What's the most powerful cosmic entity in the Cthulhu mythos?

[California DMV Gaming]

HI, I'm not that well-versed in the Cthulhu mythos, but I know there are seperate titles for the differernt groups in the Cthulhu Mythos, such as the Great Old Ones, Outer Gods, Deep Ones, etc. I realize that Cthulhu isn't the most powerful, but he's the most iconic. What do the Cthulhu experts think?

[Icedfate]

i get the impression that the majority favors nyarlahotep...

[Turtler]

In terms of sheer power, I think Azathoath (..the great thing about the Mythos is that you don't have to care a huge amount about getting the spelling right; they're all equally inadequate). The problem is that the insane blind Demon Sultan is just that. Insane, Blind, and Borderline Mindless. So he cannot really apply his power in the same way I can apply-say- my knowledge of history in WWI strategy games. And that's something that almost every other major player in the mythos even down to the relatively lowly have on him.

So my best guess in terms of creatures that both have the power and can apply it, I would say Yog-Sothoh. From what we know of the critter he is not only unspeakably powerful (albeit less so than Az and maybe a few others), but also knows (such as that term can be used) a damn and can act consciously. Both of which make him far, far more dangerous on a rational level. The fact that his name served as the centerpiece of what Lovecraft wanted to name the entire mythology sums it up.

That being said, in terms of the most dangerous that would be people lower on the totem pole who are closer to being part of this reality and able to act in it. Cthulu himself is basically a high priest to the higher "Gods", and Nyar in particular deserves special mention. Because as others mentioned, he actually knows worth a damn and actually bothers with our world.

Of course, factoring in how Nyar is an avatar of Azath, and we might go all the way back full circle to Az...

[Throbbing Dad]

hey, im getting interested about this whole thing and i'd like to begin reading it, can someone give me a list of the books related to this cthulhu mythos? with the order in which they should be read too if possible, thanks

[Cultist]

There is no reading order. There was never intended to be a mythos in the first place. It wasn't until Lovecraft's death that his buddy, August Derelith began codifying most of his work and seeing it published. Nothing really connects directly to anything else, and Lovecraft encouraged other writes to draw from and use his creations as they saw fit. And many still do today.
If you're interested, however. Pick up any "best of" H.P. Lovecraft. then move to august derelith, Clark Ashton Smith. I personally like Poppy Z. Brite and Neil Gaiman. Stephen King has dabbled into Lovecraft and cosmic horror quite often. The Titus Crowe series by Brian Lumley is amazing but is very much not in the same theme as much of Lovecraft's earlier work.

[3 Ducks In a Man Suit]

Azathoth is the most powerful, and is supposed to be the one who created time and the universe. It's supposed to not actually be an intelligent creature like Cthulhu though, it's almost like an elemental force.

Nyarlathotep is the only one of the gods that actually notices/cares about humanity (or rather cares about torturing people/driving people insane), so it's kind of the worst.

[Hot Sloppy Tuna]

I live in Kansas...place is lousy with Shoggoths. Just wanted to share that.

[WilboBaggins]

Truly we are ants and the elder gods are boots. Does the size of the boot really matter?

[Peaches the Disgruntled Mailman]

That would be Azathoth, since all of creation/reality, everything that was, is and will be is all a part of his dream, every little concept that has existed, such as life, death, etc do not apply to him. All other beings of the mythos even the Outer Gods are subordinate to his power and he's not even conscious. Even stated that should he awaken that there would be worlds and gods no longer, so several unlucky lesser deities have the unenviable task of keeping him lulled to sleep because it would be in creations best interest to keep him that way. If he were to awaken then the 'dream' i.e. where all of us, the outer gods like Nyarlathotep and Yog, Cthulhu, etc etc and even fictional characters exist, would become his will and that is a very 'very' bad thing. Best case scenario we simply stop existing, worst case scenario every awful, horrific thing that you could imagine times infinity occurs forever.

p.s.: Just because he's labelled as a 'Blind, Idiot God' does not mean what you think it means. He's simply in such a place that everything is beneath his notice, also helps that he's asleep.

[Xelaxon]

I've done a lot of research, and from what i can tell, Azathoth is the most powerful. HOWEVER, as far as humanity is concerned, Yog-Sothoth is the only Great Old One not restricted in its influence. In my opinion, this makes him the most powerful.

[Xelaxon]

However it should be noted that, while still a great old one and obviously dangerous, is not inherently malign at all times. (For example, "At the end of Lovecraft's late story The Haunter of the Dark, the protagonist Robert Blake calls on Yog-Sothoth to save him from the eponymous malign entity which he has let loose.")

[Judgement Dave]

The answer is Cthbob - the only Great Old One powerful enough to have completely removed their own name from teh literary records of Lovecraft, Derleth, Lumly, Campbell et al

[Hot Sloppy Tuna]

Автор сообщения: Judgement Dave

The answer is Cthbob - the only Great Old One powerful enough to have completely removed their own name from teh literary records of Lovecraft, Derleth, Lumly, Campbell et al

He's the one that owns that "salvage yard / rib shack / nudie bar" out on old Route 45, isn't he? Helluva a guy that Cthbob. Makes a mean brisket.

[Start_Running]

Asathoth, Yog-Sttoth and Shib-Biggurath would be the trinity of top tier entities.
Asathoth argueably the most powerful. He created the multiverse itself and though he is ever dreaming in eternal sedation/slumber his power is still greate. Pretty much every entity in the universe is of the agreement that it would be a very not good thing if he actually wakes up.

Yog exists outside the time and space of the multiverse in a manner akin to azathoth. but is of a lesser power scale than the great creator. YOu will notice that he is evoked by those seeking some piece of knowledge or information.

Sub-Niggurath could be said to be the embodiment of life itself. And her power is basically over liviung things, procreation and growth.

It can be summed up like this. Beings pray to Yog when they want to know something, they prey to SHub when they want to birth, create, or control some unknown creature. They pray to Azathoth when they are outright insane.

[tgfaulkner]

Some interesting discussion here, I always thought of the outer gods and great old ones as scaled based on their significance and the ratio of how they define the omniverse vs how much they are defined by it. Basically the more abstract they are the less defined or limited they are.

For example, Great Old ones like Cthulhu can bend and manipulate reality to their whims, but are still subject to some degree of dimension or cosmic boundaries, they are just beyond the 3rd or 4th dimension as we understand them. They are not infinite. The outer gods are beyond all universal conditions or dimensions and are boundless and infinite. The only constraints they have are those placed upon them by their nature and the nature of more significant entities. Nyarlathotep is the most well grounded of them since it wishes to interfere the most in the multiverse, but that also makes it the most constrained. Shub Niggurath is beyond most of the other outer gods because it's own existence created almost all of them, it in turn was created from the darkness. Yog Sothoth is beyond even further because it defines the nature of existence itself, it was made from the mist, but unlike Shub who came from the dark, Yog IS the mist. The mist did not spawn Yog, it transformed into Yog. Yog is the dream itself, it is only defined by the dreamer, Azathoth, who is everything and beyond since it is more than just it's dream and exists outside of its dream. The dark and the mist are Azathoth's thoughts that became its dream.

[MADE IN CHINA]

VSBattles wiki is wrong.

Yog Sothoth > > > > > Azathoth > Other Outer Gods

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/weakest-thing-that-can-beat-god-from-star-maker.619897/page-5#post-45649936

You actually can choose from these two variants:

1.) Description of Yog is true and he is everything inside Mythos. This is not only the most logical and consistent approach, but also high-end one for Lovecraft deities. This give Yog all of Azathoth's feats in creation and sustaining of Mythos "omniverse" and make him really similar to Star Maker. In this interpretation he also exist as both creator deity who created infinitude of universes and supreme archetype who contain it all as eternal and immutable deity. Everything depending on perspective lol. In this case Yog have feats and can be more or less used in debates against others top tiers in debates.

2.) Second approach is that he exist apart of Azathoth who is Yog's "parent" and supreme being in Mythos. This lead to several inconsistencies and contradictions in lore and leave Yog basically featless being who most likely cannot even fight against beings of the similar scope and complexity.