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As scholars first pointed out in the 1970s (fn1), August Derleth's version of the Mythos differs significantly from that of H. P. Lovecraft by introducing a set of benign gods (fn2) who are responsible for having imprisoned the various Lovecraftian gods (such as Azathoth, Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and so on). August Derleth's view of the two groups of gods remained fairly consistent throughout his writings. However, his terminology for referring to these groups varied significantly over his career, most especially in his early stories.
In the majority of Derleth's best-known Mythos stories, the beneficent deities are referred to as the Elder Gods, and the malign deities are referred to primarily as the Great Old Ones or the Ancient Ones. However, in some stories, other terms are used, or the meanings of the usual terms are even reversed. The term "Ancient Ones" is especially changeable, referring to the evil gods in 15 stories, and the good gods in five stories, and the combination of both good and bad gods in a single story. The term "Great Old Ones" refers to the evil gods in 11 stories, but refers to the good gods in the early tale The Lair of the Star-Spawn and the much later The Seal of R'lyeh.
To add to the confusion, the same terms are used with varying meanings in stories by different authors. In the Cthulhu Universalis, the varied meanings for these terms are listed separately and assigned numbers.
The following list identifies the terms used for the two main groups of gods in each Derleth story. The stories are listed in rough chronological order. Each story title is followed by the dates of writing and publication, as given by John D. Haefele (fn3). After each god term, a number provides a link to the relevant sense of that term in the Cthulhu Universalis.