Lloigor (Cthulhu Mythos race)
Encyclopedia
The Lloigor are a fictional race in the Cthulhu Mythos
. The beings first appeared in August Derleth
and Mark Schorer
's short story
"The Lair of the Star Spawn" (1932
).
and Mark Schorer
originally created a being called Lloigor as one of the Twin Obscenities in their short story
"The Lair of the Star-Spawn" (1932
). Lloigor and its brother Zhar
were typical pseudo-Lovecraftian tentacled monstrosities, two more additions to the fiendish fictional menagerie known as the Great Old Ones. Derleth referred to Lloigor in several other writings, "The Sandwin Compact" (1940
) in particular. It was apparently a wind elemental
and possessed the ability to somehow draw its sacrificial victims to it, perhaps through teleportation
.
Colin Wilson
borrowed the name for "The Return of the Lloigor" (1969), but his creatures are very different from Derleth's creation. The Lloigor take the form of invisible vortices of psychic
energy, though they may sometimes make themselves manifest as great reptilian beasts, akin to the legendary dragon
s. In the distant past, the Lloigor came from the Andromeda Galaxy
to the continent of Mu and used human slaves as their labor force. When their power dwindled, the Lloigor retreated below ground and left their former slaves to their own devices. Eventually, these early humans migrated from Mu and populated the earth.
In modern times, the Lloigor are too weakened to pose any real threat to humanity. Nonetheless, they can draw psychic
energy from sleeping humans in nearby towns or villages—the victims so affected awaken feeling drained or ill, yet regain all lost vitality by nightfall— with which they can perform strange, preternatural feats, such as causing mysterious explosions or altering the flow of time.
Most other authors use the Wilson entities rather than the Derleth and Schorer conception.
Scottish comics writer Grant Morrison
used the Lloigor as the primary villains (possessing the bodies and minds of various superhumans on various parallel earths) in his Zenith series for 2000 A.D.
. However, once again these Lloigor are a departure from what went before. They are referred to as many-angled ones (possibly the first use of this moniker) and appear to be entities from a reality with more dimensions than our own, so that disconnected bits of them (tentacles, eyes) appear to 'float' around the scene. The many-angled ones have appeared in other works since, most notably Charles Stross
's The Atrocity Archives
, but it's not clear if these many-angled ones are considered to be related to the original Cthulhu Lloigor.
In the 1975 The Illuminatus! Trilogy
, the lloigor are mentioned as the gods of the aboriginal natives of the People's Republic of Fernando Po
, as well as the original gods of Atlantis
. Here, the term appears to be synonymous with Great Old One—for example, H. P. Lovecraft
's creation Yog-Sothoth
is called a lloigor.
Lloigor are also mentioned in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
as inhabiting Yuggoth
and being in conflict with the Blazing World
. Nyarlathotep
is sent by the Lloigor to negotiate a truce at the end of the comic.
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 beings first appeared in August Derleth
August Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
and Mark Schorer
Mark Schorer
Mark Schorer was an American writer, critic, and scholar born in Sauk City, Wisconsin.-Biography:Schorer earned an MA at Harvard and his Ph.D. in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1936...
's 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...
"The Lair of the Star Spawn" (1932
1932 in literature
The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*E. V. Knox replaces Sir Owen Seaman as editor of Punch magazine.*Samuel Beckett's first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, is rejected by several publishers....
).
Summary
August DerlethAugust Derleth
August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
and Mark Schorer
Mark Schorer
Mark Schorer was an American writer, critic, and scholar born in Sauk City, Wisconsin.-Biography:Schorer earned an MA at Harvard and his Ph.D. in English at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1936...
originally created a being called Lloigor as one of the Twin Obscenities in their 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...
"The Lair of the Star-Spawn" (1932
1932 in literature
The year 1932 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*E. V. Knox replaces Sir Owen Seaman as editor of Punch magazine.*Samuel Beckett's first novel, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, is rejected by several publishers....
). Lloigor and its brother Zhar
Zhar (Great Old One)
Zhar is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being first appeared in the short story "The Lair of the Star-Spawn" by August Derleth and Mark Schorer.-Zhar in the mythos:...
were typical pseudo-Lovecraftian tentacled monstrosities, two more additions to the fiendish fictional menagerie known as the Great Old Ones. Derleth referred to Lloigor in several other writings, "The Sandwin Compact" (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 particular. It was apparently a wind elemental
Elemental
An elemental is a mythological being first appearing in the alchemical works of Paracelsus in the 16th century. Traditionally, there are four types:*gnomes, earth elementals*undines , water elementals*sylphs, air elementals...
and possessed the ability to somehow draw its sacrificial victims to it, perhaps through teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
.
Colin Wilson
Colin Wilson
Colin Henry Wilson is a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson has since written widely on true crime, mysticism and other topics. He prefers calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism.- Early biography:Born and...
borrowed the name for "The Return of the Lloigor" (1969), but his creatures are very different from Derleth's creation. The Lloigor take the form of invisible vortices of psychic
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:...
energy, though they may sometimes make themselves manifest as great reptilian beasts, akin to the legendary dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s. In the distant past, the Lloigor came from the Andromeda Galaxy
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the...
to the continent of Mu and used human slaves as their labor force. When their power dwindled, the Lloigor retreated below ground and left their former slaves to their own devices. Eventually, these early humans migrated from Mu and populated the earth.
In modern times, the Lloigor are too weakened to pose any real threat to humanity. Nonetheless, they can draw psychic
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...
energy from sleeping humans in nearby towns or villages—the victims so affected awaken feeling drained or ill, yet regain all lost vitality by nightfall— with which they can perform strange, preternatural feats, such as causing mysterious explosions or altering the flow of time.
Most other authors use the Wilson entities rather than the Derleth and Schorer conception.
Scottish comics writer Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
used the Lloigor as the primary villains (possessing the bodies and minds of various superhumans on various parallel earths) in his Zenith series for 2000 A.D.
2000 AD (comic)
2000 AD is a weekly British science fiction-oriented comic. As a comics anthology it serialises a number of separate stories each issue and was first published by IPC Magazines in 1977, the first issue dated 26 February. IPC then shifted the title to its Fleetway comics subsidiary which was sold...
. However, once again these Lloigor are a departure from what went before. They are referred to as many-angled ones (possibly the first use of this moniker) and appear to be entities from a reality with more dimensions than our own, so that disconnected bits of them (tentacles, eyes) appear to 'float' around the scene. The many-angled ones have appeared in other works since, most notably Charles Stross
Charles Stross
Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
's The Atrocity Archives
The Atrocity Archives
The Atrocity Archives contains two stories by British author Charles Stross, consisting of the short novel The Atrocity Archive and The Concrete Jungle, which won the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novella.The stories are Lovecraftian spy thrillers involving a secret history of the 20th century,...
, but it's not clear if these many-angled ones are considered to be related to the original Cthulhu Lloigor.
In the 1975 The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex-, and magick-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both...
, the lloigor are mentioned as the gods of the aboriginal natives of the People's Republic of Fernando Po
Bioko
Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...
, as well as the original gods of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
. Here, the term appears to be synonymous with Great Old One—for example, 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 creation Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity of the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward...
is called a lloigor.
Lloigor are also mentioned in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier is an original graphic novel in the comic book series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill. It was the last volume of the series to be published by DC Comics. Although the third book to be...
as inhabiting Yuggoth
Yuggoth
Yuggoth is a fictional planet in the Cthulhu Mythos. H. P. Lovecraft himself said that Yuggoth is the then newly-discovered planet Pluto. However, other writers claim that it is actually an enormous, trans-Neptunian world that orbits perpendicular to the ecliptic of the solar system.-In the...
and being in conflict with the Blazing World
The Blazing World
The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, better known as The Blazing World, is a 1666 work of prose fiction by English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle....
. Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
is sent by the Lloigor to negotiate a truce at the end of the comic.