Groth-Golka

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Groth-Golka is a creature invented by Robert E. Howard, originally depicted as a giant flightless bird worshipped as a deity in his story "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth". In a case of mistaken identity, Lin Carter identified it as the lord of the Fishers from Outside.

It has subsequently appeared in the Conan stories of Marvel Comics, and as a monster in the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game. It is sometimes represented as resembling a pterosaur.

Behind the Mythos[]

While "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth" is not necessarily a Cthulhu Mythos story, it does feature Gol-goroth, a god listed by Howard alongside Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth and Tsathoggua in "The Children of the Night".

In that story, Groth-Golka is identified as the last member of a species of prehistoric bird, who has lived for centuries and is worshiped as a god by the people of Bal-Sagoth. The creature's mortality, however, is demonstrated by its death at the hands of the protagonists.

Lin Carter portrayed Groth-Golka as a Great Old One worshiped by the Fishers from Outside, but for a time confused Groth-Golka and Gol-goroth. Efforts have been made to untangle the confusion.

Marvel Comics[]

In the Marvel Universe, the events of "The Gods of Bal-Sagoth" occurred during the Hyborian Age of Conan. Groth-Golka was the last of the Lizard-Gods, and was killed by Fafnir.^[1]