Santa Cthulhu

With Christmas later this week, many households with children (and children-at-heart) will be eagerly expecting visits from Santa. Homes with H.P. Lovecraft readers in them, however, might be secretly hoping for a Saint Nicholas of an entirely different kind. Cthulhu and Christmas have had a long and interesting entanglement within the tentacles of "Cutethulhu" humor and parodies. This probably began not long after the posthumous expansion of Lovecraft's Mythos. Today, catalyzed by the popularization of Cthulhu online, the trend continues. The Cthulhu Clauses below are just a few examples.


This soft Cthulhu Claus recently appeared on an e-bay auction. In a rare moment of compassion, it appears Cthulhu took the form of Santa to consort with children. Somehow, I would be much more concerned with the soul bargaining likely to occur in order to receive a gift from Cthulhu. Or the imminent consumption of my flesh and bones once He grows weary of human bleating.


What are the natural sidekicks for Cthulhu Claus? Why, Shoggoths, of course! These reindeer substitutes fit in nicely with the theme of this holiday greeting. The takeoff on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is an extra dose of cleverness.

The seemingly possessed Santa in this image is certainly the strangest and creepiest. "Cthulhu Yule" features a wise play on the well known whiskers of the real Santa Claus and the tentacles of Lovecraft's cosmic horrors. The only thing more baffling and frightening about this picture is the question of what's in the box.

-Grim Blogger