# Danforth — At the Mountains of Madness character guide

> Danforth in At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** young Danforth, XII Danforth

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Who they are

A brilliant young scholar and pilot whose forbidden reading in the Necronomicon gives him words for horrors his eyes were never meant to hold.

## Relationships

### [Lake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/characters/lake)

_professional_

Danforth and Lake are colleagues on the expedition, with Danforth later reporting Lake's grisly death.

### [Lake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/characters/lake)

_professional_

Danforth and Lake are colleagues on the expedition, with Danforth later reporting Lake's grisly death.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/i)

A brilliant young graduate assistant who points out literary connections to Poe and the Antarctic.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/ii)

Not mentioned in this chapter.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/iii)

Draws attention to the regularities of the mountain skyline and the Roerich-like quality of the landscape.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/iv)

Accompanies Dyer on the flight; later suffers a nervous collapse and whispers about a terrifying sight.

### [The Revelation of the Cyclopean City](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/v)

Accompanies Dyer, shares in the wonder and fear, and later suffers mental strain from the revelations.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/vi)

Companion explorer whose sensitivity and later breakdown are linked to the horrors glimpsed in the city.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/vii)

Present with the narrator, sharing horror and loathing at the Shoggoth images.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/viii)

Accompanies Dyer in examining the sculptures and shares in the growing dread and speculation.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/ix)

First to detect the odor of the Old One and later the gasoline; also notices the disturbed debris and recalls the faint musical piping.

### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/x)

Accompanies the narrator, noting tracks and assisting in the descent.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/xi)

Unstrung by the Shoggoth sighting, chants subway stations in hysteria.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/chapters/xii)

Suffers a mental breakdown after seeing a terrifying mirage in the sky, screaming 'Tekeli-li!'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/characters/danforth
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/at_the_mountains_of_madness_se/characters