Cthulhu Mythos

	This article is about a real-world inspiration for elements in the Megami Tensei franchise.
	The information within is intended to serve as a brief reference and only covers information relevant to Megami Tensei.

(The lede should first introduce in simple broad terms what the subject is, then introduce that the subject is in some form relevant to Megami Tensei.)

The Cthulhu Mythos is a term used to describe a literary shared universe invented by author H.P. Lovecraft. The Mythos serves as the origin for several elements within the Megami Tensei franchise.

Background

(The background section should explain what the subject is, where it is from, and a brief discussion of the most important talking points of its cosmology, history, pantheon, setting, etc., paying special attention to elements relevant to Megaten. Depending on subject, this could range anywhere from a paragraph to ten, but should avoid attempting to become a comprehensive review of the entirety of the subject. Individual subjects such as figures, locations, objects, etc. should be covered in more detail on the relevant article. As a quick example, an article on Buddhism should not attempt to comprehensively cover every aspect of Buddhist belief and stick to only the required basics.)

The Cthulhu Mythos is thought to have began with H.P. Lovecraft's 1919 short story Dagon and defined further in his later short story The Call of Cthulhu, published in 1928. While not yet formally established as the Cthulhu Mythos, authors within the "Lovecraft Circle" such as Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith would incorporate elements of Lovecraft's early mythology in their own writings. The Mythos was later formalized by August Derleth, who recontextualized Lovecraft's setting from a series of recurring names and ideas to a proper shared universe that was referred to as the "Cthulhu Mythos," the contents of which have been contributed to by various authors.

The cosmology of the Cthulhu Mythos is built upon entities of unknowable and imperceptible form known as the Outer Gods, whose ranks include the likes of Azathoth and Nyarlathotep. These entities reside outside of normal space-time and are considered effectively deities. In concert with the broad cosmology of the Mythos are the events which take place on Earth, often involving cults worshipping forgotten and horrible deities such as the eponymous Cthulhu, one among many of the Great Old Ones who ruled over the Earth long ago and have since fallen into a deep sleep. Common to the Mythos is the idea of a figure who, often through chance but at times through investigation, becomes irreversibly contaminated with knowledge of this hidden world and is eventually driven to madness. Typical settings for the Mythos include various fictional towns and cities throughout the New England area of the United States such as Arkham and Innsmouth; additionally, fantastic locales such as the Dreamlands which cannot be visited by the waking and spaces described as non-euclidean that defy the laws of geometry feature prominently.

Other figures not invented by Lovecraft such as Robert W. Chambers Hastur and Clark Ashton Smith's Tsathoggua - either through direct incorporation into Lovecraft's works or inclusion by Derleth in collections of stories within the Mythos - have become important characters within the Mythos in their own right. For example: Smith's Hyperborean cycle, while not conceived as a contribution to the Mythos, is typically considered by modern authors to be part of the Mythos and indeed, Smith himself would later state that some of his Hyperborean cycle short stories such as The Coming of the White Worm should be thought of as such. Therefore, the Cthulhu Mythos is constantly evolving as authors contribute new ideas and stories to its corpus; new tales set within the Mythos continue to be published and inspire other modern Mythos authors.

Usage in Megami Tensei

(The usage section should serve as a simple list of what elements are relevant to Megaten. This should be inclusive, not exclusive. For Demons, Items, Locations and Skills, simply referencing the origin should be enough. Character guidelines should be discussed - would we count, for example, Ixquic in Persona 2 even though that isn't her real name? For Characters that later become Demons like Nemissa, would they be in both categories or just one? And finally, should characters inspired by the origin that are otherwise original such as Victor in Devil Summoner count?)

Characters

Character	Appearance
Eibon	Shinyaku Last Bible
Chandraputra	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)

Demons

Demon	First Appearance
Nyarlathotep	Shin Megami Tensei II
Cthulhu	Shin Megami Tensei II
Hastur	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Byakhee	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Necronomicon	Persona 5
Al Azif	Persona 5 Royal

Items

Including equipment, key items, etc.

Item	First Appearance
Trapezohedron	Shin Megami Tensei: Nine
Cry of Cthulhu	Persona 5
Al Azif	Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner

Locations

Location	Appearance
Kadath Mandala	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)

Skills

Skill	First Appearance
Crawling Chaos	Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Plot Elements in Megami Tensei

(The goal of this section is to serve as the equivalent to the "Appearances in..." sections for other pages. By placing it below the rest, it helps to avoid spoiling users.)

Shinyaku Last Bible

Tsathoggua and Eibon appear

Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment

The entity Nyarlathotep serves as the final boss of both titles. Additionally, Tatsuya's scenario in the PSP release of Eternal Punishment etc. etc. etc.

Persona 5 Royal

Azathoth