Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia

by Harms, Daniel

  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 carry 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 sphinx-like 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 t
he 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 dimension. A modern-day cult in Australia numbers Aborigines and slum-dwelling members of other races in its ranks and is symbolized by a spiralling 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.

  KRUSCHTYA EQUATION. A mathematical formula that causes Nyarlathotep to possess the person who solves it. (Malleus Monstrorum, Aniolowski (O).)

  LROGG (Uranus): On the world of L’gy’hx (Uranus), the metallic natives and some rebellious insects from Shaggai worship Nyarlathotep in the form of a two-headed bat. The rites are not particularly bloodthirsty, and the worshipers are only required to make an annual sacrifice of one of their number. (Ye Booke of Monstres, Aniolowski; “The Insects from Shaggai”, Campbell (O).)

  MANY-LEGGED GOAT: This form is only known from references made in ceremonies dedicated to the Crawling Chaos. (A Night in the Lonesome October, Zelazny (O).)

  THE MASKED MESSENGER. This female avatar wearing a bronze mask is best known in Morocco. (Secrets of Kenya, Conyers (O).)

  MESSENGER OF THE OLD ONES: This avatar resembles a tremendous black mass which moves through the sky, constantly throwing out streamers with which it seems to pulls itself through the air. The Messenger only appears for extremely important events, such as the emergence of Cthulhu from his tomb. (Ye Booke of Monsters, Aniolowski; “The Willow Platform”, Brennan (O);“The Rise of R’lyeh”, Petersen.)

  POOL OF SHADOW (Druids): One small Druid-cult has worshiped Nyarlathotep for millennia. He often appears at their rites in this form, but will transform into another if attacked. (The Arkham Evil, Diaper et. al. (O).)

  QUEEN IN RED. A dangerous woman dressed in red who sometimes displays demonic features. She is considered a counterpart of the King in Yellow, though the relationship of the two figures is unclear. See Queen in Red. (Malleus Monstrorum, Aniolowski (O).)

  SET (Egypt): Nyarlathotep has been known to appear in the guise of this Egyptian deity. Several hidden cults to it, including the “Majestic Order of the Great Dark One”, may still exist in Egypt. (“The Sundial of Amen-Tet”, Aniolowski (O).)

  SHUGORAN (Malaysia): A black humanoid figure represented as playing a sort of horn. The Tcho-tcho people of Malaysia revere this being, calling it forth to take vengeance against those who have offended them. (“Black Man with a Horn”, Klein (O); Escape from Innsmouth, Ross.)

  SKELETAL HORROR (Egypt): This rare manifestation resembles a twelve-foot living skeleton with the head of a human embryo and tremendous claws on his hands. Nyarlathotep only takes on this form when he transforms from one of his other avatars due to an attack. (“Thoth’s Dagger”, Hamblin (O).)

  SKINLESS ONE (Middle East): A particularly despicable cult in Turkey and the surrounding area reveres Nyarlathotep in the guise of a flayed corpse. (Horror on the Orient Express, Gillan et. al. (O).)

  SMALL CRAWLER (India): This form consists of a dwarfed human figure, with four arms and three tentacles as legs. It is mentioned in the Cthaat Aquadingen and has a small following in India. See Cthaat Aquadingen. (Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis (O).)

  SPIRALING WORM (Congo). Imprisoned long ago in the Temple of Akhnut in the depths of the jungle, this reality-devouring avatar is the focus of a cult led by the masked Skunga-Zu that seeks to free it. (“The Spiraling Worm”, Conyers and Sunseri (O).)

  TEZCATLIPOCA (Mexico): A man with dark skin with a smoking mirror in place of one of his feet. Tezcatlipoca was one of the Aztec’s most important deities. (A Resection of Time, Johnson (O).)

  THING IN THE YELLOW MASK (Dreamlands): An entity draped in yellow silk, it visited the abandoned city of ‘Ygiroth on Mount Lerion, and some say it dwells in the nameless monastery on the Plateau of Leng. Although most consider the King in Yellow to be an avatar of Hastur, this may provide an alternate explanation. See High Priest Not to be Described; King in Yellow. (“In ‘Ygiroth”, DeBill; “Celephaïs”, Lovecraft (O); “The Elder Pharos”, Lovecraft.)

  THOTH (Egypt): This hypothetical form, resembling an ibis-headed human, may be the guise which Nyarlathotep adopted for use among the early Egyptians. (“Thoth’s Dagger”, Hamblin (O).)

  TICK TOCK MAN: Nyarlathotep manifests as an artificial intelligence in this form, whether driven by electricity or clockwork. (“I Dream of Wires”, Aniolowski (O).)

  WAILING WRITHER: A column of whirling black tentacles and screaming mouths. This particular form of Nyarlathotep has been known to possess a chosen victim, later bursting apart its host’s body upon its departure. Though it is alluded to in some Hindu tales, the Writher has no known worshipers. (Escape from Innsmouth, Ross (O).)

  WHITE MAN (New England): A glowing blond young man wearing dazzlingly white robes. Nyarlathotep’s only known appearance in this form was to a splinter group of the Shakers, though once again parallels may be found in the witch-trial accounts. (“The Madness out of Space”, Cannon (O).)

  See Abbith; Book of Azathoth; Black Rites; Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh; Byagoona; Cthugha; Cthulhu; Dreamlands; elemental theory; Fable of Nyarlathotep; ghouls; Great Old Ones; gugs; hunting horrors; Kadath; Koth; London, Teddy; Million Favoured Ones; moon-beasts; Necronomicon (appendices); Nephren-Ka; N’gai; Nitocris; Nophru-Ka; Other Gods; Outer Gods; sand-dwellers; Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan; shantaks; Sharnoth; Sign of Eibon; Smith, Morgan; S’ngac; Sorcerie de Demonologie; Stygia; T’sman Manuscript; World of Seven Suns; Yegg-ha; Yig; ‘Ymnar. (“The Faceless God”, Bloch; “The Shadow from the Steeple”, Bloch; “The Dweller in Darkness”, Derleth; “The Lurker at the Threshold”, Derleth and Lovecraft; Delta Green, Detwiller, Glancy, and Tynes; Masks of Nyarlathotep, DiTillio and Willis; Fungi from Yuggoth, Lovecraft; “Nyarlathotep” (prose poem), Lovecraft (O); “The Rats in the Walls”, Lovecraft; The Burrowers Beneath, Lumley; Elysia, Lumley; “The Worm of Urakhu”, Tierney; Alhazred, Tyson.)

  NYHARGO CODE. Arabic script that should be written on a wall using blue and green chalk. Its powers and uses are unknown.

  (“Lord of the Worms”, Lumley; “Rising with Surtsey”, Lumley (O).)

  NYHARGO DIRGE. Chant contained within the Cthaat Aquadingen and the Codex Dagonensis. It may be used to destroy zombies and other of the living dead that possess a physical body.

  (Keeper’s Compendium, Herber; “Billy’s Oak”, Lumley (O); Ex Libris Miskatonici, Stanley.)

  NYOGTHA (also the THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE). Great Old One spawned of Tsatho
ggua or Ubbo-Sathla which appears as a dark amorphous mass. It possesses vampiric characteristics, feeding off the souls of those with whom it comes into contact.

  Nyogtha dwells deep beneath the earth in the caverns of Yoth, or possibly within a dark world circling Arcturus. It can only manifest itself through certain openings to the upper world. Such openings have been found in Massachusetts, Syria, Tartary, Romania, New Zealand and the Plateau of Leng, but they undoubtedly exist in other places as yet undiscovered.

  Nyogtha is not thought to have an active cult, though solitary sorcerers invoke it to gain personal power. It has been connected with at least one of the witches executed in the Salem witch-trials, and there have been other instances of worship scattered worldwide. Some cults associated with ghouls also serve Nyogtha. The Thing that Should Not Be may be summoned at the entrance of a cavern leading to its home.

  One theory about Nyogtha suggests that Nyogtha possesses a link to the Elder Things. Nyogtha appealed to these aliens to aid its growth, and the Elder Things agreed, hoping to control it. However, as they had feared, Nyogtha began to break away from their control. In response, they constructed a huge magical shield that kept Nyogtha imprisoned in a cavern on his native New Zealand, unable to reach his full maturity. This theory does not explain how Nyogtha has manifested itself elsewhere in the world.