Draft:Elder gods

Elder Gods' Characteristic in "The Lair of the Star-Spawn"

“Elder gods or “Elder things” are a class of ancient and powerful extraterrestrial beings in the Cthulhu Mythos, which are often mentioned in the works of American author H.P. Lovecraft later, and many other authors continued the story. Lovecraft’s work was first published in the early 20th century. The term "Elder Gods" was first interpreted in detail by August Derleth, the first writer to propose the concept of the elder gods. He describes these ancient gods as the opposite of the evil Great Old Ones. Elder gods may not be explicitly mentioned in Lovecraft's earliest works, but the concept and theme can be traced back to important stories such as "The Dream-Quest of Unknown" (1926).

Description

The elder gods are considered to have been the former rulers of the Great Old Ones before having conflicts with each other. For example, in The Call of Cthulhu, the great old one is confined in the Underwater City. The elder gods are said to be powerful beings and are widely worshipped by humans. Their appearance is most often described as "terrific towers of flame that walked like men." In The Lair of the Star-Spawn, it is stated that They were great, writhing pillars of light, moving like tremendous flames, colored purple and white, dazzling in their intensity.

History

H. P. Lovecraft, an Amercan writer

The term "elder gods" is mentioned lightly in H.P. Lovecraft's novels, such as in the later stages of the Cthulhu Mythos, before being interpreted and elaborated upon from various perspectives by various writers in the same universe. This subsequently resulted in narratives with clearly divided characters into good and evil factions. The storyline begins with According to the Unaussprechlichen Kulten, the book in the Cult of Ghatanothoa, both Earth and the elder gods came from a nameless dimension where they ruled supremely. They created Azathoth and Ubbo-Sathla as slaves, so they would create a race of servants in the real world. In an act of disobedience, Ubbo-Sathla stole the Elder Records, which were a library of tablets containing varied elder gods intelligence. Ubbo-Sathla invoked the powers he learned from the tablets, and thus the Earth fell from its original plane into the actual universe

Soon after, the elder gods entered the real world and installed their power in Betelgeuse. They enter into the war to persecute the Great Old One. As the battle unfolded, elder gods stood triumphantly and imprisoned the Great Old One within the Earth or other universe.

After their victory, the elder gods stayed on Earth for a while, even interbreeding with humans. Some people who possess psychic skills are thought to be their descendants. As they are undergone in some mythology, today they are worshiped as deities across a multitude of ancient civilizations, spanning from Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Aztec, and beyond.

At some point, confident that humanity could stand up against the Great Old Ones' slaves and prevent them from liberating their masters, the elder gods left the Earth as they were mortals and established themselves in another realm called Elysia.

Classification

In the Cthulhu Mythos universe, entities are classified into six types, ordered by their power: humans, extraterrestrial species, great ones, great old ones, elder gods, and outer gods.

Human - The lowest form of being in the Cthulhu Mythos. It is a terrestrial intelligence residing on planet Earth in the solar system. Most of the humans are protagonists in the books, who must encounter entities beyond their comprehension. Examples of important characters are Randolph Carter from “The Statement of Randolph Carter” or Abdul Alhazred from “The Nameless City.”

Extraterrestrial species - living beings that do not originate from Earth but come from other stars or dimensions. They are often more powerful than humans but can still be confronted. Important characters like the Elder Thing from "At the Mountains of Madness" or Fthaggua from "The Fire Vampires" belong to this category.

Great One - a creature known as the Other God that resides in Dreamland. In the past, the Great One used to live in the real world, but due to the increasing population of humans, the Great One migrated away. The Great One was fewer in number and less powerful than the Great Old Ones. When compared to humans, the Great One was even less intelligent. However, it was protected by an outer god.

Great old one -  a powerful and terrifying entity that can cause humans to lose consciousness merely by gazing upon it. It is described in the book as loose pantheon of ancient, powerful deities from space who once ruled the Earth and who have since fallen into a deathlike sleep. Examples include Cthulhu from "The Call of Cthulhu" or Hastur and the King in Yellow from "Haïta the Shepherd."

Elder god - a deity that appears in various mythologies in the real world. The elder gods are also known as the Pain Lord by their servants, or the Great Old Ones, but conflicts arose when the elder gods merged the Great Old Ones into various places in the universe, leading to a cult of humans wanting to release the deities they worship from the bondage. Another special aspect is that the elder gods are not as immortal as other deities, making them no longer exist in the present. However, the content in later parts is often not counted as the true work of Lovecraft because it is written by other writers in the same universe instead. The original character of H.P. Lovecraft is Nodens from The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.

Outer gods - These are the most powerful and influential beings capable of altering the very fabric of reality within the cosmos. These gods often reside in different dimensions and exist beyond human comprehension. Their power is sufficient to obliterate entire universes without them even being aware. They are often more like abstract concepts than living beings, embodying aspects such as darkness, time, or dimensions. Examples of outer gods include Azathoth from "The Seven Geases" or Yog-Sothoth from "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward."

List of Elder Gods and Appearance

• Amaterasu - a sun goddess who manifests as a radiant Japanese woman of unfathomable beauty. She is clothed in a beautiful white kimono.  First appeared in Call of Cthulhu (a role-playing game).
• Bast - one of the characters created by H.P. Lovecraft. It is the Egyptian goddess of cats. It appears as a female human with a cat’s head. Some Saracen sorcerers refer to Bast as "the Chewer of Corpses'' because she is associated with ghouls. First appeared in The Suicide in the Study (1935).
• Hypnos - Hypnos is the Greek god of sleep. He is depicted as a young man with a bearded face, "immense, sunken, and widely luminous eyes," and a flower crown.  First appeared in Hypnos (1923).
• Jade Emperor -  The Jade Emperor is an elder god who resides on the Jade Throne in the Citadel of the Taoist Immortals. He is the Taoist court's head, representing both Yin (dark) and Yang (bright). First appeared in Call of Cthulhu (a role-playing game).
• Kthanid - Kthanid is a sibling of Cthulhu. He is an enormous humanoid with stubby bat wings and octopoid tentacles growing from his lower face, but his eyes are a rich gold color. First appeared in The Transition of Titus Crow (1975).
• Orryx - It is an elder god who appears as a massive pillar of dazzling white and purple flames. Despite its dazzling and blinding appearance, no one feels its heat. No one can look at Orryx for more than a few seconds; anyone who does so will find their eyes uncomfortable and watery. First appeared in The Lair of the Star-spawn (1932).
• Oztalun - This elder god has not yet revealed its form, only its symbol is known: a seven-pointed star, which is its own seal. First appeared in The Bane of the Byagoona (1996).
• Nodens - one of the characters created by H.P. Lovecraft. Nodens appears as a human male riding a massive seashell propelled by mythological animals. He appears to be relatively beneficent, opposing the terrifying Nyarlathotep. First appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926).
• Paighon - It is a “nuclear force-creature." Paighon traveled from the Andromeda galaxy to the Solar System and settled inside the Earth's core shortly after its formation. Its shape has not been revealed yet. First appeared in The Barrett Horror (1985).
• Shavalyoth - This elder god has not yet revealed its form. Some believe it to be dark and formless. First appeared in The Bane of the Byagoona (1996).
• Ulthar - This elder god has not yet revealed its form. It is a divinity sent to Earth to watch over the Great Old Ones. First appeared in The Sussex Manuscript (1989).
• Vorvadoss - It appears as a covered, hooded figure wrapped in green flames and with flaming eyes. Some myths state that he is the son of Nodens and Lythalia, the elder god. First appeared in The Eater of Souls (1937).
• Yad-Thaddag - It emerges as a mass of light orbs, some with eyeballs or tendrils, others with just the orbs. Its spheres have varied colors, and its nature is entirely benevolent. First appeared in Elysia (1989).
• Yaggdytha - It is the twin brother of Vorvadoss. Yaggdytha manifests as a massive, amorphous, incandescent ball of cyan living energy that spreads into a web of enormous light talons. First appeared in The Star-Seed (1996)

Behind the Mythos

August Derleth

In the later stages of the Cthulhu Mythos, there emerged a concept of the elder gods as beings who are justice and opposed to the Great Old Ones. This idea was initiated by writers August Derleth and Mark Schorer and introduced in their book titled "The Lair of the Star-Spawn" in 1932. This expansion led to the creation of the elder gods as deities who protected humanity and waged war against the Great Old Ones. However, after August Derleth's death, many writers moved away from this concept of conflict between the two groups, either ignoring the elder gods altogether or altering their principles to resemble those of the Great Old Ones. His concept of the elder gods remains a contentious issue in the larger Lovecraft community, with some accepting his views and others rejecting them.