THE BLACK MAN (NYARLATHOTEP)

THE BLACK MAN (NYARLATHOTEP) 
"Now he was praying because the Witches’ Sabbath was drawing near. May-Eve was Walpurgis-Night, when hell’s blackest evil roamed the earth and all the slaves of Satan gathered for nameless rites and deeds."

"He must meet the Black Man, and go with them all to the throne of Azathoth at the centre of ultimate Chaos. That was what she said. He must sign in his own blood the book of Azathoth and take a new secret name now that his independent delvings had gone so far. "
"The evilly grinning beldame still clutched him, and beyond the table stood a figure he had never seen before—a tall, lean man of dead black colouration but without the slightest sign of negroid features; wholly devoid of either hair or beard, and wearing as his only garment a shapeless robe of some heavy black fabric. His feet were indistinguishable because of the table and bench, but he must have been shod, since there was a clicking whenever he changed position."

"There was the immemorial figure of the deputy or messenger of hidden and terrible powers—the “Black Man” of the witch-cult, and the “Nyarlathotep” of the Necronomicon."

"Presently he realised what he was listening for—the hellish chant of the celebrants in the distant black valley. How did he know so much about what they expected? How did he know the time when Nahab and her acolyte were due to bear the brimming bowl which would follow the black cock and the black goat?"
H.P. Lovecraft, Dreams In the Witch-House

"Such in its essence, was the fable of Nyarlathotep. It was older than secret Egypt, more hoary than sea-doomed Atlantis, more ancient than time-forgotten Mu. But it has never been forgotten. In the medieval times this story and its prophecy were carried across Europe by returning crusaders. Thus the Mighty Messenger became the Black Man of the witch-covens; emissary of Asmodeus and dark gods."
Robert Bloch, The Faceless God

"But these early Christians did not always conceive a devil in human form. For example, in the Life Of St. Anthony, attributed to Athanasius, devils appear in many guises in addition to a black boy and a huge man. They come as 'a beast like to man having legs and feet like those of an ass,' and as leopards, bears horses, wolves and scorpions."
Rossell Hope Robbins, The Encyclopedia Of Witchcraft and Demonology

"In later accounts, the Devil took the guise of a black man or a handsome youth wearing striking clothes or possessing some notable physical characteristic. When he appeared in this form, he occasionally revealed his true nature by exposing a cloven hoof."
Darren Oldridge, The Devil In Tudor and Stuart England 

"Often called “Le Grand Negre” (The Black Man), Leonard is demon of the first order, grand master of the sabbaths, chief of the subaltern demons, and inspector general of sorcery, black magic and witchcraft. From the waist up, Leonard has a goat’s body with 3 horns on his head, a goat’s beard, hair-like bristles, 2 ears like foxes, and inflamed eyes."
Collin de Plancy, Dictionnaire Infernal