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Neil Gaiman's American Gods

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Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is a fantasy story that combines a post-modern and mythical culture to show the power of the human mind. Different desires, questions, and superstitions led to masses creating their old gods. The same human needs are still entrenched in human consciousness, which leads to the creation of modern gods such as technology. Gaiman rebuilds and retells the story of traditional myths that were created to satisfy the human need, to create things deemed bigger than themselves. American Gods presents the theory that mythology is not as a result of a simple belief system downgraded to artless cultures but a creation of the human mind. Through these creations, Gaiman presents the need for mythology and beliefs as means to create different personalities and worlds. In the article “The road to our senses: Neil Gaiman’s American Gods,” Rut Blomqvist discusses the different cultures and Shadow’s personal view of the cultures as represented in Gaiman. According to the author, Gaiman allows the characters to have a mythical experience represented in uncertain dualistic pairs. However, despite being faced with the different types of mythical cultures, Shadow Moon chooses his own path and fails …show more content…

Authors of both articles agree that the human imagination is an important aspect of the creation process. According to the articles the modern world as we see it, is a result of the needs that individuals have and see the need to fulfill them. Slabbert and Viljoen use shamanic properties to show the connection between Shadow and the different mythical cultures. Blomqvist, on the other hand, concentrates more on the different contemporary perspectives of modern cultures and the limitations that it brings. The two different views combine to show the power of the human beliefs in the creation of myths about their

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Anthony Pellegrino Professor Schoolcraft LIT-229 World Mythology 30 July 2023 Milestone Three There are many theories on how myths spread and preserve their cultural significance throughout generations, two examples of these theories are dispersion theory and the theory of collective unconscious. Dispersion theory is a belief that some of the original themes and archetypes of myths were made by one culture an incredibly long time ago and was spread as the culture emigrated throughout generations. Collective unconscious is a theory that states there is a segment of the unconscious mind within all humanity that shares ancestral memories and experiences. Both theories can be applied to give us a further understanding of myths. Dispersion

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Shadow’s dream begins with him standing in an open plain beneath a stormy sky as stars fall and become human. Shadow describes them as “star people,” who all appear to have vaguely Native American characteristics. These “people” are reminiscent of the Blackfoot legends surrounding the star-beings, who, according to myth, “were the first

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Over the course of human history people have always believed in a supreme, divine being, or a god. Today’s society is no exception, there are countless of religions from Christianity to Hinduism. The archetypal theme of “respect for the gods” in both Homer’s Odyssey and the Coen brothers film O Brother Where Art Thou? shows similarities and differences between society's belief in a god in the present and during the time of the Ancient Greeks.

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There's two types of Gods that can coexist. Erdrich offers a rare and thoughtful view inside the motivations of Native America’s most accomplished writer. She explores the interactions between her culture, tracing themes of separation and loss. This aspect is important as a whole because the special insight she offered into the lives of the Native Americans make the readers better grasp the oral tradition and the customs of their culture as the author is determined to break with

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The Greek mythological divinity Hermes and the Indian mythological divinity Coyote are both of great importance to the myths of their respective cultures. Hermes plays a role in the Greek mythological culture that is similar to that of Coyote in the Indian mythological culture. Both divinities share traits such as being heroes, creators, as well idols of both love and fertility. However, they both differ on traits with the main one being their role in trickery. To properly examine these two prominent figures of mythology, they must be properly compared and contrasted as they will be in the following paragraphs.

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The most important way to think about myths is that they are symbolic stories that attempt to answer difficult human questions about the universe. For instance, where did we and the world come from? And what is the meaning of life?. “We all want to know where we came from, but because our earliest beginnings are lost in the mists of prehistory, we have created myths about our forefathers that are not historical but help to explain current attitudes about our environment, neighbors and customs” (6). Myth functions as a guidance that explains everything that we come into contact with in the universe.

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Philip Pullman is the author of the children’s book trilogy: His Dark Materials. Due to Pullman’s Atheist claims, the children’s book is extremely controversial all over the world. However, there are many situations throughout His Dark Materials that suggest that there is a God-like higher power at work. Despite Pullman’s claims on being an Atheist, his strong Anglican roots caused him to write a trilogy that sustains the concept of religion and replaces one God with another: Dust.

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Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology. “The Creation Cycle. The Five Worlds and Their Suns”. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing Group, 1994.

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For centuries, mortals have scoffed at the actions of the gods, often comparing them to little children arguing over toys. As Honer states, “We men are wretched things.” (Homer) However, what humans fail to realize, is exactly how similar the actions of the immortals are to that of man. The concept that allows readers and audiences to relate to the gods so fully is the fact that they are so similar to humans.

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One of the functions of The Sandman, to explore the interrelationship between rationality and irrationality especially in conjunction with dreams and delirium, is to bend space and time. Dream undertakes this in dreamland while Delirium accomplishes this is wakeland. In his 1999 essay “Reflections on Myth,” Gaiman approaches this interrelationship when he introduces new mythologies: urban legends, serial killers interacting with everyday people, and icons such as musicians and politicians whom modern people mythologize. From there, he meditates on the nature of mythology and its connection to dreaming, stating that the new mythologies of magic and science and numbers and fame […] have their function, all the ways we try to make sense of the world we inhabit, a world in which there are few, if any, easy answers. Every day we attempt to understand it.

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Misguided with corrupt morals, the gods are defined as tyrannical. They long for supremacy and will travel to extreme lengths to acquire this. Much like the gods, we as a society are enchanted by the idea of being the most superior. We would do anything to protect our image and achieve high power. This can be applied to the popularized concept of the American dream.

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The mystical function of a myth attempts to instill a realization of wonder and complexity to the universe. A myth with the mystical function

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I did read the written lecture paragraph, and listened to the lecture, by novelist Neil Gaiman. The one interesting paragraph, which really gotten my interest. It is whatever, in the unlikeness of the situation or circumstances, If, you or I is (was, or were) trapped in an impossible situation while a person (or people) whom being(s) meant to treat me as ill, mistreated, being abused, neglected, at or in any unpleasant area, a place or environment. (?).

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The Resemblance of Gods and Humans Throughout all religions, gods have always been seen as superior in every way possible. The division between humans and gods has always been prevalent and prominent. However, when the actions and motives of these gods are truly analyzed, it will become evident that the gods of Greek Mythology merely behave as humans with supernatural powers.

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In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Greek gods and goddesses as possessing human qualities and faults. Through their actions and emotions, Homer emphasizes the detrimental effects of lust, envy, wrath, and greed in ancient Grecian society. He also never fails to remind readers of the importance of respect for holy figures because of their powerful abilities to create chaos and wonder". Homer wants to prove that gods and humans share a variety of traits, and the only difference is that god don’t allow these flaws negatively to impact their society. To help further his argument, we can compare Greek gods and goddesses to that of Christianity.

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