The Elder Gods Are Dreaming
[August Derleth's Cthulhu Mythos]

Cthulhu is not the only one who waits dreaming; it seems the Elder Gods (1) have also nodded off:

They wait by the gates, for the time draws near, the hour is soon at hand, and the Elder Gods sleep, dreaming, and there are those who know the spells put upon the Great Old Ones by the Elder Gods, as there are those who shall learn how to break them, as already they know how to command the servants of those who wait beyond the door from Outside. [Curwen]

. . . the impregnable Elder Gods who must ultimately awake and renew the spells . . . [Curwen]

Interestingly, the golden mead developed by the Elder Gods, and used by Laban Shrewsbury and his associates, also has some dreamlike qualities:

The golden mead of the Elder Gods renders the drinker insensible to the effects of time and space, so that he may travel in these dimensions; moreover, it heightens his sensory perceptions so that he remains constantly in a state bordering upon dream . . . [Curwen]

It is thus conceivable that the Elder Gods keep themselves high on the golden mead, to sharpen their senses or to enable enable interdimensional travel.

However, Abdul Alhazred's view was less flattering; he believed that the Elder Gods are unaware of the deteriorating situation in our universe:

They [the Great Old Ones (3)] wait forever at the Gates, for the time draws near, the hour is soon at hand, while the Elder Gods sleep, dreaming, unknowing there are those who know the spells put upon the Great Old Ones by the Elder Gods, and shall learn how to break them, as already they can command the followers waiting beyond the doors from Outside. [Lurker]

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