4/9: “The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft (Part III)

This image below is a great capture of the greatness that Cthulhu possesses. Notice the darkness of the ocean and the size of Cthulhu in this photo. He is not just large but takes up a significant portion of the ocean. If we think of how large a ship must look within close perimeters then take a look at Cthulhu, we see the enormous advantage that he has over the world and has such a strong following. According to Wilcox’s dreams, he discusses the size of how large he interpreted Cthulhu. He stated described it as “A mountain walked or stumbled.” and “… a gigantic thing ‘miles high’ which walked or lumbered about.” To get a deeper understanding of the image, it represents an ongoing theme found in Lovecraft’s work, the ideas that behind the mirage of human ignorance, lies a doormat and ever creeping chaos and horror that, at any moment can rip us from our reality and plunge us into the tides of maddening destruction and carnage.

Illustration from the “The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki”
http://lovecraft.wikia.com

Another thing that visually captures Lovecraft’s work is the song called “The Call of Ktulu” by Metallica. It is an instrumental that was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and original Metallica guitarist Dave Mustaine.This instrumental was inspired by Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulu”. In the story, it is mentioned that the name Cthulhu will bring him closer. That is why Metallica used the name “Ktulu” and not “Cthulhu”, for fear of the beast. It best captures the atmosphere of Lovecraftian horror perfectly. Check out the music below!