Who is Hastur in Lovecraft’s Mythos? What powers does he have?
Hastur is considered a malevolent deity in the Cthulu mythos. He’s not a villain but something you don’t really want to wake up…
Hastur is also another name for Cthulhu, which may be more familiar to some people. (I’m sure Cthulhu would love it if we just called him by his other name…) Like most beings, Hastur has many areas of power and privilege- such as the ability to drive mortals insane, inflict madness and despair on those he encounters, bend reality to suit his needs on occasion, etc. What makes him different from others is that while their power gradually waxes or wanes depending on external circumstances such as proximity between creatures of unfathomable origin or numbers of faithful followers, Hastur’s influence has no real upper limit. Moreover, if someone knows what you’re up to and knows how to deal with it in some way, the best thing to do is bide your time and try something else later. Hastur never runs out of new tricks up his sleeve.
