Rlim Shaikorth, The White Worm, is a character created by Clark Ashton Smith for his short story "The Coming of the White Worm", which purports to be a chapter of the Book of Eibon.
Description[]
| “ | In all the world there was naught that could be likened for its foulness to Rlim Shaikorth. Something he had of the semblance of a fat white worm; but his bulk was beyond that of the sea-elephant. His half-coiled tail was thick as the middle folds of his body; and his front reared upward from the dais in the form of a white round disk, and upon it were imprinted vaguely the lineaments of a visage belonging neither to beast of the earth nor ocean-creature. And amid the visage a mouth curved uncleanly from side to side of the disk, opening and shutting incessantly on a pale and tongueless and toothless maw. The eye-sockets of Rlim Shaikorth were close together between his shallow nostrils; and the sockets were eyeless, but in them appeared from moment to moment globules of a blood-coloured matter having the form of eyeballs; and ever the globules broke and dripped down before the dais. And from the ice-floor of the dome there ascended two masses like stalagmites, purple and dark as frozen gore, which had been made by the ceaseless dripping of the globules | „ | |
| ~ "The Coming of the White Worm" , Clark Ashton Smith |
Appearing as a gigantic, pale, white worm with a great gaping maw and empty sockets for eyes that drip blood continuously, Rlim Shaikorth was a being of unknown origin, although it is hinted that it originated in another world or dimension (Smith uses the word "ultraterrestrial", a term he often used in lieu of "extraterrestrial"). It fed on the bodies, souls and knowledge of the most powerful of sorcerers, and the more it consumed, the larger it grew. It was also capable of causing those within its immediate vicinity to fall into a deep sleep, and to control their actions whilst in the state.
Due to the great age and unrecognisable origin of some of the artefacts frozen within Rlim Shaikorth's iceberg-fortress Yikilth, it is assumed to be an entity of tremendous age.
History[]
Rlim Shaikorth first came to Earth during the Hyperborean Age and it proceeded to roam the coastline on Yikilth, inflicting death and destruction on the land seemingly for the sake of it and inducting magic-users into its priesthood as a source of sustenance.
Rlim Shaikorth was destroyed by the mage Evagh, who caught it during a period of rest and was able to inflict a mortal wound on the creature, an act which also resulted in the destruction of Yikilth.
Behind the Mythos[]
Rlim Shaikorth's place among the Great Old Ones is ambiguous. Although the "Old Ones" are mentioned twice in its debut story, there is no indication that Rlim Shaikorth is one of them. If anything, the sorcerers' urging Evagh "by the faith of the Old Ones" to destroy Rlim Shaikorth would seemingly imply that the Old Ones might be its enemies.
Conversely, in the greater Cthulhu Mythos, such an enmity might be explainable: in Smith's stories, the Old Ones venerated in Mhu Thulan are subterranean beings such as Tsathoggua and Atlach-Nacha (CIRCLE: "The Seven Geases"), which, according to the elemental theory of August Derleth, would be inimical to Cthugha (AWD: "The Dweller in Darkness"). Since Lin Carter identifies Rlim Shaikorth as the Lesser Old One who serves Cthugha's son, Aphoom-Zhah, it makes sense that the "earth beings" would oppose it.
In the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, Rlim Shaikorth itself is classified as a Great Old One.
In its debut story, Rlim Shaikorth has the ability to alter the physiology of humans in order to allow them to withstand sub-zero temperatures (although only wizards can survive the transformation). This same ability is also displayed by Ithaqua in the works of August Derleth.
Rlim Shaikorth's ability to control Yikilth is also similar to Fthaggua's ability to control Ktynga in Donald Wandrei's story "The Fire Vampires". Both entities also possess the ability to absorb the minds of the people they consume.
Trivia[]
- Despite some artwork suggesting otherwise, Rlim Shaikorth was nowhere near the size of Yikilth at the time of its death, nor was it active in the modern day. Also, many of the powers attributed to it were actually manifested by Yikilth and the light which it emitted.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Rlim Shaikorth (Internet).jpg (140 KB)")
.jpg "Rlim Shaikorth (Modiphius Entertainment Ltd).jpg (153 KB)")
