Cthylla
Encyclopedia
Cthylla is a fictional character
in the Cthulhu Mythos
of H. P. Lovecraft
. Cthylla was created by Brian Lumley
, who mentioned her in his Titus Crow
novel The Transition Of Titus Crow (1975
), though he never actually described her. Tina L. Jens, however, depicted Cthylla as a giant, winged octopus in her short story
"In His Daughter's Darkling Womb" (1997
).
Cthylla's name may be a reference to Scylla
, a sea monster of Greek myth.
and his androgynous mate Idh-yaa. She came from the star
Xoth, but now dwells on Earth in Yhe where she is guarded by Cthulhu's minions. Cthylla is destined to give birth to Great Cthulhu again when he is destroyed in the distant future. She is essential for Cthulhu's plans, and is thus vigilantly guarded by countless Yuggya and Deep One
s.
Cthylla was not physically described by Lumley, but was featured in Tina L. Jens's short story In His Daughter's Darkling Womb. Cthylla has the appearance of a gigantic, red-bodied, black-ringed, and six-eyed octopus with small wings. Like her father, she is able to alter her body proportions at will, such as by enlarging her wings to enable her to fly. While she normally has eight arms like any octopus, she can extrude or retract additional ones at will (she has been known to sport as many as twelve arms). Each arm is equipped with dozens of razor sharp claws, each about five inches in length.
Jens's short story narrates the capture of Cthylla by researchers who mistakenly believe her to be a rare specimen of a previously undiscovered octopus species. For the sake of preserving and studying the species, they then attempt to impregnate her through artificial self-insemination.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
. Cthylla was created by Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
, who mentioned her in his Titus Crow
Titus Crow
Titus Crow is the main character in the eponymous series of horror fiction books by Brian Lumley. The books are based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.-Description:...
novel The Transition Of Titus Crow (1975
1975 in literature
The year 1975 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* August 12 — with the 20-year time limit stipulated by Thomas Mann at his death having expired, sealed packets containing 32 of the author's notebooks were opened in Zurich, Switzerland.* Writing under the...
), though he never actually described her. Tina L. Jens, however, depicted Cthylla as a giant, winged octopus in her short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"In His Daughter's Darkling Womb" (1997
1997 in literature
The year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
).
Cthylla's name may be a reference to Scylla
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
, a sea monster of Greek myth.
Cthylla in the mythos
Cthylla is a Great Old One and is the youngest progeny of CthulhuCthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
and his androgynous mate Idh-yaa. She came from the star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
Xoth, but now dwells on Earth in Yhe where she is guarded by Cthulhu's minions. Cthylla is destined to give birth to Great Cthulhu again when he is destroyed in the distant future. She is essential for Cthulhu's plans, and is thus vigilantly guarded by countless Yuggya and Deep One
Deep One
The Deep Ones are creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. The beings first appeared in Lovecraft's novella "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"...
s.
Cthylla was not physically described by Lumley, but was featured in Tina L. Jens's short story In His Daughter's Darkling Womb. Cthylla has the appearance of a gigantic, red-bodied, black-ringed, and six-eyed octopus with small wings. Like her father, she is able to alter her body proportions at will, such as by enlarging her wings to enable her to fly. While she normally has eight arms like any octopus, she can extrude or retract additional ones at will (she has been known to sport as many as twelve arms). Each arm is equipped with dozens of razor sharp claws, each about five inches in length.
Jens's short story narrates the capture of Cthylla by researchers who mistakenly believe her to be a rare specimen of a previously undiscovered octopus species. For the sake of preserving and studying the species, they then attempt to impregnate her through artificial self-insemination.