H P Lovecraft, page 19
god responsible for certain natural disasters, such as the offshore earthquake
which took place in 1970 near Peru, and hope for a day when they will be able
to free their master from his watery prison. Some have disguised their rites, in
which lloigor psychically feed on their servants, under the guise of other faiths,
expanding their influence further than has been suspected.
Along with Ythogtha and Zoth-Ommog, Ghatanothoa is one of the three
"sons" of Cthulhu and Idh-yaa spawned near Xoth. The astral race known as
the Lloigor also serve Ghatanothoa.
See Cthulhu; elemental theory; Idh-yaa; K'n-yan; Kn'aa; Legends of the Olden
Runes; lloigor; Mu; Nath-feast; Ponape Scripture; T'yog; Unaussprechlichen
Kulten; Vatican Codex; Yaddith-Gho; Yeb; Ythogtha; Zanthu. ("The Thing in
the Pit", Carter; "Out of the Aeons", Lovecraft and Heald (O); "False Mytholo-
gies", Ingham; The Sussex Manuscript, Pelton; House of the Toad, Tierney; "The
Return of the Lloigor", Wilson.)
GHISGUTH (or GHIZGHUTH or GHISGHUTH). Child of Cxaxukluth and
sire of the Great Old One Tsathoggua by his mate Zstylzhemghi. In his youth,
Ghisguth raged across the galaxy, destroying planets and stars in his path.
After his brother Hziulquoigmnzhah left Yuggoth due to the cannibalistic
depredations of their father, Ghisguth and his family remained a while longer
in deep caverns where Cxaxukluth could not reach. The mi-go may perform
rites in his honor.
See Cxaxukluth; Tsathoggua; Zstylzhemghi. ("The Family Tree of the Gods",
Smith (O); "The Appeasement of Ghizguth", Tierney.)
GHOORIC ZONE. Caverns on Thog, one of the moons of Yuggoth. This was
once a mine for the tok'l metal placed by the mi-go, until they found more
deposits on Yuggoth and abandoned it. In the Ghooric Zone, strange lights
glow, fungi bloom, and shoggoths splash beside a foul lake.
("The Color from Beyond", Cabos; "Stranger's Race", Kershaw-Moore;
Alienation", Lovecraft (O); "Discovery of the Ghooric Zone", Lupoff.)
THE GHORL NIGRAL. Book of which only one copy (supposedly) exists on
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earth. Many aeons ago, the Book of Eibon says, the great wizard Zkauba dis-
covered the Ghorl Nigral, or the Book of Night, in the dhole-burrows that had
honeycombed his home world of Yaddith.
Later, one copy of the Ghorl Nigral was brought to our world. The priests
of Mu discovered it and added chapters of historical data on that sunken land.
The Ghorl Nigral was later deposited at the city of Yian-Ho, where it lay forgot-
ten for many years. Then the noted German occultist Friedrich von Junzt and
his friend Gottfried Mulder journeyed to a monastery high in the mountains
of China to find the book. There, in a bargain with the holy men of that place,
von Junzt was allowed to gaze upon the Ghorl Nigral. The experience left a deep
impression on von Junzt, and he discussed the book's contents at length with
Mulder. Mulder later used this information in his book The Secret Mysteries
of Asia, with a Commentary on the "Ghorl Nigral" (1847).
Some say that other copies of the Ghorl Nigral exist on this planet, and one
has even been placed at Miskatonic University. It is possible that this is a case
of mistaken identity in which The Secret Mysteries of Asia and the Ghorl Nigral
itself have been confused. Access to the Miskatonic volume is very difficult due
to an incident that took place in the library's reading room some years ago, so
it is unlikely that the question will be answered any time soon.
See Secret Mysteries of Asia; von Junzt, Friedrich; Yian-Ho; Zkauba. ("The
Thing in the Pit", Carter; "Zoth-Ommog", Carter; Lovecraft at Last, Conover
and Lovecraft (O).)
GHOULS. Beings that live in tunnels beneath graveyards in both the waking
world and the Dreamlands. Ghouls can be identified by their canine features,
hoofed feet, rubbery skin, moldy odor, and disgusting habits. They usually
bear their repast back to the Crag of the Ghouls in the Dreamlands, where they
devour their burdens and cast the remnants into the Vale of Pnath.
Various types of social organization exist among the ghouls. The main
colony in the Underworld is fairly disorganized, though they may at times fol-
low one of their species whom they respect. Alhazred's account of the ghouls of
the Empty Quarter, with whom he lived for several months, describes them as
bands that dwell in caves near hidden oases and stalk caravans for prey. More
recently, a colony beneath Providence, Rhode Island has taken to kidnapping
human infants, raising them, and using them as their servants and enforcers
above ground.
Ghouls are allied with the nightgaunts, who serve them as mounts and for
reconnaissance.
Though individuals of the species may make deals with the Great Old
Ones—especially Nyogtha—ghouls as a whole have not committed themselves
to any spiritual practice save a vague reverence for Mordiggian. Many Russian
ghouls who saw the bounty of Stalin's purges came to revere him as the great
provider. Recent years have seen the ghouls of New York split into two fac-
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tions: the Traditionalists, who worship Mordiggian and believe in conventional
graverobbing, and the Renegades, who may serve Nyarlathotep and are not
averse to kidnapping to satisfy their cravings.
Ghouls are not necessarily unfriendly to humans who know them and take
the time to learn their language of gibberings and meepings, or who present
the sign of the ankh to them. On the other hand, they can be quite unfriendly
to those who enter their delvings unbidden.
The exact origins of the ghouls are unknown, but it has been proven that
over time a human can transform into one of these creatures. Proximity of other
ghouls and a radical change in diet seem to bring about this metamorphosis.
(Some have speculated that this transformation is a result of a prion-based
neurological disease.) At times, ghouls have stolen human infants and replaced
them with young of their own kind, so that they might induct their hostages
into their species.
A few variant ghouls have been reported. Some say these creatures have a
more advanced and human-like subspecies that serves as the priests of Mor-
diggian. Also of note are the "hu-ghouls"—offspring of humans and ghouls
that never develop into one or the other—who are considered the bottom of
the ghoulish hierarchy.
[Ghuls were originally monsters of Arabian folklore who dwelt in the desert
and graveyards, preying on hapless passers-by. Lovecraft encountered them
through The Arabian Nights and Vathek. The ghoul's dog-like appearance and
their habit of substituting human babies as their own are probably original
to Lovecraft.]
See ghasts; Hydra; Mordiggian; Naggoob; Ngranek; nightgaunts; Nyogtha;
Pnath; Rhydagand of the Brush; Shunned House; tomb-herd; wamps. ( Realm
of Shadows, Crowe; Delta Green, Detwiller, Glancy, and Tynes; Delta Green:
Countdown, Detwiller et. al.; "Pickman's Student", Herber; Daughter of Hounds,
Kiernan; Low Red Moon, Kiernan; "Identity Crisis", Kruger; "The Dream-Quest
of Unknown Kadath", Lovecraft; "Pickman's Model", Lovecraft (O); Alhazred,
Tyson.)
GHROTH. Outer God known as the Harbinger. This being appears as a dark
object the size of a planet with one huge red eye (which Ghroth often closes
when it wants to remain inconspicuous). When the stars are right, Ghroth will
travel through the universe, visiting each world where the Great Old Ones reside
to awaken them. Ghroth has visited our world in the past, thereby initiating
the cycles of extinction usually believed to have been caused by meteors or
comets.
See Revelations of Glaaki; Shaggai. ("The Tugging", Campbell (O); Spawn
ofAzathoth, Herber.)
GILMAN, WALTER (?-May 1,1928). Student of mathematics from Haverhill,
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Massachusetts. Gilman attended Miskatonic University, spending the last
months of his life living in Arkham's "Witch-House". Though he displayed bril-
liance in his chosen field, his professors forced him to cut back on his work due
to his nervous temperament. Over the spring of his last year, Gilman became
more and more nervous, experiencing strange dreams and bouts of sleepwalk-
ing culminating on May-Eve. Ironically enough, his death seems not to have
been due to his nervous deterioration, but to a rodent attack.
See Ellery, Dewart; Upham, Hiram. ("The Dreams in the Witch-House",
Lovecraft (O).)
GLAAKEEN. Undead servitors created by Glaaki (see).
("The Inhabitant of the Lake", Campbell (O); Cthulhu Live: Lost Souls,
Salmon et. al.)
GLAAKI. Great Old One resembling a slug with three eyes on stalks, small
pyramids on its underside, and innumerable metal spikes rising from its back.
Glaaki dwells in a lake near Brichester. (Recent sightings suggest that it may
be manifesting itself in other bodies of water throughout the world, such as
New Britain Island in New Guinea, Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks, or even
in the London sewers.)
Glaaki's unnamed home world was a place with acid lakes and foul vapors.
The Great Old One traveled on a comet to the worlds of Yuggoth, Shaggai, and
Tond. Eventually, it became imprisoned behind a crystal trapdoor beneath an
asteroid city. When the meteor crashed into Earth, it created the lake where
Glaaki later resided. Some insist that Glaaki had come to earth before for a short
time through the priests of Egypt's use of the Reversed Angles of Tagh Clatur,
as a number of hybrid mummies have been discovered with spines similar to
those of Glaaki. The Great Old One's influence on our world was negligible
before the meteor's fall.
Glaaki's modern worship began around 1790, when Thomas Lee led his
group to the lake from nearby Goatswood. This cult built a row of houses along
the shore so they could be close to their god. These people remained until the
1860s, when all of them disappeared. Some suggest that the people came to
make Glaaki serve them but were caught and enslaved to him instead. Others
have lived in the area since then, but few stay long, being frightened away by
Glaaki's dream-sendings. This lake was subsequently drained after complaints
about missing persons, but no trace of the city or the god himself was found.
Glaaki commanded a cult of undead slaves, or Glaakeen, which it created
by driving a spine from its back into their bodies and injecting a chemical into
their bloodstreams. If the spine could be severed before the fluid was injected,
the victim would die but was spared from becoming Glaaki's slave. The fluid
created a network of tissue in the corpse's body, apparently taking the place of
the circulatory and pulmonary systems, which Glaaki could then manipulate
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so that the Glaakeen did its bidding. Although capable of independent thought
and action, these creatures were forced to do Glaaki's bidding whenever it
telepathically commands them. After sixty years, a rapid rotting known as the
Green Decay affected these servants whenever sunlight struck them, so most
of Glaaki's servants remained under shelter during the day.
Glaaki used a special psychic "dream-pull" to call nearby humans to join its
cult. This was usually ineffectual, as Glaaki's power did not extend far enough
to reach anyone who was more than a few miles from the lake.
See Aklo Unveilings; Angles of Tagh Clatur; Green Decay; Revelations of
Glaaki; tomb-herd; Tond; Yuggoth. ("Ghost Lake" Burleson; "Invocation from
Beyond", Burnham; "The Inhabitant of the Lake", Campbell (O); Delta Green,
Detwiller, Glancy, and Tynes; Call of Cthulhu Rulebook, 5th ed., Petersen and
Willis; "The Further Files of Prof. Grant Emerson: Report on Adirondack
Cadaver", Price; Cthulhu Live: Lost Souls, Salmon et. al.)
GLASS FROM LENG. Cloudy type of glass said to come from the Hyades
to the Plateau of Leng. To be used, the glass must be mounted in a frame so
that it appears to be a window. If the owner desires to use it, he or she should
draw a pentagram in red chalk on the floor before the window, sit within the
diagram, and say the words "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl
fhtagn." The glass from Leng will turn clear and show a scene with Mythos
significance. The user cannot choose the location viewed. This person must
be wary, since beings on the other side might see and pass through the magical
gateway if they desire.
The glass from Leng may also be crafted into the moon-lens used in Shub-
Niggurath's worship.
See moon-lens. ("The Gable Window", Derleth and Lovecraft (O); "Dark
Harvest", Ross.)
GLEETH. Moon-god and advisor to the other divinities who the people of
Theem'hdra and the Dreamlands revered. He is often said to be identical to
Mnomquah, but in fact Gleeth is almost entirely blind and deaf to the prayers
of his worshipers, unlike the other god. As such, only the Suhm-Yi people of
Theem'hdra worshiped him, and he had no formalized cult or priests else-
where.
See Mnomquah. ("The House of Cthulhu", Lumley (O); "Isles of the Suhm-
Yi", Lumley; Mad Moon of Dreams, Lumley.)
G'LL-HOO (or GELL-HO). Deep one city in the ocean north of Britain, close
to the isle of Surtsey.
See deep ones. ( The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; "Rising with Surtsey",
Lumley (O).)
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GLOON. Lesser Other God appearing to be a handsome youth wearing a laurel
wreath while in his temple, though his true form is that of a wattled, slug-like
horror. Gloon is bound to a temple beneath the Atlantic Ocean, having been
imprisoned there long before the sinking of Atlantis.
Gloon may only interact with the outside world through the agency of
small Atlantean statuettes made in his image. When someone discovers one
of these statues, they have strange dreams of a sunken city dominated by a
huge basalt temple with a glowing light inside. These dreams become more
and more vivid as time progresses. The dreamer is also doused with salt water,
and sometimes seaweed, while asleep. This result is insanity, as the person's
soul is taken back to the temple where Gloon may torture it until the life-force
dissolves completely.
See Atlantis. ("The Temple", Lovecraft (O); "The City in the Sea", Thomas
and Willis.)
GLYU-UHO (also GLYU-VHO or K'LU-VHO). Naacal title for the star com-
monly known as Betelgeuse. According to those who believe in the Elder Gods,
these beneficent beings came down from Glyu-Uho to battle the Great Old
Ones. The Elder Gods may dwell in an alternate dimension known as Elysia; if
this is true, there may be a gateway leading to this place near Glyu-Uho.
Glyu-Uho was also at one time the home of a race of amphibian beings that
journeyed to earth and built their stone cities here. Strangely enough, when the
Elder Gods battled the Great Old Ones, they also imprisoned these creatures.
[Lovecraft suggested this word to Derleth as an alien name for Betelgeuse,
though he never used it in his own fiction.]
See Elder Gods; Great Old Ones. ("The Horror in the Bridge", Campbell;
"The Thing in the Pit", Carter; "The Lurker at the Threshold", Derleth and
Lovecraft; "The Lair of the Star-Spawn", Derleth and Schorer; Selected Letters
IV, Lovecraft (O); "The Throne of Achamoth", Tierney and Price.)
GNOPH-KEH. Horned, furred monsters from Greenland that walk on two,
four, or sometimes six legs. The Voormis pushed the Gnoph-keh into the polar
wastes when the beast-men broke free of the Valusian serpent-men and estab-
lished their own kingdom. These creatures are intelligent and adept at stalking
prey across tundra and ice, calling up storms to immobilize their victims.
Sometimes Gnoph-Keh is also said to be an avatar of Rhan-Tegoth. Others
maintain that these creatures are worshipers of Ithaqua.
See Aphoom Zhah; Rhan-Tegoth; voormis. ("The Scroll of Morloc", Carter
and Smith; Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, Cook and Tynes; "The Lurker at
the Threshold", Derleth and Lovecraft; "The Horror in the Museum", Lovecraft
and Heald (O).)
GNOPHKEHS. 1) Tribe of cannibals who dwelt in the north. The inhabitants
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