The Color of Madness - The King in Yellow Mythology

"The thing, they whispered, was wearing a yellow silk mask that hid a face that was not of this world..."

The King in Yellow, also called the "Pale Mask", "Yellow Pilgrim" and the "Tattered King" is undoubtedly the best-known avatar of Hastur, the Unspeakable.

The Yellow King is so important to the Hastur Mythology, that theorists even wonder whether this manifestation of the Old One is a completly apart deity. However, as a basis for understanding the real nature of the Yellow King, it is fair to give credit to his cultists and understand him as an avatar of the Cosmic Entity known as Hastur.

Curiously, the King in Yellow is not quoted in sacred books or tomes dedicated to Hastur, not even in the canonical gospel known as "Truths of the Unspeakable." Its very existence seems to have only recently been discovered by mankind. The book containing the play that bears his name - the legendary "King in Yellow", essential to make it known among cultists has only gained notoriety in recent centuries. It is possible that the rigid laws condemning the use of the sacred name of Hastur have favored the emergence of a particular sect that venerates a more accessible figure, in the case not only humanoid in appearance, but who agrees to be named and treated with a title - King.

Researchers have determined that the earliest writings mentioning the Yellow King originated in Dark Age Europe, Dynastic China and India in the same time, around 13th or 14th centuries. In common the fact that the King in Yellow was treated as a figure of authority, which requires reverence and devotion from his servants. These "tremble, lament and court his favor". 

Also, the nauseating "King in Yellow" book bearing the King's coat of arms, the dreadful Yellow Sign, circulated in France only in the late nineteenth century, published in 1895. It is possible, however, that older works refer to the avatar and still need to be discovered.

About this, members of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign have raised the hypothesis that some sections of Tao Te-Sen and Popol Vuh, sacred books in China and among the Aztec people, refer in some portions to the Yellow King. They go even further, stating that the Christian Bible and the Bhagavad Gita have obscure carefully censored apocryphal books that quoted the Yellow King verbatim. If this is true then the existence of the King was already known in antiquity and was only rediscovered by contemporary cultists.

There is another controversy in the cult that concerns the divine nature of the Yellow King: whether It is a concrete physical entity or an abstract concept.

Cultists are divided concerning this issue and there does not seem to be a consense; in fact different sects consider divergent beliefs as blasphemous and punishable. The Yellow Symbol Brothers believe that the King is a physical entity that can be invoked in certain rituals. The King in Yellow would officiate and give legitimacy to rites essential to the worship - cultists cry out for him to recognize his priests, to share knowledge, and to offer sacrifices. 

Other sects believe that the King is a symbol, a concept of sovereignty over humanity, representing a "human" facet of Hastur. The sect founded in the Indian subcontinent called "The Silent Ones" claims that the Yellow King is a spiritual entity - insubstantial and invisible.

Temples dedicated to the Yellow King always have a majestic seat, arranged in a prominent elevated position, on a promontory or at the top of a flight of stairs. Known as the Yellow Throne, this chair symbolizes the presence of the King, even on occasions when the avatar is not invoked, but is presumed to be present. Before the throne, the cultists repeat praises, dance, and practice sacrifices. Sometimes the seat is adorned with human skulls, valuable jewels and yellow silk drapes hanging. Banners with the evil yellow sign, wich accompanies the king are always present. Braziers exuding yellowish smoke and treasures, both magical and undane, are usually organized near the throne, representing the portents shared by the King with his subjects.

For a temple to be consecrated, the cultists perform a ritual of great importance that aims to make it part of Carcosa.

The mythical city of Carcosa has an alien origin, it is located on an obscure planet that orbits the star of Aldebaran. The city is described as an abandoned metropolis with tall, dark buildings, palaces in various architectural styles and shadows that seem to lurk. Those who have visited this cursed place claim that the urban landscape tends to change when no one is paying attention. Described as a ghost town devoid of population, it is still possible to hear disembodied voices in the deserted streets. Those who wander through Carcosa experience mind-shattering visions of incomparable beauty and horror.

The city lies on the placid shores of Lake Hali, with its oily and dark waters reflecting the constellations of Hyades and Pleiades. Beyond the lake rests the Palace of Ythill, where according to the myth, the avatar of Hastur founded his Reign. The story is told in detail in the play "The King in Yellow".

When a temple is consecrated as part of Carcosa, the King in Yellow manifests in our reality, albeit for short periods of time. These occasions are marked by creative outbursts by artists, social instability and insanity that seems to contaminate people living in the vicinity. Particularly sensitive individuals are blessed (or cursed) by dreams where they find themselves walking through the streets of Carcosa. Others come to know the harmful secrets of the Yellow Sign and draw it on walls and facades of buildings, unleashing the madness that it represents. Injustified violence and suicide outbreaks become recurrent in places where the King exerts his nefarious influence.

The King in Yellow, when invoked, appears like a very high figure, with more than two meters of height. He wears a heavy, tattered yellowish cloak that covers his whole body, including his face and hands, hidden by hood and long sleeves. Those who look what is under the hood, see a pale mask with an enigmatic human expression. When the King moves he seems to float in the air, he produces no audible noise or sound of footsteps. He leaves no trail, and has no shadow. Surrounding him is a sweet, sickly scent, reminiscent of the odor of ripe fruits left in the sun.

The King is able to comunicate, knowing every language used by mankind through the ages. His words are heard directly in the mind, causing an indescribable sense of insignificance before a cosmic presence. Some people feel a uncontrollable ecstasy or a sense of utter doom, when they hear the King. It is not uncommon for some to faint, fall to their knees, cry loudly, or suffer epileptic seizures. The King's voice is described as the whisper of thousands of people speaking at the same time. He never addresses a person looking in his direction, his movements are stealthy, never obvious. Those who try to talk to him are summarily ignored. Those who show courage to approach and are foolish enough to try to touch it are hard repelled by the mantle flaps that act as extensions of his body. Anyone who insists in the error gets the legendary stare of the King, which causes a wave of uncontrollable panic and primitive terror.

On the occasions when it is invoked, the King in Yellow usually takes position on his Throne - most of the time it appears directly on the royal seat. During the rituals he remains indifferent to the presence of his cultists and oblivious to any appeal. If bestowed with some sacrifice - not necessarily blood, perhaps mystical energy or an artifact, the Yellow King offers the cultists his favor. A wave of sensations and emotions, many of them absolutely inhuman, affects those who are close, struck by a confluence of sweeping stimuli. Many do not support experience and simply detach themselves from reality, sometimes forever. Others find themselves disturbed gifted by visions and prone to outbreaks. There are those who crave to repeat the experience, plunging into eternal servitude. After bestowing his blessing, the King simply disappears.

When dissatisfied, the King is especially ruthless and prone to acts of cruelty. Much is said about the Yellow King's Dance, a kind of hypnotic trance triggered by rhythmic movements performed by the Deity. Those affected by this sight feel their muscles paralyzed and are unable to move. The rags of the King cloak gain life and extend like tentacles with razor-sharp tips that tear and lacerate the immobilized victims. Death is slow and painful, though marked by a grave silence occasionally interrupted by the sound of the lash and cuts.

The most mysterious aspect of the Yellow King may be the true nature of what is hidden under the hood. Those who could see the face of the King without the mask, went completely crazy and could never say what is down there. The most simplistic believe that the mask hides a multitude of filaments and pseudopodia that once released spread like roots of pale colors, grabbing and draining the vigor of everything that lives.

Others claim that to contemplate the true face of the Yellow King is to come face to face with the original principle of cosmic entropy, the same force that will one day devastate all reality in the inevitable collapse of the universe.