Top Ten Cosmic entities

1 The Colour out of Space

Source: New York times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/movies/color-out-of-space-review.html

Unlike all other entities within the Cthulhu mythos, the color out of space doesn’t have a namesake. No titles are associated with the color, and its sentience is questionable. There isn’t any particular personage to the color, but an amorphous mass infects everything before causing it to die. The color, to me, is the perfect cosmic horror entity, more than the genre’s mascot Cthulhu. The color is genuinely eldritch, unknowable, vast, and utterly indifferent/unknowing/unthinking to care about the terror it causes. And that is why The Colour is the best cosmic horror villain ever (for me).

2 The King in Yellow

Ancient books of forbidden knowledge that drive people to madness are standard in cosmic horror. However, Robert W Chambers takes it a step further with The King in Yellow, a story about a cursed play that appears to manifest in times of peace and supposed harmony and causes havoc, driving those to madness. The play itself, glimpsed in snippets, sends shivers down my spine, not to mention the king mentioned above, who appears to spread his unknowable power through the play. It is a shame that Chambers didn’t bother using the king for more than three stories.

3 Cthulhu

The mascot of the cosmic horror genre. The mixture of dragon, squid, and human. The most iconic of all the monsters. Cthulhu might not have the same fear factor he did when he was first released, but one cannot deny the memorability of the design Lovecraft employed. The color is a better fit for the iconic monster, but that is my opinion.

4 Shub-N*ggeruth

Problematic name aside, Shub-N*ggeruth is a fascinating insight into Lovecraft’s fears of sex and reproduction. The Goat with the Thousand Young is an entity that keeps spawning more and more grotesque young forever. Let's say Freud would have a field day with this monster, plus those who have keen eyes will also notice Lovecraft’s fears of black people involved with Shub-N*ggeruth. All around, a fascinating examination of two of Lovecraft’s many fears and anxieties.

5 The Hounds of Tindalos

Source: https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Hound_of_Tindalos

A man who takes an experimental drug to time travel is haunted by strange doglike (?) creatures that persuade those who leave time beyond the curves of time. Horrific in just how alien and strange they are, the Hounds of Tindalos are unsettling warnings against those who persuade knowledge without understanding the dangers first.

6 Hellstar Rinena

Not part of the official Cthulu mythos but one that this and The Spiral are prime examples of cosmic horror. Hellstar Rinena is a planet-devouring predator that goes from solar system to solar system consuming planets in a mindless feeding frenzy. The perfect cosmic predator that humanity isn’t prepared for.

7 The Spiral

Source: https://uzumaki.fandom.com/wiki/The_Spiral

Spirals can mean many things in cultures; in Buddhist cultures, for example, the spiral symbolizes enlightenment. In Japanese pop culture, the spiral is associated with fun, crazy love. This spiral inverts this, twisting it (pun intended) into the eldritch personification of death and self-destruction, consuming everyone uniquely. Ensuring that nobody can escape their wilful death and self-destruction.

8 Azathoth

Azathoth, the blind idiot god Azathoth lies dreaming, soothed by the beating of vile drums and discontent flutes. Whatever happens, when he awakes is anyone’s guess; pray that you never find out.

9 Yog-Sothoth

The granddaddy of all the cosmic entities, the father, and possibly the cosmos' creator. You-Sothoth lurks at the edges of our reality. Whatever his plans are, when he intervenes (such as fathering Wilbur Wheatley), something is up, but only he will know what exactly.

10 Nyarathotep

Source: https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Nyarlathotep

A haunting and mysterious creature, sometimes a man and sometimes something much worse. His motives are as unknown as many of his cosmic brethren. However, unlike Cthulhu and Azathoth, who spend their time dreaming, Nyarathotep is active and wonders about the world for reasons we cannot comprehend. Nyarathotep’s role is often as a messenger for the other gods, for omens and warnings about humanity’s destruction.

Acknowledgments

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