Hello and welcome back to Life’s Biggest Questions, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Yes, it’s time for yet another entry to our Cthulhu series, this time focusing on
one of the most popular entities in the entire mythos: Nyarlathotep.
Nyarlathotep, The Crawling Chaos, is the incredibly powerful malign deity found in the Cthulhu
mythos, who wanders the Earth using a wide variety of masks or avatars.
He was created by Lovecraft after he had one of the most horrible and realistic dreams
of his life.
But what if this was not a fictional creature, inspired by the dreams of the disturbed Lovecraft,
but actually existed?
Let's explore.
If you want more What If videos, check out our “Biggest What Ifs” playlist on the
channel.
Now get ready, it’s time to ask the question: What if Nyarlothotep was Real?
As with other videos in this series, this video will assume that Nyarlathotep is the
only Lovecraftian entity that exists.
For the purposes of this video, the other Gods and Old Ones, as well as his minions,
do not exist.
Furthermore, as with many Lovecraftian horrors, the name of Nyarlathotep has a number of pronunciations.
The most realistic one I’ve found is this one, by Leeman Kessler of Ask Lovecraft.
https://youtu.be/BV_1P4YYczU?t=10 (hopefully that’s usable, it’s super quick).
(If not useable: The Closest pronunciation I’ve been able to find is Nyar-lat-ho-tep.)
However, I’ll be saying the name a lot, and that’s way too hard to say, so I’ll
just Anglicize the hell out of it, and say Nyarlothotep.
That way, it reflects some of the Egyptian origin of the name, since Hotep is an Egyptian
word meaning "To Be at Peace".
With that out of the way, let's hop in.
Nyarlothotep is quite different from other Lovecraftian horrors.
While most beings in the Mythos speak an ancient, incomprehensible language, Nyarlathotep is
able to communicate in any human language.
Also, following the great war, most of Cthulhu's kind were exiled, with most Elder Gods exiled
to the stars, like Yog-Sothoth, and many Great Old Ones slumbering beneath the ground, like
Cthulhu or Ythogtha.
Nyarlathotep, on the other hand, is not trapped, and is best known for his propensity to walk
the Earth under a number of guises, and influence humanity in a number of ways.
For example, when he emerged from Egypt, he was said to be a tall, swarthy man of the
old native blood, looking like a Pharaoh.
This is how he is typically described, but it is far from the only way he’s appeared.
For example, when he appeared in China, he took on the appearance of a morbidly obese
woman, with five mouths, and many tentacles, referred to as the Bloated Woman.
He has been seen as complicated machinery, referred to as The Tick-Tock Man, when engaging
with technologically advanced civilizations.
More recently, he took on the appearance of an African American pimp in Los Angeles, going
by the name Mr. Skin.
This is to say that you really never know how Nyarlathotep will appear, until it's too
late.
Nyarlathotep is often depicted as the Messenger of the Outer Gods, acting as a servant of
Azathoth, or, as some believe, an avatar for Azathoth himself.
In terms of actual power, Nyarlathotep is one of the most widely-debated beings in the
mythos.
Some believe him to be second only to Azathoth, while others consider him a mere lackey.
Sadly, the stories are vague enough that it’s difficult to say for sure how powerful he
is.
However, he is highly gifted at gaining followers.
He’s able to force others to worship him, as was seen when the fellahin, Egyptian peasants,
knelt before him, even though they didn't know why they were doing it.
He then went on to roam the Earth, using magical devices to force unwilling humans to follow
him.
This was done with the help of amazing, seemingly magical instruments, as he drew people in
with the spectacle.
This was all inspired by a nightmare Lovecraft had, and many believe the character may have
been partially based on Nicola Tesla, who used similar amazing instruments to baffle
and transfix crowds.
But what if this Outer God was not spawned in a dream, but actually existed?
Frankly, if we’re describing a tall, thin man, who’s excellent with technology, great
at drawing supporters, and quick to anger, a certain someone comes to mind… https://bit.ly/2A9u5so.
Of course, Elon Musk almost certainly is not an avatar for an Outer God, but there is a
good chance that Nyarlathotep would take on a similar form if he was to appear in the
modern day.
But what exactly would happen if this was the case?
Well, that would depend on his goals.
In literature, he has acted in a wide variety of ways.
Sometimes he seems intent on enslaving all of humanity.
Sometimes he is simply acting as a messenger.
And sometimes, he actually helps us, with some reports claiming that he aided us in
moving forward technologically.
Since this video will assume that there are no other Outer Gods for whom Nyarlathotep
would be a messenger, let’s focus on his other aims.
Unfortunately, if Nyarlathotep wished to enslave humanity, it’s likely that there wouldn’t
really be much we could do about it.
Based on the literature, Nyarlathotep seems to be pretty unstoppable.
Not only does he possess immense power, but he is also believed to be highly intelligent
and cunning.
It’s likely that any attempt to stop him would be for naught, and humanity would likely
be enslaved, and forced to worship him.
As was seen in the prose poem, Nyarlathotep by H.P.
Lovecraft, his unwilling followers would be unable to resist the call of the Outer God.
Even the most headstrong and stubborn would stand no chance against the irresistable will
of the entity.
Of course, it would take time for him to take control of everyone on Earth, but with his
immense power, combined with his ability to change his form, it would be just about impossible
to stop him.
When reports of a man wandering the Earth, enslaving humans were confirmed, it’s possible
that people would turn to suicide, in order to avoid becoming a slave.
Many would, of course, try to hide away and avoid the Outer God, but most people would
either end up dead, or enslaved.
Nyarlathotep would become the new God of the world, although he might be better seen as
a devil.
He would force us to work for him, and reshape the world as he deems fit.
He might even subject humanity to gruesome experiments, both in the pursuit of knowledge,
and to bask in our suffering.
Certain humans might gain his favour, and become empowered, perhaps even becoming his
four horsemen, but for the majority of humanity, this would likely go badly.
However, it’s possible that being led by Nyarlathotep would not be the worst thing
in the world.
If he was happy at the top, it’s possible that he would use humans to create an amazing
world of technology.
Sadly, we might not actually be able to enjoy it, since his slaves tend to go rather mad,
but if he eventually released his grasp on the human race, we might be able to enjoy
a world of technology and wonder, and might even venture off into space.
Perhaps we would come to accept him as our God, and would become willing followers, allowing
us to retain our sentience, while working to serve his goals.
On the other hand, it’s possible that he would not wish to be the great leader of Earth,
but would prefer to send it into ruins.
In this case, he might manipulate things such that two factions of humans were created,
both worshipping a different avatar.
He would make it so that we destroyed each other, using all weaponry available, including
nuclear weapons, as he watched in glee.
Given his love of madness and death, this would be the best of both worlds for him.
And now we return to our question: What if Nyarlathotep was Real?
Well, without other Gods to serve, he would likely try to take the helm by himself.
He would wander the Earth, enslaving the human race with the help of his magical instruments,
bringing us all under his control.
Some might die in struggles, or to avoid becoming a mindless slave, but most would likely fall
prey to his enchanting ways.
This could be the end of humanity, but it could also lead us to great technological
progress, and eventually we might come to accept Nyarlathotep as our leader, thanks
to some strange Eldritch Stockholm Syndrome.
On the other hand, he may realize that leading is just not his bag, and might use his great
influence to cause humanity to destroy itself.
Although frankly, the way things are looking politically, that might not be a huge change
to our trajectory.
Thank you for watching Life’s Biggest Questions, I hope this was interesting and informative,
and maybe even inspired you to look into it further on your own.
If you liked this video, please thumbs up and subscribe to the channel down below.
While you’re down there, let me know what other lists you’d like to see.
This will, sadly, be my last Cthulhu video for the channel, as I am off to law school.
However, if there is more interest, the other hosts will be more than happy to take the
series into their very capable hands.
Until next time, if there is a next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Life’s
Biggest Questions, wishing you the best of luck, on your quest for answers.