Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

We've all heard of H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos and it's influences on literary culture, even in 40k. So what are his influences? Personally, I see the Chaos Powers (Slaanesh in particular), daemons, and the C'tan (old Codex) as very Lovecraftian in form.

Oldcron fluff was very Lovecraftian.

3rd Edition had the most Lovecraft in it. 5th has seen more influence from Fantasy (i.e. Necrons nearly identical to Tomb Kings, Space Marines seem more knightly, etc.) and Starship Troopers.

Yeah, shame about the Necrons...now they're just Tomb Kings in Space...but at least Chaos still has it's Lovecraftian feel.

C'tan are very lovecraftian, old horrors that existed since the beginning of the universe and have mastery over the universe that none can even hope to comprehend. The Outsider in particular with his insane madness and the voices of those he has killed that haunt him sticks out. In addition the feel of chaos is supposed to be utterly incomprehensible to humanity, to even begin to understand the basic concept of chaos denotes that the severest form of insanity has befallen

The C'tan aren't very Lovecraftian anymore (thank you, Mr. Ward).

Not only Lovecraftian. 40k often goes beyond that, to Lovecraft's original source material. References to occultism and theosophy abound, or at least they did back in 2nd/3rd ed.

The Chaos Gods are Lovecraftian, yay, but also strangely unique. They embody Creation (Slaanesh), Destruction (Khorne), Change (Tzeentch) and Decay (Nurgle). The basic forces that propel enthropy.

They still give me the creeps, from time to time.

Agent_Tremolo wrote:Not only Lovecraftian. 40k often goes beyond that, to Lovecraft's original source material. References to occultism and theosophy abound, or at least they did back in 2nd/3rd ed.

The Chaos Gods are Lovecraftian, yay, but also strangely unique. They embody Creation (Slaanesh), Destruction (Khorne), Change (Tzeentch) and Decay (Nurgle). The basic forces that propel enthropy.

They still give me the creeps, from time to time.

More directly, they also embody the four classical humours: choleric (Khorne), sanguine (Slaanesh), phlegmatic (Nurgle) and melancholic (Tzeentch). The setting's original background owed quite a bit to Lovecraft and his contemporaries, but it has drifted over the years into more generic science-fiction and action-adventure tropes.

Shall we expand the topic then? To all literary influences on 40k. I'd say there's influences from Dune, Civilization, Starship Troopers (both novel and film), Judge Dredd, H.P. Lovecraft, Michael Moorlock, J.R.R. Tolkien, etc.

Yeah...dont even bother if you want to expand on the question "What literature influenced 40k?"
Your answer is essentially everything published as Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Adventure until the 1990s, combined with the Classics and everything in between.
Every person's background will draw out a different source material, because the universe deals with subject matter which is so broad at times that it encompasses the sum of human history (yada yada no story is new etc)
One person looks at Konrade Curze and sees Space Batman, another thinks of Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen, while I immediately jump to The Heart of Darkness. And where one person sees a Dune influence another will see Old Testament prophesy references.

In short the universe is so layered with the input of so many people who have drawn on so many sources that anything other than an examination of a specific influence will devolve into a futile listing of source material or an argument in which all parties involved are wrong (due to the fact that they are all correct but missing the point)

As to how Lovecraft has touched the 40k universe:
The idea of a universe which is bigger than man, and out of our control, and the fact that we need to come to grips with that. (the core of HP's writtings) Embodied in the C'Tan, the Old Ones, the Webway, the Warp, the Gods of Chaos, the Tyrranids, the list goes on.

Unfortunately in 40k, no one wants to grip the idea that the universe is beyond their control. The Emperor on the Golden Throne is a perfect example, still trying to ensure Mankind's survival and domination despite dwindling (or perhaps increasing) hopes of success, or the Eldar, with their Infinity Circuits and Paths, and the Necrons, who subdued the C'tan, despite the fact that it was a meaningless victory. The Tau have yet to understand the universe is beyond control, and the Orks and Tyranids don't really care. Chaos Forces and Dark Eldar are already beyond any hope of coming to grips with the fact.

Lictorthulhu!

Honestly, there had to be some homage being paid...

Good point.