Astur (Thulean: Éysdhster), or Hastur, was a First Tribe wizard who ruled over the city of Carcosa. An ancestor cult dedicated to him came to exist after his death. Some scholars believe that the Yellow King worshipped in Carcosa during the perio d before its fall was in fact Astur himself.
Behind the scenes
The character of Hastur originates as a benevolent god of shepherds in Haita the Shepherd, a work by Ambrose Bierce. The character was later adopted by horror authors such as Robert Chambers and H.P. Lovecraft, where Hastur becomes a mysterious and malevolent entity.
The Thulean name of Astur comes from the fusion of an adaptation of two reconstructed Proto-Indo-European words, specifically "ǵʰéysd" (meaning anger or agitates, and from where the modern word "ghost" comes from), and "h₂stḗr" (meaning "star"). As such, Éysdhster can be translated as "Star of Anger" or "Hateful Star".
Appearances
- Lord of the World (Lore only)