Entity of the Week: Yidhra (the Cthulhu Mythos)

Yidhra, the Outer God from the Cthulhu Mythos, seems to share some similarities with the much more famous Shub-Niggurath. And with these strange similarities, some have thought that Yidhra might be some aspect of the prominent Outer God. However, this is not the case because Yidhra is unquestioningly her own distinct entity. In truth, there are just as many differences the two have as similarities.

The Sigil of Yidhra.

This Outer God came to Earth before life had even evolved on the planet. As such, she is a primordial horror that’s been among humanity since their very creation. Surviving such a chaotic and changing environment, Yidhra manifested the ability to take on the characteristics of any creature that she devoured. Over time, Yidhra split herself into different avatars, though each part shares her consciousness. She prefers to manifest as a beautiful and seductive woman, making the number of those who have seen her proper monstrous eldritch avatar forms very few. And like all Outer Gods, her true eldritch form is beyond the material plane. Yet her avatars are mighty as any formidable entities in the mythos. She usually conceals her true form behind a powerful illusion, appearing as a comely young woman; only favored members of her cult can see her as she actually is, but her various avatars appear unique visually.

“A hundred April winds disperse her fragrance, A thousand wet Octobers scour her footprints, The ruthless years assail the ancient memory of her presence, yet Where Yidhra walks the hills do not forget.”EXP: “Where Yidhra Walks” , John Paul LeChat

The Dream Witch.

Yidhra is also called the Dream Witch, or Yee-Tho-Rah, and many worshiped her as an earth-mother in the past and the present. Her ability to entrance others through a projected dream-like state is well known. But what’s truly fascinating about the Outer God is her unique life-cycle in which she absorbs other beings and assimilates their beneficial evolutionary traits, and takes on the memories of her victims. When the entity devours a lifeform, she acquires the ability to take on that entity’s form or reproduce bodily parts of that creature. The entity is possibly connected to the Darkness somehow. And with all the countless memories absorbed from beasts and humans alike, this entity has literally lived countless lives.

So she is immortal in more ways than one since, in our world, she mainly lives through avatars including Yolanda, and Madam Yi, a beautiful Asian woman that wears cascading red, black, and white robes. She has a painted face like a geisha in a way or a porcelain doll and has razor-sharp fingernails that easily shred both flesh and anything else that gets in her way. Madam Yi exclusively manifests in China, where her female-led cults provide you young men to have sex. When done, she kills them with extreme violence. Her children from such unions are deformed and monstrous creatures that many have their miserable lives ended by being reabsorbed into their mother. But she allows some of her children to either be raised by her cultists or devoured by them.

Madam Yi’s rendition from the Wiki.

Her avatars are incredibly dangerous and project powerful illusions that can fool and perform awe-inspiring feats. One of the leading powers associated with this mighty and terrible earth goddess is telepathy. And this mind psionics allows instant communication with her servitors and other entities that serve her. These beings are known as “the Lurkers in the Desert” Xothra and Y’hath and her cult, the Children of Yidhra. And this cult is worldwide, who think of the Outer God as an Earth Goddess, and not an Eldritch Horror. But there’s also lore that chronicles the Mothers of Woe cult, which is universally lead by women. In any case, the nature of her cults is up for debate, and nothing should be taken as solid fact because none have ever infiltrated them and lived. So feel free to analyze them and come to your own conclusions.

The Mother of Woe is yet another avatar of the god and requires fresh genetic material just like all her avatars do. The cults that form around the Outer God always take on aspects of her. Such as with Madam Yi, they take on pale white skin, and their fingernails grow long and razor-sharp. The entity communicates with her cultists across the planet through telepathy, but Yidhra has many arcane powers. One of her primary weapons is a hypnotic song that few can resist. If the song fails, her next go-to weapon is her long single braid of hair, which morphs into an eldritch tentacle with a black pointed tip extending to around ten feet and can easily crush metal. When she utilizes this physical attack, the avatar will ordinarily levitate to attack from above. Sometimes, the sharp tip of her hair injects victims with deadly poison after it penetrates their skin. Death from this poison is rumored to be a fate worse than death and activates every possible pain receiver in the body to the point just before shock kicks in. So dying from the poison, the victim is fully awake and aware until the very end in the most excruciating pain a mortal can possibly feel.

Redacted.

She also has limited shapeshifting and the ability to project thoughts into the minds of others in a manner that’s much more subtle than telepathic communication. These projections can even create dream-like worlds in the mind of humans they mistake for reality. The alluring nature in which she can hypnotize and manipulate mental states is so subtle her victims are rarely aware of what’s happening. However, the more the avatar embodies the powers of its true form, the more eldritch and madness-inducing her abilities become. Hence, it’s most likely the avatars limit their power as a form of entertainment.

One of the benefits of worshipping her is that the entity can provide bountiful crops and healthy livestock. Her worshippers can also gain a horrific form of immortality by merging with her, in the sense that their memories will live on forever. Though the benefits of joining her various cults seem lackluster at best to any sane person, there is no shortage of worshippers who flock to her. Many times the cult members of Madam Yi take on ceramic-like skin. Their eyes and mouths remain closed when not going about their business, but upon awakening, the ceramic around their eyes and mouth crack at the facial movement. Horrific, inhuman eyes look out from the ceramic face, and razor teeth are revealed behind their blood-red lips. If attacked, their bodies will crack and splinter similar to ceramic, but the cracks will fuse back together in time, and the cultists’ white flesh heal, even from grievous wounds.

Chinese cultist.

“Yidhra, the Dream-Witch, clouding the minds of her followers; Dream-Witch, hiding her shape in illusion, Dream-Witch, cloaking her shape in strange beauty…” -Walter C. DeBill, Jr., Where Yidhra Walks.

One of the main reasons Yidhra has such a strong presence in China is the sheer psychic presence of the massive population and their culture of ancestor reverence. These attributes feed Yidhra’s evolutionary and atavistic urges to which her instincts are to absorb and evolve and gain information. It is literally an endless supply of all the things the Outer God desires. So there’s no surprise the entity prefers manifestation in China, despite having cult power bases across the entire civilized world. The more raw genetic matter to absorb, the better. And in China, her insatiable appetite is always satiated.

Her appearances include:

Predator,” 1972, Walter C. DeBill, Jr. for “HPL”. “What Lurks Among The Dunes,” 1973, Walter C. DeBill, Jr. for “Etchings and Odysseys”, #1. “Where Yidhra Walks,” 1976, Walter C. DeBill, Jr. for “The Disciples of Cthulhu”. “A Movement in the Grass,” 2002, Walter C. DeBill, Jr. for “The Mlandoth Myth Cycle and Others”. In mention only as the mother of Ayi’ig.

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