Nyarlathotep (Lovecraft)

"And where Nyarlathotep went, rest vanished, for the small hours were rent with the screams of nightmare."

- H.P. Lovecraft (about Nyarlathotep). "Don't fail to see Nyarlathotep if he comes to Providence. He is horrible — horrible beyond anything you can imagine — but wonderful. He haunts one for hours afterward. I am still shuddering at what he showed."

- Samuel Loveman in H.P. Lovecraft's dream "What his fate would be, he did not know; but he felt that he was held for the coming of that frightful soul and messenger of infinity's Other Gods, the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep."

- H.P. Lovecraft (about Nyarlahotep of the Outer Gods).

Nyarlathotep, sometimes referred to as the Crawling Chaos, is an evil Outer God mentioned in the works of H.P. Lovecraft where he is seen as a shape-shifting agent of madness and ruin who serves the other Outer Gods. He often visits Earth and enjoys bringing madness and suffering to inferior beings (humans are among them).

Appearance
Nyarlathotep is described as a master shape-shifter with over a thousand forms, many of which are seen as monstrous and capable of driving mortals insane - a trait common to Lovecraftian monsters, however unlike many of the other Outer Gods, he also frequently takes on a human form as an enigmatic male fashioned on an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh.

Personality
Nyarlathotep enjoys driving people insane and finds the act to be more enjoyable than simple death and destruction and is an altogether more human-like evil than the other Outer Gods, frequently employing deception and manipulation, even propaganda, to achieve his goals and often mingling with humans in order to seal their doom. These traits combined with his ability to walk freely amongst mortal life may make him the most terrible of all Lovecraftian monsters, as he averts their unknowable, amoral nature, and it has been suggested by some that Nyarlathotep may be the creature that will ultimately destroy the world.

​Powers
While not as Powerful as his creator, Azathoth or the cosmic entity, Yog-Sothoth, being an Outer God, Nyarlothotep is immortal, incredibly strong and durable, and extremely complex. He is able to manifest as a vast multitude of avatars. While the god's malign intelligence is behind all of them, each avatar varies greatly in appearance, power, and purpose. Some avatars are even worshiped as their own beings, the followers unaware that it is merely part of a much greater being. He is also capable of shape-shifting and can take the form of a human man. Like Cthulhu, he causing madness and insanity to mortals such as humans and can communicate with telepathy. He is able to freely travel across every plane of existence and exists beyond the "archetypal infinity". He can cast Illusions and has a malign intellect.

Nyarlathotep's Family Tree

 * Azathoth (father)
 * The Nameless Mist (sibling)
 * Darkness (sibling)

Relationship with the Other Outer Gods
Nyarlathotep acts as the messenger of the other Outer Gods and does not seem to hold loyalty to any particular being - instead serving them all in some fashion, though he is said to be especially loyal towards Azathoth - whose wishes he will fulfill without question.

Other Appearances as a Villain

 * Nyarlathotep appears in the Megami Tensei series as a recurring demon and as a villain, particularly as the main antagonist of the first and second Persona games.
 * M, a major character in the visual novel Shikkoku no Sharnoth who initially uses the codename of James Moriarty, is revealed near the end of the story to be a manifestation of Nyarlathotep.
 * Nyarlathotep is a boss in the game Cthulhu Saves the World.
 * Nyarlathotep is the main antagonist in the story Johannes Cabal: The Fear Institute.
 * Nyarlathotep is also linked with the Slender Man because of his humanoid appearance, sadistic desires, and also Slender Man has the same name: "G'hor Nyarlathotep".
 * Fake Kashihara becomes Nyarlathotep, the final boss in Persona 2: Innocent Sin.
 * Leland Gaunt, the main antagonist of Stephen King's novel Needful Things, is hinted to be an avatar of Nyarlathotep.
 * Likewise, Randall Flagg is also greatly hinted to be an avatar, and was even called by the name Nyarlathotep at one point. Despite the similarities, the Dark Tower series reveals at one point Flagg was once a mortal human.

Trivia

 * The name of this deity is noted for its Egyptian suffix -hotep, which gives its name an Egyptian tone.
 * Nyarlathotep is the only Cthulhu Mythos creature to be a Complete Monster.