Rlyeh

Rlyeh, commonly rendered as R'lyeh in Lovecraft’s writings, is a fictional sunken city in the Cthulhu Mythos created by H. P. Lovecraft. It is best known as the prison and tomb of the Great Old One Cthulhu, who lies in a death-like sleep within its submerged halls. The city is placed far beneath the southern Pacific Ocean; Lovecraft gives coordinates in The Call of Cthulhu that are frequently cited as around 47°9′S, 126°43′W, though the mythos treats such details as symbolic rather than precise geography.

Description and symbolism

Rlyeh is described with non-Euclidean architecture—structures and angles that seem to defy conventional geometry and perception. The city is associated with forbidden knowledge, star-spawned civilizations, and occult inscriptions. According to the myth, it sank beneath the sea in ancient times, awaiting a future awakening of Cthulhu when the stars align and the entity may again rise.

Role in the mythos

In Lovecraft’s fiction, Cthulhu’s dormancy in Rlyeh embodies themes of cosmic indifference and humanity’s insignificance. The city’s buried location and its imprisoned god contribute to the mythos’ sense of pervasive unknown threat and unreliable reality. Rlyeh has since become a recurring symbol in Lovecraftian fiction and a point of reference in broader horror literature and popular culture.

Cultural impact

Rlyeh has influenced games, films, comics, and fan works that explore cosmic horror and ancient extraterrestrial civilizations. The concept persists as a shorthand for hidden, ancient power lying just beyond human understanding.