Insect from Shaggai

Last updated

An Insect from Shaggai is a member of a fictional alien race (also known as the Shan) in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being was created by British author Ramsey Campbell, who was inspired by a similar creature in H. P. Lovecraft's commonplace book. [1] The Shan first appeared in Campbell's short story "The Insects From Shaggai" (1964).

Summary

The Insects from Shaggai, or Shan, are a race of pigeon-sized interstellar refugees who arrived on Earth centuries ago. The Shan hail from the planet Shaggai, a world that orbits twin emerald suns. In its heyday, the technologically advanced Shan lived in globular dwellings within huge cities. As devout worshipers of the Outer God Azathoth, they erected pyramidal temples containing "multidimensional gates" whereby "that from Outside" (an aspect of Azathoth called Xada-Hgla) could enter.

One day, a mysterious object appeared in the sky. Day by day, this object drew closer to Shaggai, until the third day when the strange celestial visitor emitted a red glow which destroyed the planet. Only those Shan in their teleporting temples of Azathoth survived the catastrophe. The survivors teleported to their colony on the planet Xiclotl, where their brethren had enslaved the native inhabitants.

The Shan remained on Xiclotl for some time, but upon discovering the frightening nature of their slaves' religious practices, they teleported to the planet Thuggon. A horrific find on this world prompted the Shan to flee once more, this time to the planet L'gy'hx, aka Uranus. When this world proved unsuitable, a small band of the Shan teleported to Earth—in a curious cone-shaped temple—arriving in the Severn Valley region of England sometime in the Middle Ages. [2]

Other aspects

The brains of the Shan have six lobes, giving them the ability to follow three trains of thought simultaneously. Most Shan have an aversion to sunlight because the electromagnetic frequency of the Sun's rays poisons their metabolism.

As a result of contact with Azathoth—the head of the Mythos pantheon—the Shan developed the ability of Kirlian Phasing, allowing them to pass into the skulls and brains of organic life. On Earth, they usually meld with their new favorite hosts, humanity. Once ensconced within the cranium of a human victim, they use cruel alien telepathy to gradually dominate and control their puppet.

The psychology of the Insects from Shaggai is completely alien, lacking any recognizable human ethics. Other than a few heretics, the Shan are divided into two factions: Fanatical worshippers of Azathoth's avatar Xada Hgla that wish to eliminate all other sects and consider other deities to be inferior or false, and a faction of amoral hedonists whose main purpose is to discover new experiences, most of which involve cruelty or depravity. Their sadistic fancy is often implemented through a host, preferably a sentient one, from which they feed off the electromagnetic impulses in the brain. The relationship is completely parasitic. As long as it inhabits a human host, the Shan has some control over the host's actions, and the longer it is there, the more control it gains. It can, however, be driven out by trepanation.[ citation needed ]

Massa di Requiem per Shuggay

In 1768, the enigmatic composer Benevento Chieti Bordighera, wrote an opera about the Shan's trek, the frightful but brilliant Massa di Requiem per Shuggay ("Requiem for Shaggai"). The final act of the opera chronicles the arrival of the Shan on Earth in the 17th century and the plight of the monstrous and godlike insect-beast Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, another former inhabitant from the dead world of Shaggai. In 1769, Pope Clement XIII banned the piece, and one year later his successor imprisoned Bordighera, branding him a heretic. A year later, Bordighera was put to death. All copies of the morose libretto were ordered destroyed, although one or two survived. [3]

Shaggai's destruction

The disaster that destroyed Shaggai was likely caused by the passing of the Outer God Ghroth the Harbinger. [4] The Mi-go, with their untoward influence over the planet-shattering path of Ghroth, may have instigated the obliteration of Shaggai for some inscrutable purpose. One theory even purports that Ghroth awakened the local Great Old One, The Worm that Gnaws in the Night, destroying the planet. [5]

Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg

One of the more terrible inhabitants of Shaggai was the titanic insect-demon Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, Bringer of Pestilence. This Great Old One appears similar to a colossal scorpion, but far more unpleasant. It has huge compound eyes interspersed with antennae, an ant-like, venom-dripping maw, and gigantic wings. It is often accompanied by a swarm of stinging insects. This being is worshipped by small conclaves of ghouls, although it has no known human worshippers. [6]

Other appearances

Related Research Articles

Glaaki is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. Glaaki first appeared in "The Inhabitant of the Lake" (1964), an early story by Ramsey Campbell. Recently this being featured in Campbell's The Last Revelation of Gla'aki (2013).

Azathoth Outer God in the Cthulhu Mythos

Azathoth is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle stories of writer H. P. Lovecraft and other authors. He is the ruler of the Outer Gods.

Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity in the Cthulhu Mythos and Dream Cycle of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in Lovecraft's novel The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The being is said to take the form of a conglomeration of glowing spheres. It is an all-knowing deity, which means it knows the past, present, and future.

Cthylla is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. Cthylla was created by Brian Lumley, who originally mentioned her in his Titus Crow novel The Transition Of Titus Crow (1975), though he never actually described her. Tina L. Jens, however, depicted Cthylla as a gigantic winged-octopus in her short story "In His Daughter's Darkling Womb" (1997).

Yuggoth is a fictional planet in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. It is deemed to be located at the very edge of the Solar System.

Elder Thing Fictional extraterrestrial in the Cthulhu Mythos

The Elder Things are fictional extraterrestrials in the Cthulhu Mythos. The beings first appeared in H. P. Lovecraft's novella, At the Mountains of Madness, and later appeared, although not named, in the short story "The Dreams in the Witch-House" (1933). Additional references to the Elder Things appear in Lovecraft's short story "The Shadow Out of Time" (1936).

Carcosa is a fictional city in Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" (1886). The ancient and mysterious city is barely described and is viewed only in hindsight by a character who once lived there. Its name may be derived from the medieval city of Carcassonne in southern France, whose Latin name was "Carcaso."

Cyäegha is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos and first appeared in Eddy C. Bertin's short story "Darkness, My name Is" (1976).

Y'golonac is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos. He is the creation of Ramsey Campbell and first appeared in his short story "Cold Print" (1969).

Books in the Cthulhu Mythos Wikimedia list article

Many fictional works of arcane literature appear in H.P. Lovecraft's cycle of interconnected works often known as the Cthulhu Mythos. The main literary purpose of these works is to explain how characters within the tales come by occult or esoterica. However, in some cases the works themselves serve as an important plot device. Thus, in Robert Bloch's tale "The Shambler from the Stars", a weird fiction writer seals his doom by casting a spell from the arcane book De Vermis Mysteriis.

The Lloigor are a fictional race in the Cthulhu Mythos. The beings first appeared in August Derleth and Mark Schorer's short story "The Lair of the Star Spawn" (1932), and have been used in subsequent fictional works by others though often departing from the original concept.

The following tables and lists feature elements of the Cthulhu Mythos, that are often shared between works within that fictional setting.

A number of supernatural characters appear in the Cthulhu Mythos. While many of these beings have godlike qualities, they do not fit the standard categories. Nonetheless, they are noteworthy for their infrequent or sometimes singular appearances in the mythos.

The Severn Valley is the setting of several fictional towns and other locations created by horror writer Ramsey Campbell. Part of the Cthulhu Mythos started by H. P. Lovecraft, the fictional milieu is arguably the most detailed mythos setting outside of Lovecraft Country itself.

The Ramsey Campbell deities are fictional supernatural entities created for the Cthulhu Mythos universe of shared fiction by British horror writer Ramsey Campbell.

The Lin Carter deities are supernatural entities created for the Cthulhu Mythos universe of shared fiction by horror writer Lin Carter.

"I, Cthulhu" is a short humorous story by fantasy author Neil Gaiman featuring H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu who is dictating an autobiography to a human slave, Whateley. The story reveals much about Cthulhu's 'birth' and early life.

Serpent Men are a fictional race created by Robert E. Howard for his King Kull tales. They first appeared in "The Shadow Kingdom," published in Weird Tales in August 1929.

H. P. Lovecraft created a number of deities throughout the course of his literary career, including the "Great Old Ones" and aliens, such as the "Elder Things", with sporadic references to other miscellaneous deities whereas the "Elder Gods" are a later creation of other prolific writers such as August Derleth, who was credited with formalizing the Cthulhu Mythos.

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, "Introduction to Cold Print: Chasing the Unknown", Cold Print, p. 5.
  2. ↑ Campbell, "The Insects from Shaggai", Cold Print, pp. 79–106.
  3. ↑ Aniolowski, "Mysterious Manuscripts".
  4. ↑ Harms, "Shaggai", The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, pp. 269–70.
  5. ↑ Carter, "Shaggai", pp. 206–10.
  6. ↑ Aniolowski, "Mysterious Manuscripts".
  7. ↑ Adam, Scott Glancy. Delta Green: Countdown. Pagan Publishing. pp. 4–42. ISBN   9781887797122.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.