The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fantastic universe created by writer H.P. Lovecraft and his circle of correspondents and successors. It is centered around the fictional pantheon of Lovecraftian deities, known as the Old Ones, who were said to have been responsible for the creation of the Earth and humanity, and who now slumber beneath the Antarctic ice, Pacific Ocean, or the South American mountains, waiting to be reborn and rule again. The deities are mentioned in various stories and novels written by Lovecraft and his collaborators, most notably "The Call of Cthulhu" and "At the Mountains of Madness". The Mythos has since expanded beyond its Lovecraftian origins, with many other authors contributing to its development. The deities and locations associated with the Mythos have appeared in numerous works of literature, games, and visual arts.