| Yithian Host | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Naming | |||
| Binomen | N/A | ||
| Morphology | |||
| Body type | Conical | ||
| Average height | ~ 3 meters, plus extendable appendages | ||
| Intelligence | |||
| Sentience | Sentient | ||
| Sapience | Sapient | ||
| Language | Clicking sounds produced with their pincers | ||
| Ecology | |||
| Place of origin | Prehistoric Earth | ||
| Diet | Liquivorous | ||
| Locomotion | Slithering | ||
| Lifespan | 4000 to 5000 years | ||
| Status | EX | ||
| Behind the Scenes | |||
| Universe | The Shadow Out of Time | ||
| Created by | H. P. Lovecraft | ||
These prehistoric creatures are an unnamed species of giant cone-shaped life forms which evolved on Earth and inhabited the planet in the Triassic period, during which their bodies were taken over by the minds of the Great Race of Yith. Nothing is known about their culture prior to becoming hosts to the Yithians.
Biology[]
Although they evolved on Earth, these creatures belong to an unknown evolutionary lineage, neither truly animal nor truly plant in nature.
They are giant, cone-shaped beings, with iridescent, rugose skin covered in ridgy, "semi-elastic" scales. Their conical bodies stand about ten feet (~ 3 meters) tall and are also ten feet wide at the base. From the apex of the cone protrude four flexible appendages, each of which about 30 cm thick, which can be contracted at will, or extended up to ten feet in length. Two of these terminate in crustacean claws that can produce sounds by clicking and scraping, which constitute their language. Another one is equipped with four red trumpet-like mouths, and the fourth one ends in a globular yellowed head, about 60 cm in diameter, and possessing three dark eyes arranged along its circumference. Above these eyes, the head also possesses four grey stalks with flower-like structures, which are used for hearing. From the lower part of the head dangle eight greenish tendrils which can be used to handle objects, such as writing pens.
The base of their bodies is similar to a gastropod's foot in that it produces a viscous substance and is surrounded by a rubbery fringe that, by means of expansion and contraction, allows the creatures to move.
In terms of physiology, the cellular constitution of these creatures is mostly homogeneous, and seems to combine aspects of plants and animals. They can remain active for long periods without feeling fatigue, and have no need for sleep whatsoever. The food they consume is described as "semi-fluid" and "in many aspects wholly unlike the food of existing animals". In addition to sight and hearing, they also have other senses that are not comprehensible for humans. Their blood is a thick, deep-green fluid. They're asexual, and reproduce by clusters of spores or seeds formed at the base of their bodies and which can only develop in water.
History[]
When the planet Yith was about to be destroyed in a cataclysm, the native Yithians projected their minds into the bodies of these creatures from prehistoric Earth. The minds of the conical beings where then transported into the doomed bodies of the Yithians back on Yith, and were all killed in the catastrophe. Their bodies continued to be inhabited by the aliens for the next millions of years, until a devastating attack by the Flying Polyps forced them to migrate once again, to take over the bodies of a Coleopterous Species from the Earth's distant future.
Appearances[]
- "The Challenge from Beyond", by C.L. Moore, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E.Howard, and Frank Belknap Long (1935)
- The Shadow Out of Time, by H. P. Lovecraft (1936)
- "The Shadow Out of Space", by August Derleth and H. P. Lovecraft (1957)
- "The Dark Brotherhood", by August Derleth and H. P. Lovecraft (1966)
Gallery[]
