Popularity of Lovecraftian deities....

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-25 02:33pm

I thought about this some time ago...

I've just noted that the popularity of Lovecraft's various fictional deities are directly proportional to the difficulty of pronouncing its name.

Don't believe me?? Here's my evidence:

The most popular Great Old One is by any measure is Cthulhu... and guess what?? For over 50 years, people have been arguing over exactly how to pronounce Cthulhu! Attempts range from "Kuh-Thoo-Loo" over "Koo-Too-Loo" to "[unintelligible grunt]-ooloo". (Lovecraft himself said "Khlul-oo")

And which of Lovecraft's deities and Great Old Ones are the least popular?? Nodens, Hypnos and Yig. These are, IIRC, the only of Lovecraft's deities whose names don't contain the lisps which make it tricky to pronounce some Lovecraftian deities' name. (Dagon was not Lovecraft's invention, he was borrowed from Canaanite mythology)

Isn't it interesting that anyone can pronounce Nodens, Hypnos or Yig correctly, while these deities enjoy little popularity compared to the unpronounceable squidhead who even gave name to the mythos created by Lovecraft even though he's not the most important??

BTW - I've noted another thing determining the popularity of a Lovecraft deity, which is... the gross-out factor. (Evidenced by the fact that Nodens for some reason enjoys less popularity than his servitors who are black-winged faceless gargoyles... while Nodens resembles what Ian Anderson would look like today if Jethro Tull never dropped the "hobo" look)

Thoughts??

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-08-25 02:47pm

Many Lovecraft experts agree that Cthulhu is most likely pronouced "Kloo-loo".

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2003-08-25 02:58pm

Kloo loo... looloo.. argh

CluClu?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-08-25 04:19pm

I always say it "Klu-thu".

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-08-25 04:20pm

DPDarkPrimus wrote:I always say it "Klu-thu".

Er, I mean "Kthu-lhu".

Jawawithagun · Post by **Jawawithagun** » 2003-08-25 04:33pm

Hastur is easy to pronounce and popular too. Just try it, Hastur, Hast...

Dizzy D · Post by **Dizzy D** » 2003-08-25 05:32pm

Hypnos is also not a Lovecraft-creation: he is borrowed from Greek Mythology.

Yig was a Howard-creation IIRC. I don't even know if Lovecraft ever mentioned him....now where did put those links...

And I think your second theory (the gross-out factor) is better, but still incomplete. Popularity is difficult to capture: Azatoth and Nyarlathotep are far more popular than Shub-Niggurath and Tsathogua (spelling ?), while they are easier to pronounce and about equal in gross-factor. They just have some quality that speaks to the imagination of the reader: Nuclear Chaos and The Black Pharaoh/Haunter in Darkness/Messenger of the Outer Gods vs. The Goat in the Woods and some kind of bat-like thing in a cave.

And I pronounce Cthulhu as K'too-loo.

SHODAN · Post by **SHODAN** » 2003-08-25 05:33pm

Trying to prove you're immortal, Jawa?

Simon H.Johansen wrote:Thoughts??

I say it "K-tul-hu"...

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2003-08-25 06:27pm

Popularity directly proportional to number of tentacles?

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-26 09:03am

Dizzy D wrote:Hypnos is also not a Lovecraft-creation: he is borrowed from Greek Mythology.

Yig was a Howard-creation IIRC. I don't even know if Lovecraft ever mentioned him....now where did put those links...

Well, I think that Lovecraft once wrote a story together with Hazel Heald which was about Yig. It was called "The Horror Of Yig" IIRC.

mauldooku · Post by **mauldooku** » 2003-08-26 09:58am

Vendetta wrote:Popularity directly proportional to number of tentacles?

Ewww...

Demiurge · Post by **Demiurge** » 2003-08-26 11:47am

I pronounce it thoo-loo.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-08-26 01:26pm

Demiurge wrote:I pronounce it thoo-loo.

No "k" sound?! Heathen!

Dizzy D · Post by **Dizzy D** » 2003-08-26 01:43pm

Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Dizzy D wrote:Hypnos is also not a Lovecraft-creation: he is borrowed from Greek Mythology.

Yig was a Howard-creation IIRC. I don't even know if Lovecraft ever mentioned him....now where did put those links...
Well, I think that Lovecraft once wrote a story together with Hazel Heald which was about Yig. It was called "The Horror Of Yig" IIRC.

Yep, not with Hazel Heald though, Zealia Bishop. (Unless they are one and the same, which is possible, don't know either).

I thought Yig was created by Howard in one of his Conan-stories, but apparantly "Curse of Yig" by Lovecraft was it's first appearance.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-26 02:16pm

DPDarkPrimus wrote:
Demiurge wrote:I pronounce it thoo-loo.
No "k" sound?! Heathen!

Maybe he thinks that the "Cth" in "Cthulhu" is derived from "Chthonic", where the "Ch" is silent IIRC.

Symmetry · Post by **Symmetry** » 2003-08-26 04:36pm

I pronounce it K'ThuLu.

Oh, and I have some really nice bumer stickers taped to my door: "WWCD (what would Cthulhu do)" and "Cthuhlu Loathes You." My college also has a Campus Crusade for Cthulhu.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-27 08:36am

Badme wrote:
Vendetta wrote:Popularity directly proportional to number of tentacles?
Ewww...

Also known as the Urotsekidoji Rule!!

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-08-27 11:17pm

IIRC, Lovercraft said that the proper way to pronounce "Cthulhu" was as a sort of coughing, barking noise. If you try to make a coughing sound in the right way is sounds like "kthuh", so I suppose that's what he meant.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-08-27 11:27pm

Addendum from http://www.cthulhu.org:

H.P. Lovecraft wrote:
The actual sound - as nearly as human organs could imitate it or human letters record it - may be taken as something like Khlul'-hloo, with the first syllable pronounced gutturally and very thickly."

The best approximation one can make is to grunt, bark, or cough the imperfectly formed syllables Cluh-Luh with the tip of the tongue firmly affixed to the roof of the mouth. That is, if one is a human being. Directions for other entities are naturally different.

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-08-28 02:29am

Symmetry wrote:I pronounce it K'ThuLu.

Oh, and I have some really nice bumer stickers taped to my door: "WWCD (what would Cthulhu do)" and "Cthuhlu Loathes You." My college also has a Campus Crusade for Cthulhu.

I have the wwcd tshirt. I wear it to church, when I go to church.

and I pronounce it koo thoo loo

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-08-28 08:53am

Lovecraft & Howard were friends no one's quite sure where one began and the other ended.

Peregrin Toker · Post by **Peregrin Toker** » 2003-08-28 10:25am

The Yosemite Bear wrote:Lovecraft & Howard were friends no one's quite sure where one began and the other ended.

Reminds me of the fact that H.P. Lovecraft once was employed as a proofreader for a pulp magazine but was fired because he simply rewrote stories completely if he didn't like them.... (I recall reading about this in the "Call Of Cthulhu" rulebook)

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-08-28 02:27pm

I remember reading something about the pronunciation of cthulhu, apparently, you're supposed to make the most gutteral sound your throat can make then with your tongue on the roof of your mouth attempt to say ku-thoo-loo. Comes out something like "KLOO-LOO".

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2003-08-29 02:01am

DPDarkPrimus wrote:
Demiurge wrote:I pronounce it thoo-loo.
No "k" sound?! Heathen!

Ever hear of "Ctesiphon"?

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Popularity of Lovecraftian deities....

Popularity of Lovecraftian deities....

Re: Popularity of Lovecraftian deities....