One of the inspirations at the center of the Cthulhu Mythos is the Wendigo, A native american legend. The Wendigo according to most sources I’ve found is a humanoid creature boasting elongated limbs, and pale blue skin. Sometimes it is depicted with large rotten teeth or antlers but one thing is consistent among all variations of the tale. The Wendigo Feasts upon human flesh as it’s only form of sustenance. Most tales say the Wendigo is created when a human gives into the desire to eat their fellow man, due to either starvation or just because they can, and in the end they transform losing all humanity and becoming super human beasts.

Between the legends of the Wendigo and Lovecraft’s stories it’s rather easy to draw a connection. A fear of the unknown and a fear of losing what makes one human. In Lovecraft’s stories many people seek out the gods or cults due to an innate sense of curiosity, but they usually find knowledge that is forbidden or Promethean in nature, leading them to madness or death. In the tale of the Wendigo people have to ignore their instincts of survival and potentially face death or risk becoming a monster who can never go back to normal.

It’s strange to think that humans can become such monsters or learn things so beyond their own capacity, and that’s exactly why Lovecraft uses it, It is a natural fear that everyone shares.