The Hounds of Tindalos are creatures created by Frank Belknap Long and later incorporated into the Cthulhu Mythos by August Derleth.
Description[]
Although their exact appearance is somewhat vague, cosmic time-traveller Titus Crow described them as looking like bat-like rags, whilst other sources claim them to have long proboscises to drain their prey's bodily fluids, and that they constantly ooze a disgusting blue ichor. Despite being named the Hounds of Tindalos, this moniker refers more to the creatures' behaviour than any resemblance to an actual canid.
Originating in the Earth's distant past when other life had yet to develop past the single-called organism level, Hounds are hunters who crave an indescribable something in humankind, and once they pick up the scent of a man (usually the trail of a time-traveller) the beasts will follow their victims across time and space in order to feed. To this end, Hounds are capable of materialising through acute corners; this is due to the fact that while most common life inhabits the curves of time, Hounds inhabit the angles.
History[]
Originating in the Earth's distant past when other life had yet to develop past the single-cell organism level, it is unknown whether the Hounds naturally survived the eons to the present day, or whether it was their abilities to cross vast stretches of time and space which allowed them to do so. In either case, in the modern era they are ruled by the most powerful member of their species, a mighty entity known as Mh'ithrha.
Appearances in the Cthulhu Mythos[]
- The Hounds of Tindalos (Frank Belknap Long, 1929)
- The Whisperer in Darkness (H.P. Lovecraft, 1931)
- The Transition of Titus Crow (Brian Lumley, 1975)
Other Appearances[]
- The Hounds of Tindalos appear in both Fantasy Flights' Arkham Horror boardgame and Call of Cthulhu Living Card Game.