Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep is a story of impending doom.
Mimicking a thousand prophesiers that have come before, a strange man emerges
foretelling of the end of all things. This man comes from the depths of Egypt
and looks to be the descendant of the pharaohs themselves, and like a mad
showman peddles his prophecies with doom in fantastic shows of wonder.
Many writers and scholars have wondered
if Lovecraft had been inspired by the work of Nikola Tesla, who in the day,
went around with his travelling show demonstrating the wondrous powers of
electricity. Tesla was equal parts genius, showman and madman, and it really
isn't a stretch to see him in the depiction of the dark pharaoh.
With the arrival of the traveling man,
the entire town is awakened in the night by the screams of thousands of
nightmares, as dark dreams soon follow wherever the foreigner travels. Like a
big-tent revivalist, Nyarlathotep shocks his audience with wonders and fear.
Common from late 19th to early 20th century, spiritualists, evangelicals and
even scientists were doing this very thing. Seeking crowds of converts or
supporters for their cause. Lovecraft, however, takes this strange slice of
American showmanship and turns it into a thing of terror as the dark pharoah
sends columns of people out into the night in a zombified haze, overwhelmed by
the fear of the things supposed to come. It is there, outside the confines of
the showman's tent that they witness in horror the visage of ultimate
destruction on the earth. HPL's description in the final paragraph is as poetic
as it is gruesomely dispairing.
The character of Nyarlathotep, becomes a
recurring name throughout Lovecraft's work. At times it takes a more pivotal
role, but often it is thrown in with other names in a list of evil entities on
earth. As we learn in later stories, and is hinted at in the final sentences,
there is far more to the dark pharoah than being a sadistic showman.
If you want to check out this very short
but disturbing introduction to Nyarlathotep, you can check out the full text
here: HPL's Nyarlathotep
 |
| Illustration by Jeff Powers © 2013 |
No comments:
Post a Comment