He does NOT care about us, but he needs souls to play the drums and fluits which keeps Azethoth a sleep. That is what Nyarlathothep cares about. Keeping Azethoth in a everlasting dream state, we humans/ our souls were just the means to achieve that goal
@@humanity600 not the way I have understood it. The lesser outer Gods were the ones who "Barzai the Great" went to see when he climbed the mountain in the story "the outer Gods", those who played the drums and fluits were the souls who were captured by Nyarlathothep for that was his function and the reason why he was on earth. But again, that is I understood it
He's the kid in the cafeteria who would put all the contents of his lunch, even dumping his Kool Aid powder, between the bread slices on his bologna sandwich, and then eat it like nothing was weird about it.
Nyarlathotep is by far my favorite of all the Mythos. The fact that he does have the power to destroy everything on his own if he wanted to but doesn't just so that he can continue to manipulate and toy with humans, just so they do it to themselves is just makes it so unique comparatively to the others. In a way that makes Nyarlathotep even scarier and more threatening
"Understand that there is no point in living. Cry, that there is no answer! Where there is darkness, there are shadows. I, myself, am all of you humans!" -Nyarlathotep, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
And it's actually quite true. We make the reasons for living ourselves. there's no inherent point to it beyond 'surival and propagate the species' as base instinctual urges.
To me, Nyarlathotep revels in the fact that we in our infantile understanding of the cosmos cannot remotely comprehend him or his brethren. At the time same, I get the impression that he is waiting for the day that we can, hence why he constantly and gleefully exposes us to eldritch knowledge. He loves driving us insane, but I feel like his ultimate goal is to test humanity for some unknown agenda. In the first story that he's prominently features (which shares his name), all he does really is go around showing people his knowledge, and driving them mad. But that's the beauty of cosmic horror - what they're after is so open to interpretation that there is likely no one good answer. That's what I love about it.
I think Nyarlathotep represents the fear that other people aren't who they say they are. Like how your neighbor might be a spy, or a serial killer. And is he a Great Old One, or an Outer God? I like him when used sparingly. His malevolent nature makes him scarier in many ways than the other deities or creatures in the Cthulu mythos, but using him too much just makes him the devil, or a big bad of some kind.
His threat is the fact he likes to manipulate from the shadows. Whatever his current purpose is in doing so at the time he never really likes to be front and center. Rather he just flits about among us with us none the wiser. Whether he helps or hurts is incidental. It is the game he plays with us that makes him happy and us terrified.
Look at it this way, who or what would be more trusting? a Japanese school girl? Or a monster with way too many limbs and is named "the bloody tongue"?
Honestly in the context of the anime plenty of chaos happens as well all the while Nyarlathotep acts innocent to the the problems in typical anime girl fashion, which could be a double bluff. If someone enjoys chaos in all its forms I like to imagine it likes the more personal chaos of seeing individual peoples life’s spiral downwards.
Following the theory that our reality is Azathoth dream, I like to think that Nyarlathotep is the manifestation of Azathoth in the dream, like if Nyarlathotep was the lucid dream of Azathoth if it makes sense, which could explains why Nyarlathotep is loyal to Azathoth but not really to the other gods. Though both of them (Azathoth and Nyarlathotep) are not aware of it because Azathoth is an idiot and, by extant, Nyarlathotep too because he is an extension of Azathoth mind.
I’ve always interpreted him in his first big appearance as ‘gifting’ knowledge to humanity like Prometheus gives fire to humanity but doing so with malicious intent.
Nyarlathotep, loving confusion, may very well still be a messenger. One of his forms could have been H.P. Lovecraft, with the intent on delivering a sliver of the truth of the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones to humanity.
He's one of my favorite gods since I used him a lot in the SMT games. Didn't know he was part of the Cthulhu mythos, this makes me love this character even more.
I've heard it said that in the same way Cthulhu has the Star Spawn & Dagon has the Deep Ones, Nyarlathotep has his Million Favored Ones, & some believe that we are the his Favored. Also, I'd like to point out that, much like the rest of his kin, each & every single one of his myriad forms can & will cause insanity upon being beholden by at least some members of the universe. Now think of how many of his avatars can pass for human.
Mythology & Fiction Explained Kid's! The embodiment of endless need, Screaming, I want it! In eternal greed! No matter how much you buy, never satisfied, You do your best, God knows you tried! They move out married, Revenge begins! You give Drum's and Trumpets to their Twin's! LoL, The Grandparents Payback! Enjoy your Videos, hope your feeling better now!
Loved his appearance in Persona 2 where he took the guise of Hitler among many others. Oh and nice shoutout to him at 3:23. "Understand, that there is no point in living! Cry, that there is no answer! Where there is darkness, there are shadows! I, myself, am all of you humans!!"
I've always wondered what Nyarlathotep would do if he ever found a human that wouldn't be driven mad. What type of plan would he have for such an occasion
The funniest and craziest thing about anime and manga is that a lot of it sounds like someone made a brief joke at a bar almost in passing. In America that would usually be the end of it. In Japan they turn that concept into a manga, then a light novel, 4 anime series spanning dozens of seasons and hundreds of episodes, video games, toys and plushies, pachinko machines, clothes, fan fiction, wikis, and anything and everything else. And it all started when a drunk dude asked his buddy, "Yo what if Nyarlathotep was a schoolgirl?" A few laughs and drinks later and it's a multimillion dollar ip with enough lore to rival the bible.
The Cthulhu mythos videos are brilliant mate, please keep doing them! I got myself a sort of compilation book with 24 of Lovecrafts stories. And since English is not my first language it's great to, after reading a story, to go to your videos to clarify it some more. Bless.
I never found Cthulhu to be very compelling, especially not as the namegiver to the whole mythos. Nyarlathotep however is, in y eyes, the true face of the mythos, he is so much more interesting and terrifying. Also a thought I had about him was his relationship with Azathoth, who is called "The Blind Idiot God" for basically havig no conciousness, but Nyarlathotep is described as the "soul" of the Outer Gods, so maybe he IS Azathoth's conciousness. Just like we have our "Avatar" in our dreams.
You know what's terrifying about Nyarlathotep? The Outer God's and other higher beings don't care about humans. We are far beneath them. However, Nyarlathotep DOES care about humans. He finds them interesting.
@@masterofnothing9886 No seriously going to google images, searching up thanos tree and scrolling down yields some weird results along with some cringey Fortnite screenshots.
You know, I have a suspicion as to why Nyarlathotep is written as enjoying messing with humans so much. I get the feeling that Humans are the most naive species in the cosmos, and thus, are the most fun for him to break.
@@TsukimuraMidori Well, I saw it as the reason Azathoth was an idiot. His mind, his soul, his consciousness separated itself from him and became it's own entity. Azathoth is an idiot because Nyarlathotep is now outside of him.
Always nice to see a new video out. But anyway, would anyone agree that Nyarlathotep might be the most terrifying of them all precisely because he is a more concrete existence with a more understandable (if horrific) personality? Think about it, Azathoth is beyond the universe itself, you cannot fear what you cannot imagine. Cthulhu is more akin to a force of nature, certainly the stuff of nightmares but given his slumber and location still kind of out there. But this guy? Have fun with the knowledge that there is an immortal and omnipotent shapeshifter living on this planet that is not above messing with humans for fun and there is nothing you can do about it. And it could be anyone, your neighbor, your pet, the stranger passing through town, anyone. That is true terror, or so I would say. But anyway, hope you reach the 250k mark soon.
I like to think in the lore that Azathoth has dreamed all of our reality and the other gods. However, Nyarlathotep is the only god that is free from the dream and may be the only one who will continue to exist when the dream ends.
Then I beheld Kadath and it's cloud-hidden peak And I beheld the Crawling Chaos beneath They kneel 'fore the invoker The Old Ones, awakened again The days are a fog, the misty unreal I wait for the night and my ruin Of vistas strange and lands passing Below the shantak I ride when I doze I hear Atal and Nyarlathotep And the chanting of one I would slaughter He speaks the name, from Leng he invokes The Old Gods, the Old Ones Eternal Champion - Invoker Lyrics Thanks for the video!
Nyarlathotep always struck me as a kind of Devil figure. That is to say, he corrupts mankind not only for the sake of corruption, but also because he gains power and pleasure from driving humans into insane or evil deeds. It's worth noting that H.P. Lovecraft described Nyarlathotep using traditionally devilish imagery on a number of occasions, including his appearance as a man with coal-black skin and the legs of a goat.
Nyarlathotep is complex because he inbodies every negative and corrupt aspect of human nature and the destruction that these extreme aspects create, such as the desire and thirst for knowledge that drives one insane until they destroy themselves either literally or destroy their minds in the sole pursuit. Since the whims of human kind is fickle and ever changing, it certainly serves to show how Nyarlathotep can take many different forms. It seems that he/it caters to that most devious of questions - "What if . . ." He is chaos incarnate
this is an old video and i've just discovered the channel, but i'm loving this. Also, Nyarlathotep appears in the Laundry series as Nyar-Lat-Hotep. Great books
I like the visual depictions of him that look like 3 or 4 tentacles wrapped around each other instead of a mass of tentacles like many of the lovecraft pantheon . It's somehow unique but still within the design of the rest. And I think of it meaning he has more control purpose and is less random cosmic chaos.
From what I got he and Cthulhu are the most beloved in the mythos. As you mention for Cthulhu it's because he isn't just a mass of tentacles and eyeballs, and Nyarlathotep because he shows more personality from an indifferent ones that others usually have. They are different in their own way which makes them stand out.
I'm a late comer to your video series but I would love to see a list of stories in the description in which the featured characters appear. Regardless, I've been binging for a while now and I love the diversity of the lore you tackle.
First time I was introduced to Nyarlathotep was through a Lovecraft inspired spin-off called "Johannes Cabal and the Fear Institute." By Johnathan L Howard. It was what got me started into the Lovecraft mythos train thanks to the writer's dry sardonic humour in the face of abject horror and hopelessness.
I think I misunderstood the Nyarlethotep short story. I was under the impression he was trying to teach man kind time travel and how the universe works but it drove a room full of scientists mad.
My head cannon is that Nyarlathotep inspired all of the gods of chaos or trickery found in various human cultures (Set, Apophis, Hermes, Loki, Lucifer, Tezcatlipoca, Angra Mainyu, etc.)
One, it is a being directly born of Azathoth, like Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath. Not only that, Nyar is directly acting against the direct actions of Azathoth, undoing what Azathoth exacts. He is one of the most powerful cosmic forces as a malicious will that can exact it's wishes as it desires. He cannot create, however, as that is Azathoth, the Dreamer. One of the most frightening things I have read is that of all of H.P. Lovecraft's musings, he truly believed this being existed. He even once pondered if it was Tesla. That is frightening. Of all the Gods he could have thought of existing, why did he believe the most malicious one would be real?
Because he was absolutely terrified of everything not part of his normal routine, and the thought of an openly malevolent and manipulative deity existing would just be proof that you can't trust anything to him? Mind you, he also stated in his journals that he eventually travelled the world and thusly cured himself of his own small-minded views towards other races and cultures. Was still absolutely scared shitless of the sea though, not that I blame him there.
I read somewhere that Nyarlathotep was based off of Lovecrafts ideal that order is an illusion. While we build walls around ourselves and put up lines that shouldnt be crossed, they are nothing and can be blown away as dust in the wind. He is that which breaks the illusion of safety and order that we have made for ourselves.
Well, persona is a spin off franchise from the Shin Megami Tensei series which is all about demons and stuff. Of course it's infested with abominations like Mara.
Great video, man. Do you happen to have any videos explaining the Cthulhu mythos as a whole? I'm trying to get a grasp on the timeline and understand the Elder Gods in their entirety because, as of now, I can hardly comprehend them (ha)
Nyarlathotep is terrifying because he is what happens when an Outer God actually notices humanity. He is not indifferent in his actions, but purposefully malicious. He thinks humans are entertaining in the same way a man might be amused by the actions of ants he intends to poison and remove from his lawn. His motives are unknowable, but his attitude and actions make you feel like you're being mocked. And that tiny drop of personification makes the Crawling Chaos even more horrible.
God damn this guys rules, he can be anything he wants to be and do anything he wants to do. He’s like a combo of Jesus, Loki and Satan all in one. I said in the hastur video if he and nyrla were the same because he can shape shift into anything like hastur(though to a lesser degree) and hastur’s more recognized form is the king in yellow and nyrlathopt has a name “the thing in the yellow mask” which you could see as both and he creates an army to fight Cthulhu and his star spawn to prevent humans(his toys and playthings) from getting destroyed and putting the priest back into the sunken city( And this could also apply to other great old ones and outer gods but who knows). So I guess you could probably look at that as him saving us at least so he can keep screwing with us, at least until he finally gets bored of us and wants to end us all on some thanos finger snapping or something but that’s neither here nor there( I think?) and there’s not a likely chance of that happening right? Right?!
There's one theory that a lot of the existing God's are actually Nyarlathotep in disguise, for he is not only a shapeshifter but he posses great power, equal and even greater then other deitys. Just try to imagine what he can accomplish with this. And what he already accomplished. That's really scary
I also heard a comparison someone made with him and the Joker. Why the joker never kills Batman? Because without it, he would lose his best toy he likes to play with. For the same reason, Nyarlathotep keep us alive
Definitely my favourite of the various Lovecraftian horrors. As you say he is closer to humans, both in form and in mind, yet I think it only serves to heighten how utterly alien and horrifying he is. Most of the things in the stories humans fail to grasp and can merely sense hints of, but with the Black Pharaoh he relishes in teaching us. Showing us truths we weren't meant to know. Despite the various alien shapes and forms he might take, I do prefer the guise of the Pharaoh. I like to imagine that he dresses in impeccable outfits with subtle hints towards ancient Egypt, travels the world in the identity of a scientist or inventor, holding lectures on philosophy or showing demonstrations of technological marvels. This is part of his meta-origin, and considering just how utterly absurd Lovecraft was in his racism, the idea that the most intelligent man on earth might have obsidian skin frightened him. And so Nyarlathotep must be an alien deity and no mere human. There are so much things you can do with a being like Nyarlathotep. I ended up writing a short story set in the 1600-eds, right before the breakout of the 30 year war and it being one of his many little games to stave off the boredom of eternity.
Couple of years ago I was playing in a Pathfinder campaign and my character was a cultist of Nyarlathotep. Since the stars were not yet right he joined the party to stop a different god from destroying the world. He had a summoned creature that took the form of a Japanese school girl named Nyarly as the game went on it became more and more like a Night Gaunt wearing shredded parts of a Japanese schoolgirl uniform. He did spread the cult of Nyarlathotep during his travels and according to the lore in the Pathfinder sequel game Starfinder the cult of Nyarlathotep did succeed in destroying the world when the stars were right.
Yes! My favorite Lovecraftian deity. Is it weird that I picture Nyarlathotep as a teenager or young adult? Out of all the gods he is the only one with a personality. I think that he's a young man who's just having fun and that fun comes at the expense of mortals. Compared to the other deities, he's "immature" and I feel like the other wouldn't really see him as one of their own as it's never stated whether he's a Great Old One or Outer God and could be classified as either one. Anywho, that's my take.
I have heard 3 different pronunciations for Nyarlathotep. "Nar-lep-toe-tep" "Nar-letep" "Ne-larp-otep" Which one is it!!! Also at 3:28 that looks like Nyarlathotep from Persona 2 when he is in his "Crawling Chaos" form.
From a literary standpoint, Nyarlathotep is the embodiment of human nature. He is our ambition, our sadism, our cruelty, our primal and higher urges. He is everything we are, have been, will be, and seek to avoid being.
Someone mentioned to me that he interpreted Judge Holden from Blood Meridian as being an avatar of Nyarlathotep and after watching this video it makes a lot of sense
I agree with your interpretation of Nyarlathotep as the ultimate schemer. Personally though, I interpret Nyarlathotep as a being capable of human-like evil but also capable of human-like good as well: our protector as well as our tormentor. For example, he protects the Great Ones on Kadath in the Dreamlands, and he has probably also prevented humanity from destroying itself in a way that's outside of his plans. Partially this is because we amuse him and he wants to use us for future machinations, but his motivations may also be more complex than we are aware of; in any case his efforts may be a big reason why the other Mythos powers have been kept at bay so far. Lovecraft makes it clear that Nylarlathotep doesn't hold his "masters" in any higher esteem than he does humans, and perhaps in even lower esteem, so while he may serve their will I think he also interprets and enacts their will in such a way as to serve his own agenda, similar to how he manipulates humans. I wonder whether Nylarthotep not only spreads madness but is also "mad" himself despite his brilliance, especially given his ability to radically alter his own physiology and psychology, but if he is I think he greatly enjoys his own madness.
Nyarlathotep was a result of a nightmare H.P. Lovecraft had as a kid? H.P. Lovecraft, getting traumatized over the idea of a powerful black man. Imagine that.
His prejudices subsided towards the end of his life. Also judging by the era hes from this makes sense. I'm not condoning racism but I'm mature enough to separate art from the artist. Are you?
One of the things I've noticed about Lovecraft is that he borrowed a lot from established mythology and twisted it into his own dark vision. Nyalarthotep is the Hermes to Azathoth's Zeus and the other major gods, as I see it. Hermes was something of a trickster and took on many shapes and faces. He was embraced by several cultures and was not absent from Egypt. A Pscyhopomp too--of course there's the touches of Satan as well what with the Black Sabbat's and his Book of Names etc but I think that at his core he is supposed to be the source of 'Hermes' in the Lovecraft-verse, much in the same way that the true sources of gods and beliefs in Lovecraft's universe generally came from the outer gods as well.
in my on headcanon Nyarlathotep is the entity behind "Under the Pyramids" and "The Transition of Juan Romero". His shapeshifting aspect can explain it.
i wonder if Maybe Nyarlathotep could be connected to the events in the transition of juan romero. the drawing trance like drum beats that pulled juan to the chasm sounds eerily similar to what he does
Hey I been watching your videos for a few days now mostly Greek I was wondering if you ever thought of doing a video on the grim reaper after I finished watching your video on the Greek god of death
There are some versions that Nyarlathotep has plans to usurp his father, implying that he's more powerful than we might think and can survive the awakening of Azathoth aka the end of all
My favorite Lovecraftian entity!f He is manipulative, beguiling, sadistic and.... possibly sympathetic toward humans? Randolph Carter (I think that was his name) in "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath did finally wake up in a nice place with a cat companion, but then, that doesn't mean the horrors were over. We don't know. The narrator in "Nyarlathotep" is left alive. Sure, he is the only thing left alive, but he is telling his story, oh but what a torture it would be to be the only thing left alive! He too, is a showman, as we see in both stories. We also see in "The Dunwich Horror", that he is destined to summon Yog Sothoth, the gate, the opener of the gate and the keeper of the gate. This will presumably bring the Old Ones in the usher in a new age. A new age of what? Torture? Freedom? The laws of physics being turned on their heads? What about the stars aligning and Cthulhu rising from the sea when he wakes from his vault in the sunken city? Perhaps he trying to twart the plans of the other gods? He is an interesting one!
The scary thing about the other gods is that they don't care about us.
The scary thing about Nyarlathotep is that he does.
Welp we are fucked
Totally
He does NOT care about us, but he needs souls to play the drums and fluits which keeps Azethoth a sleep. That is what Nyarlathothep cares about. Keeping Azethoth in a everlasting dream state, we humans/ our souls were just the means to achieve that goal
@@depausvandelilithkerk5785 the beings playing the drums are called the 'lesser' outer gods. They aren't human souls.
@@humanity600 not the way I have understood it. The lesser outer Gods were the ones who "Barzai the Great" went to see when he climbed the mountain in the story "the outer Gods", those who played the drums and fluits were the souls who were captured by Nyarlathothep for that was his function and the reason why he was on earth. But again, that is I understood it
If humans are like insects to beings like the great old ones. Nyarlathotep is like the weird kid who likes to collect and play with insects.
Or the kid who loves killing insects and torturing them.
He's the kid in the cafeteria who would put all the contents of his lunch, even dumping his Kool Aid powder, between the bread slices on his bologna sandwich, and then eat it like nothing was weird about it.
@@falsexgrindx378 That was me at one point.
@@jackadder2106 I am honored by your presence, oh, Black Pharoah.
@@falsexgrindx378 Thank you, mortal.
One interpretation I've heard is that Azathoth is a representation of the reader and Nyarlethotep is the author.
So... Lovecraft is calling us blind idiots?
I'm strangely OK with that...
@@shaihulud3140
*looks back into the times I got mindfucked by Lovecraft*
Fair enough.
@@shaihulud3140 well the word idiot in lovecraft's time had a different meaning that involved insanity.
@@mikeyunovapix7181 ....Still OK with it...
@Mikey Unovapix
I’m in psychology and studying mental disorders and my dumbass still didn’t realize or remember that.
Nyarlathotep is by far my favorite of all the Mythos. The fact that he does have the power to destroy everything on his own if he wanted to but doesn't just so that he can continue to manipulate and toy with humans, just so they do it to themselves is just makes it so unique comparatively to the others. In a way that makes Nyarlathotep even scarier and more threatening
"Understand that there is no point in living. Cry, that there is no answer! Where there is darkness, there are shadows. I, myself, am all of you humans!"
-Nyarlathotep, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Demi-Fiend of Time that’s why I came here.
Eeeyyyy
Sounds bout right
Proceeds to get rekt by meddling Teenagers
And it's actually quite true. We make the reasons for living ourselves. there's no inherent point to it beyond 'surival and propagate the species' as base instinctual urges.
"he may not be as powerful as azathoth" Oh, OK, so he can't create entire realities in his sleep, what a total wimp
Yeah, that might be a pointless statement. Arguing about power levels in a cosmic horror setting fatally misunderstands the point of the genre.
Well Compared to Azathoth he is a wimp 😉.
Duchess Van Hoof he was joking
@@primeramarmot101 well I'd likel tos see what you can see what you can do to him if you're so confident
Dylan Whipple Well He’s nothing to me since it’s just fiction lol 😂
To me, Nyarlathotep revels in the fact that we in our infantile understanding of the cosmos cannot remotely comprehend him or his brethren. At the time same, I get the impression that he is waiting for the day that we can, hence why he constantly and gleefully exposes us to eldritch knowledge. He loves driving us insane, but I feel like his ultimate goal is to test humanity for some unknown agenda. In the first story that he's prominently features (which shares his name), all he does really is go around showing people his knowledge, and driving them mad.
But that's the beauty of cosmic horror - what they're after is so open to interpretation that there is likely no one good answer. That's what I love about it.
Read the dunwich horror. It explains why the outer gods want to mess with the earth and humanity. Good read also.
"He's called the Crawling Chaos - because he can't walk yet." - The Adventures of Lil Cthulhu.
Adventures of Lil Cthulhu was the best!
Damn,if he can't walk yet I wanna see when he does :D
@@Generic_Gaming_Channel you'll be driven to madness if you look at him
@@dreademperor2094 ik,but it's worth it
@@Generic_Gaming_Channel you do you
I think Nyarlathotep represents the fear that other people aren't who they say they are. Like how your neighbor might be a spy, or a serial killer. And is he a Great Old One, or an Outer God?
I like him when used sparingly. His malevolent nature makes him scarier in many ways than the other deities or creatures in the Cthulu mythos, but using him too much just makes him the devil, or a big bad of some kind.
kylerm18 he is an outer god.
kylerm18 I always saw him as using people for his amusement but not so directly he would be discovered.
His threat is the fact he likes to manipulate from the shadows. Whatever his current purpose is in doing so at the time he never really likes to be front and center. Rather he just flits about among us with us none the wiser. Whether he helps or hurts is incidental. It is the game he plays with us that makes him happy and us terrified.
I like to imagine that using him too much is by the idea of using him as the thing of fear and not the anime.
Azathoth is the big bad.
Nyalarthotep or, as the cc subtitles call him, Neil Arthur Tip
or "Near Laughs Attempt"
This actually had me dying
Kneel off the tip
Neela steps
All hail the dark lord Neil
Leave it to Japan to turn a god of chaos and fear into a cute little girl
Don't question the will of a Lovecraftian deity, they can do whatever they want and you'll never be able to understand them.
Bless them
Look at it this way, who or what would be more trusting? a Japanese school girl? Or a monster with way too many limbs and is named "the bloody tongue"?
Akuma Yeah well that’s anime garbage for you.
Brian Leger the monster. Never trust a girl...ever.
Wait, if Nyarlathotep can shapeshift and likes to manipulate people... then becoming an anime schoolgirl could totally be in character for him 0_0
Nyarlathotep invented catfishing.
Honestly in the context of the anime plenty of chaos happens as well all the while Nyarlathotep acts innocent to the the problems in typical anime girl fashion, which could be a double bluff. If someone enjoys chaos in all its forms I like to imagine it likes the more personal chaos of seeing individual peoples life’s spiral downwards.
Sporb Yeouch He has a form where he turns into a bloated woman so turning into a school girl shouldn’t be out of the question
Nyarlathotep wrote Berserk
Nyarlathotep is literally a trap!
Following the theory that our reality is Azathoth dream, I like to think that Nyarlathotep is the manifestation of Azathoth in the dream, like if Nyarlathotep was the lucid dream of Azathoth if it makes sense, which could explains why Nyarlathotep is loyal to Azathoth but not really to the other gods. Though both of them (Azathoth and Nyarlathotep) are not aware of it because Azathoth is an idiot and, by extant, Nyarlathotep too because he is an extension of Azathoth mind.
So is he like, his fursona?
@@shortstan_242 Voidsona, but yeah.
But why would Nyarlathotep punch Azathoth?
@@ladyehl4430 when does he punch him ?
@@Neoste i forgot when it happened
I’ve always interpreted him in his first big appearance as ‘gifting’ knowledge to humanity like Prometheus gives fire to humanity but doing so with malicious intent.
Nyarlathotep, loving confusion, may very well still be a messenger. One of his forms could have been H.P. Lovecraft, with the intent on delivering a sliver of the truth of the Outer Gods and Great Old Ones to humanity.
Or he juat gave thw Nightmares to Lovecraft to spread the message.
Or I’m trying to fall asleep so he isn’t real 🙏
I love how widespread he is amongst film and literature. I even delight in writing with him in my notes and story ideas.
He's one of my favorite gods since I used him a lot in the SMT games. Didn't know he was part of the Cthulhu mythos, this makes me love this character even more.
I've heard it said that in the same way Cthulhu has the Star Spawn & Dagon has the Deep Ones, Nyarlathotep has his Million Favored Ones, & some believe that we are the his Favored.
Also, I'd like to point out that, much like the rest of his kin, each & every single one of his myriad forms can & will cause insanity upon being beholden by at least some members of the universe. Now think of how many of his avatars can pass for human.
Screaming kids on their summer holiday and a sore throat make for fun a time recording videos.
Mythology & Fiction Explained your telling me bro,in a few weeks I gotta get my results 😅😩😭
Can you do the all knowing one next. Yog-Sathoth
Mythology & Fiction Explained
Finally my pet.
The dark lord approves.
Tom Riddle wrong novels lol
Mythology & Fiction Explained Kid's! The embodiment of endless need,
Screaming, I want it! In eternal greed!
No matter how much you buy, never satisfied,
You do your best, God knows you tried!
They move out married, Revenge begins!
You give Drum's and Trumpets to their Twin's!
LoL, The Grandparents Payback! Enjoy your Videos, hope your feeling better now!
Loved his appearance in Persona 2 where he took the guise of Hitler among many others.
Oh and nice shoutout to him at 3:23.
"Understand, that there is no point in living! Cry, that there is no answer! Where there is darkness, there are shadows! I, myself, am all of you humans!!"
Nyarlathotep is quite simply the 'Evil' Jesus of the Cthulhu Mythos..
Yes, I love the Cthulhu Mythos videos ^^
P
I've always wondered what Nyarlathotep would do if he ever found a human that wouldn't be driven mad. What type of plan would he have for such an occasion
Do a Palpatine and make him Darth Vader or something.
Try to torture him, but Randolph Carter got away
Anyone can be driven mad. You just have to push the right buttons.
He'd probably think of it as an experiment, maybe stick around them to see what makes tham tick?
He would hide all the weed
The funniest and craziest thing about anime and manga is that a lot of it sounds like someone made a brief joke at a bar almost in passing. In America that would usually be the end of it. In Japan they turn that concept into a manga, then a light novel, 4 anime series spanning dozens of seasons and hundreds of episodes, video games, toys and plushies, pachinko machines, clothes, fan fiction, wikis, and anything and everything else. And it all started when a drunk dude asked his buddy, "Yo what if Nyarlathotep was a schoolgirl?" A few laughs and drinks later and it's a multimillion dollar ip with enough lore to rival the bible.
The Cthulhu mythos videos are brilliant mate, please keep doing them!
I got myself a sort of compilation book with 24 of Lovecrafts stories. And since English is not my first language it's great to, after reading a story, to go to your videos to clarify it some more.
Bless.
Thank you for the Cthulhu mythos.
This is a fantastic series, sir.
funny how this video gets posted the day i finish binge watching "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san".
Wonder how Nyarlethotep feels about it...
whatever nyarlathotepian this guy is probably hates nyaruko.
@@dankbudew4830 he's going to turn the people who made that s*** inside out
@@omnipotentazathoth5215 who hurt you?
I never found Cthulhu to be very compelling, especially not as the namegiver to the whole mythos. Nyarlathotep however is, in y eyes, the true face of the mythos, he is so much more interesting and terrifying.
Also a thought I had about him was his relationship with Azathoth, who is called "The Blind Idiot God" for basically havig no conciousness, but Nyarlathotep is described as the "soul" of the Outer Gods, so maybe he IS Azathoth's conciousness. Just like we have our "Avatar" in our dreams.
I think that's very interesting
You know what's terrifying about Nyarlathotep? The Outer God's and other higher beings don't care about humans. We are far beneath them. However, Nyarlathotep DOES care about humans. He finds them interesting.
I agree with everything you said except Cthulhu not being compelling. The Call of Cthulhu is the story that got me hooked on the mythos.
@@GraigMullinsMusic do you believe in “death of the author”
even though Cthulhu is iconic, i find Hastur (the Yellow King) to be a better character and the most interesting.
_Who did you expect at the end of all of this?_
_God?_
_The Devil, perhaps?_
_No... It's just... _*_̵̧̞̳̙̘͚̩͉̻̀m̠̫̣͠ę̛̼̠͇͇͡_*
.
I'm confused. I know that quote, but I dont know where it was from.
*HELP*
@@Kukkedid the game dusk
One must always rule beneath ...... DUSK
What font is that?
@@ghostrider1234561 zalgo font
Crawling chaos, underground. . .
Cult has summoned, twisted sound!!!
Out from ruins, once possessed
Fallen city, living death!
Drain you of your sanity
Face the thing that should not be
I have to break this, I'm so sorry
But one thing only. *Thanos Tree*
@@KonnyP XD
@@masterofnothing9886 No seriously going to google images, searching up thanos tree and scrolling down yields some weird results along with some cringey Fortnite screenshots.
Another great video I never get tired of listening to the cthulhu mythos keep up the good work and I look forward the next cthulhu mythos video.
A video about ghatanothoa or Yig would also be interesting. Good work love your videos keep going on
You know, I have a suspicion as to why Nyarlathotep is written as enjoying messing with humans so much.
I get the feeling that Humans are the most naive species in the cosmos, and thus, are the most fun for him to break.
3:25
Oh wow, Persona 2 Nyarlathotep
My interpretation is that he is how Azathoth enjoys his dream.
Which implies Azathoth is neither blind nor an idiot, but purely malevolent.
@@TsukimuraMidori
Well, I saw it as the reason Azathoth was an idiot. His mind, his soul, his consciousness separated itself from him and became it's own entity. Azathoth is an idiot because Nyarlathotep is now outside of him.
Stephen King based The Man in Black/Randall Flagg on Nyarlathotep.
Goes further than that, Randall Flagg IS Nyarlathotep.
@@TheCrimsonIdol987 Wait, what?! So you are telling me that the Stephen King's Multiverse is in the same multiverse as H.P.Lovecraft?
At the very least heavily inspired by it.
@@TheCrimsonIdol987 Awsome.
It makes sense. King reused the Flagg character in a number of works, and he's usually depicted bas some sort of demonic or evil entity.
Always nice to see a new video out. But anyway, would anyone agree that Nyarlathotep might be the most terrifying of them all precisely because he is a more concrete existence with a more understandable (if horrific) personality? Think about it, Azathoth is beyond the universe itself, you cannot fear what you cannot imagine. Cthulhu is more akin to a force of nature, certainly the stuff of nightmares but given his slumber and location still kind of out there. But this guy? Have fun with the knowledge that there is an immortal and omnipotent shapeshifter living on this planet that is not above messing with humans for fun and there is nothing you can do about it. And it could be anyone, your neighbor, your pet, the stranger passing through town, anyone. That is true terror, or so I would say. But anyway, hope you reach the 250k mark soon.
Thank you for view of him. I'm using him as the big baddie in a D&D game I am running, this helps a bit as to flesh him out. Thanks again.
The voice you use at the beginning of your video is so cryptic
I like to think in the lore that Azathoth has dreamed all of our reality and the other gods. However, Nyarlathotep is the only god that is free from the dream and may be the only one who will continue to exist when the dream ends.
I was looking for a mastermind for a long(er) term Call of Cthulhu campaign. Thanks
Then I beheld Kadath and it's cloud-hidden peak
And I beheld the Crawling Chaos beneath
They kneel 'fore the invoker
The Old Ones, awakened again
The days are a fog, the misty unreal
I wait for the night and my ruin
Of vistas strange and lands passing
Below the shantak I ride when I doze
I hear Atal and Nyarlathotep
And the chanting of one I would slaughter
He speaks the name, from Leng he invokes
The Old Gods, the Old Ones
Eternal Champion - Invoker Lyrics
Thanks for the video!
Nyarlathotep always struck me as a kind of Devil figure. That is to say, he corrupts mankind not only for the sake of corruption, but also because he gains power and pleasure from driving humans into insane or evil deeds. It's worth noting that H.P. Lovecraft described Nyarlathotep using traditionally devilish imagery on a number of occasions, including his appearance as a man with coal-black skin and the legs of a goat.
Nyarlathotep is complex because he inbodies every negative and corrupt aspect of human nature and the destruction that these extreme aspects create, such as the desire and thirst for knowledge that drives one insane until they destroy themselves either literally or destroy their minds in the sole pursuit. Since the whims of human kind is fickle and ever changing, it certainly serves to show how Nyarlathotep can take many different forms. It seems that he/it caters to that most devious of questions - "What if . . ."
He is chaos incarnate
this is an old video and i've just discovered the channel, but i'm loving this. Also, Nyarlathotep appears in the Laundry series as Nyar-Lat-Hotep. Great books
I like the visual depictions of him that look like 3 or 4 tentacles wrapped around each other instead of a mass of tentacles like many of the lovecraft pantheon . It's somehow unique but still within the design of the rest. And I think of it meaning he has more control purpose and is less random cosmic chaos.
From what I got he and Cthulhu are the most beloved in the mythos. As you mention for Cthulhu it's because he isn't just a mass of tentacles and eyeballs, and Nyarlathotep because he shows more personality from an indifferent ones that others usually have. They are different in their own way which makes them stand out.
1:22 you know for a fact that once you said those lines, everyone went straight to find that anime
I'm a late comer to your video series but I would love to see a list of stories in the description in which the featured characters appear. Regardless, I've been binging for a while now and I love the diversity of the lore you tackle.
Finally, great to see a video of Nyarlathotep!
My favorite appearance of his is in Persona 2
First time I was introduced to Nyarlathotep was through a Lovecraft inspired spin-off called "Johannes Cabal and the Fear Institute." By Johnathan L Howard. It was what got me started into the Lovecraft mythos train thanks to the writer's dry sardonic humour in the face of abject horror and hopelessness.
Not long subscribed to your channel, brilliant work. Love it. 1st time watching anything on the cthulhu mythos, how good is this?
I think I misunderstood the Nyarlethotep short story. I was under the impression he was trying to teach man kind time travel and how the universe works but it drove a room full of scientists mad.
Well, he has the ability to help the world, but chooses not to because it's more fun causing madness and watching his favorite toys turn on eachother
Well, it is belived that The Doctor (in Doctor Who) is Nyarlathotep.
My favorite version of the Crawling Chaos is him as the antagonist in Persona 2 Innocent Sin & Eternal Punishment.
My head cannon is that Nyarlathotep inspired all of the gods of chaos or trickery found in various human cultures (Set, Apophis, Hermes, Loki, Lucifer, Tezcatlipoca, Angra Mainyu, etc.)
Love Nyarlhotep
One, it is a being directly born of Azathoth, like Yog-Sothoth and Shub-Niggurath.
Not only that, Nyar is directly acting against the direct actions of Azathoth, undoing what Azathoth exacts.
He is one of the most powerful cosmic forces as a malicious will that can exact it's wishes as it desires.
He cannot create, however, as that is Azathoth, the Dreamer.
One of the most frightening things I have read is that of all of H.P. Lovecraft's musings, he truly believed this being existed. He even once pondered if it was Tesla.
That is frightening.
Of all the Gods he could have thought of existing, why did he believe the most malicious one would be real?
Because he was absolutely terrified of everything not part of his normal routine, and the thought of an openly malevolent and manipulative deity existing would just be proof that you can't trust anything to him?
Mind you, he also stated in his journals that he eventually travelled the world and thusly cured himself of his own small-minded views towards other races and cultures. Was still absolutely scared shitless of the sea though, not that I blame him there.
I read somewhere that Nyarlathotep was based off of Lovecrafts ideal that order is an illusion. While we build walls around ourselves and put up lines that shouldnt be crossed, they are nothing and can be blown away as dust in the wind. He is that which breaks the illusion of safety and order that we have made for ourselves.
Saw no one else say it so I'm gonna say it
Nyanlathotep: The Clawing Chaos
I've first got to know him thanks to the persona games. He's the final Boss of the Persona 2 game.
Hugo Leonardo Amaral eternal punishment or the other game ?
Both.
That sounds very interesting, I only got half-way through persona.
Well, persona is a spin off franchise from the Shin Megami Tensei series which is all about demons and stuff. Of course it's infested with abominations like Mara.
Typhoon cp He's the main antangonist of Persona 1 and the Persona 2 duleology creating basicly a trilogy tied to him
love your mythos videos keep going
Great video, man. Do you happen to have any videos explaining the Cthulhu mythos as a whole? I'm trying to get a grasp on the timeline and understand the Elder Gods in their entirety because, as of now, I can hardly comprehend them (ha)
My favorite lovecraftian monster.
Nyarlathotep is terrifying because he is what happens when an Outer God actually notices humanity. He is not indifferent in his actions, but purposefully malicious. He thinks humans are entertaining in the same way a man might be amused by the actions of ants he intends to poison and remove from his lawn. His motives are unknowable, but his attitude and actions make you feel like you're being mocked. And that tiny drop of personification makes the Crawling Chaos even more horrible.
God damn this guys rules, he can be anything he wants to be and do anything he wants to do.
He’s like a combo of Jesus, Loki and Satan all in one.
I said in the hastur video if he and nyrla were the same because he can shape shift into anything like hastur(though to a lesser degree) and hastur’s more recognized form is the king in yellow and nyrlathopt has a name “the thing in the yellow mask” which you could see as both and he creates an army to fight Cthulhu and his star spawn to prevent humans(his toys and playthings) from getting destroyed and putting the priest back into the sunken city( And this could also apply to other great old ones and outer gods but who knows).
So I guess you could probably look at that as him saving us at least so he can keep screwing with us, at least until he finally gets bored of us and wants to end us all on some thanos finger snapping or something but that’s neither here nor there( I think?) and there’s not a likely chance of that happening right? Right?!
Grey World Nyarlathotep can be anything and do anything and still has no idea who he is. And I think that's the point of his character.
There's one theory that a lot of the existing God's are actually Nyarlathotep in disguise, for he is not only a shapeshifter but he posses great power, equal and even greater then other deitys. Just try to imagine what he can accomplish with this. And what he already accomplished.
That's really scary
I also heard a comparison someone made with him and the Joker.
Why the joker never kills Batman?
Because without it, he would lose his best toy he likes to play with.
For the same reason, Nyarlathotep keep us alive
I just realized, Carl from Llama's with Hats is basically Nyarlathotep and Paul is humanity.
I'd imagine a scenario where Nyarlathotep would probably protect the Earth with all it's might when in danger
In any chance that happened, it would because he would want to fuck up earth himself.
"no you fkers, that's MY planet to destroy, not yours"
@@agravain9006 "Earth isn't yours to conquer"
Definitely my favourite of the various Lovecraftian horrors. As you say he is closer to humans, both in form and in mind, yet I think it only serves to heighten how utterly alien and horrifying he is. Most of the things in the stories humans fail to grasp and can merely sense hints of, but with the Black Pharaoh he relishes in teaching us. Showing us truths we weren't meant to know.
Despite the various alien shapes and forms he might take, I do prefer the guise of the Pharaoh. I like to imagine that he dresses in impeccable outfits with subtle hints towards ancient Egypt, travels the world in the identity of a scientist or inventor, holding lectures on philosophy or showing demonstrations of technological marvels. This is part of his meta-origin, and considering just how utterly absurd Lovecraft was in his racism, the idea that the most intelligent man on earth might have obsidian skin frightened him. And so Nyarlathotep must be an alien deity and no mere human.
There are so much things you can do with a being like Nyarlathotep. I ended up writing a short story set in the 1600-eds, right before the breakout of the 30 year war and it being one of his many little games to stave off the boredom of eternity.
This creature reminds me of Lowly Lord Loss, from the Deamonata series by Shan Darven. Their motivations and machinations towards Earth are the same
That is so true!
Nyaruko-chan owo
Adam Axcell nyaruko-chan best waifu
(」・ω・)」Uu!
(／・ω・)／ Nyaa!
I see youre a man of culture as well
hey do you know name of anime girl that he talking about
A man of culture
Interesting description.
Did Lovecraft go out of his way to make pronouncing these names a pain in the ass?
I find myself asking the same question.
Tomathy Kenney He wanted them to seem so alien and bizarre that humans are not capable of even pronouncing their names properly.
yes actually haha
They are supposed to be incomprehensible, the names are just translated into a language we understand.
Some say Cthulhu is not pronouce as K'tholoo, but K'thoLhoo.
Couple of years ago I was playing in a Pathfinder campaign and my character was a cultist of Nyarlathotep. Since the stars were not yet right he joined the party to stop a different god from destroying the world. He had a summoned creature that took the form of a Japanese school girl named Nyarly as the game went on it became more and more like a Night Gaunt wearing shredded parts of a Japanese schoolgirl uniform. He did spread the cult of Nyarlathotep during his travels and according to the lore in the Pathfinder sequel game Starfinder the cult of Nyarlathotep did succeed in destroying the world when the stars were right.
Yes! My favorite Lovecraftian deity. Is it weird that I picture Nyarlathotep as a teenager or young adult? Out of all the gods he is the only one with a personality. I think that he's a young man who's just having fun and that fun comes at the expense of mortals. Compared to the other deities, he's "immature" and I feel like the other wouldn't really see him as one of their own as it's never stated whether he's a Great Old One or Outer God and could be classified as either one. Anywho, that's my take.
So your interpretation of Nyarlathotep is an anime boy.
This guy is the coolest of the entire mythos for me.
I have heard 3 different pronunciations for Nyarlathotep.
"Nar-lep-toe-tep"
"Nar-letep"
"Ne-larp-otep"
Which one is it!!!
Also at 3:28 that looks like Nyarlathotep from Persona 2 when he is in his "Crawling Chaos" form.
I pronounce it 'Nee-ar-lat-hotep' because hotep is a suffix used by Egyptian pharaohs.
Also yes, that's him.
Nee-arla-tho-tep is how I pronounce it.
From a literary standpoint, Nyarlathotep is the embodiment of human nature. He is our ambition, our sadism, our cruelty, our primal and higher urges. He is everything we are, have been, will be, and seek to avoid being.
Nyarlathotep has been stated to show contempt towards the other outer gods, especially yog sothoth.
Someone mentioned to me that he interpreted Judge Holden from Blood Meridian as being an avatar of Nyarlathotep and after watching this video it makes a lot of sense
Nyalathotep was probably the template for Ben 10
I wonder who would win in not just a fight, but a battle of wits between Nyarlathotep and Sauron? That would be interesting to find out.
I agree with your interpretation of Nyarlathotep as the ultimate schemer. Personally though, I interpret Nyarlathotep as a being capable of human-like evil but also capable of human-like good as well: our protector as well as our tormentor. For example, he protects the Great Ones on Kadath in the Dreamlands, and he has probably also prevented humanity from destroying itself in a way that's outside of his plans. Partially this is because we amuse him and he wants to use us for future machinations, but his motivations may also be more complex than we are aware of; in any case his efforts may be a big reason why the other Mythos powers have been kept at bay so far.
Lovecraft makes it clear that Nylarlathotep doesn't hold his "masters" in any higher esteem than he does humans, and perhaps in even lower esteem, so while he may serve their will I think he also interprets and enacts their will in such a way as to serve his own agenda, similar to how he manipulates humans. I wonder whether Nylarthotep not only spreads madness but is also "mad" himself despite his brilliance, especially given his ability to radically alter his own physiology and psychology, but if he is I think he greatly enjoys his own madness.
And then they made an anime on this
Sailor Italy and they made him a girl
Sailor Italy what's it called
he need some milk milk Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
Sailor Italy thanks
Sailor Italy gonna warn u guys, the mc is annoying asf with that fork
Nyarlathotep was a result of a nightmare H.P. Lovecraft had as a kid? H.P. Lovecraft, getting traumatized over the idea of a powerful black man. Imagine that.
Imagine if he had lived to see Obama being elected
His prejudices subsided towards the end of his life. Also judging by the era hes from this makes sense. I'm not condoning racism but I'm mature enough to separate art from the artist. Are you?
@@metaloverload7374 agreed.
Ive always seen him as kind of a Loki or Satan like entity giving nudges to those that are prone to violence or things like that
*pokes serial killer with a stick*
Come on, do something
One of the things I've noticed about Lovecraft is that he borrowed a lot from established mythology and twisted it into his own dark vision. Nyalarthotep is the Hermes to Azathoth's Zeus and the other major gods, as I see it. Hermes was something of a trickster and took on many shapes and faces. He was embraced by several cultures and was not absent from Egypt. A Pscyhopomp too--of course there's the touches of Satan as well what with the Black Sabbat's and his Book of Names etc but I think that at his core he is supposed to be the source of 'Hermes' in the Lovecraft-verse, much in the same way that the true sources of gods and beliefs in Lovecraft's universe generally came from the outer gods as well.
Nyarlathotep sounds like he changes forms baised on the idea of chaos that is within the creatures and people he interacts with.
in my on headcanon Nyarlathotep is the entity behind "Under the Pyramids" and "The Transition of Juan Romero". His shapeshifting aspect can explain it.
i wonder if Maybe Nyarlathotep could be connected to the events in the transition of juan romero. the drawing trance like drum beats that pulled juan to the chasm sounds eerily similar to what he does
In the end, even an outer god can be in love. Good to know that Japan is even scarier than Lovecraft and good to know that even gods can love.
Hey I been watching your videos for a few days now mostly Greek I was wondering if you ever thought of doing a video on the grim reaper after I finished watching your video on the Greek god of death
Great video,can you talk about my boi Azathoth next please?
EDIT:you already did?nice!
The harbinger of azathoth. A sample and maybe a warning of things to come.
1:26.... It was pretty much the reason why i wanted to start the mythos properly
Is this the one that Nyan Nyan was based on in “Sucker for love”
There are some versions that Nyarlathotep has plans to usurp his father, implying that he's more powerful than we might think and can survive the awakening of Azathoth aka the end of all
My favorite of the Lovecraft entities.
Will you ever cover the Lotan? The serpent of the Baal Cycle of Ulgaritic myths?
Its rather curious that one of his main denominations is the same as another of Lovecraft's works which seems to have no connection to him.
My favorite Lovecraftian entity!f He is manipulative, beguiling, sadistic and.... possibly sympathetic toward humans? Randolph Carter (I think that was his name) in "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath did finally wake up in a nice place with a cat companion, but then, that doesn't mean the horrors were over. We don't know. The narrator in "Nyarlathotep" is left alive. Sure, he is the only thing left alive, but he is telling his story, oh but what a torture it would be to be the only thing left alive! He too, is a showman, as we see in both stories. We also see in "The Dunwich Horror", that he is destined to summon Yog Sothoth, the gate, the opener of the gate and the keeper of the gate. This will presumably bring the Old Ones in the usher in a new age. A new age of what? Torture? Freedom? The laws of physics being turned on their heads? What about the stars aligning and Cthulhu rising from the sea when he wakes from his vault in the sunken city? Perhaps he trying to twart the plans of the other gods? He is an interesting one!
Nyarlathotep is my favorite from the Cthulhu Mythos