Camilla is one of the key characters from The King In Yellow, who is quoted by Robert W. Chambers in the original collection of stories. She is one of only three character known for certain to be in the play.

The name may be derived from the vampire villainess of the contemporary Gothic novel Carmilla.

Appears in Act 1, Scene 2 of the play.

Contents 1 Interpretation of Camilla 2 The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana says... 3 Camilla, Cassilda and Carcosa 4 Meaning of the Name 5 Camilla Beyond The Play

Interpretation of CamillaEdit

In the texts of James Blish and Lin Carter Camilla is the daughter of Queen Cassilda, who must choose between her brothers Thale and Uoht which to marry, in order to continue the royal line. She is also the daughter of Cassilda in The King In Yellow by Thom Ryng. She has also been considered the sister of Cassilda.

In The Machine in Yellow, she is the wife of Uoht (whether they are brother and sister is not mentioned, although the characters named after them are), but is secretly in love with The Bearer of the Yellow Sign.

The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana says...Edit

Under her own name, the Encyclopedia Cthulhu only states: Character from 'The King in Yellow'.

Under the entry for the play, two alternatives are suggested. Either she is simply one of several claimants to the throne of Yhtill or she is one of the children of the ruling queen (Cassilda) of the city of Hastur, which has been at war with its neighbor Alar for countless years.

Camilla, Cassilda and CarcosaEdit

It's worth noting, perhaps, that both Camilla and Cassilda, two characters created and defined through their quotes by Chambers, both have names that look as if they might be based upon the name Carcosa, almost as if they are as much part of it as it is of them.

Meaning of the NameEdit

Camilla is an obscure name of Italian origin, although Kamilah is an Arabic word meaning 'Perfect'. Although sometimes linked, the name is not related to the Camellia (which was named for George Joseph Kamel). Camilla was the name of a character in the Aenaeid and Roman mythology who was forced to flee her home with her father when she was but a young girl and spent her life living in the woods, dedicated to Diana, and fought against Aeneas.

Camilla Beyond The PlayEdit

In The River of Night's Dreaming, one of the characters, a maid, is called Camilla, just as one is called Cassilda. These characters, whilst distinct from their counterparts in the play, do seem to echo those that are in the play. Might their actions hint at those unexplored in the terrible Second Act of the play? (Camilla, at one point, appears in vampiric guise, possibly implying a link to Carmilla.)

In A Queen In Yellow, it seems that Camilla succeeds her unnamed father as ruler of Carcosa.

She features alongside Cassilda in the Yellow Dresses sequence of poems.

See also Camilla del Castaigne.