Azathoth

A mindless but possibly all-powerful entity who lives outside the ordered universe, in the void at the center of all infinity. There he dwells in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time, where no dreams can reach. He is known as the boundless daemon-sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud. He blasphemes and bubbles amidst the beating of drums and the whine of accursed flutes. To this music dance awkwardly the mindless Other Gods, with their soul and messenger Nyarlathotep. Nasht and Kaman-Thah warned Randolph Carter of the peril posed by Azathoth to any dreamers who try to venture from our dreamland to one of the dreamlands surrounding another planet. The violet gas S'ngac warned Kuranes never to approach the central void where Azathoth gnaws hungrily in the dark. [HPL Kadath]

Robert Blake thought of "the ancient legends of Ultimate Chaos, at whose centre sprawls the blind idiot god Azathoth, Lord of All Things, encircled by his flopping horde of mindless and amorphous dancers, and lulled by the thin monotonous piping of a daemoniac flute held in nameless paws" [Haunter (online text)]. The phrase "Lord of All Things" suggests Azathoth's supremacy among all deities. The impression is reinforced in the sonnet Azathoth , which refers to him as Lord of All [Fungi (online text) XXII]. The sonnet also refers to "a cracked flute clutched in a monstrous paw, / Whence flow the aimless waves whose chance combining / Gives each frail cosmos its eternal law." It is not clear who is playing the flute; in conjunction with Blake's statement that Azathoth is "lulled" by a flute, it seems possible that some other entity plays the flute, and so influences Azathoth's dreams; thus "Here the Lord of All in darkness muttered / Things he had dreamed but could not understand." Azathoth's dreams perhaps then give rise to the various universes. On this theory, Nyarlathotep could be the puppet master who is really running the show, since he shows contempt for Azathoth: "'I am His Messenger,' the daemon said, / As in contempt he struck his Master's head."

Another interpretation would be that Azathoth dreams while playing the flute himself, and the flute causes his dreams to come to life in the form of various universes. In that case, Nyarlathotep is in the typical position of an underling who regards his boss as a moron.

Offspring

Azathoth's direct offspring included Nyarlathotep, The Nameless Mist, and Darkness [HPL Family (online text)]. Azathoth, the primal nuclear chaos, reproduced only by fission. Its offspring included Cxaxukluth [CAS Pnom].

Devotees

Despite Azathoth's mindlessness, which you think would make him a futile object for prayer or worship, the daemon-sultan has his devotees. Keziah Mason tried to get Walter Gilman to meet the Black Man and go with them to the throne of Azathoth at the center of ultimate Chaos. Gilman, she said, must sign in his own blood the book of Azathoth and take a new secret name. Gilman refused because "he had seen the name 'Azathoth' in the Necronomicon, and knew it stood for a primal evil too horrible for description". Later Gilman apparently signed the book and was taken to Azathoth, for he dimly recalled the drumming, flutes, and leaping shadows (presumably of the dancing Other Gods). Attempting to return from one of his transdimensional journeys, Gilman feared accidentally landing "in the spiral black vortices of that ultimate void of Chaos wherein reigns the mindless daemon-sultan Azathoth". [WitchHouse (online text)]

Henry Wentworth Akeley mentioned Azathoth in a letter to Albert Wilmarth. Akeley's recording of a conversation between a human and an Outer One outside a Vermont cave, on May Eve, mentioned "(tri)butes to Him in the Gulf, Azathoth, He of Whom Thou hast taught us marv(els)". The phrase seems to be part of a liturgy, suggesting that the Outer Ones are worshipers of Azathoth, along with other primal beings. The Outer One masquerading as Akeley told Wilmarth of "the monstrous nuclear chaos beyond angled space which the Necronomicon had mercifully cloaked under the name of Azathoth". Perhaps this suggests that "Azathoth" is a pseudonym, rather than the actual "name no lips dare speak aloud." [Whisperer (online text)]

George Lawton mentioned Azathoth in his ravings after visiting a mound near Binger, Oklahoma. This suggests that the Old Ones of K'n-yan were aware of Azathoth, and perhaps also devotees of his. [Mound (online text)]

While awaiting in fear for the Haunter of the Dark, Robert Blake prayed "Azathoth have mercy!" [Haunter (online text)].

George Rogers insulted Stephen Jones by calling him "Son of the dogs that howl in the maelstrom of Azathoth!" [Museum (online text)]. "Dogs" are not elsewhere mentioned in connection with Azathoth. One wonders if this could be a reference to the Hounds of Tindalos, but since Azathoth dwells beyond angled space, it seems there would be a deficiency of angles for the Hounds to move through.

Written References

Azathoth is mentioned in the Necronomicon [AWD Keeper, Lurker, Witches]. Azathoth is mentioned in one or more of the following books: the Sussex Manuscript, the Celaeno Fragments, and the Cultes des Ghoules [AWD Gorge]. Azathoth is mentioned in the books collected by Wilbur Akeley [AWD Gable (online text)] and the notes and books left by Amos Tuttle [AWD Hastur].

Edward Pickman Derby wrote a collection of nightmare-lyrics called Azathoth and Other Horrors [HPL Doorstep (online text), FL Terror2] .

Azathoth is the title of one of HPL's short fragments, but Azathoth is not referenced in the text [HPL Azathoth (online text)].

Azathoth in Derleth Stories

Azathoth is one of a group of elemental Ancient Ones (2), also called Great Old Ones (3) who were vanquished and exiled by the Elder Gods (1) [AWD Valley (online text), (online text)]. Azathoth is in a sense the fountain-head of evil. [AWD Seal (online text)] Azathoth shares the dominion of Yog-Sothoth, and both lead the Great Old Ones (3) [AWD Curwen, Lurker]. Azathoth shall rise when the Great Old Ones rebel again from the Elder Gods (1).

The Great Race hopes to use mass mental migrations to escape the holocaust that will occur when Azathoth and the other Ancient Ones (2) escape their bondage [AWD Space].

A member of the Starry Wisdom sect in Providence saluted Azathoth in a letter to Septimus Bishop [AWD Middle].

Azathoth was spoken of by Laban Shrewsbury [AWD Curwen] and Prof. Partier [AWD Dweller].

Other References

Kenneth Scott was trapped Outside, very near the Center of Chaos, where dwells Azathoth, the Lord of All Things. All that exists was created by the thoughts of Azathoth. There, the veil shielding Azathoth was thin, and even the slightest glimpse of the Lord of All Things would mean utter and complete destruction to the beholder. [HK Hydra (online text)]

Edgar Gordon was confident that he had seen Azathoth in his dreams prior to learning of its existence in the lore of ancient days. [RB Demon] (In some reprintings of this story, "Azathoth" is printed as "Azozath.")

Georg Reuter Fischer heard voices groan the name of Azathoth. [FL Terror2]

Boys in the late Elmer Harrod's house heard the name Azathoth chanted from underground. [JVS Dead]

Aka: Azazoth; Azozath; Him in the Gulf; Lord of All Things.

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