Cthulhu Mythos: History of H.P. Lovecraft’s Monstrous Presence in Popular Culture

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse various forms of the so-called Cthulhu Mythos and describe specific shifts in reception and reflexion of H.P. Lovecraft’s legacy in contemporary culture. The opening part of the paper introduces H.P. Lovecraft as the author of weird fiction, cosmic horror and the philosophy of cosmicism, and corrects common misconceptions regarding the Cthulhu Mythos. Then, the semiotic versioning of three versions of the Cthulhu Mythos is explained and all three versions are further analysed. Version 1.0 of the Mythos includes Lovecraft’s legacy, works of the authors from the Lovecraft Circle, but also August Derleth’s interpretations of cosmic horror and works of the next generation of authors that emerged after Lovecraft’s death or were discovered and guided by Derleth. It’s a complex set of terminology, ideas, philosophies, plot devices and narratological specifications that is, as is further explained, wrongly interpreted as a fictional mythology. Version 2.0 includes all the works created under the label of ‘Lovecraftian’ or ‘cosmic’ horror, all transmedia adaptations, influences, and pop cultural additions where the influence of the original Mythos can be traced and is either explicitly admitted or just implied. Finally, Cthulhu Mythos 3.0 is a version of the Mythos that acknowledges the existence of the previous versions, yet approaches them through a specific self-reflective, self-critical lens and is more focused on intertextual play and metacommentaries on these previous versions than on expanding them.

Keywords

• h.p. lovecraft
• cthulhu mythos 3.0
• pop culture
• cosmicism
• cosmic horror