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A chthonian is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. The being is the creation of Brian Lumley and was first featured in his short story "Cement Surroundings" (1969)—though the creature never made a direct appearance. The chthonians had a more prominent role in Lumley's novel The Burrowers Beneath (1974).

Flowing tentacles and pulpy gray-black, elongated sack of a body... no distinguishing features at all other than the reaching, groping tentacles. Or was there—yes—a lump in the upper body of the thing... a container of sorts for the brain, basal ganglia, or whichever diseased organ governed this horror's loathsome life!
—Brian Lumley, The Burrowers Beneath

Chthonians are described as immense squids, with elongated worm-like bodies coated with slime. Despite their squid-like appearance, chthonians are land-dwellers and are even harmed by water. Chthonians are powerful burrowers, live for more than a thousand years, and are protective of their young. It is said that a chanting sound accompanies every chthonian, and that by such they can be detected while underground and unseen.

The most important individual chthonian is the gigantic Shudde M'ell, which is worshiped by the rest.

In Greek mythology, chthonians (IPA: [θoʊ'ni:ən] and from the root chthon, which means "earth" in Greek) inhabit the underworld and are the dark, shadowy complement to the Olympians.^[1] See chthonic entry.

• In World of Warcraft, one of the Ahn'Qiraj bosses is named C'Thun as a homage to the Cthulhu Mythos.
• In the original Alone in the Dark, a Chthonian is encountered when first entering the underground area. It is mentioned by name in a book that can be discovered shortly thereafter, verifying it is indeed a Chthonian. It is mentioned in it that he is the only creature that resists the evil master of Derceto.
• In the computer game Quake, the boss of the first episode is named Chthon, even though there is little resemblance between the game's portrayal and the original literary description.
• In the popular anime and card game Yu-Gi-Oh, some cards that had Hell in their names were changed to Chthonian in America.
• In Charles Stross' novel The Jennifer Morgue, the retrieval of a Chthonian (codenamed "DEEP SEVEN") artifact is part of the novel's plot.

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