The Temple of Dagon

I don't mean to whine but all I see nowadays are stupid cross-overs of the Mythos. Like this Delta Green stuff and so on. I mean it's great for a Cthulhu novice but what about quality Mythos stories? It is quite clear that the old settings of stories have worn out (i.e. "librarian finds tome/says incantation/hellish beasts come and slaughter all") or something along those lines. What I mean is that the genre is stale, or pretty close to getting there.

To what could the Mythos evolve to? HPL took urban legends, combined them with sound philosophy and added cheesy horror twists and came up with a fresh thing back then. Now it feels like the writer needs to re-invent the Mythos, not to re-write it. It's a problem I've been thinking about a lot and have come up with nothing.

I like to think that not all the old ideas are worn out. I frequently re-use the sailing journal idea from "Call of Cthulhu", and the idea of a university town containing crazy shit is another thread I allow to recur in my fiction. As for others, I haven't a clue.

I think the genre has been pretty stale for the last 50 years or so, although the occasional gem continues to pop up here and there.

The main problem is, IMO, that capturing the mystery of the mythos is now usually ignored in favor of attempting to put a new spin on old, tired icons.

One of the many reasons I've all but given up on the Great Old Ones and their ilk.

I don't know, maybe I'm just deluding myself, but I like to think that at least a couple of my stories have some interesting new ideas in them.

I like to read religious texts that are unfamiliar to most westerners. You can find some interesting things in them. For instance, in my story "Letter to the Editor", I mention:
"Meenakshi, a princess recorded in Hindu Mythology, was born with three breasts, fish-shaped eyes, and a fishy smell due to her 'divine' parentage."

Believe it or not, Meenakshi is not something I made up. This princess sounds exactly like something you might find walking around in Innsmouth. But this is real Hindu mythology.

In fact, I've found so many references to various sorts of "fish people" in various myths from around the world, I'm really beginning to wonder if Lovecraft's Deep Ones were purely fictional.

Part of why "The Shadow over Innsmouth" is so effective is because it reveals the existence of deep ones for the first time. It allows us to glimpse them just long enough to see them as abominations and to abhor their existence.

While the Meenakshi/Deep One connection is interesting, ultimately, it only reinforces what we already know--that deep ones exist. The shock value and mystery is gone.

in the story i'm writing now, i'm using elements of true history and mythology of california and the pacific. one could say i'm just (yawn) referencing the old mu legend.. but hopefully the rest of the story is original enough to allow for familiar references without being hackneyed overall. i think mr. norton achieved this with his 'letter to the editor.'

after all, isn't it the familiar references that most concretely relate one mythos story to another? would you prefer all mythos writers introduce a new monster or race in every story? that would get old pretty fast, if you ask me.

I'm going back to my roots with my current tale. I started my Mythos-ish fiction with the Norse-inspired "Lure of the Kraken", and now I'm continuing a Norse theme with "The Horror In Silent Water".

JJ Burke wrote:would you prefer all mythos writers introduce a new monster or race in every story?

Absolutely not.

Drawing connections between the Mythos and actual history/folklore certainly adds spice to a story, and--as Mythos fans--we look forward to such connections. However, they no longer pack the punch they once did, and they're certainly not enough to carry a story on their own merit, let alone lift the genre out of its current state of stagnation.

I'm not saying Mythos writers should avoid the old conventions. I'm saying they should use them as stepping stones to reach new levels of horror, instead of relying on them to say what has already been said.

Or, ignore the trappings of the Mythos, and allow conventional horror to become more Mythos-y with the style and tone, rather than by having some weird fish-demon-god-priest under every pebble.

Right. There's room enough for both approaches to revitalize the genre.

i agree that many writers abuse the classic ingredients and wear ideas thin.. but some actually do them justice once in a while.

Christ, I did it again. I had to do it. I tried to write from the bad guy's perspective and I wrote another fucking poem.

What I was thinking about is, a walking tour through some of the towns of the mythos.You know, Arkham, Kingsport,Innsmouth and the like.Not just sightseening but, a deep immerseion into this nightland.Looking into old houses, back alleys, graveyards and such.Decribing what kind of beings live there and crap like that. I cant do it.I am no writer.

Hows about this.. we Cross breed a Deep One, a Yithian Cone-Shaped Being, And a Flying Polyp and call it "Relevant To All Things Known"?