Magic Signs

Small stones, marked with a swastika, that once were used by the Old Ones (misc) and have power against the Deep Ones. According to Zadok Allen, the Deep Ones said "they cud wipe aout the hull brood o' humans ef they was willin' to bother - that is, any as didn't have sarten signs sech as was used onct by the lost Old Ones, whoever they was," and "Obed he faound the island people all wiped aout between v'yages. Seems the other islanders had got wind o' what was goin' on, and had took matters into their own hands. S'pose they must a had, after all, them old magic signs as the sea things says was the only things they was afeard of. No tellin' what any o' them Kanakys will chance to git a holt of when the sea-bottom throws up some island with ruins older'n the deluge... In some places they was little stones strewed abaout - like charms - with somethin' on 'em like what ye call a swastika naowadays. Prob'ly them was the Old Ones' signs." The Deep Ones could never be destroyed, even though the paleogean magic of the forgotten Old Ones might sometimes check them. [HPL Innsmouth (online text)]

These magic signs somewhat resemble star-stones, except that (1) the magic signs are not described as having any particular shape, whether five-pointed or otherwise, (2) the magic signs are marked with swastikas rather than the eye-and-flame sign found on star stones, and (3) the magic signs are credited to the Old Ones rather than the Elder Gods. "Old Ones" is a term with many meanings, but can possibly be taken as referring to the crinoid Old Ones of Antarctica; as these Old Ones are known to have battled the spawn of Cthulhu [HPL Mountains (online text)], and the Deep Ones are also associated with Cthulhu. (Note that Innsmouth was written Nov.-Dec. 1931, just a few months after Mountains Feb.-Mar. 1931.)

Compare with: soapstones; star-stones.

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