Old One is a term used to refer periphrastically to God or a deity. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always It is also widely used in fantasy and horror fiction. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Horror fiction is broadly Fiction in any medium intended to scare unsettle or horrify the audience
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Referring to God
Albert Einstein, the famous 20th-century physicist, famously said:
- Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. Albert Einstein ( German: ˈalbɐt ˈaɪ̯nʃtaɪ̯n; English: ˈælbɝt ˈaɪnstaɪn (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955 was a German -born theoretical But an inner voice tells me it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the Old One. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not throw dice.
This quotation is widely condensed into the short sentence I cannot believe that God plays dice, or God does not play dice (with the Universe).
Certain followers of Pagan religions may believe that Old Ones are the beings that created the universe and everything in it, equal to a god or deity or possibly considered to have come before gods. It is an uncommon term for a creator being but not completely unheard of, though it should be noted that Old One would be the English term for a number of words in other languages.
Fantasy
Cthulhu Mythos
In H. P. Lovecraft's fiction, the term Old Ones is used in different contexts. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy In his short story "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928), Lovecraft used "Old Ones" to refer to Cthulhu's spawn. The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such For the 2005 film see The Call of Cthulhu (film. " The Call of Cthulhu " is one of H The year 1928 in literature involved some significant events and new books Cthulhu is a giant fictional creature one of the Great Old Ones in H [1] Lovecraft also mentioned the Old Ones in "The Dunwich Horror" (1929), naming them as mysterious entities associated with the Outer God Yog-Sothoth. " The Dunwich Horror" is a Short story by H P Lovecraft. The year 1929 in literature involved some significant events and new books The term Outer God is used to describe a number of Deities in the Cthulhu Mythos of H Yog-Sothoth ( The Lurker at the Threshold, The Key and the Gate, The Beyond One, Opener of the Way, The All-in-One and the One-in-All In "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" (1936), the Old Ones (whoever they were) had the power to keep the Deep Ones in check. "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" is a Novella by H P Lovecraft. The year 1936 in literature involved some significant events and new books The Deep Ones are fictional creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos of H In Lovecraft's revision story "The Mound" (1940), "Old Ones" referred to the denizens of K'n-yan. The year 1940 in literature involved some significant events and new books K'n-yan (or Xinaián) is a fictional subterranean land in the Cthulhu Mythos.
In Lovecraft's novella At the Mountains of Madness (1936), "Old Ones" was another name for a fictional alien species, the Elder Things, which were described in vivid detail in the story. A novella is a written, Fictional Prose Narrative longer than a Novelette but shorter than a Novel. At the Mountains of Madness is a Novella by horror writer H P The year 1936 in literature involved some significant events and new books See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial The Elder Things (also known as the Old Ones) are fictional aliens in the Cthulhu Mythos. These aliens built cities around the world during prehistory but were eventually relegated to Antarctica. At the end of their reign, they were all but destroyed by the shoggoths, a slave race of their own creation. A shoggoth (or shaggoth is a fictional monster in the Cthulhu Mythos.
Old Ones can also refer to the Great Old Ones, alien beings of immense power. A Great Old One is a type of fictional being in the Cthulhu Mythos based in the stories of H Along with the previous definition, these two uses of the term are the most popular among Cthulhu Mythos authors. The Cthulhu Mythos is a Shared universe created in the 1920s by American horror writer H [2]
Dresdenverse
In the Dresden Files the Old Ones are demons, or dark gods who ruled the world before mankind. The Dresden Files is a series of Fantasy / mystery novels written by Jim Butcher. They were apparently banished from our reality. The Fifth Law of Magic prohibits the summoning of both the Old Ones, and their foot soldiers the Walkers, or Outsiders.
Buffyverse
In the fictional Buffyverse established by the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, the Old Ones are the powerful pure-breed demons that once dominated earth before humankind appeared and during its first years. Old One is also a term used in numerous fantasy and horror series " Buffyverse " is a term coined by fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to refer to the shared Fictional universe in Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e Angel is an American Television series, a Spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Babylon 5
In the television series Babylon 5, a range of beings known as the first ones appear during the course of the show. Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created produced and largely written by J In the shows lore, these powerful entities were the first civilizations to develop in the galaxy.
Warhammer
Within Games Workshops fantasy and sci-fi settings there is reference to the Old Ones; these are implied to be the same creatures though they have been presented in slightly different ways. The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game or Lord of the Rings SBG rather than Lord of the Rings when
Warhammer 40,000
In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, the Old Ones traveled through space manipulating minor species on several planets and growing them into tools for their battle against the C'tan. The Old Ones are a mythical and mysterious race or possibly a group of distinct species in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40000 A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with unique background elements such as an imaginary history or geography and possibly fantasy or science Warhammer 40000 (informally known as Warhammer 40K or just 40K) is a tabletop miniature wargame in a Science The Slann were probably their servants. The Old Ones are a mythical and mysterious race or possibly a group of distinct species in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40000
Warhammer Fantasy
Though less prevalent, the Old Ones also appeared in the background material for the Warhammer Fantasy setting and the Slann are the rulers of the Lizardmen. Warhammer Fantasy is a Fantasy setting created by Games Workshop, in which many games of that company are set the best known ones being Warhammer Before the Lizardmen Army book was released, the race now known as the Old Ones were called the Slann (primary referenced in the High Elf rulebook); after the book was released, they were renamed the Old Ones allowing the name Slann to be assigned to the Mage-Priests of the Lizardmen. In Games Workshop 's Warhammer Fantasy setting the High Elves, or the Asur as they name themselves are a race of Elves who live on No current allusions are made as to the physical appearance of the Old Ones, although it is assumed they were bipedal - as was the race that served them (the Slann, who in turn presided over the Saurus and Skinks. The Saurus being the warriors, the Skinks being in charge of work requiring more finesse; pottery, scribing etc. . ). Some materials (Drachenfels) referred to them as the "toad men" from the stars. The Old Ones were the ones who set up the warp gates at either pole of the planet and shifted it into a more favorable orbit before encouraging the development of the native species.
The Dark Tower series
In The Dark Tower series written by Stephen King, the Old Ones (also sometimes called Great Old Ones) were a highly advanced civilization, called the Imperium, that ruled the All-World many centuries, or possibly millennia ago. The Dark Tower is a series of seven books written by American author Stephen King between 1970 and 2004 Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, The Dark Tower is a series of seven books written by American author Stephen King between 1970 and 2004 They were obsessed with technological development and saw their inventions as a solution to everything; replacing the immortal, magical essence of creation with mortal machinery. The Imperium borrowed the magic of the Dark Tower, using its rooms into the worlds to travel to horrible times in history and revel in the destruction and death. Susannah notices a particularly sadistic advertisement poster under Castle Discordia and remarks on how awful the ancients were: On a dry stretch of wall she saw one that depicted a man who had just lost an arena battle to a tiger. The big cat was yanking a bloody snarl of intestines from the screaming man's belly while the crowd went nuts. There was one line of copy in half a dozen different languages. English was second from the top. Visit Circus Maxiumus! You will cheer! it said. "Christ, Roland", Susannah said. "Christ almighty, what were they?" (The Dark Tower pg 566)In their hubris, they thought they could rule the time-space continuum, but in order to do this, they had to rebuild the Dark Tower. When they arrived in End-World, where the Tower resides, they attempted to knock the Tower down. No sooner had they hit the wall of the Tower when great cracks appeared in the earth, allowing a thick mist infested with monsters to escape from the Outer Dark. "The Mist" is a horror Novella by the American author Stephen King, in which the small town of Bridgton, Maine is suddenly These mists spread all over Mid-World and the Old Ones blamed each other for this and soon war started. In one final battle, the ancient people managed to destroy themselves, leaving Mid-world a radioactive hell. Technological relics of the Old Ones' era can still be found scattered throughout the world.
The Dark Is Rising series
In The Dark Is Rising series by the British author Susan Cooper, the Old Ones are timeless wizards whose task is to prevent the Powers of the Dark from taking control of the world. The Dark Is Rising is the name of a five-book series of children's novels by Susan Cooper originally published in the 1960s and 1970s Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is a British Author best known for The Dark Is Rising, an award-winning five-volume They are capable of extra-sensory perception, immortality, time-travel, transcendence of what humans perceive to be reality, psychokinesis, control of people's memories, and negotiation with such beings as Oceans and Stars. An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere. A star is a massive luminous ball of plasma. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the Energy on Earth There are five books in the series: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver On The Tree.
Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten Realms universe of Dungeons & Dragons, the Old Ones are an extinct race of extremely powerful, cruel, reptilian humanoids (likely the sarrukh) who had enslaved the "warm blood" races in ages past. The Forgotten Realms is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D Fantasy Role-playing game, created by Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by The yuan-ti are a fictional species of monstrous humanoid snake -people in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and also in The original Neverwinter Nights story revolves around their queen's attempt to resurrect the race - also called the "Creator Race" - and reestablish its dominance on Faerûn. Faerûn is a Fictional Subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms.
Wrath of the Immortals
In the D&D supplement book, Wrath of the Immortals, the Old Ones are portrayed as super-powerful beings, more powerful than even the gods themselves. The Old Ones live in the Vortex Dimension, and are in charge of almost everything in the multiverse. In this campaign setting, it is believed that if a mortal achieves immortality, and rises to the ranking Hierarch (level 52), then gives up his immortality, becoming mortal once more, then again achieving immortality, and again rising to level 52, then the blackballs (servants of the Old Ones) come from the mystical vortexes and spirit the hapless immortal away, either destroying him, or making him into an Old One.
Starcraft
In Blizzard Entertainment's universe of Starcraft, the Xel'Naga are beings who are said to have been responsible for the creation of all of the sentient beings in the universe and nurturing their civilizations. These included the Terrans (Humans), however, only the Zerg and Protoss had ever come into contact with the Xel'Naga. The Xel'Naga are beings of supposedly unsurpassed wisdom and power, though it has been noted that the Zerg became uncontrollable for them and decimated their fleets.
Other appearances
- There is a filk entitled The Old Ones by Zander Nyrond that was inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos. Filk is a musical culture genre and community tied to science fiction/fantasy fandom.
- A theocratic group of Martians mentioned by the main character in Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land are called the Old Ones. Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7 1907 – May 8 1988 was an American Novelist and Science fiction Writer. Stranger in a Strange Land is a best-selling 1961 Hugo Award -winning Science fiction Novel by Robert A
- In Marvel Comics, Cthulhu-esque Old Ones appear as extradimensional demons who once ruled the Earth tens of thousands of years ago. Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc Cthulhu is a giant fictional creature one of the Great Old Ones in H They serve largely as a backstory, the only one of note being the Dr Strange enemy Shuma-Gorath. Doctor Strange is a Fictional character, a Comic book sorcerer and Superhero in the. Shuma-Gorath is a fictional character created by Robert E Howard, but better known for its later interpretations as a demon and Lord of Chaos appearing
- The Old Ones make an appearance in Anthony Horowitz's series, The Power of Five. The Power of Five is a series of Fantasy and horror novels written by British author Anthony Horowitz.
- Old Ones appear in Madeleine L'Engle's series of science fantasy books about the Murry family, notably in A Swiftly Tilting Planet. A Swiftly Tilting Planet is a 1978 Science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, part of the Time Quartet. These Old Ones are similar to the ones in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series -- humans born with unusual mystical powers and dedicated to a never-ending struggle against the powers of darkness and evil. The Dark Is Rising is the name of a five-book series of children's novels by Susan Cooper originally published in the 1960s and 1970s In both series, the Old Ones are associated with an Old Music.
- In the novel "Shadow Scourge", part of the Outlanders series by Mark Ellis, the villain, Ocajinik, is suspected of being an Old One. Outlanders is a long-running series of science-fiction novels created by Mark Ellis and published by Gold Eagle an imprint of Harlequin Enterprises Mark Ellis is the name of Mark Ellis (actor, Canadian actor Mark Ellis (baseball, Major League Baseball player Mark
- In the universes and dimensions that collectively make up the Palladium Books Megaverse, the Old Ones are a group of extradimensionally imprisoned Alien Intelligences that were responsible for the creation of the "science" of Magic. Palladium Books (sometimes called "Palladium Games" is a Role-playing game publisher founded by Kevin Siembieda and Erick Wujcik, best known The Old Ones (sometimes referred to in Palladium Books publications as the Great Old Ones or the Unnameable Beings are a fictional race of Alien Intelligences within the megaversal In the various game settings of Palladium Books, Alien Intelligences are fictional vastly powerful beings of unknown origin that are stated to be a combination of equal parts spirit magical
- In the novel "Earthfall", part of the Homecoming Saga by Orson Scott Card, humans are referred to as "the Old Ones" by the two sentient, indigenous species of the Earth. Earthfall (1995 is the fourth book of the Homecoming Saga by Orson Scott Card. The Homecoming Saga is a Science fiction series by Orson Scott Card.
References
- Harms, Daniel. The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana (2nd ed. ), Oakland, CA: Chaosium, 1998. ISBN 1-56882-119-0.
Notes
See John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness also:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Mouth_of_Madness
External links
- "Who Were The Old Ones?" by Daniel Harms, an essay about H. P. Lovecraft's "Old Ones"
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