Fire vampire

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Fire vampires are fictional characters in the Cthulhu Mythos. The term refers to two distinct types of beings: the Flame Creatures of Cthugha, created by August Derleth, and the Fire Vampires of Fthaggua, created by Donald Wandrei.

Cthulhu Mythos Shared fictional universe based on the work of H. P. Lovecraft

The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, to identify the settings, tropes, and lore that were employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors. The name Cthulhu derives from the central creature in Lovecraft's seminal short story, "The Call of Cthulhu", first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928.

August Derleth American novelist, short story writer, poet, editor, and anthologist

August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Cosmic Horror genre, as well as his founding of the publisher Arkham House, Derleth was a leading American regional writer of his day, as well as prolific in several other genres, including historical fiction, poetry, detective fiction, science fiction, and biography.

Donald Wandrei American writer

Donald Albert Wandrei was an American science fiction, fantasy and weird fiction writer, poet and editor. He was the older brother of science fiction writer and artist Howard Wandrei. He had fourteen stories in Weird Tales, another sixteen in Astounding Stories, plus a few in other magazines including Esquire. He was the co-founder of the prestigious fantasy/horror publishing house Arkham House.

Flame Creatures of Cthugha

The fire vampires that serve the Great Old One Cthugha appear as many points of fiery light. [1] They always accompany their lord whenever he is summoned to the Earth (though they may be summoned separately with the proper spells). Upon arriving, Cthugha's fire vampires ignite every flammable object they touch.

Cthugha is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos genre of horror fiction, the creation of August Derleth. In Derleth's version of the Cthulhu Mythos, Cthugha is a Great Old One, an elemental spirit of fire opposed to the Elder Gods. Derleth set its homeworld as the star Fomalhaut, which had featured in Lovecraft's poetry. He first appeared in Derleth's short story "The House on Curwen Street" (1944).

Fthaggua

Fthaggua appears as an unsteady orb of blue flame. He is the high priest of Cthugha and is probably also his servant, or possibly his offspring. Like Knygathin Zhaum, there is some controversy regarding his status.

The Fire Vampires of Fthaggua

The Fire Vampires of Fthaggua resemble crimson bursts of lightning. They gain sustenance by draining energy from intelligent beings; the subject so affected bursts into flames as if experiencing spontaneous combustion. The fire vampires also absorb all memories from the targeted victim. Since the minds of the fire vampires form a collective "hive mind", all knowledge gleaned from a slain being is shared by every member.

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the concept of the combustion of a living human body without an apparent external source of ignition. In addition to reported cases, descriptions of the alleged phenomenon appear in literature, and both types have been observed to share common characteristics in terms of circumstances and the remains of the victim.

Description of Fthaggua

Fthaggua is the regent of the fire vampires, and like his minions, gains energy and knowledge from the intelligent creatures they slay. With the knowledge so accumulated, Fthaggua and his minions can better plot their attacks on the sentient races of the universe, whom they regard as mere sources of food.

Fthaggua and his servants dwell in a huge building on the surface of a mysterious comet called Ktynga. They can guide this comet throughout the cosmos searching for intelligent civilizations to feed upon.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ This version of the "fire vampire" is portrayed in Derleth's "The Dweller in Darkness" and is the type of being that appears in the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game.

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References


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