Cthulhu is a fictional deity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft and first introduced in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu”, published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities, the creature has since been featured in numerous popular culture references. Lovecraft depicts Cthulhu as a gigantic, wholly evil entity worshiped by cultists who conduct human sacrifices in its name. Cthulhu's anatomy is described as hybrid: part man, part dragon, and part octopus.