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Inked Mag Staff

September 29th, 2020

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30 Chilling Cthulhu Tattoos

Take a look at one of literature's most notorious monsters

When it comes to horror, many of the most famous films and characters have been influenced by literature. For centuries, horror has been one of the most well read genres and one of the most famous authors is H.P. Lovecraft. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Lovecraft grew up surrounded by tragedy—from the death of his grandmother at age 6, father at age 8 and his grandfather at age 14. In 1908, prior to graduating from high school, Lovecraft became severely unwell. His health decline was not defined as physical or psychological and in a later letter, Lovecraft described this time as “hardly bear(ing) to see or speak to anyone, & liked to shut out the world by pulling down dark shades & using artificial light.”

Despite his many challenges, Lovecraft was enticed by literature, particularly horror. His letters began appearing in pulp and weird-fiction magazines during his early twenties and flourished in the journalism industry. After publishing his first short story, “The Alchemist” in 1916, Lovecraft became inspired to write more fiction and became heavily inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. In 1926, Lovecraft wrote “The Call of Cthulhu” and the short story was later published by pulp magazine “Weird Tales” in 1928. This short story introduced what would become Lovecraft’s greatest legacy—the monster Cthulhu.

Cthulhu is a cosmic entity that Lovecraft described as “a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind.” Cthulhu helped to tie together the universe of Lovecraft’s lore, which is known today as the Cthulhu Mythos. Since his creation in 1928, Cthulhu has become a figure in popular culture and has appeared in a variety of video games, television shows and films. Metal music has a particularly sentimental bond with Cthulhu and the monster has received shout outs from Metallica, Cradle of Filth and Morbid Angel over the years.

In honor of the nearly 100 legacy of Lovecraft’s star character, take a look at 30 tattoos inspired by Cthulhu in the gallery below. These tattoos come from artists around the world and show the profound impact this author has had on our world.

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࿇ Cthulhu ࿇ ——————————————————————— Para mais ideias como essa, só mandar mensagem por e-mail: blackphillip.ink@gmail.com

A post shared by Black Phillip (@blackphillip_ink) on Sep 11, 2020 at 6:31am PDT

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Cthulhu Mais uma Tattoo da querida Juju Agendamentos e orçamentos: (31) – 99913-0666 WhatsApp ou Email: legacytattooart@gmail. #tattoo #tattooed #ink #inked #tattoobh #savassitattoo #tatuagem #tatouage #instatattoo #tattoolife #tattooist #tattooer #tattooartist #cayofarias #kapalatattoo #blackandgreytattoo #blackandgrey #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #cthulhumythos #callofcthulhu #cthulhuart

A post shared by Cayo Farias (@cayo_farias) on Sep 25, 2019 at 5:08am PDT

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Hoje foi dia dela @sam_darkroll obrigado pelo carinho amiga ❤ #cthulhuftagn #lovecrafttattoo #cthulhutattoo #callofcthulhu

A post shared by Zão Martins (@zaomartins) on Jan 22, 2020 at 3:17pm PST

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Esse #cthulhu em #blackwork para o grande @guizando_por_ai rolou nesse começo de ano antes da #quarentena. Agradeço muito a confiança no meu trabalho . . Quer fazer um trampo como esse? Manda um zap para o número (11) 99800-7486 para fazer o seu orçamento . . #cthulhutattoo #cthulhumythos #lovecraft #hplovecraft #lovecraftian #geektattoo #nerdtattoo #tattooblackwork #blackworkbrasil #blackworkers #tattoo #tatuagem #pirituba #sailortattooshop #ficaemcasa

A post shared by Sailor Tattoo Shop (@sailortattooshop) on Apr 3, 2020 at 10:06am PDT

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Una sesión más ! Por consultas al MD Y paciencia que respondo los mensajes de a poco . . . . #dark #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #onlythedarkest #blackworktattoo #blackheart #blackworktattoo #onlyblacktattoos

A post shared by Sabri Art (@sabriart_bht) on Sep 27, 2020 at 4:39pm PDT

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Cthulhu para Andres. Negros y lineas curadas. Mil gracias por todo tio! En @lamanozurda.mad . . #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #art #ink #draw #fullcolour #neotradeu #newschooltattoo #newschool #colour #octopus #octopustattoo #tattoo #tattooart

A post shared by Gonzalo Pedrosa (@gon_pedrosa) on Sep 26, 2020 at 11:26am PDT

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In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming. Sweet baby Cthulhu. Curled up on his little coral bed. Dreaming of the type of darkness and hollow dread that humans have no word for, nor could our brains even hope to attempt to comprehend without descending into a madness unclassified due to our inability to conceive of its vastness. Those dreams represented here by a cute little skull and crossbones that Allison already had. Gaze into the abyss, and see that it has a cute pink bow, my friends! Thank you Allison!!! @helheimgallery #helheimgallery #salem #salemma @inkmaster #inkmaster #inkmasterseason8 @quickcaps #quickcaps @kingpintattoosupply #kingpintattoosupply @heliostattoo #heliostattooneedles @truetubes #truegrips @eternalink #eternalink @saniderm #saniderm @redemptiontattoocare #redemptiontattoocare @stencilstuff #stencilstuff @fkirons #fkirons @inkedmag #inkedmag @inkmasterangels #inkmasterangels #cthulhu #lovecrafttattoo #cthulhutattoo #squish

A post shared by Kelly Doty (@kellydotylovessoup) on Dec 28, 2018 at 4:23pm PST

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“Break forth from your grave eternally…” ✨ Cthulhu for Caylee Thankyou for driving 10 hours to get tattooed by me #Cthulhu #halloween #octopus #tentacles #monster #creature #lovecraft #hplovecraft #destroyerofworlds #cute #kawaii #spooky #alexandrafische #womenwhotattoo #tattoo #jackolantern #pumpkin #tattoo_artwork #tattoosforwomen #tattooed_body_art #tattoos_of_instagram #supportgoodtattooing #the_inkmasters #freshlyinked #eternalink #femaletattooartist #ladytattooer

A post shared by Alexandra Fische Tattoos (@alexandrafische) on Sep 22, 2020 at 9:56am PDT

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Ame tatuar uno de mis dos escritores favoritos H. P. Lovecraft. Trabajar temáticas y personajes que me gustan ha sido de las cosas mas satisfactorias que me ha dado la experiencia, cada diseño es algo nuevo para mí sin embargo hay cosas que disfruto haciendo desde el primer trazo. Hecho en casa @sdtattooclub #tattoo #realismtattoo #realism #lovecraft #lovecrafttattoo #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #necronomicon #inkartmag #pereira #manizales #bogota #colombia #bigtattoo @protonstencil @dynamiccolor @thebestcolombiantattooartists

A post shared by Juan Diego Escobar (Tattoo) (@juandescotattoo) on Aug 12, 2020 at 1:16pm PDT

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R’lyeh, Part of sleeve @_duchy_ #tattoo #cthulhu #rlyeh #blackwork #blackworkerssubmission #blackworkers #onlyblackart #onlyblacktattoos #blackworkerspoland #thedarkestwork #cthulhutattoo #polandtattoos

A post shared by Julita Gołębiewska (@julita_golebiewska) on Sep 16, 2020 at 2:42am PDT

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Awesome #cthulhutattoo by @logios_stc #saketattoocrew // #monsterenergy

A post shared by Sake Tattoo Crew (@saketattoocrew) on Sep 15, 2020 at 2:46am PDT

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Rad Cthulhu piece from @inked_nyc Resident Artist, @tomkraky. To book an appointment, please email appts@inkedshopnyc.com . . . . . . #inked #inkedshopnyc #inkedmag #inkedmagazine #tattoo #tattoos #nyctattoo #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo

A post shared by INKED NYC TATTOOS AND GALLERY (@inked_nyc) on Sep 8, 2020 at 9:47am PDT

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Piernita enchulada por 2 grandes: el señor @_trockz_ y el señor @alanmayoral.art #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #crow #crowtattoo #edgarallanpoe #edgarallanpoetattoo #tattoogirl #blackworktattoo #corvotattoo

A post shared by Marianne Guiot Lomeli (@vampiremgl) on Sep 5, 2020 at 7:54pm PDT

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Polvo feito pro @lucasiaciuk , valeu demais por mais um trampo foda tmj ###################### Quer saber como estou atendendo ? Contato via DM ou email : artofblackplague@gmail.com

A post shared by (@artofblackplague) on Aug 31, 2020 at 4:27pm PDT

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Cthulhu es un personaje mitológico de la literatura de horror, este monstruo tiene apariencia de pulpo . Cthulhu es la fuente de ansiedad constante de la humanidad, ya que es capaz de contactar en sueños a los seres humanos y afectarlos a nivel subconsciente, incitándolos al suicidio . #blackandgreytattoo #medellintattoo #tataujesnegros #colombiatattoo #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #mitologia

A post shared by ⭕Hernan Yepes (@hernanyepes_art) on Aug 26, 2020 at 10:49am PDT

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H.P. Lover boy over here! Thanks Heidi who brought us so many bread & chocolate snacks today from Founding Farmers! I can’t express my gratitude enough! . . . . . #tattoosbyzoemargot #batsforbrains #blackrabbittattoo #virginiatattooartist #richmondtattooartist #americantraditionaltattoo #traditionaltattoo #tattoosnob @tattoosnob @traditionallings #cthulhu #hplovecraft #cthulhutattoo #hplovecrafttattoo #lovecrafttattoo

A post shared by Zoe Margot (@batsforbrains) on Aug 24, 2020 at 2:36pm PDT

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healed! 이것도 발색샷! 이쁜거 받아가 주셔서 감사합니다 . . . . . . . . #skulltattoo #octopustattoo #cthulhutattoo #cthulhu #lovecraft #occulttattoo #darkfantasyart #darksurrealism #부산타투 #울산타투 #서면타투 #이태원타투 #스컬타투 #블랙워크 #문어타투

A post shared by 吾園(O.ONE) (@o_one_art) on Aug 20, 2020 at 12:37am PDT

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@darrenjbabbitt is the perfect guy for your next cosmic entity – “That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.”

A post shared by Burly Fish Tattoo & Piercing (@burlyfishtattoo) on Aug 16, 2020 at 6:32pm PDT

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✨CUTE-thulu✨ He a lil bruised but I absolutely loved tattooing my angel @connorrothwell13 today ❤️ the cutest Cthulhu you ever saw ❤️ . . . . . . . #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #kawaii #hplovecraft #lovecraft

A post shared by L A U R E N . M A L E F I C A (@laurenmalefica) on Aug 15, 2020 at 10:22am PDT

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CTHULHU▪️ Cthulhu é uma entidade cósmica maligna, adorada por uma seita milenar que busca trazê-lo de volta ao nosso plano astral – o que desencadearia o apocalipse. A criatura possui proporções gigantescas e uma aparência híbrida de um ser humanóide em conjunto com polvo e dragão. Foi criado pelo escritor de terror H. P. Lovecraft em 1926. . 7 horinhas de sofrimento e o Igor até cochilou Valeu demais pela confiança total nesse projetooo! 1a sessão do antebraço prontinha . _________________ ORÇAMENTOS POR DIRECT @mari.dalcol . . . . . . . . . . . . #tattoo #tattoos #tattooideas #tattooartist #legtattoo #blackandgrey #realism #realistictattoo #animaltattoo #blackandgray #ink #inked #tatt #tatts #tattooist #art #drawing #tatuagem #tatted #cthulhutattoo #lovecrafttattoo #seatattoo #naturetattoo #octopustattoo #squidtattoo #lovecraft #hplovecraft #cthulhu.

A post shared by MARIANA DAL’COL art • tattoo (@mari.dalcol) on Aug 6, 2020 at 7:14pm PDT

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Chunky cthulhu bae by @bigboypinups he’s still in town! Get your damn hands on a Big Boy now! For enquiries bigboypinups@gmail.com . . . #stoneheartbodyart #bigboypinups #oxfordstreettattoo #newtowntattoo #sydneycbd #sydneycbdtattoo #colourtattoo #americanatattoos #tattooflash #tradtattoo #tradtattoos #colortraditional #darlinghursttattoo #surryhillstattoo #kingscrosstattoo #pottspointtattoo #oxfordstreettattoo #pinuptattoo #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #hplovecraft #hplovecrafttattoo #lovecrafttattoo #horrortattoos #horrortattoo

A post shared by Stone Heart Tattoo (@stonehearttattoo) on Aug 4, 2020 at 11:05pm PDT

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Spicy lil’ kawaii Cthulhu in this awkward bicep gap! That top tentacle licking up real close to Mike’s armpit wheeeeewww what a session! Mike you were amazing, took it like a total boss! Thank you so much for letting me do this for you buddy Who said Cthulhu had to be scary?! #littleutopia #littleutopiatattoo #cosmicinca #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #hplovecraft #kawaiicthulhu #kawaiitattoo #supercutetattoos #kawaiimonster #ink

A post shared by Little Utopia (@littleutopiatattoo) on Jul 10, 2020 at 4:58pm PDT

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Tatuaje No. 869 en @madara_studio Para @witch.chavez muchas gracias por la confianza, la paciencia y el viaje tan largo desde Zacatecas sólo por tatuarte . #tattoos #blackworkerssubmission #tattoo #tattooed #tattooer #tattooink #tatuajes #tatuaje #ink #inked #blackworktattoo #cthulhu #cthulhutattoo #hplovecraft #lovecraft #octopus #octopustattoo #lovecraftian #skull #skulltattoo #horrortattoo #onlyblackwork #blacktattoo #whipshadetattoo #whipshaded #lineworktattoo #tattooarte #tattooartist #tatuadoresmexicanos #blackworkers

A post shared by VORTI- C (@vic_vai_tattoo) on Jun 30, 2020 at 6:30pm PDT

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Cthulhu, my lord – By: @lucky_luchino . . . . ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Follow us @dark.tattz #darktattz #oldschooltattoos #oldschooltattoo #traditionaltattoos #traditionaltattoo #palmtattoo #brightandbold #realtraditional #classictattoo #spookyart #darkart #horrortattoos #lovecraft #cthulhu #tattooblack #darktattoo #macabretattoo #macabreart #blackworkers #creepyart #darkwork #blacktattooart #armtattoos #traditional #skulltattoo #armtattoo #cthulhutattoo

A post shared by Dark Tattoos World (@dark.tattz) on Jun 26, 2020 at 7:14am PDT

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Goodnight blood moon. . . . . . . #goodkindtattoo #timderose #goodnight #goodnightmoon #moon #bloodmoon #necronomicon #cthulhu #cthulhumythos #cthulhutattoo #neotraditionaltattoos #neotraditionaltattoo #neotrad #neotraditional #chicagotattooartist #chicagotattoo #chicagotattooshops #roscoevillage

A post shared by Tim DeRose (@timderosetattoos) on Jun 25, 2020 at 7:35am PDT

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“The oldest and strongest kind of fear, is the fear of the unknown.” #hplovecraft #cthulhu . Been reading Lovecraft’s book since I was a teenager, and still don’t know how the hell should I pronounce properly Cthulhu

A post shared by María Roca (@maria_roca77) on Jun 14, 2020 at 10:41am PDT

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