Nyarlathotep (short story)

Nyarlathotep is a short story by American writer H.P. Lovecraft, written in November 1920 and first published in the November 1920 issue of The Vagrant. It is considered part of the Cthulhu Mythos.

The story presents a bleak, apocalyptic vision of a world on the brink of collapse, guided and manipulated by the titular character, Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep is depicted not as a monstrous entity, but as a tall, swarthy man resembling an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who travels the world demonstrating strange electrical and scientific wonders. These demonstrations, however, lead to widespread terror, madness, and societal disintegration.

The narrative is largely dreamlike and fragmented, with a first-person narrator who is drawn into the chaotic events orchestrated by Nyarlathotep. The story follows the narrator’s increasingly nightmarish journey as the world descends into chaos and the boundaries between reality and illusion blur.

The story explores themes of societal collapse, the seductive nature of forbidden knowledge, the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic indifference, and the fragility of reality itself. The ambiguous and hallucinatory nature of the narrative contributes to the story's unsettling and terrifying atmosphere.

Nyarlathotep's depiction in this story is significant as it establishes his role within the Cthulhu Mythos as the "crawling chaos," a messenger and servant of the Outer Gods, distinct from the more physically monstrous Great Old Ones. He is a master manipulator, capable of subtly guiding humanity towards its own destruction through a combination of technological marvels and psychological manipulation. The story highlights the dangers of blindly embracing progress without considering its potential consequences.