| “ | The ancient Fishers from Outside—Were there not tales the high-priest told, Of how they found the worlds of old, And took what pelf their fancy spied? | „ | |
| ~ H. P. Lovecraft , "The Outpost" |
The Fishers from Outside are entities that serve the Great Old One Groth-Golka, first appearing in the "The Outpost", by H. P. Lovecraft.
In Lovecraft Circle Works[]
In prehistoric times, the Fishers from Outside built outposts on many planets, including the Earth, where abandoned ruins of their settlements are still found in the jungles of Africa. (HPL: "The Outpost", "Winged Death")
Occult detective Roger Little refers to them as "malignant and unknowable entities". Over the course of his career, Little has investigated several cases of men and women abducted in broad daylight by the Fishers from Outside, who produce invisible webs or tentacles to capture their victims. Once captured, "a shadow seems to pass over them, to envelop them for an instant and then they are gone". (CIRCLE: The Horror from the Hills)
In the Expanded Mythos[]
Sometimes confused with Shantaks and even prehistoric Pterosaurs, the Fishers from Outside are a distinct species believed to serve the Great Old One known as Groth-Golka. Called down from the spaces between and beyond the stars, the Fishers sometimes act as proxies, accepting and devouring human sacrifices while also metering out the divine will of their master. As such, cultists of Groth-Golka regard the Fishers as the manifestation of their god's will.
Whether the Fishers were created by Groth-Golka or somehow recruited is unknown, although their evolution over time has certainly been tailored or affected by the Great Old One. Viewing or handling a representational image of a Fisher from Outside is akin to viewing an image of Groth-Golka, causing humans to experience horrific nightmares.
Behind the Mythos[]
The Fishers from Outside might have been inspired by Charles Fort's ideas about alien abduction. In his typical humorous style, Fort claims:
| “ | I think that we're fished for. It may be that we're highly esteemed by super-epicures somewhere. It makes me more cheerful when I think that we may be of some use after all. I think that dragnets have often come down and have been mistaken for whirlwinds and waterspouts. Some accounts of seeming structure in whirlwinds and waterspouts are astonishing. | „ | |
| ~ Charles Fort, The Book of the Damned (1919) |
In "Synchronicity or Something", by Brian Lumley, the character Paynter mentions "Charles Fort and his fishers from outside".
Robert M. Price, in his introduction to The Ithaqua Cycle, also claims that the Fishers from Outside were inspired by Fort.
In the works of Lin Carter, the Fishers from Outside are synonymous with the Shantaks, which Carter portrays as winged reptilian predators with a single eye and a single leg. (EXP: "The Fishers from Outside")