Cthulhu Mythos
Term coined by August Derleth, biographer and editor of
H. P. Lovecraft, writer of supernatural fiction. The term denotes
the mythology invented by Lovecraft for a group of horror
stories. According to Derleth, Lovecraft once told him, All
my stories, unconnected as they may be, are based on the fundamental
lore or legend that this world was inhabited at one
time by another race who, in practicing black magic, lost their
foothold and were expelled, yet live on the outside, ever ready
to take possession of this earth again.
Sources
Carter, Lin. Lovecraft A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos. New
York Ballantine Books, 1972.
Schweitzer, Darrell. The Dream Quest of H. P. Lovecraft. San
Bernardino, Calif. Borgo Press, 1978
