Cthulhu (Cthulhu Mythos)

“	Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.	„
	~ H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

Summary

Cthulhu is a godlike alien entity of epic proportions. He is considered a Great Old One within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities. While the Great Old Ones are not truly all-powerful gods as the Outer Gods are, they are nonetheless terrifying and godlike in mortal eyes. Originally from another universe altogether, Cthulhu and his kin arrived on Earth billions of years ago filtering down from the stars. However, the planet had already been claimed by a species known as the Elder Things, leading to a war between Cthulhu's Star Spawn and the Elder Things' Shoggoth monstrosities. Eventually, an uneasy peace was reached and the two factions each claimed their own half of the world.

During this time, Cthulhu constructed the city of R'lyeh, a place composed of structures so complex, the human mind would be unable to fathom them. However, a change in the stars caused Cthulhu to fall into a deep slumber, his city, and the majority of his race sinking to the bottom of the ocean with environmental changes. Though the Elder Things' only adversaries had vanished, their victory was cut short when the Shoggoth slaves gained sentience, rebelling, and destroying them. With the masters of the old world gone, life evolved from the Elder Things' leftover experiments, and the war was forgotten with time. However, Cthulhu still lies dormant at the bottom of the sea, immune to the changing of the universe. Cults devoted to him can still be found at the darkest corners of the earth, whispering dark blasphemies that one day, when the stars are right, the sunken city will rise and its lord shall return to claim what is his.

Powers and Stats

Tier: At least High 6-B, likely far higher

Name: Cthulhu, High Priest of the Great Old Ones, The Great Dreamer, The Sleeper of R'lyeh

Origin: Cthulhu Mythos

Gender: Genderless, referred to as Male

Age: Vigintillions of years old

Classification: Great Old One, Alien Deity

Powers and Abilities:

• Superhuman Physical Characteristics
  • Large Size (Likely Type 3; Described like a 'Mountain' walking or stumbling and 'Mountainous')
  • Fragrance Manipulation, Body Control & Adhesive Manipulation (Described as amorphous, slimy, and smelling intolerable)
• Dimensional Manipulation, Spatial Manipulation & Reality Warping (The City of R'lyeh, of which Cthulhu presumably helped in the creation of it, Has unnatural and Non-Euclidean Geometry)
• Great Old One Physiology
  • Immortality (Types 1, 3, 4 & 5; The Great Old Ones are incredibly resilient beings, with Cthulhu alone being vigintillions of years old.When the stars are right, they will resurrect from their deaths and reawaken once more, and although they are considered 'dead', they can never truly die)
  • Nigh-Omniscience (The Great Old Ones know all that is happening in the universe)
  • Self-Sustenance (All Types; The Great Old Ones' bodies are not made of biological matter, meaning they do not have the same stamina or nutritional limitations as most beings do, capable of flying from planet to planet without any need of air)
  • Regeneration (Low-Godly; When Cthulhu's head was split in half, it merely was able to reform itself with ease. Any damage done to the bodies of the Great Old Ones is ultimately rendered meaningless, as they are not composed of physical matter)
  • Dream Manipulation, Telepathy & Mind Manipulation (Molded the dreams and minds of man to their need)
  • Madness Manipulation (Type 2; Are capable of making individuals insane through psychic abilities)
  • True Flight (Capable of travelling from planet to planet seemingly without the use of technology)
  • Magic (The Great Old Ones are capable of using magic and spells. Cthulhu was capable of casting a spell which preserved him and the other Great Old Ones until the day of their resurrection. Other Great Old Ones, such as Yig, have been shown utilizing a curse to transmute those that oppose him into serpents)

Resistance to:

• Matter Manipulation & Biological Manipulation (Great Old Ones are not composed of matter or biological substance)
• Mind Manipulation & Madness Manipulation (Type 2; Unaffected by their kin's maddening forms, and are capable of viewing each others visages without much problem)
• Extreme Cold & Cosmic Radiation (Capable of travelling from planet to planet seemingly without the use of technology)

Attack Potency: At least Large Country level, likely far higher (Cthulhu caused an earthquake as he slumbers in the city of R'lyeh)

Speed: Unknown (Great Old Ones have been stated to be capable of travelling from planet to planet, although in what time frame is unknown)

Lifting Strength: Unknown, possibly Class G (Sheer Size should probably grant this, likely comparable to Dagon)

Striking Strength: At least Large Country level, likely far higher

Durability: At least Large Country level, likely far higher (Should be able to endure its own blows), its physiology makes it incredibly hard to kill

Stamina: Infinite (Their bodies are not made of biological matter, meaning they do not have the same stamina or nutritional limitations as most beings do, capable of flying from planet to planet without any need of air)

Range: Likely Hundreds of Meters physically via sheer size; at least Planetary with Psychic Abilities (Cthulhu can mentally interact with anyone on the planet); High Hyperversal with Psychic abilities when unhindered (The Great Old Ones were said to know and influence all that happened in the universe, which is infinite-dimensional, before they were sealed away/began to slumber)

Standard Equipment: His Star Spawn

Intelligence: Nigh-Omniscient (The Great Old Ones know all that is happening in the universe)

Weaknesses: None notable

Note: As explained and accepted with this blog, The Whisperer in Darkness mentioning the origins of Cthulhu and why stars were flaring forth in the same sentence doesn't imply Cthulhu affected stars. The paragraph containing this sentence employs literary parallelism by Henry Wentworth Akeley repeatedly mentioning two unrelated things he's learned to Albert N. Wilmarth; there's no reason to assume this sentence about Cthulhu and stars is different.

Gallery

Original Sketch of Cthulhu created by Lovecraft himself.

Notable Matchups

Victories:

Losses:

Inconclusive:

Discussions

Discussion threads involving Cthulhu (Cthulhu Mythos)