Lesser Old Ones

Lesser Old Ones
Name	Lesser Old Ones
Affiliation and Identity
Affiliation	Servants and spawn of Great Old Ones
Physical Characteristics
Body Type	Variable
Eyes	Variable
Hair	Variable
Skin	Variable
Number of Limbs	Variable
Number of Fingers	Variable
Number of Toes	Variable
Special Adaptations	Variable
Origin and Status
Origin	Servants and spawn of Great Old Ones
Reality	Earth-616
Galaxy	Milky Way
Star System	Sol
Home	Earth
Base of Operations	Shadowed realms of Earth Formerly Earth's sea-depths (possibly including R'lyeh)
Place of Birth	Earth's seas-depths
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Lin Carter
First	Conan the Barbarian #18 (June, 1972) (Possibly first appearance, Gol-Goroth) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 (June, 2008) (Mentioned)
First	Conan the Barbarian #18 (June, 1972) (Possibly first appearance, Gol-Goroth) Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 (June, 2008) (Mentioned)

History

This page is about the Lesser Old Ones, and as a general extension the "powerful spawns and servants" of the Great Old Ones, though the exact scope of that statement and what creatures should be classified as such, remains unclear so far.

For relevancy issues, due to the nature of the Lesser Old Ones, and the fact they are often confused with Great Old Ones (with many "Old Ones" unclearly classified between Lesser and Great Old Ones), please consult the Great Old Ones' page for more information on the activities of those groups.

The spawns of the Great Old Ones: the Aqueos (upper part), unidentified creatures battling Atlanteans (lower part)

Origin

The Lesser Old Ones are powerful servants and spawn of Great Old Ones (extradimensional beings predating Earth), but are often categorized as Great Old Ones themselves.

In the days before the Atlanteans, the Great Old Ones ruled over the deeps, where they built vast cities such as R'lyeh, and spawned terrible creatures.

Early years

When the Atlanteans came to the seas, they fought for millennia against the Great Old Ones and their spawns, driving them into the depths, killings or imprisoning them.

Modern Age

Some of the spawns of the Great Old Ones persisted into the Modern Age, lurking in shadowed realms.

Miscellaneous

Representatives

No being has been confirmed explicitly as a Lesser Old One, but many have been confirmed to be either Great or Lesser Old Ones, including Asteroth, the Black Gods of R'Lyeh, Erlik Khan, Ghaszaszh Nyrih, Gol-Goroth, Kathulos, N'Gabthoth, Nigguraab, Shub-Niggurath (the Black Goat gods), the Toad God, Thog the Ancient, and Yog-Sokkot. Lloigoroth, Slorioth, and Tsathoggua are included in that list as well, but have been named "Great Old Ones" by other sources to be Great Old Ones (though that classification might have been erroneous).

The Aqueos were one of many spawns of the Great Old Ones, along squid-headed humanoids and giant squid-like creatures. Though not explicitly stated as such, per the Lesser Old Ones' definition, "powerful servants and spawn of Great Old Ones", Lesser Old Ones could include the spawn of Cthulhu, Quoggoth (a rebellious creation of Shuma-Gorath), the spawn of Chthon (usually classified as Elderspawn due to Chthon being traditionally an Elder God of Earth, though being described as a Great Old One on occasion) such as the Broodlings of Chthon.

Depending on the actual status of their sire as being or not Great Old Ones, those also also include Dagon's spawn (Dagoth, Khosatral Khel, and the fishmen and serpent-fish-men descended from Dagon and Set, including their leader Set-Dagon), or the spawn of the Dark Gods of K'ai.

Notes

• That classification was created by Lin Carter in the short story "Behind the Mask" (Crypt of Cthulhu #47, Roodmas 1987).
  • In Marvel Comics, the Old Ones were usually called simply "Old Ones" with only a few sometimes described as "Great Old Ones" (among other names). In the demons' profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 (July, 2008), updating the profile originally published in Marvel Zombies: The Book of Angels, Demons & Various Monstrosities (September, 2007), the Old Ones were named Great Old Ones instead, while three other groups distinct from them but often confused with, the Lesser Old Ones, the Outer Gods, and the Other Gods, were introduced.
• According to the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe:
  • Dagon and the Lloigor were Lesser Old Ones.
  • The Thing from R'Lyeh, Ghaszaszh Nyirh, Kathulos (Kulthas of the Green Planet), N'Gabthoth, and Dagoth were described as being "likely" Lesser Old Ones.
  • The Water Elemental and Sligguth (as servants of Shuma-Gorath), as well as the "God of the Dead" ("He Who Dwells Beneath the Cathedral of the Dead") of the Grateful Undead as possible Lesser Old Ones. The Water Elemental was confirmed to be one of the Ancients.
  • Finally, Erlik Khan, the "true Sodatha" (Yog-Sothoth) and the Toad God "may" be Lesser Old Ones. Yog-Sothoth was confirmed as an Outer God.

See Also

• 2 appearance(s) of Lesser Old Ones
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Lesser Old Ones
• 1 image(s) of Lesser Old Ones
• 15 representative(s) of Lesser Old Ones