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Making Histories Feb29 2016, Amsterdam

Cthulhu – Week 9 Picture Explained

In the build-up to the voting session last Friday, Domenique explained to me some of the images he had in mind for the ultra common enemy. One of these images came from the work of H.P. Lovecraft: the monster Cthulhu.

Cthulhu is a cosmic entity ‘of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.’ In Lovecraft’s initial short story, “The Call of Cthulhu”, published in Weird Tales in 1928, he established the character as a malevolent entity, hibernating within an underwater city in the South Pacific called R’lyeh.

According to Lovecraft the imprisoned Cthulhu is the source of constant anxiety for mankind, presenting a kind of subconscious existential threat. Yet within Lovecraft’s narrative the monster is also the subject of worship by a number of human religions (located several places worldwide, including New Zealand, Greenland, Louisiana, and the Chinese mountains). Its worshippers chant ‘Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” (‘In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.’).

As is demonstrated in the picture, Cthulhu has reappeared in various guises across popular culture, in this instance in a satirical poster as a joke candidate in the Polish presidential election. The poster reads: “Choose the Greater Evil, Vote Cthulhu”… A very appropriate message with which to begin the ultra common enemy project.