Cthulhu is a Great Old One of great power who lies in a death-like slumber beneath the Pacific Ocean in his sunken city of R'lyeh. He remains a dominant presence in the eldrich dealings on our world. Cthulhu is characterized as the priest or leader of the Old Ones, a species that came to Earth from the stars before human life arose. The Old Ones went dormant, and their city slipped under Earth’s crust beneath the Pacific Ocean. They communicated with humans by telepathy, and, in hidden corners of the world, uncivilized people remembered and worshipped Cthulhu in rites described as loathsome. These groups had statues of Cthulhu that seemed to be made of materials not found on Earth and chanted the phrase “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.”When conditions are right, the city will rise, and, with the help of the eternal Cthulhu cult, Cthulhu will awaken and again rule the world. The creature is described as “a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.” It is said to be so terrible to behold that it destroys the sanity of those who view the creature. The cult that follows Cthulhu is driven by their innate desire for freedom, but a freedom we simply can’t describe. Perhaps it is freedom from the monotony of life, or possibly just the freedom from all structure as a whole. The grotesque form of Cthulhu himself is enough to drill fear into the most hardened of men. No sailor in the seven seas who stumbled across the unstoppable Cthulhu could maintain their composure, and understandably so. Not only is his rubbery skin covered in scales and goo unlike anything seen in this world, his form is ever-changing. Once the stars align, his worshippers can bring Cthulhu out from the depths of the ocean and bring forth the new age of the Old Gods once again. And it is foretold that he is again, even more than priest. He will eventually inherit the Earth from them and rule it once again. And in that day there will be FREEDOM! He reminds us that despite our impact on the world as humans, there is something greater, be it a force of the Great Old Ones or even just a force of nature. Even though they rammed a boat through his body, he simply reformed. And yet, the waves of the ocean it self posed a threat to this great vessel. Cthulhu is not just the octopus-humanoid-dragon-like beast. He is fear. According to correspondence between Lovecraft and fellow author James F. Morton, Cthulhu's parent is the deity Nug, itself the offspring of Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath. Lovecraft includes a fanciful family tree in which he himself descends from Cthulhu via Shaurash-ho, Yogash the Ghoul, K'baa the Serpent, and Ghoth the Burrower. With the revelation of writing detailing his relations, we have learned that Cthulhu descends from Yog-Sothoth, possibly having been born on Vhoorl, in the 23rd Nebula. He mated with Idh-yaa on the planet Xoth. His offspring are Ghatanothoa, Ythogtha, Zoth-Ommog, and Cthylla.