more like an antelope against a lion.
That is what I thought. A big part of Lovecraft's work (from what little I have seen) really embodies the idea that our feelings, sense of morality, and lives don't matter on a cosmic scale. I agree with your analogy, but antelopes can escape lions. I think it is more like we are just bugs to them. They see us, but we are so insignificant that they just rather not think about the lives of each individual ant they tend to step on while walking down the street.
I'll ask this though, on the level of them. A point past our human emotions, is there a scale of good and evil? Like, do the gods like Cthulhu care about their own morale. Similar to how even though we don't care about ants, we do care about other humans.
Going purely by Lovecraft, he doesn't really provide any info on that. Other authors have tried to put in qualities like that into the pantheon, but some think that's straying away from a strict "canon".
As I'm watching you're series I'm slowly growing my own canon. Which involves each of the monsters having their own agenda and set of ideas. Which undermines the whole nihilistic "Life is meaningless" point of view these stories seem to represent.
I kind of find it interesting just trying to relate to the monsters because either you find a way to make it seem like what is going on really matters, and they do care in a weird way, or you stick to the idea that these things just do not care about humans. If you find a way to give them morals you're breaking canon, if you keep it nihilistic then you realize life is meaningless. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
This is the first of these I've watched, so maybe it'll change if I watch further but I'm not sure I can agree with your train of thought in the latter bit there.
I mean, when it comes to The Call of Cthulhu, the gist of that is that his vaguest (and pre-mature) stirrings in his sleep was enough to all but drive significant numbers of sensitive types mad, or at least give them strange, unnatural dreams. He's a being so alien and beyond our comprehension that the whole concept of death simply doesn't even apply.
I believe the vaunted nihilistic element of that particular story is simply that Cthulhu WILL wake up. It's inevitable. And when he does, human civilisation will likely be swept aside. Maybe we'll survive in some form, maybe we won't but our world as we know it will die. And it won't be because of a grand plot by alien gods, or because Cthulhu hungers for revenge for getting a boat straight to his sleep-walking head.
It'll happen as an afterthought. Without malice or spite or even really his meaningful attention. Thousands and thousands of years of culture and technological development will sink into the metaphorical ocean in the blink of an eye and the universe will not even notice.
Cthulhu himself may have understandable motivations or goals. He's vaguely anthropomorphic so it's not hard to personify him and it's not impossible that he would have thought processes that we could in some way wrap out head around or even empathise with on some level. The nihilism doesn't come from Cthulhu's viewpoint, or the lack of moral and ethical structures for the various strange beings and otherworldly things that are encountered in Lovecrafts tales but more so in what it means for us, for our understanding of and place in the universe. And ultimately in some cases, our long term prospects for survival as a species.
But it's worth remembering, in a lot of Lovecraft's stories even though in the long run there's that looming dread and some terrible revelations about mankind's place in the universe, in the immediate short term, things are different. If you're lucky and if you're prepared to do what needs to be done, you can turn back the tide if only for a moment. You can escape, or even turn back the threat. You might survive. You might even survive with your sanity largely intact.
There is still room for hope in the Lovecraft mythos, however transitory it might be on the cosmic scale.
Hey, how do the wings produce thrust in space?
They're like muscles on a bodybuilder. It's just for show.
Magic?
Gale Caie yeah
Lovecraft's space-faring beings have wings that, due to some extra-dimensionality or whatever, are able to interact with the aether that fills space. Their wings are not able to interact with atmosphere, so the creatures have trouble flying on Earth.
one flap at a time