Francis Wayland Thurston

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Thurston's investigation begins with his grand-uncle's notes, which include a bas-relief sculpture yielding "simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature." He learns of a 1908 meeting where New Orleans police official John Raymond Legrasse presented a statuette of unidentifiable greenish-black stone, obtained during a raid on a cult practicing human sacrifice. The cultists worshipped the "Great Old Ones" and awaited the return of Cthulhu. Thurston then finds a 1925 Australian newspaper article about the Alert, whose sole survivor, second mate Gustaf Johansen, reported discovering an uncharted island at coordinates 47°9′S 126°43′W. After traveling to Australia and Norway, Thurston obtains Johansen's manuscript, which reveals the island was a "nightmare corpse-city" called R'lyeh, where Johansen's crew accidentally released Cthulhu. Thurston realizes he is now a target of Cthulhu's worshippers and hopes his discoveries will never be revealed to the public.

In Their Own Story

Upon traveling to Australia, Thurston views a statue retrieved from the Alert which is identical to the previous two sculptures. After traveling to Norway, he learns that Johansen died suddenly after an encounter with "two Lascar sailors." Johansen's widow provides Thurston with her late husband's manuscript, which gives the true story of his voyage. It reveals that the uncharted island was a "nightmare corpse-city" called R'lyeh. Johansen's crew struggled to comprehend the non-Euclidean geometry of the city and accidentally released Cthulhu, resulting in their deaths. Johansen and one crewmate fled aboard the Alert pursued by Cthulhu, but they rammed the yacht into the creature's head, only for its injury to regenerate but allowing them to escape. Johansen's crewmate died as did Johansen soon after returning home. After reading the manuscript, Thurston realizes he is now a target of Cthulhu's worshippers, and hopes in vain that his horrible discoveries will never be revealed to the public.

Reader's Guide

Francis Wayland Thurston functions as the deceased narrator who pieces together fragmented evidence from his grand-uncle's notes, a newspaper article, and a survivor's manuscript. He travels to Australia to view a statue retrieved from the Alert, then to Norway to interview Johansen's widow. His defining moment occurs when he reads Johansen's manuscript, learning of the accidental release of Cthulhu from R'lyeh and the creature's regenerative abilities. Through his lens, the reader experiences the horror of discovering that Cthulhu's worshippers are active and that he himself is now a target. His arc represents the burden of forbidden knowledge, as he hopes his discoveries will never be revealed to the public, understanding the danger they pose.

Did You Know?

• Thurston is the deceased narrator of 'The Call of Cthulhu,' recounting his discovery of notes left by his grand-uncle, Brown University linguistic professor George Gammell Angell.
• Thurston travels to Australia to view a statue retrieved from the Alert, which is identical to two previous sculptures of Cthulhu.
• Thurston learns that Johansen died suddenly after an encounter with 'two Lascar sailors.'
• After reading Johansen's manuscript, Thurston realizes he is now a target of Cthulhu's worshippers.
• Thurston hopes in vain that his horrible discoveries will never be revealed to the public.