What is the Cthulhu Mythos?
The Cthulhu Mythos comprises a “shared world” in which various authors set works of horror, with some overlap with the fields of fantasy, science fiction, and mainstream fiction thrown in. A reader might well compare this to Star Trek or Star Wars, but the Cthulhu Mythos is not controlled by some central authority which commissions books, maintains continuity, and so forth. Rather, authors use elements from each others’ tales in ways which complement (and sometimes conflict) with other’s stories. All of these authors, in one way or another, are paying homage to H. P. Lovecraft. Some have objected to the term “Cthulhu Mythos”, as it was not coined by Lovecraft himself, but by August Derleth. These people point out that “Cthulhu” is hardly the most important creature in the Mythos universe, and have proposed an astonishing array of names to describe the same pantheon. Still, “Cthulhu Mythos” is used by most fans, and it will continue to be used here.
