Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

by Daniel Harms

  William Thomas (or A. V.) Sangster’s 1962 book dealing with the witch beliefs of the area. It especially notes the legends surrounding Byatis, along with other Great Old Ones whose cults are active in the area.

  (Ramsey Campbell’s Goatswood, Aniolowski and Sumpter; “The Room in the Castle”, Campbell (O); “Unseen”, Love.)

  NOTH-YIDIK

  Being whose children are considered especially repulsive, even by the worshipers of the Great Old Ones. It has been said that these children, made by Noth-Yidik’s mating with K’thun, are the Hounds of Tindalos.

  See K’thun. (“The Madness out of Time”, Carter; “The Horror in the Museum”, Lovecraft and Heald (O).)

  NOTON AND KADIPHONEK, MOUNTS

  Two mountains in the land of Lomar that flanked the pass leading to the city of Olathoë. The Inutos came through this pass and, catching the Lomarians unaware, destroyed them and their city.

  See Lomar. (“Polaris”, Lovecraft (O).)

  N’TSE-KAAMBL

  Elder God “whose splendour hath shattered worlds”. She often appears as a beautiful woman in flowing robes bearing a spear and shield. N’tse-Kaambl is primarily worshiped in the Dreamlands, especially by the priests of Yuth. Some credit the invention of the Elder Sign to her. A rite in the Book of Eibon calls upon her protection, but it may only be cast on a tall hill or tower with eight people present.

  (“The House of the Worm”, Myers (O); “Xiurhn”, Myers; “The Adoration of the Black Flame”, Pulver; The Complete Dreamlands, Williams and Petersen.)

  NUG (or NNG)

  Creature who may the “Grandfather of Ghouls”, but who is probably the twin of Yeb instead.

  See Black Litanies of Nug and Yeb; Nug and Yeb; Yeb. (“The Descent into the Abyss”, Carter and Smith; “The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop; “The Last Test”, Lovecraft and de Castro.)

  NUG AND YEB

  Two minor Mythos entities, the true origin and significance of which remain a mystery. They are said to be the children of Shub-Niggurath and Yog-Sothoth, and in turn have given birth to Cthulhu and Tsathoggua by way of asexual fission. (The link to Tsathoggua is unlikely, however, as the Parchments of Pnom deal at some length with the genealogy of this Great Old One, making no reference to either of these entities.) On the other hand, others allege that Nug and Yeb are the spawn of Shub-Niggurath and Hastur the Unspeakable; this seems more likely, considering that these beings are often mentioned together.

  Nug and Yeb were worshiped together in Irem, Mu, and K’n-yan. In Irem, their shrine has been found bearing the yin-yang symbol, implying that the two beings may represent cosmic opposites of some sort. Other texts refer to Nug and Yeb as the creator and keeper, respectively, of a garden in which Yig thrives. Their rites were said to be especially abhorrent. These two beings have been entrusted with the task of clearing off the earth to make it ready for the Great Old Ones’ return, and use two devices called the “Furnace of Yeb” and the “Torch of Nug” to accomplish this purpose.

  The esoteric doctrines of the monks of Leng teach that Nug and Yeb are the secret names of Lloigor and Zhar respectively, and are known as Klulu (Cthulhu) and Nyarlathotep when the stars are right.

  See Black Litanies of Nug and Yeb; Furnace of Yeb; K’n-yan; Nug; Shub-Niggurath; Yig; Yog-Sothoth. (“Carcosa Story about Hali”, (fragment) Carter; “The Strange Doom of Enos Harker”, Carter and Price; Selected Letters III, Lovecraft; Selected Letters IV, Lovecraft; “The Mound”, Lovecraft and Bishop; “The Last Test”, Lovecraft and de Castro (O), “Out of the Aeons”, Lovecraft and Heald; “Black Fire”, Murray; “To Clear the Earth”, Murray; “The Jest of Yig”, Webb.)

  NUG-SOTH

  1) Magician from fourteen thousand years in the future whose mind was at one time captured by the Great Race of Yith. (“The Shadow Out of Time”, Lovecraft (O).)

  2) Species that at one time lived on the planet of Yaddith. They were humanoid in shape, encased in carapaces, and bore the snouts of tapirs. On their home world of Yaddith, the Nug-Soth built a highly advanced civilization, in which travel through space and other dimensions was an everyday occurrence. When the dholes came to Yaddith, however, the Nug-Soth were unable to save their world, and they scattered themselves throughout the cosmos. See Kath; Shub-Niggurath; Yaddith. (“Visions from Yaddith”, Carter; “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, Lovecraft and Price (O).)

  3) Alphabet given in the Necronomicon which is used for mystical inscriptions on ritual implements. Whether these letters are connected with either of the two “Nug-Soth” mentioned above is uncertain. (“The Book of the Gates”, Carter; Necronomicon: The Book of Dead Names, Hay, ed. (O).)

  NUMINOS

  Borea’s closest moon, which Ithaqua has populated with many sorts of animals and plants. Numinos is mostly covered with ocean, and is home to many fierce bands of Norsemen whose culture is much like that of Vikings. Almost all the world’s inhabitants revere the Wendigo unswervingly, having seen the destruction he wrought upon them many years before. One small colony of rebels does live on the Isle of Mountains.

  See Borea. (In the Moons of Borea, Lumley; Spawn of the Winds, Lumley (O).)

  NYARLATHOTEP (also the Crawling Chaos or Mighty Messenger)

  The soul and messenger of the Outer Gods. It is said to dwell in a cavern at the center of the world, accompanied by two mindless flutists. It often carries messages and performs services for the Great Old Ones and Other Gods, being the only one of them who seems free and able to do so.

  The Crawling Chaos acts as an intermediary between the Great Old Ones and their worshipers, as well as taking messages between the Great Old Ones themselves. In fact, Nyarlathotep may be a personification of the telepathic powers of the Great Old Ones. Nonetheless, Nyarlathotep seems to have a distinct personality which the Old Ones’ inhuman minds might find difficult to create, and it has been openly contemptuous of its supposed “masters” at times. His relations with particular Great Old Ones may vary. Cthugha displays open enmity toward it, and the cults of Nyarlathotep and Cthulhu vary in attitude from friendly cooperation to thinly-veiled dislike.

  Nyarlathotep has been worshiped under several guises in all parts of the world. One of its most infamous cults was among the Stygians, who called it “Nyarlat” and brought its worship to Egypt. The Crawling Chaos was one of the greatest gods in the land of the Nile, where it was the ruler of the underworld, the master of the night, and the patron of sorcerers. After many years, however, the people of Egypt grew frightened of the dark god and struck out all references to it from their records and monuments, reassigning its attributes to other gods such as Set and Thoth. Though the enemies of the cult were able to suppress the memory of Nyarlathotep, a few remembered. Resurgences of its worship occurred throughout Egyptian history, the most famous of which were led by Nephren-Ka, the Hyksos, Nophru-Ka, and Nitocris. (It was during Nephren-Ka’s reign that the suffix “-hotep”, meaning “the gratified”, was added to the god’s name.)

  Nyarlathotep is called the “all-seeing eye” in Prinn’s De Vermis Mysteriis and knows much about magic and technology. The Crawling Chaos sometimes appears to a chosen person and gives them a useful incantation or piece of machinery. Unfailingly, these gifts lead only to the madness and destruction of their wielders. Nyarlathotep seems to gain great pleasure from watching these victims destroy themselves.

  The Outer God will eventually bring destruction to humanity and the earth. Several prophesies state that Nyarlathotep will come in the last days, dressed in red and with wild beasts following it, licking its hands. The Crawling Chaos will journey among the cities of the world, giving demonstrations of science and magic. Then “quaking auroras will roll down on the citadels of man”, and humanity will be destroyed as the Crawling Chaos turns the entire universe into a colossal graveyard. Nyarlathotep aided in the construction of the first nuclear weapons, so this prophecy may already be coming true.

  Nyarlathotep’s true form is a noxious expanse of yellowish slime, but to carr
y out the bidding of the Other Gods, Nyarlathotep can take any one of its thousand forms. Whether Nyarlathotep truly is confined to a thousand forms is uncertain; recent findings suggest that Nyarlathotep may be able to take any form it desires. It has used only a few during its journeys to our world, however; those that are known are listed below.

  AHTU (Congo): In this form, Nyarlathotep appears as a huge mound of viscous material, with several golden tentacles sprouting from its central mass. Ahtu’s worshipers are usually deformed or mutilated natives, though some Europeans likewise handicapped have also attained membership. The cult itself was at one time a revolutionary organization opposed to the Belgian overlords. The cult calls Ahtu by using a golden bracelet usually separated into two parts, to prevent Ahtu from being summoned by accident. Some have suggested a link between Ahtu and the Cambodian god Angka. See Dhol Chants. (Delta Green, Detwiller, Glancy, and Tynes; “Than Curse the Darkness”, Drake (O); “Dead of Night”, Herber.)

  AKU-SHIN-KAGE (Japan): A man in the ceremonial armor of a samurai, with many small mouths in place of a face. He has caused war and destruction throughout the island’s history. (Secrets of Japan, Dziesinski (O).)

  THE BEAST (worldwide): This form of Nyarlathotep manifests itself though one of the world’s great monuments. It is the principal being worshiped by the Brotherhood of the Beast. See Brotherhood of the Beast; Nophru-Ka. (Fungi from Yuggoth, Herber (O).)

  THE BLACK BULL (Egypt): In the form of a bull or a human, Nyarlathotep will become the herald of the End Times in this guise. The heads of the cult are mummies who share a special hatred with the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. (“Im Zeichen des Stiers”, Schütte (O).)

  THE BLACK DEMON: This form is not known to be worshiped anywhere. It is a black-furred, snouted monster that fears the light (though it is not harmed by it). The formula for summoning it may be found in the N’gral Khul, a set of tablets in Aklo. A summoner may control the being using certain talismans, though the user runs a chance of being attacked himself. The Black Demon is much like the Dark Demon in form, but is much less intelligent than the other avatar is. (“One in Darkness”, Isinwyll and Lyons (O).)

  BLACK LION (Egypt): A gigantic sphinxlike figure bearing a face of utter darkness. This form has only appeared once, in dynastic Egypt, but the destruction it wrought was horrendous. It might have ties to the Beast. (“Nyarlatophis”, Sargent (O).)

  BLACK MAN (England): A hairless man with dead black skin and hooves on his feet. The Crusaders brought the worship of Nyarlathotep in this form back to Europe, and their descendants began the European witch-cults in which the Black Man played an important role. (“The Faceless God”, Bloch; “The Dreams in the Witch-House”, Lovecraft (O).)

  BLACK PHARAOH (Egypt): A man of proud Egyptian features, garbed in prismatic robes and wearing the headpiece of a pharaoh. This form may be identical with that of the Black Man, and is much like the occultist Aleister Crowley’s description of Aiwaz, the spirit that dictated The Book of the Law to him. See Black Pharaoh. (“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, Lovecraft (O); S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters, Petersen et. al.)

  BLACK WIND (Kenya): The cult of this avatar is the same as that of the God of the Bloody Tongue. At times, Nyarlathotep takes the form of the Black Wind, a great storm that destroys crops, forests, and houses for miles around. This avatar also swept Egypt during the reign of Nephren-Ka. (Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis (O); “The History of Nephren-Ka”, Harris.)

  BLOATED WOMAN (China): Nyarlathotep appears as a huge, obese woman, with five mouths and many tentacles. It carries the mystical Black Fan, with which it magically hides its unseemly bulk from humans until it has ensnared them. This cult has deep roots in China, and holds the books Goddess of the Black Fan and the Tale of Priest Kwan as holy. (Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis (O).)

  BRINGER OF PESTS (Egypt): Worshiped in Egypt’s Twelfth Dynasty, this manifestation can only be described as a horde of huge spitting supernatural locusts. It has no known modern cult. (“The Ten Commandments of Cthulhu Hunting”, Monroe and Petersen (O).)

  CRAWLING MIST (Dreamlands): A sickly-colored fog which springs up without warning and moves purposefully toward the Messenger’s destination. (Elysia, Lumley (O).)

  DARK DEMON: A form of Nyarlathotep which occasionally possesses a contactee. It appears much as the Black Demon (a snouted, clawed, black-furred being), but is larger and more cunning. It sometimes seduces those steeped in studies of black magic, promising them glory if they will allow him to enter their bodies. (“The Dark Demon”, Bloch (O).)

  DARK DESTROYER: Though it is a shapeshifter, this avatar often appears as a glowing cloud that emanates terror or a horned, human-like form. This might also be an avatar of Azathoth, though this is unlikely. (The Dark Destroyer, Glasby.)

  DARK ONE (California, Louisiana): Some Mythos cults are visited by Nyarlathotep in the semblance of an eight-foot, totally black man without a face, who can pass through any material barrier at will. (“Mr. Skin”, Milan (O).)

  DWELLER IN DARKNESS (Wood of N’gai): In Nyarlathotep’s sacred wood, the Crawling Chaos takes the form of a wailing, faceless monstrosity which constantly puts out and reabsorbs various appendages. While in this form, Nyarlathotep can temporarily transform into any shape it desires. This avatar usually only manifests itself at night. (“The Dweller in Darkness”, Derleth (O).)

  EATER OF SOULS (Egypt): An imposing man, garbed as a pharaoh, with a black gulf in place of a face. (Necronomicon, Tyson (O).)

  EFFIGY OF HATE (Africa): One now-extinct African tribe worshiped the Mighty Messenger in this form, which manifested itself through their war totems. This winged monstrosity allowed its cultists to relive past battles and change the course of their history, a power that in the end did not help them. (“Regiment of Dread”, Gillan (O).)

  THE FACELESS GOD (Ancient Egypt): In the elder days of the Egyptian civilization, the people worshiped Nyarlathotep in the form of a winged sphinx with a featureless head bearing the triple crown of a deity. The Faceless God manifested itself at times through the bodies of its idols. The other priesthoods later suppressed this cult. Its worship was nearly forgotten, though statues of this being still may be found in the Egyptian desert. This avatar may be identical with Nyarlathotep’s Beast aspect. (“The Faceless God”, Bloch (O).)

  THE FLOATING HORROR (Haiti): This form of Nyarlathotep must manifest itself through the body of a specially chosen and prepared host, from whom it springs when the host body has been killed. It appears as a red-veined, jellyfish-like floating organism of a bluish color. This avatar is connected with certain fringe voodoo cults. [This being’s title is my own creation.] (“The Star-Pools”, Attansio (O).)

  GOD OF THE BLOODY TONGUE (Kenya): For the rituals of the Cult of the Bloody Tongue, Nyarlathotep here takes the form of a huge monster with a long red tentacle where its face should be. The cult primarily consists of Kenyans, and its center is the Mountain of the Black Wind. This avatar might also have been the inspiration for K’awil, an important Mayan god. This form is also known as the Howler in Darkness. See Cult of the Bloody Tongue. (Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis (O); A Resection of Time, Johnson.)

  GREEN MAN (Celts): A possessed effigy of a man made of the leaves and stems from various plants. The Green Man is usually dormant, awakening only to answer questions as an oracle or to accept a sacrifice. (“Eyes for the Blind”, Hallett and Isinwyll (O); Keeper’s Compendium, Herber.)

  HAUNTER OF THE DARK (Australia, Yuggoth): This cult originated on Yuggoth, but was prevalent during the reign of Nephren-Ka. Nyarlathotep appears as a huge bat-like thing with a tri-lobed eye, a form that might be that of a huge hunting horror. It has been suggested that this being takes hypnotic control over those who summon it. This manifestation of Nyarlathotep must be kept in darkness, as intense light will banish it.

  The cult’s most sacred item cult is the Shining Trapezohedron, which allows the Haunter to enter our dime
nsion. A modern-day cult in Australia numbers Aborigines and slum-dwelling members of other races in its ranks, and is symbolized by a spiraling sign. The Starry Wisdom Church is its most famous group of followers. This form of Nyarlathotep is also known as Sand Bat, Face Eater, Father of All Bats, Dark Wing, and Fly-The-Light. See Shining Trapezohedron; Starry Wisdom. (Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game, Cook and Tynes; “City beneath the Sands”, DiTillio and Willis; “The Haunter of the Dark”, Lovecraft (O); Selected Letters V, Lovecraft; Clock of Dreams, Lumley.)

  HORNED MAN (Celts): The Celts worshiped this aspect of Nyarlathotep. Resembling a human male with the horns of a stag, it can only be seen by those under the influence of hallucinogens. (Return to Dunwich, Herber (O).)

  HOWLER IN DARKNESS: See God of the Bloody Tongue avatar.