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The Great Old Ones are the main antagonists of the Cthulhu Mythos by the late legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft. They are a pantheon of demonic extraterrestrial gods that are more known amongst mortals than the Outer Gods, but are infinitely less powerful.

Regardless of this fact, the Great Old Ones are completely invincible in comparison to humanity, and their alien nature is so utterly bizarre that it inspires madness in all who gaze upon them.

Cataclysmic but not necessarily malevolent, the Great Old Ones have the power to end the world on a whim, but never actively seek the destruction of humanity. Perhaps it is due to their vast power — to a Great Old One, humanity just is not worth the trouble of extermination.

Of course on the other hand, a Great Old One could simply choose to destroy entire civilizations for no other reason than because it felt like it. A Great Old One has no care if its actions cause the deaths of thousands, and if a Great Old One should become hungry or bored, it sees no wrong in randomly torturing or devouring innocents.

According to Lovecraft himself, the Great Old Ones were meant to be amoral rather than malicious, in keeping with his belief that the universe itself was alien and uncaring. This, by no means, lessens their danger; it arguably only serves to increase it.

Known Great Old Ones[]

This is a collection of all of the known Great Old Ones and it is organized as follows:

Great Old Ones
Name Epithet(s),

other name(s)

Description
Abholos Devourer in the Mist A grey festering blob of infinite malevolence, described as lesser brother of Tsathoggua or spawn of Cthulhu born from his bile and tears.
Alala Herald of S'glhuo An entity of living sound native of the Gulf of S’glhuo, manifesting as a huge monstrous being. He is served by the Denizens of S’glhuo which are made of his same substance.
Ammutseba Devourer of Stars A dark, cloudy mass with tentacles which absorbs falling stars.
Aphoom Zhah The Cold Flame,

Lord of the Pole

Appears much like Cthugha but grey, and cold.
Apocolothoth The Moon-God A mysterious Lunar entity dwelling in the dimension of Enno-Lunn.
Arwassa The Silent Shouter on the Hill A humanoid torso with tentacles instead of limbs, and a short neck ending in a toothless, featureless mouth.
Atlach-Nacha The Spider God,

Spinner in Darkness

A giant spider with a human-like face.
Ayi'ig The Serpent Goddess, Aeg, Aega Daughter of Yig and the Outer Goddess Yidhra, appearing as a gigantic octopus-like horror with serpentine eyes and detachable tentacles which may move independently. She dwells in the cavern of a deep canyon somewhere in Texas.
Aylith The Widow in the Woods, The Many-Mother A tall, shadowy humanoid figure with yellow glowing eyes and strange protrusions like the branches of dead trees. She serves Shub-Niggurath.
Baoht Z'uqqa-mogg The Bringer of Pestilence A huge, flying scorpion with an ant-like head.
Basatan Master of the Crabs Not described, probably a humanoid crustacean or a gigantic crab.
B’gnu-Thun The Soul-Chilling Ice-God Appears as a cyanotic humanoid followed by an eerie blizzard. The fiery Ruhtra Dyoll is the twin brother of his.
Bokrug The Great Water Lizard,

The Doom of Sarnath

Appears as a gigantic water lizard.
Bugg-Shash The Black One,

The Filler of Space, He Who Comes in the Dark

Appears as a black, slimy mass covered in eyes and mouths, much like a Shoggoth.
Byatis The Berkeley Toad,

Serpent-Bearded Byatis

Appears as a gigantic, multicolored toad with one eye, a proboscis, crab-like claws, and tentacles below the mouth.
Cthaat The Dark Water God,

"Cthaat Aquadingen"

A formless mass of shape-shifting water.
Chaugnar Faugn Horror from the Hills,

The Feeder, Caug-Narfagn

A vampiric elephant-like humanoid with a mouth on the end of its trunk.
Coatlicue Serpent Skirted One A humanoid reptilian giant of with two facing snakes in place of a head. She was the former mate of Yig revered in K'n-yan along with her consort.
Coinchenn A marine tentacled horror made of fish, whale and octopus-like features.
Crom Cruach Master of the Runes, Bloody Crooked One Not described, but likely something gigantic and serpent or worm-like.
Cthaeghya Half-sister of Cthulhu, which spawned the Star-Spawn of Cthulhu.
Cthugha The Living Flame,

The Burning One

Appears as a huge winged octopus-like creature.
Cthulhu Great, Dead, Dread Appears as a huge winged octopus-like creature with gigantic claws.
Cthylla Secret Daughter of Cthulhu Appears as a huge winged octopus-like creature with six eyes.
Ctoggha The Dream-Daemon No description available.
Cyäegha The Destroying Eye,

The Waiting Dark

Appears as a gigantic black mass of tentacles with a single green eye at the centre.
Cynothoglys The Mortician God, She Whose Hand Embalms Appears as a formless mound with one arm-like appendage.
Dhumin The Burrower From the Bluff A serpentine (likely Tremors-like) earth-shaking horror dwelling in the subsoil of Memphis, USA.
The Dweller in the Gulf Eidolon of the Blind Appears as a huge, eyeless, black, soft-shelled tortoise with a triangular head and two whip-like tails, and suckers on the end of each tail.
Dygra The Stone-Thing A jewel-facetted, semi-crystalline geode with mineral tentacles.
Dythalla Lord of Lizards A gigantic saurian creature similar to Bokrug but terrestrial and endowed with a mane of tentacles.
Dzéwà The White God A ravenous plant-god arrived from Xiclotl to Earth, awed by the Insects from Shaggai. He appears as a white orb hiding an enormous magenta excrescence, like an orchid or a lamprey mouth with emerald tentacles tipped with hands emerging from the mass.
Eihort The Pale Beast,

God of the Labyrinth

Appears as a huge, pallid, gelatinous oval with a myriad legs and multiple eyes.
Ei'lor The Star-Seed, The Plant-God A plant-like, parasitic horror native of the jungle planet Kr’llyand, which orbits a dead, green star.
Etepsed Egnis A formless monstrosity with a huge, arm-like appendage.
Ghadamon A Seed of Azathoth A bluish-brown, slimy monstrosity riddled with holes, and an occasional malformed head.
Ghisguth The Sound of the Deep Waters A titanic mass of jelly material.
Gi-Hoveg The Aether Anemone A mysterious creature believed to be the nemesis of the Outer God Uvhash.
Gla'aki The Inhabitant of the Lake,

Lord of Dead Dreams

Appears as a giant three-eyed slug with metallic spines, and tiny, pyramid-like feet underneath.
Gleeth The Blind God of the Moon An eyeless and deaf Lunar deity worshiped in the ancient continent of Theem’dra as well as in Dreamlands, often mentioned as similar to Mnomquah, though apparently not related each other.
Gloon The Corrupter of Flesh,

Master of the Temple, Glhuun

Usually manifests through a Dionysian sculpture, but its true form is that of a gigantic wattled slug-thing.
God of the Red Flux A vaporous red entity haunting the rainforest of Central Africa. It has the power to turn humans in zombie-like servants, the Tree-Men of M'bwa.
Gog-Hoor Eater on the Insane A giant entity dwelling in some reverse dimension, resembling a huge bullet with a long proboscis.
Gol-goroth Golgoroth,

The Forgotten Old One, God of the Black Stone, Golgoroð

Appears as a gigantic, black, toad-like creature with an impossibly malevolent glare, or a tentacled, scaled, bat-winged entity.
Golothess An entity cut in ten pieces by Yig during a time of great battle (one of these pieces is an alabaster dish found in Egypt, dated back 1,300 BC). It resembles and has a similar domain as Greek god Bacchus.
The Green God The Horror Under Warrendown A sentient plant-entity dwelling in subterranean caverns where it is always served by mutant rabbit-like worshipers.
Groth-Golka The Demon Bird-God, The Bird-God of Balsagoð A monstrous bird-like fiend with sharp teeth, dwelling beneath Antarctica, vaguely resembling an extinct Pterosaur.
Gtuhanai The Destroyer God of the Aartna A destructive entity manifesting as a ravenous metallic vortex. He seems to be another half-brother of Cthulhu, like Hastur and related to the slug-like Gla'aki too. He dwells somewhere in the Pleiades stellar region and when summoned he brings devastation.
Gurathnaka Eater of Dreams, Shadow of Night A shadowy non-corporeal entity dwelling in Dreamlands.
Gur'la-ya Lurker in Doom-laden Shadows A great shadow-thing with two red, glaring eyes, able to transform the skull of its own victims in green glowing stones carved with strange symbols.
Gzxtyos Mate of Othuyeg The consort of Othuyeg, likely similar to her bridegroom.
Han The Dark One A being made of cold, howling mist, bound to Yig's worship
Hastalÿk The Contagion A microbial entity, responsible for plagues.
Hastur The Unspeakable,

He Who is Not to be Named, Lord of Interstellar Spaces, The King in Yellow

Its true form is unknown, but usually manifests either as a polypous, ravenous floating mass endowed with tentacles, drills and suckers or, more frequently, as the King in Yellow, a humanoid being wearing tattered, yellow clothes and a mask hiding the face. It is said to be Cthulhu's (half-)brother.
H’chtelegoth The Great Tentacled God A towering greenish trunk with a crown of tentacles, a row of multiple eyes and a couple of additional, lateral grasping appendages.
Hziulquoigmnzhah The God of Cykranosh, Ziulquag-Manzah Has a spheroid body, elongated arms, short legs, and a pendulum-like head dangling underneath. It is the brother of Ghisguth, and uncle of Tsathoggua.
Idh-yaa Cthulhu's Mate, Xothic Matriarch A gigantic, pale, worm-like horror dwelling beneath the crust of star Xoth. She has been Cthulhu's first bride, which spawned the three main sons Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha and Zoth-Ommog.
Inpesca The Sea Horror A formless expansive bluish-black mass, haunting Ecuadorian and Peruvian coasts, mentioned in Cthäat Aquadingen as inimical to the Deep Ones.
Iod The Shining Hunter A levitating, sinuous, glowing creature.
Istasha Mistress of Darkness A cat deity similar to Bastet but vicious and malignant. Her sister is the sylvan Lythalia.
Ithaqua The Wind Walker,

The Wendigo, God of the Cold White Silence

A gigantic, corpse-like human with webbed feet and glowing red eyes.
Janai'ngo Guardian and the Key of the Watery Gates, The Lobster of the Deep A crustacean-like tentacled, half-amorphous marine horror which serves Cthulhu, dwelling in the depths of the Bay of Rhiiklu, somewhere in USA East coast.
Juk-Shabb God of Yekub Appears as a great shining ball of energy.
Kaalut The Ravenous One Likely a gigantic, larva-like horror, dwelling on the distant ammonia planet K'gil'mnon along with the insectoid servants of his.
Kag'Naru of the Air Mentioned in American comics "Challengers of the Unknown" (1977) as sister of M'nagalah.
Kassogtha Bride of Cthulhu, The Leviathan of Diseased A huge mass of coiled, writhing tentacles. She is Cthulhu's sister and mate, who bore him two twin daughters (Nctosa and Nctolhu)
Kaunuzoth The Great One, Cannoosut A squat, sea cucumber-like monstrosity with five eyes, three-toed, taloned appendages and large mouth. He is described as one of Gla'aki’s brethrens and dwells in Moore Dam lake of USA.
Khal'kru All-in-All, Greater-than-Gods A dark, octopoid horror similar to Norse Kraken, but dwelling inside a temple somewhere in a hidden, warm valley in Alaska.
Klosmiebhyx Sister of Zstylzhemghi.
K'nar'st Spawn of the Forgotten A humanoid with four, seven-clawed arms with tentacles in place of legs. The head is lion-like but bony and the mouths encases three long tongues. He lies trapped in the seafloor, inside a seamount called Nayhgof.
Kurpannga The Devil-dingo A giant hairless dingo-like fiend living in Dreamlands (or the Dreamtime of Aboriginal myths).
Lam The Grey An alien entity similar to Grey aliens dwelling in the dark side of planet Mars.
Lythalia The Forest-Goddess A female seductive humanoid entity covered in vines and vegetal parts. Somehow she has been mate of the Elder God Nodens bearing him the twin gods Vorvadoss and Yaggdytha. The feline Istasha is the sister of Lythalia.
Mappo no Ryujin Harbinger of Doom, Mappo's Dragon A dragon-like entity covered in pseudopods, regarded as the mother of the Snake-God Yig and said to be imprisoned beneath the sunken continent of Mu.
M’basui Gwandu The River Abomination A spider-eyed, bat-winged horror lurking in Congo River.
Mhar The World Thunder An insane, volcano-like being trapped on the planet Golarion, and worshipped by the Cult of Mhar.
M'nagalah The Devourer, The Cancer God A mass of entrails and eyes, or a massive blob-thing.
Mnomquah Lord of the Black Lake, The Monster in the Moon A very large and eyeless lizard creature with a "crown" of feelers.
Mordiggian The Charnel God,

The Great Ghoul, Lord of Zul-Bha-Sair, Morddoth

A shapeshifting cloud of shadow.
Mormo The Thousand-Faced Moon Mormo appears in many forms, but three are most common: as a mocking vampiric maiden, as a tentacle-haired gorgon, or as a hunched toad-like albino with a mass of feelers instead of a face. This last is the form of her servitors, the Moon-beasts.
Mortllgh Storm of Steel A lustrous orb floating at the centre of a whirling vortex of razor-sharp, metallic looking blades.
Mynoghra She-Daemon of the Shadows A succubus-like fiend with alien traits and tentacles in place of the hair. She is mentioned as cousin of Nyarlathotep in the O’ Khymer Revelations and worshipped in witch-cults of Salem, Oregon.
Nctosa & Nctolhu The Twin Spawn of Cthulhu Twin daughters of Cthulhu, imprisoned in the Great Red Spot of planet Jupiter. They appear as huge shell-endowed beings, with eight segmented limbs and six long arms ending with claws, vaguely resembling their "step-sister" Cthylla.
Ngirrth’lu The Wolf-Thing, The Stalker in the Snows, He Who Hunts, Na-girt-a-lu A ferocious and towering wolf-like humanoid with bat wings. He is served by werewolf servants known as the Lupine Ones.
Northot The Forgotten God, The Thing That Should Not Be A mysterious entity related to Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath and Azathoth too which manifests either as a faun-like humanoid with colour-changing hair or as a glowing halo of unknown colour.
Nssu-Ghahnb The Heart of the Ages, Leech of the Aeons Sort of a gigantic beating heart secluded in a parallel dimensions. It would have spawned the monsters of all the times.
Nug and Yeb The Twin Blasphemies Two horrid nebulous masses of shape-changing vapour from which eyes, tentacles, maws and hooves emerge; somewhat like Shub-Niggurath. They have been spawned by Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath and both (or either) are regarded as blasphemous parents of Cthulhu
Nyaghoggua The Kraken Within A blurry, dark, kraken-like entity mentioned in the Song of Yste and said to dwell in the Outer Space.
Nycrama The Zombifying Essence A tall larva-like monstrosity with hundreds of segmented, taloned tendrils, exiled by the Elder Gods in a parallel dimension with close connection with South America rainforests, wherefrom he lures human victims to enslave from other dimensions. Formerly he was too an Elder God.
Nyogtha The Thing which Should Not Be,

Haunter of the Red Abyss

Appears as an inky shadow.
Ob'mbu The Shatterer A giraffe-like reptilian monster.
Oorn Mnomquah's Mate Appears as a huge, tentacled mollusc.
Othuum The Oceanic Horror A twisting, ropy-tentacled mass with a single alien face somewhere in the center of the slimy squirming mass.
Othuyeg The Doom-Walker Appears as a great, tentacled eye similar to Cyäegha, but much more to the monster featuring in the horror movie The Crawling Eye. It dwells in the subsoil of Kansas in the fabled Seven Cities of Gold along with the consort of his, Gzxtyos.
Pharol Pharol the Black A black, fanged, cycloptic demon with arms like swaying serpents. The entity normally dwells in another dimension—a "seething and sub-dimensional chaos" beyond the mundane universe. The wizard Eibon of Hyperborea sometimes summoned Pharol to query him for arcane information.
Poseidon A powerful extragalactic entity awed by ‘Ymnar. It battled against the Elder God Paighon.
Psuchawrl The Elder One A tall humanoid with an eyeless, sea anemone-like face and a beaked grinning mouth, who can be summoned like a jinn.
Ptar-Axtlan The Leopard That Stalks the Night A mysterious entity related to zoomorphic shapeshifters, especially werecats.
Quachil Uttaus Treader of the Dust Appears as a miniature, wrinkled mummy with stiff, outstretched claws.
Quyagen The Eye of Z'ylsm, He Who Dwells Beneath Our Feet Worshiped as a deity in a lost continent located in southern Atlantic Ocean. It appears related to Nyarlathotep and its form is likely octopoid, with myriads of horns along a maddening body.
Q'yth-az The Crystalloid Intellect A towering mass of crystals, residing on the lightless planet Mthura.
Raandaii-B'nk A shark-like humanoid native to the Bermuda Triangle, possibly similar to Cthulhu's avatar the Father of All Sharks.
Ragnalla Seeker in the Skies A titanic raptorial fiend with a huge, single eye and a crown of tentacles.
Q'yth-az The Crystalloid Intellect A towering mass of crystals, residing on the lightless planet Mthura.
Raphanasuan The One From Sun Race A gigantic and likely multiarmed fiend.
Rhan-Tegoth Terror of the Hominids, He of the Ivory Throne A three-eyed, gilled, proboscidian monster with a globular torso, six long, sinuous limbs ending in black paws with crab-like claws, and covered in what appears to be hair, but is actually tiny tentacles.
Rhogog The Bearer of the Cup of the Blood of the Ancients A dead-black leafless oak tree, hot to the touch, with a single red eye at the centre.
Rh'Thulla of the Wind Mentioned in American comics "Challengers of the Unknown" (1977), as brother of M'Nagalah.
Rlim Shaikorth The White Worm A gigantic, whitish worm with a huge maw and eyes made of dripping globules of blood.
Rokon A mysterious extradimensional entity regarded as brother of Yig, ruling over a dimension called Zandanua.
Ruhtra Dyoll The Fire God Not described, likely fiery and the opposite of his sibling, B'gnu-Thun.
Saa'itii The Hog A gigantic, ghostly hog.
Scathach One of Hziulquoigmnzhah's children, supposedly female.
Sebek The Crocodile God A crocodile-headed reptilian humanoid, equal to the Ancient Egyptian god Sobek.
Sedmelluq The Great Manipulator, Ishmagon A colossal glowing worm with starfish-shaped head dwelling in Antarctica and served by the Mi-go.
Sfatlicllp The Fallen Wisdom The granddaughter of Tsathoggua, an amorphous mass which mated with a Hyperborean Voormi and spawned the legendary thief Knygathin Zhaum. In Chaosium's Dead Leaves Fall RPG supplement she appears as a fiend with oily, snakey skin and prehensile dreadlocks like a Gorgon.
Shaklatal Eye of Wicked Sight Dark skinned humanoid horror with tentacles sprouting from his head and glowing red eyes, worshiped by earliest African civilizations as the god Amun. He is said to be rival of Cthulhu.
Shathak Mistress of the Abyssmal Slime, Death Reborn, Zishaik, Chushaik Not described, likely an amorphous mass.
Shaurash-ho Naggob, The Prowler Among the Tombs, Father of All Ghouls Mysterious entity mentioned in Howard Phillips Lovecraft's letter to James F. Morton as descendant of Cthulhu which spawned other two horrid descendants (K'baa the Serpent and Ghoth the Burrower). The latter would have sired with a Roman noblewoman Viburnia the legendary ancestor of Lovecraft himself in a fictional family tree. The appearance of Shaurash-Ho has never been described.
Sheb-Teth Devourer of Souls An eyeless, alien humanoid entity massively overgrown with strange flesh and machinery.
Shlithneth A gigantic, slimy worm with a mass of black tentacles surrounding its maw.
Sho-Gath The God in the Box, The Big Black Thing A dark smoky column with red malevolent eyes and a grotesque face imprisoned in a vintage box.
Shterot The Tenebrous One A starfish-like horror spawned by the Outer God C'thalpa. It has been cut in pieces but individual fragments live independently.
Shudde M'ell The Burrower Beneath,

The Great Chthonian

Appears as a colossal worm with tentacles for a head.
Shuy-Nihl The Devourer in the Earth A dark blob of darkness endowed with tentacles.
Sthanee The Lost One A gigantic marine horror with twelve snaky limbs endowed with suckers and a beard of tentacles, served and revered by vicious merfolk known as the "Children of Sthanee".
S'tya-Yg'Nalle The Whiteness An invisible entity made of snow and chill, servitor of Ithaqua.
Summanus Monarch of Night,

The Terror that Walketh in Darkness

A mouthless, grotesque humanoid with pale tentacles protruding from underneath a dark robe.
Swarog A hideous being appearing as a dark gigantic, legless bird-like horror swathed in dark flames, with its long neck topped by a black lump, half of which endowed with a big glowing eye and the other being covered in innumerable tentacles. It was revered by Slavic and Viking folks as the Solar god Svarog, though sharing almost nothing with the traditional deity.
Thanaroa The Shining One A mysterious evil entity manifesting as a pillar of dazzling light dwelling in the ruins of Nan Madol near Ponape. Its name recalls that of Polynesian creator God Tangaroa.
Tharapithia The Shadow in the Crimson Light Slavic and Ugric God-like creature, photophobic and burrowing fiend awed in Middle Ages. It cannot endure the Solar light and eludes it by tunnelling deep under the roots of the oaks.
Thog The Demon-God of Xuthal An octopoid monster of Hyborian Age which haunts the underground of Xuthal city.
Th'rygh The Godbeast A monstrous entity manifesting as a horrible patchwork of flesh and soil and alien matter.
Tsathoggua The Sleeper of N'kai,

The Toad-God, Zhothaqqua, Sadagowah

Appears as a huge, furry, almost humanoid toad, or a bat-like sloth.
Tulushuggua The Watery Dweller Beneath A mysterious subterranean horror dwelling deep within the flooded caves of Florida, served by the eel-like horrors known as the Tulush.
Turua Father of the Swamps, The Bayou Plant God A fungine entity with tentacles and tendrils which haunts the swamplands of Florida, somehow similar to the The Green God.
Uitzilcapac Lord of Pain A sadistic entity trapped by the Elder Gods in a remote dimension of Space-Time continuum and appearing as a 4-m tall lizard-like horror with 6 legs and a mouth filled with vicious fangs.
'Umr at-Tawil The Most Ancient One, The Guide, The Prolonged of Life, The Opener of the Way, The Guardian of the Gate A facet of the Outer God Yog-Sothoth, he guards the gate of the silver key, and is able to transfer any person's mind into one of their facets.
Ut'Ulls-Hr'Her The Great Horned Mother, Black Glory of the Creation A huge faceless creature with various appendages sprouting from its head, a beard of oozing horns, and many reddish teats and fish-like fins sprouting from an egg-shaped body.
Vhuzompha Mother and Father to All Marine Life, The Hermaphroditic God An amorphous monster of prodigious size, covered in a multitude of eyes, mouths, projections and both male and female genitalia.
Vibur The Thing from Beyond A huge furry and rapidly shifting entity casting radioactive stones.
Vile-Oct A dragon-like or reptilian entity said to be familiar of Yig.
Volgna-Gath Keeper of the Secrets A slimy shape-shifing mass, which can be summoned with mud and the blood of the invoker.
Voltiyig Yig's Terrifying Son Spawn of the Snake-God Yig appearing as a winged and feathered serpent with flaming nostrils, somehow similar to the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl, trapped inside a dark tower topped with a giant five-pointed star.
Vthyarilops The Starfish God A tentacled horror similar to a Sun star but endowed with branching tentacles, spines, myriads of blue glaring eyes and gaping maws.
Vulthoom The Sleeper of Ravermos,

Gsarthotegga

May appear as a huge, unearthly plant.
The Worm that Gnaws in the Night Doom of Shaggai, The Dweller in the Pyramid A massive, worm-like fiend, similar to a Graboid from Tremors.
Xalafu The Dread One A titanic, globular mass of various dark colours, endowed with a huge, single eye in the middle of the alien bulk.
Xcthol The Goat God A sadistic, mind-controlling, faun-like humanoid, likely related to Shub-Niggurath.
X'Chll'at-aa The Unborn God, Lord of the Great Old Ones, Enemy of all that Live A giant, grotesque human fetus that is possibly equal in power to an Outer God.
Xinlurgash The Ever-Consuming A bristly mass with large gaping maws, made up with tentacles and spidery limbs.
Xirdneth Maker of Illusions, Lord of Unreality An illusion-making entity with no true form.
Xotli Lord of Terror, The Black Kraken of Atlantis A rolling cloud of ebony darkness or a vortex of boreal cold, revered by the Atlantean priests of the Hyborian Age.
Xoxiigghua A three-eyed, octopoid and parasitic horror trapped inside a mountain range of Central America.
Yegg-Ha The Faceless One A 10 foot-tall winged being which rules over the Nightgaunts, defeated in ancient Britain by a centuria of Roman soldiers.
Y'golonac The Defiler Appears as a naked, obese, headless humanoid with a mouth in the palm of each hand; other features are nebulous.
Yhagni A hideous female or hermaphroditic entity of tremendous power, cousin of Cthulhu and Hastur imprisoned by the Great Old Ones being themselves awe of her powers. She dwells in Temple of Pillars in the depths of Kyartholm, located somewhere in Northern Hemisphere. Her appearance is never described, but likely formless, larva-like and tentacled as the minion-spawn which serve her parasitizing human victims.
Yhashtur The Worm-God of the Lords of Thule A worm-like monster dwelling at Northern Polar latitudes, said to be rival or inimical to Nyarlathotep.
Yig Father of Serpents A giant snake with human arms covered in scales. Son of the Mappo's Dragon, children of his are Ayi'ig and Voltiyig, whereas Rokon is regarded as the brother of Yig.
Y'lla Master of the Seas A monstrous, barrel-shaped sea worm with tentacles and lamprey-like mouth.
'Ymnar The Dark Stalker A shape-shifting entity spawned by the Outer God Ngyr-Korath to serve him only. It may grant great powers to whoever chooses to serve it and its master but its final aim is the destruction of all sentient and intelligent life in the Cosmos.
Yog-Sapha The Dweller in the Depths, Lord of the Things Which Dwell Beneath the Surface A gigantic, amoeboid, glowing and multihued gelatinous mass living in dark depths of Earth.
Yorith The Oldest Dreamer A huge crystalline being residing in the seas of the ocean planet Yilla. Its hypnotic abilities force those spacefarers who stray too closely to plunge into the depths of its lethal sea.
Yoth-Tlaggon An unknown entity responsible for the creation of the Mask of Yoth-Tlaggon, which allows the wearer to view the secrets of the universe. It appears to have been worshipped by the Elder Things and have some kind of relationship with Hastur.
Ysbaddaden Chief of the Giants One of Hziulquoigmnzhah's children, supposedly male and gigantic.
Ythogtha The Thing in the Pit Appears as a colossal Deep One, with tentacles surrounding its one eye.
Yug-Siturath The All-Consuming Fog A vampiric vaporous entity which adsorbs vital forces.
Zathog The Black Lord of Whirling Vortices A festering, bubbling mass that constantly churns and whirls, putting forth vestigial appendages and reabsorbing them. Bubbles burst on its surface to reveal hate-filled eyes, and slobbering mouths form and close randomly about his horrible body. It dwells in the Xentilx galaxy served by the Zarrian aliens.
Zhar and Lloigor The Twin Obscenities Both appear as a colossal mass of tentacles, trapped in the Plateau of Sung, somewhere in Burma.
Zindarak The Fiery Messenger A mysterious fiery entity that shall release Cthulhu from his prison as the stars are right.
Zoth-Ommog Dweller in the Depths A gigantic entity with a cone-shaped body, a reptilian head, a beard of tentacles, and starfish-like arms.
Zstylzhemghi Matriarch of Swarms,

Zystulzhemgni

Spawn of the Outer God Ycnàgnnisssz, she is described as a living, alien swarm. She has also a sister named Klosmiebhyx.
Zurvan That Which Is (Not), The Great Leveller, The Same-Maker, Vampire of Life's Essence An entity worshipped by Dr. Howard Ashcroft's cult with the ability to rewrite the past.
Zushakon Dark Silent One,

Old Night, Zul-Che-Quon, Zuchequon

Appears as a swirling, black vortex, revered by Mutsune Native Americans as a dire death god. It is also worshiped by the mysterious servitors known as the Hidden Ones.
Z'toggua An obese bat-winged humanoid with a long polypous snout and a wide mouth opening in the belly, served by the Deep Ones.
Zvilpogghua Feaster from the Stars,

The Sky-Devil, Ossadagowah

A bat-winged, armless toad with tentacles instead of a face.

Inspiration in Other Media[]

The Great Old ones have inspired countless cosmic malevolent across films, TV Shows, books, comics and short stories.

Notable ones include:

  • The Ogdru-Jahad, Ogdru Hem and Behemoth from the Mike Mignola's Hellboy comic book series and the following 2004 Film-adaptation. The version of the 2004 Film especially bear a resemblance to Great Old Ones.
  • The Nestene Consciousness from Doctor Who.
  • The Wall of Monsters of the 1994 horror movie In the Mouth of Madness.
  • The Old Gods from World of Warcraft.
  • The Ancient Ones from the 2012 comedy horror movie The Cabin in the Woods.
  • The Drowned God worshiped by the Ironborn, who is likely inspired by the Cthulhu and Dagon.
  • Clover from the 2008 film Cloverfield and the 2018 film The Cloverfield Paradox.
  • Bill Cipher from the Disney XD series Gravity Falls.
  • The Leviathan from Purgatory on the CW series Supernatural. Ironically, the H.P. Lovecraft of the Supernatural-universe had opened a portal to Purgatory and saw what was lying on the other side (presumably the Leviathan among other possible monsters). In Season 13, the show introduced two tentacled deities -- Yokoth and Glythur—named in reference to Shoggoth and Hastur, that hailed from an alternate universe.
  • The Octalus from the 1998 horror film Deep Rising.
  • Abeloth from the expanded Star Wars-media.
  • The Summa-verminoth from Solo: A Star Wars Story.
  • The Old Gods from the universe of the SCP Foundation.
  • The Great Ones from the 2015 dark fantasy game Bloodborne.
  • The Heart of Darkness (and its accompanying corruption) in the 2015 grimdark RPG Darkest Dungeon

Trivia[]

  • The Elder Deities

    The Elder Gods

    According to Lovecraft lore, the Great Old Ones were at war with whom they called the "Pain Lords", the Elder Gods (sometimes referred to as "Elder Deities"), cosmic beings who have mostly human-like appearance and they are benevolent in nature. Not only that, they were exalted by many human cultures in different parts of Earth.

Navigation[]

           Cthulhu Mythos Logo Villains

Outer Gods
Abhoth | Azathoth | Cxaxukluth | Daoloth | Ghroth | Hydra | Nyarlathotep | Shub-Niggurath | Tulzscha | Ubbo-Sathla | Yhoundeh | Yibb-Tstll | Yog-Sothoth

Great Old Ones
Adam Wan | Aphoom Zhah | Baoht Z'uqqa-mogg | Bokrug | Byatis | Crom Cruach | Cthugha | Cthulhu | Cthylla | Cyäegha | Dweller in the Gulf | Eihort | Father Dagon | Ghatanothoa | Gla'aki | Hastur | Mother Hydra | Ithaqua | M'nagalah | Rhan-Tegoth | Rlim Shaikorth | Shaurash-ho | Shudde M'ell | Tsathoggua | The Worm That Gnaws In The Night | Toad God | Y'golonac | Yig | Ysbaddaden | Ythogtha | Zhar and Lloigor | Zindarak | Zoth-Ommog | Zstylzhemghi | Zvilpogghua

Deep Ones
Mother Hydra | Father Dagon

Ghouls
Richard Upton Pickman

Hounds of Tindalos
Tind'Losi kutya'i | Mh'ithrha | Ry'lcanisubyth

Horsemen of Nyarlathotep
Sysyphyx | Gr'nuk of Volkunast | The Masked Mute | Gith

Many-Angled Ones
Lloigor | Kthl | Nyerlathortech | Shuma-Gorath | Yot-Soter | Quoggoth | Slorioth

Shoggoths
Albert Schiny | Shoggoth Lord

Tcho-Tcho
E-Poh

The Black Brotherhood
AZAG-THOTH | Chang Chien | Palo Mayombe | AZAG | Tahuti | Wilhelm Reich | Ninshubur

Brotherhood of the Beast
Nephren-Ka | Baron Hauptman | Lang Fu | Dr. Ambrose Cornwalls

Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh
Aubrey Penhew

Brotherhood of the Skin
Selim Makryat | Mehmet Makryat | Duc des Esseintes | Arturo Faccia | Count Drogo | Baba Yaga | Hound of Tindalos | Skin Beasts

Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign
Magnum Innominandum | Malcolm Quarrie | Thomas Villiers | Roberto Anzalone | Giussppe Colombo | Chemb | Colia Thalna | Druf | Khorbon | Dulius Decula | Milos | Milton Drac | Octavius | Claret | Harcourt | Livius Carbo | Resseka

Church of Starry Wisdom
Professor Enoch Bowen

Cthulhu Cult
Andrada | Castro | Joseph D. Galvez

Cult of the Bloody Tongue
M'Weru | Silas N'Kwane | Rlak-lzo the Unspeakable

De la Poer Family
Delapore | Gilbert De la Poer | Godfrey De la Poer | Lady Margaret De la Poer | Lady Mary de la Poer

Esoteric Order of Dagon
Ahab Marsh | Obed Marsh | Robert Marsh

Creatures
The Children | Colour Out of Space | Dunwich Horror | Elder Things | Flying Polyps | High Priest Not To Be Described | K'n-yanians | Master of the Monolith | Men of Leng | Mi-gos | Player from Beyond the Void | Shambler from the Stars | Shan | Terrible Old Man | Wilbur Whateley | Xothians | Zoogs

Others
Abdul Alhazred | Brown Jenkin | Carl Hill | Chesuncook Witch Coven | Chorazos Cult | Crawford Tillinghast | Dr. Edward Pretorius | Dr. Howard Ashcroft | Ephraim Waite | George Rogers | George Spencer | Gramma Bruckner | Herbert West | Joseph Curwen | Karl Heinrich | Keziah Mason | Lionel Phipps | Ludwig Prinn | Martense Family | Mirdath | Mordred Glendower | Old Whateley | The Koshide Family | The Slaves of the Flame Undying | Todd Farmer | Walakea

Alternate Continuities
Nyarlathotep
The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets | Dusk | The Shore | Sundered

Cthulhu
Dark Dungeons |Underwater

Y'golonac
Putryphemus

Shub-Niggurath
Stephen King | Quake

           Legends

Notable Legends
Ape Men | Beldams | Bogeyman | Bunyip | Centaurs | Chupacabra | Cyclops | Dragons | Demons | Devil | Dullahan | Fairies | Ghosts | Ghost Pirates | Ghouls| Giants | Goblins | Golems | Gremlins | Grim Reaper | Hags | Headless Horseman | Kraken | Lake Monsters | Loch Ness Monster | Medusa | Minotaur | Monsters | Mothman | Mummies | Ogres | Revenants | Sea Monsters | Sirens | Skeletons | Spiders | Swamp Monsters | Trolls | Umibōzu | Undead | Vampires | Wendigo | Werewolves | Wyverns | Yeti | Zombies

Theology Legends (Demonology, Gods & Spirits)
Main: Theology Villains

Humans & Humanoids
Abhartach | Absalom | Aigamuxa | Ajax the Lesser | Amata | Ame-onna | Amaron | Amnon | Amulius | Amazons Andvari | Antaeus | Atreus | Aos Si | Astral Vampires | Bandits | Baobhan Siths | Baron Samedi | Bean Clan | Black Rock Witch | Blair Witch | Blunderbore | Bolster | Busiris | Cacus | Cain | Cassiopeia | Cercyon | Circe | Christie Cleek | Christman Genipperteinga | Cleek's Clan | Creon | Cycnus | Danaides | Danaus| Davy Jones | Delilah | Draug | The Faceless Phantom of Venice | General Jan Smuts | Giddianhi | Goblins | Goliath | Gomorrahites | Green Knight | Green Man of Knowledge | Green Witch | Hags | Haman the Agagite | Hanako-San | Herod the Great | Herodias | Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Humanity | Iemon | Ixion | Jezebel | Judas Iscariot | Jure Grando | King Ahab | King Arthur | King Oenomaus | King Vortigern | Kuchisake-onna | Laius | La Tunda | Lilith | Lord William de Soulis | Louhi | Lucius Tiberius | Lycaon | Marry-san | Meg of Meldon | Morag | Morgan le Fay | Nanny Rutt | Nessus | Orang Minyak | Otus and Ephialtes | Pandarus | Paris | Phaedra | The Pharisees | Polyphemus | Procrustes | Rich Man | Romans | Saci | Saul | Sawney Bean | Simeon | Sciron | Shechem | Sinis | Sko-Ella | Sodomites | Soumaoro Kanté | Tadodaho | Tamamo no Mae | Tantalus | Tereus | Thyestes | Turnus | Tydeus | Xenu | Yakub | Yallery Brown | Ysbaddaden | Zahhak

Ghosts, Paranormal Beings & Spirits
Bloody Mary| Bell Witch| Black Monk of Pontefract| Banshees| Duppy| Crew of the Flying Dutchman| El Silbón| Hendrik Van der Decken| Hanako-San| Hinnigami| Lord William de Soulis| La Llorona| La Santa Compaña| La Sayona| La Viuda| Tunche| Teke Teke| Onryo| Poltergeists| Stingy Jack| Mackenzie Poltergeist| Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square|

Aliens & Ufology
Aliens (AC) | Greys| Reptoids| Hopskinville Goblins| Flatwoods Monster| Men in Black| Xenu

Bogeymen
Abo Ragl Ma Slokha| Black Annis| Black Volga's Driver| Bugbears| Boggarts| Baba Yaga| Coco| Krampus| Grýla| Yule Cat| Yule Lads| Sack Man| Sacamantecas| Namahage| Metminwi| Tokoloshe| Whipfather| Wewe Gombel|

Monsters, Animals & Anthropomorphic Beings
Afanc | Ahuizotl | Akhlut | Akkorokamui | Amarok | Amemasu | A-mi’-kuk | Ao Ao | Averasboro Gallinipper | Bakeneko | Basilisk | Boneless | Chaneques | Chimera | Cirein-cròin | Clurichaun | Cockatrice | Count Dracula| Cuegle | Cuélebre/Culebre | Devil Monkeys | Dip | Dragon | Dry Body | El Comelenguas | Erymanthian Boar | Escornau | Fouke Monster | Giants of Voronezh | Goblins | Golden Cicada | Grendel | Grendel's Mother | Groundhogs | Hidebehind | Harpies | Herensuge | Hydra | Ijiraq | Jackalopes | Jasy Jatere | J'ba Fofi | Jiangshi | Krampus| Kappa | Kigatilik | Kinie Ger | Kurupi | Liches | La Cegua | Lambton Worm | Leviathan | Manticores | Michigan Dogman | Mikari Baba | Monster of Mount Bandai | Morag | Mordred | Morgan le Fay | Mungoon-Gali | Nekomata | Ojáncanu | Onamazu | Orcs | Otesánek | Paparrasolla | Pesanta | Pombero | Qallupilluk | Rougarou| Redcaps (Robin Redcap) | River Mumma | Scylla | Sphinx | Stymphalian Birds | Tailypo | Tarasque | Te Wheke-a-Muturangi | Tikbalang | Tizheruk | Thardid Jimbo | Thinan-malkia | Tokoloshe | Trolls | Trauco | Tupilaq | Typhon | Undead | Whowie | Will O' The Wisp

Cryptids
Beast of Bray Road | Beast of Gévaudan | Black Eyed Children | Black Stick Men | Blue Devil | Cherufe | Devil Monkeys | Dog-headed Men | Emela-Ntouka | Enfield Horror | Fear Liath | Flatwoods Monster | Ghosts | Goatman | Grafton Monster | Greys | Highgate Vampire | Hoop Snake | Indrid Cold | Jackalopes | Jersey Devil | Kelpie of Loch Ness | Kongamato | Malawi Terror Beast | Mamlambo | Manananggal | Maricoxi | Mngwa | Momonjii | Morag | Morbach Werewolf | Nobusuma | Ogua | Pope Lick Monster | Popobawa | Pukwudgies | Reptoids | Roc | Ropen | Salawa | Sea Serpents | Shadow People | Sheepsquatch | Slide-Rock Bolter | Snallygaster | Spring Heeled Jack | Tanuki | Thunderbird | Two-Toed Tom | Water Horses | White-Eyed Children | Yowie

Urban Legends
Aliens (AC) | Amanda the Doll | Black Goo | Bloody Mary | Bunnyman | Charlie | China Doll | Clown Doll | Crisis | Crying Boy | Ghost (Johnny, I Want My Liver Back) | Ghost Trains | Hairy-Armed Woman | Hatman | Homey the Clown | Hook Killer | Illuminati | John and Susan Buckley | Joliet the Haunted and Cursed Doll | Kankandara | Kidney Thieves | Kunekune | La Tunda | Licking Maniac | The Man Upstairs | Martinez Dog Demon | Melon Heads | Men in Black | Momo | Mystery Killer | Nain Rouge | Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square | Orie Chef | Paimon | Patasola | Rain Man | Robert the Doll | The Seeker | Skinned Tom | The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water | Teke Teke

Possessed Objects
Amanda the Doll | China Doll | Clown Doll | Coffin on Wheels | Curse Jar | Ghost Trains | Joliet the Haunted and Cursed Doll | Painting of the French War | Robert the Doll

See Also
Theology Villains | Creepypasta Villains | SCP Foundation Villains | Trevor Henderson Villains

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