Depictions of Yig, Father of Serpents

The enduring aesthetic output of artists inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's stories, particularly that available online, never ceases to awe. Even lesser Lovecraftian entities like Yig, Father of Serpents, who might otherwise lurk only in the imagination, enjoys a vibrant and variant collection of depictions. The Midwestern Snake God appearing most prominently in HPL's "The Curse of Yig" and "The Mound" (both primary revision works ghostwritten for Zealia Bishop, which can be found in The Horror in the Museum collection),strikes a chord among multiple online artistic communities seeking to flesh out Yig's curious appearance and role in the Mythos. Moreover, Yig references recently appeared in numerous games like Arkham Horror and Call of Cthulhu, cementing his insurgent place in the pantheon of Great Old Ones. So, a brief guided tour of Yig iconography couldn't come at a better time:

First, this is Arkham Horror's take, with a very clear legion of subservient snakes underneath him. The board game creators decided to generously expand his south-of-the-border flourish, as is apparent in the Quetzalcoatl-like feathers around his neck, as well at the ruins behind him. Not a bad use of Lovecraft's own ties to real life Aztec mythology by any means.

This piece comes from John Coulth, a professional artist who put this one and other excellent Lovecraftian images in "The Haunter of the Dark and Other Grotesque Visions." Clearly, it takes a much more abstract method in stressing Yig's cosmic, intangible essence, and only his peripheral embodiment in serpentine symbolism. The work is overlaid with a noticeable Yig crest, possibly Coulth's drawing of the many Yig cult symbols Lovecraft alluded to in the underground civilization of K'n-yan in "The Mound."

Here, we have not just a mere Yig picture, but a functional one doubling as Tarot card! This particular card is part of the out of print (and fairly pricey) H.P. Lovecraft Tarot set by Daryl Hutchinson (a much cheaper alternative is the Necronomicon Tarot). It locks the Serpent Lord in a solidly anthropomorphic form, but again, dons him with clothing/armor that looks distinctly Aztec or Mayan.

In the search for Yig art, deviantart's vast archives of amateur galleries again turned up wonderful and little known results. This one is actually part of a set of illustrations from "The Curse of Yig" tale itself. It was done by "randolfo," whose gallery on the popular site includes a good deal of other illustrations straight from HPL stories. This scene actually visualizes the hideous semi-human offspring of Yig dwelling in an Oklahoma asylum, related at the end of "The Curse of Yig."

The source and artist of this picture was regrettably lost. Yet, it demands inclusion, as it's definitely one of the most interesting. Yig seemingly appears as an immaterial force possessing a cowboy during a skirmish among denizens of the Old West. Or, given the snakes and reptile things in the background, it could merely be legions under Yig's command and "bad medicine" overrunning the human resistance. In either interpretation, it makes a delightfully wicked leap off Yig's powers originally established by Lovecraft!

-Grim Blogger