K'n-yan
Encyclopedia
K'n-yan is a fictional, subterranean land in the Cthulhu Mythos
. The underground realm was first described in detail in H. P. Lovecraft
's revision of Zealia Bishop
's "The Mound
" (1940
), in which it is discovered by the 16th century Spanish Conquistador
Zamacona. Lovecraft also mentions K'n-yan in "The Whisperer in Darkness
" (1930
) and in his revision of Hazel Heald's "Out of the Aeons" (1935
). The people of K'n-yan are sometimes referred to as the "Old Ones", a term of variable meaning in Lovecraft's fiction.
. It is inhabited by a human-like race that resemble the Native Americans
of the area, though they are actually extraterrestrial
s who arrived in prehistoric times. They are immortal and have powerful psionic
abilities, including telepathy
and the ability to dematerialize at will. They are also technologically advanced, using machines that employ principles of atomic energy
, though they have largely abandoned their mechanized culture finding it unfulfilling.
The most populous city is Tsath, the capital of K'n-yan. It is named for Tsathoggua
, a deity once worshiped there, but later deprecated after the inhabitants found out the true nature of the god. Other deities include Shub-Niggurath
, Nug and Yeb, Ghatanothoa
, and the Not-to-Be-Named One (a title sometimes used to identify Hastur
). The two most important ones, however, are Tulu (Cthulhu
) and Yig. The denizens of K'n-yan often place idols of these deities in near proximity, as in the following passage from "The Mound": "[In] a pair of vast niches, one on each side, [the] monstrous, nitre-encrusted images of Yig and Tulu squatted, glaring at each other across the passage as they had glared since the earliest youth of the human world."
In ancient times, the people of K'n-yan traded with the humans of the surface world. But when geological calamities caused the continents of Atlantis
and Lemuria
to sink into the ocean, the people of K'n-yan sequestered themselves below ground, thereafter having no further dealings with the outer world.
aristocracy
, controlled by a ruling class made "highly superior through selective breeding and social evolution".
Individual behavior is dictated more by established social norms
than the rule of law. Although K'n-yan attained great advances in art and science, its people have become increasingly hedonistic
, decadent, and cruel.
who fled here to escape the destruction of Valusia. In Yoth they built great cities, of which only ruins remain. Explorers from K'n-yan visited Yoth frequently to learn more of the serpent people's scientific lore.
The downfall of the serpent people came when they brought up idols of Tsathoggua
from N'kai, abandoning their patron deity Yig to worship their new god. As retribution Yig placed his curse upon them, forcing his few remaining worshipers to flee to caverns beneath Mount Voormithadreth.
.
Explorers from K'n-yan met with disaster when they first visited N'kai, encountering the deadly, amorphous spawn of Tsathoggua. Thereafter, entrances to N'kai were sealed off.
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...
. The underground realm was first described in detail in 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....
's revision of Zealia Bishop
Zealia Bishop
Zealia Brown-Reed Bishop was an American writer of short stories.Her stories appeared in the magazine Weird Tales. However, they were extensively revised by H. P...
's "The Mound
The Mound (short story)
"The Mound" is a novella H. P. Lovecraft wrote as a ghostwriter from December 1929 to January 1930 after he was hired by Zealia Bishop to create a story based on the following plot synopsis:...
" (1940
1940 in literature
The year 1940 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Aldous Huxley is a screenwriter for the movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.*Jean-Paul Sartre is taken prisoner by the Germans....
), in which it is discovered by the 16th century Spanish Conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
Zamacona. Lovecraft also mentions K'n-yan in "The Whisperer in Darkness
The Whisperer in Darkness
"The Whisperer in Darkness" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in Weird Tales, August 1931. Similar to "The Colour Out of Space" , it is a blend of horror and science fiction...
" (1930
1930 in literature
The year 1930 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 6 - The first literary character licensing agreement is signed by A. A. Milne, granting Stephen Slesinger U.S...
) and in his revision of Hazel Heald's "Out of the Aeons" (1935
1935 in literature
The year 1935 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* June 15 - W. H. Auden enters a marriage of convenience with Erika Mann.* July 30 - Allen Lane founds Penguin Books to publish the first mass market paperbacks in Britain....
). The people of K'n-yan are sometimes referred to as the "Old Ones", a term of variable meaning in Lovecraft's fiction.
Summary
K'n-yan is a blue-lit cavern beneath OklahomaOklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. It is inhabited by a human-like race that resemble the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
of the area, though they are actually extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s who arrived in prehistoric times. They are immortal and have powerful psionic
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
abilities, including telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
and the ability to dematerialize at will. They are also technologically advanced, using machines that employ principles of atomic energy
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
, though they have largely abandoned their mechanized culture finding it unfulfilling.
The most populous city is Tsath, the capital of K'n-yan. It is named for Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. He is the creation of Clark Ashton Smith and is part of his Hyperborean cycle....
, a deity once worshiped there, but later deprecated after the inhabitants found out the true nature of the god. Other deities include Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young”, is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft...
, Nug and Yeb, Ghatanothoa
Ghatanothoa
Ghatanothoa is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being first appeared in the short story "Out Of The Aeons" by H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. It is a large, amorphous, exceptionally hideous being comparable to Medusa.-Summary:...
, and the Not-to-Be-Named One (a title sometimes used to identify Hastur
Hastur
Hastur is a fictional entity of the Cthulhu Mythos. Hastur first appeared in Ambrose Bierce's short story "Haïta the Shepherd" as a benign god of shepherds. Robert W...
). The two most important ones, however, are Tulu (Cthulhu
Cthulhu
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 Yig. The denizens of K'n-yan often place idols of these deities in near proximity, as in the following passage from "The Mound": "
In ancient times, the people of K'n-yan traded with the humans of the surface world. But when geological calamities caused the continents of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
and Lemuria
Lemuria (continent)
Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography; however, the concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern theories of plate tectonics...
to sink into the ocean, the people of K'n-yan sequestered themselves below ground, thereafter having no further dealings with the outer world.
Society
When the denizens of K'n-yan rejected their mechanistic lifestyle, they turned to a sort of socialisticSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, controlled by a ruling class made "highly superior through selective breeding and social evolution".
Individual behavior is dictated more by established social norms
Norm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
than the rule of law. Although K'n-yan attained great advances in art and science, its people have become increasingly hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
, decadent, and cruel.
Yoth
Yoth is a red-lit cavern beneath K'n-yan. It was once inhabited by the Serpent MenSerpent Men
Serpent-Men have also appeared in the Marvel Comics universe.The original Serpent-Men were a race of reptilian semi-humanoids who were created by the demon Set and who ruled areas of prehistoric Earth. Due to the efforts of Kull and Conan, the original Serpent-Men became extinct about 8,000 years...
who fled here to escape the destruction of Valusia. In Yoth they built great cities, of which only ruins remain. Explorers from K'n-yan visited Yoth frequently to learn more of the serpent people's scientific lore.
The downfall of the serpent people came when they brought up idols of Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua
Tsathoggua is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. He is the creation of Clark Ashton Smith and is part of his Hyperborean cycle....
from N'kai, abandoning their patron deity Yig to worship their new god. As retribution Yig placed his curse upon them, forcing his few remaining worshipers to flee to caverns beneath Mount Voormithadreth.
N'kai
N'kai is a lightless cavern below Yoth (though it may lie beneath Mount Voormithadreth). It is the home of the Great Old One TsathogguaTsathoggua
Tsathoggua is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. He is the creation of Clark Ashton Smith and is part of his Hyperborean cycle....
.
Explorers from K'n-yan met with disaster when they first visited N'kai, encountering the deadly, amorphous spawn of Tsathoggua. Thereafter, entrances to N'kai were sealed off.
External links
- Cthulhu in Mesoamerica, an essay by Richard L. Tierney