Can Cthulhu be in the book I'm writing?

Question: Can Cthulhu be in the book I'm writing!?

The character is public domain so I was wondering if I was aloued to have Cthulhu play a smill role in the book!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I had a friend who did a report on this subject and the previous three people who responded to this are correct!. Many people use the mythos and you can feel free to join their ranks!. Sometimes characters can be trademarked even though the stories are public domain (this is soon to happen with Mickey Mouse), but to the best of my knowledge this isn't an issue with the mythos!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You are legally allowed to; however, you have to be careful!. While Cthulhu is public domain, his entire character history isn't!. Most of H!.P!. Lovecrafts works are in the public domain, but other authors have taken the characters as well and developed them!. You can use Cthulhu, but you couldn't write an extension of a Cthulhu story that was written by someone else whose work is not public domain, without first getting permission!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In his lifetime, H P Lovecraft positively encouraged others to write stories in and around the Cthulhu Mythos (not that he ever used such a term himself)!. Several of these have been published without recourse to lawyers!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Cthulhu would approve of it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com