The Call of Cthulhu / Зов Ктулху

On the West Greenland coast he had met a singular tribe or cult of degenerate Esquimaux[44 - degenerate Esquimaux – вымирающие эскимосы] whose religion, a curious form of devil-worship, frightened him with its deliberate bloodthirstiness[45 - bloodthirstiness – кровожадность] and repulsiveness. It was a faith of which other Esquimaux knew little, and which they mentioned only with shudders, saying that it had come down from horribly ancient ages before the world was made. Besides nameless rites and human sacrifices there were certain queer hereditary rituals addressed to a supreme elder devil or tornasuk[46 - addressed to a supreme elder devil or tornasuk – посвящённые верховному дьяволу, или «торнасуку»]; and of this Professor Webb had taken a careful phonetic copy from an aged angekok or wizard-priest[47 - had taken a careful phonetic copy from an aged angekok or wizard-priest – тщательно записал из уст старого целителя, или шамана], expressing the sounds in Roman letters as best he knew how.

The most important thing was the fetish, around which they danced when the aurora leaped high[48 - the aurora leaped high – занималась утренняя заря] over the ice cliffs. It was, the professor stated, a very crude bas-relief of stone, comprising a hideous picture and some cryptic writing. And it was a rough parallel in all essential features of the bestial thing now lying before the meeting.

This data, received with suspense and astonishment by the assembled members, was very exciting to Inspector Legrasse, and he at once began to ply his informant with questions. He noted and copied an oral ritual among the swamp cult-worshippers which his men had arrested. So he asked the professor to remember the syllables that he had heard from the diabolist Esquimaux. There then followed an exhaustive comparison of details, and a moment of silence when both detective and scientist agreed on the identity of the phrase common to two hellish rituals.

What both the Esquimaux wizards and the Louisiana swamp-priests had chanted to their kindred idols was something very like this:

“Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn[49 - Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn – Пх’нглуи мглв’нафх Ктулху Р’льех вгах’нагл фхтагн].