Nyarlathotep

DeityNew Zealand · OceaniaMythFear 9/10

Description

A deity from the folklore of New Zealand. Nyarlathotep is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft.

Origin & Background

Nyarlathotep is a fictional character created by H. P. Lovecraft, depicted as an evil god in the Cthulhu Mythos. He first appeared in Lovecraft's prose poem 'Nyarlathotep' in 1920 and has since been referenced in works by other authors. He is often considered a major antagonist in the Cthulhu Mythos.

The Legend

Nyarlathotep is described as a messenger of Azathoth and is regarded as a member of the Outer Gods. He is depicted as 'a tall man with dark skin' and resembles an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. He wanders the Earth, gathering followers through strange and magical tools. His followers lose their perception of the surrounding world and are left with an impression of the world's collapse through the uncertain narration of stories. Nyarlathotep enjoys cruelty and achieves his goals through deception and manipulation.

In Popular Culture

Nyarlathotep appears in various modern popular culture beyond Lovecraft's works. For example, the light novel and anime series 'Haiyore! Nyaruko-san' directly mentions Nyarlathotep, based on the Cthulhu Mythos. Additionally, the campaign 'Masks of Nyarlathotep' for the 'Call of Cthulhu' role-playing game was first published in 1984. Nyarlathotep appears in various forms across multiple media, including video games, comics, and podcasts, often depicted as a cruel and chaotic entity.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Nyarlathotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia