Names and Titles
Primary: Nyarlathotep
Common Epithets: The Crawling Chaos, The Haunter of the Dark, God of the Bloody Tongue, The Black Pharaoh
Others: Messenger of the Outer Gods, Soul and Messenger of Azathoth, The Faceless One, A Thousand Masks
Classification
Outer God in the Cthulhu Mythos. Unique among them: possesses intelligence, personality, and active malice. Serves as messenger, agent, and executor for the mindless Outer Gods (especially Azathoth). Enjoys manipulating and tormenting humanity.
Description
No true form; manifests via 999+ avatars/masks (exact "thousand" symbolic). Common traits: tall, dark-skinned human-like in many forms; exudes charisma, menace, madness. True essence: crawling chaos—shapeless, tentacled horror. Unlike indifferent gods, actively seeks to deceive, corrupt, and drive mortals insane for amusement/power.
Key Avatars/Masks
Black Man (medieval Europe): Dark-skinned satyr-like figure; leads witch covens.
Black Pharaoh (ancient Egypt): Pharaoh Nephren-Ka; dark-skinned ruler teaching forbidden lore.
Haunter of the Dark (modern): Bat-winged, three-eyed shadow entity; summoned via Shining Trapezohedron; fears light.
Bloody Tongue (Africa/Congo): Gigantic, red-tentacled beast with fanged mouth; leads blood cults.
Beast (ancient Egypt): Howling, sphinx-like creature.
Others: Black Bull (Middle East), Dweller in Darkness, Faceless God (Innsmouth link), modern tech-prophet (electricity demonstrations).
Family and Offspring
Direct offspring/child of Azathoth (via blind chaos emanation; no mother).
Only Outer God progeny with will/personality.
No known mates/offspring; focuses on manipulation rather than procreation (contrast Shub-Niggurath).
Appearances in Lovecraft's Works
Prose poem "Nyarlathotep" (1920): Dark-skinned "showman" arrives from Egypt; demonstrates electrical wonders, spreads unrest/madness; leads apocalyptic procession.
"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" (1927): Messenger of Outer Gods; taunts Randolph Carter.
"The Dreams in the Witch House" (1933): Black Man in witch rituals.
"The Haunter of the Dark" (1935): Full avatar story; possesses/slays Robert Blake.
"Fungi from Yuggoth" sonnet cycle: References as chaos messenger.
Cult and Worship
Most widely worshiped Outer God due to active interaction. Cults global, diverse: Egyptian mystery schools, witch covens, African blood cults, modern doomsayers/tech sects. Practices: Human sacrifice, madness-inducing rituals, forbidden knowledge. Grants power/magic but demands service; delights in betrayal. No unified church—thousand fragmented masks.
Role in Mythos
Antagonist archetype: The "devil" figure—tempter, trickster, bringer of apocalypse. Represents active evil vs. cosmic indifference. Manipulates events (e.g., inspires technology leading to downfall). In RPGs (Call of Cthulhu): High-intelligence summonable entity; avatars have varied stats/powers.
Key Quotes
"Nyarlathotep" prose: "And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt... a man of the dark... who bubbleth the hideous."
"The Haunter of the Dark": "Iä! Nyarlathotep!"
General: "The Crawling Chaos... is the soul and messenger of the Other Gods."
Notes for Reference
Lovecraft's intent: Inspired by Tesla (showman aspect); embodiment of chaos with purpose.
Expansions (Bloch, Derleth, Lumley, RPGs): Expanded avatars (e.g., Bloody Tongue from Bloch/Chaosium).
Themes: Human hubris, forbidden progress, personal malice in uncaring universe.