The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki
The H. P. Lovecraft Wiki
5,580
pages
in: Extra-Dimensional Locations, Structures, Locations Originating From Mythos-Adjacent Works
English

Carcosa

Sign in to edit

This subject contains information from the Mythos Adjacent Works, and while share similar themes and features of the Mythos are not based on his work, or generally considered a part of the Mythos proper. This subject contains information from the "Lovecraft Circle" Myth Cycles, and while guided by HPL are not based on his work alone. This subject contains information from the Derleth Cthulhu Mythos, and not based on H.P. Lovecraft's works directly. This subject contains information from the Expanded Cthulhu Mythos, and not based on H.P. Lovecraft's works directly. Carcosa is a mystical ancient city created by Ambrose Bierce for his short story "An Inhabitant of Carcosa". It is a central element of the horror fantasy story cycle The King in Yellow, by Robert W. Chambers, who places it in an apparently extraterrestrial landscape complete with two suns, strange moons, and black stars. In some of Chambers' stories, it is stated that the towers of Carcosa can rise behind the moon, as if the city itself was a celestial place. The King in Yellow also associates Carcosa with Aldebaran and the Hyades, as well as Hastur (originally the name of a god created by Bierce).

While the mythology of The King in Yellow was incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos by H. P. Lovecraft in The Whisperer in Darkness, Carcosa itself was referenced in the Mythos stories of August Derleth and Donald Wandrei.

Description[]

Carcosa is often described to have:

  • Black stars on a bright sky
  • Twin suns
  • The Lake of Hali
  • Black soaring towers
  • Wet winds

Pathfinder[]

In the Pathfinder universe, Carcosa is a highly magical planet which contains a living city that is also called Carcosa. It's the home of Hastur, who resides in the monstrous Lake of Hali. When the light from Carcosa's star shines on another world's night sky, Hastur's power increases on that world. Carcosa is continuously expanding, absorbing the societies and cities of other worlds, serving as the fuel for Hastur's eventual ascension into the ranks of the Outer Gods, at which time he will consume and absorb Carcosa and its inhabitants. The city of Carcosa is a vast patchwork of the cities which it absorbed over the eons, each individual patchwork is a nexus, which may retain some of the properties of their original worlds. Some of the known nexuses include Neruzavin (flying polyp city), Bohlvari (shoggoth inhabited elder thing city), a technologically advanced city of skyscrapers (inhabited by robots and aliens), and an underwater city (inhabited by the undead).

External links[]

Gallery[]

Español
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki