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Francis Wayland Thurston
The narrator of the story. A resident of Boston, Thurston learns of Cthulhu when he begins combing through the belongings of his deceased grand-uncle, Professor Angell. His rational view of the world gradually deteriorates as he uncovers more details about the Great Old Ones and the cult dedicated to preserving their memory. In the end, Thurston fears that he knows too much of the universe’s unimaginable horrors, and he dies as a result.
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George Gammell Angell
A Professor Emeritus of Semitic Languages at Brown University and Thurston’s grand-uncle. Although Professor Angell dies before the beginning of the story, his research and papers provide the foundation for Thurston’s journey of discovery. He is innately curious and wants to make sense of the stories he gathers about the Cthulhu cult, but this interest ultimately leads to his demise.
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Cthulhu
A terrifying and logic-defying monster who serves as the leader of the Great Old Ones. Cthulhu was once a malevolent ruler of the earth, but a change in the stars forced it and its beastly disciples into a deep sleep in their city of R’lyeh. Despite this hibernation, Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones communicate with humans through their dreams, and this connection inspires the persistence of cults in its name. Descriptions of Cthulhu suggest that it has giant tentacles, wings, and claws and is covered in foul-smelling ooze.
Henry Anthony Wilcox
A young man who unknowingly sculpts a bas-relief of Cthulhu in his sleep. With a reputation for being highly intelligent and a little odd, Wilcox is on the fringes of his society and turns to Professor Angell with questions about his sculpture. Wilcox also has strange dreams of monsters and unintelligible sounds, but he has no conscious knowledge of Cthulhu or any cults. This detail highlights the ability of the Great Old Ones to communicate through dreams.
John Raymond Legrasse
An Inspector of Police in New Orleans who comes to possess a statue of Cthulhu. Inspector Legrasse attends an American Archeological Society conference with the hopes of asking Professor Angell about the inscription on a mysterious statue, something he took while arresting members of a violent cult discovered among the New Orleans swamps. He is determined and selfless as he puts aside his own fears to investigate the strange events affecting the locals, and his story inspires Professor Angell to do further research on the Cthulhu cult.
Gustaf Johansen
A Norwegian sailor who has a direct encounter with R’lyeh and Cthulhu and lives to tell the tale. Although initially the second mate of the Emma, he takes over as captain after the Alert attacks them. Johansen’s choice to sail on despite warnings from the crew aboard the Alert highlights his initial ignorance, but he quickly comes to believe in the horrors of the universe when Cthulhu emerges from its slumber. The manuscript that Johansen leaves behind after his death becomes the final piece of evidence that Thurston needs to come to terms with Cthulhu.
William Channing Webb
A Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the only attendee at the American Archeological Society conference who has information about Inspector Legrasse’s statue. Professor Webb explains that he once discovered a similarly violent cult and disturbing statue during a research trip to Greenland. This additional information implies that the Cthulhu cult is not limited to one geographical region or type of person.
Old Castro
A member of the Cthulhu cult whom Inspector Legrasse arrests in the swamps of New Orleans. While many of the worshippers offer little information during their interrogations, Old Castro provides key details about the cult’s mission to keep the memory of the Great Old Ones alive. His character allows Lovecraft to further develop the lore of Cthulhu while still maintaining a degree of suspense and mystery in the story.
Joseph D. Galvez
A Spaniard who is among the police officers that raid the cult meeting in New Orleans. When Thurston interviews him, he testifies that he heard beating wings and saw glinting eyes deep in the forest.
William Briden
One of the few sailors from the Emma who escapes R’lyeh alive. Although he departs the island alongside Johansen, the sight of Cthulhu overwhelms Briden so much that he dies before the Vigilant comes to rescue them.
Captain Collins
The captain of the Emma. Captain Collins dies when the brutal crew of the Alert attack his ship, leaving Johansen to lead the surviving sailors.
First Mate Green
The first mate of the Emma. Like Captain Collins, Green is among those who die when the crew of the Alert attacks.
Rodriguez
A Portuguese sailor aboard the Emma who discovers the great door behind which Cthulhu slumbers.
Donovan
A sailor aboard the Emma who manages to open the door at R’lyeh that sets Cthulhu free.
