Cthulhu Symbol and Lovecraft Symbols: Canon vs Later Mythos Signs

Quick answer: H. P. Lovecraft did not establish a single canonical symbol for Cthulhu. Many symbols now associated with the Cthulhu Mythos were created or standardised by later writers, artists and game designers. Lovecraft did, however, draw his own version of the Elder Sign: a branching, twig-like mark very different from the later five-pointed star.

Is there an official Cthulhu symbol?

Lovecraft described Cthulhu in fiction but did not assign the entity a single official sigil or emblem. Images now marketed or shared as “the Cthulhu symbol” therefore need context: some are modern designs, while others borrow from the broader Elder Sign tradition.

What Lovecraft wrote

Lovecraft's stories introduced Cthulhu, first described in "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928), the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep, the fictional grimoire the Necronomicon, and many more. He rarely described symbols in precise visual terms, and he left no official emblem for most of his creations. His manuscripts and letters are held at Brown University's John Hay Library in his native Providence.

The Elder Sign: two very different forms

The best example of canon versus later addition is the Elder Sign, a protective sign against the Old Ones. Lovecraft drew his own version at the end of a letter to Clark Ashton Smith dated 7 November 1930: a vertical line with branching strokes, rather like a twig. In his stories the Elder Sign could even be a gesture. The familiar five-pointed star with a flaming eye at its centre comes instead from August Derleth, who described it in The Lurker at the Threshold (1945). Derleth's star is now far better known, but it is not Lovecraft's.

Deities and signs in the Journal

• Nyarlathotep: the messenger of the Outer Gods, who has no single canonical sigil.
• Bokrug: the water-lizard god of Ib in "The Doom That Came to Sarnath".

Mythos symbols in jewellery

Mythos jewellery is an homage to literature and its later creative tradition, not a set of genuine occult seals. AURYN's Lovecraft-inspired designs can be found in the charms collection.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official Cthulhu symbol?

Not one established by H. P. Lovecraft. Modern Cthulhu symbols usually come from later Mythos art, publishing, games or fan traditions rather than a single canonical drawing by Lovecraft.

Did Lovecraft draw the Elder Sign?

Yes. In a 1930 letter to Clark Ashton Smith, Lovecraft drew a branching, twig-like form that he identified with the Elder Sign.

Is the five-pointed Elder Sign with an eye Lovecraft's design?

No. The much more familiar five-pointed star associated with the Elder Sign comes from the later Mythos tradition, particularly August Derleth, rather than Lovecraft's own drawing.

Are Lovecraft Mythos sigils historical occult symbols?

Generally no. The Cthulhu Mythos is fictional, and many of its familiar visual signs were created after Lovecraft by later authors, artists and designers.