Abstract
This examination of “American gods” argues that mythology is the bedrock for creative and poetic expression in literature that explores and comments on the universality of contemporary human concerns in a world where the spiritual link with the gods has largely been severed and belief systems have mostly lost their meaning. The discussion investigates and identifies the significance of shamanic properties and practices as elements which aid the protagonist Shadow Moon in his journey of self-discovery, and illustrates that the novel’s mythification represents an attempt to “reach below the surface of modern superficialities and reconnect with something old and mysterious within the depths of our soul” (Freke, 1999:6). Gaiman’s unique style in conveying tales that have fashioned the past, the manner in which he evokes the meeting-place of science, fantasy, myth, and magic, and the synthesis he fashions between the ancient and the modern illustrate that the imaginative life is sustained by the incorporation of mythical motifs as creative device. The blending of mythical elements in “American gods” and its restorative project of putting the reader in touch with the profound inner spiritual world validate investigation.
Highlights
In The poetics of myth Eleazar Meletinsky (2000:272) states that “myth [can be seen] as the basis for artistic creativity and the poetic expression of ... universal sentiments”, while Northrop Frye (1976:71) argues that “mythology is a form of imaginative thinking, and its direct descendant in culture is literature, more fiction, works of literature that tell stories”
Neil Gaiman’s American gods is a mythical novel2 which articulates some of the universal concerns of contemporary society in a world where the spiritual link with the gods has largely been severed and belief systems have mostly lost their meaning
Gaiman addresses these concerns through the genre of fantasy, but it is fantasy which “blends the ordinary and the fantastic into an incredible mixture” (Meletinsky, 2000:270). He presents the reader with a postmodernist, metamythological combination of mythologies in which technology is an integral element in the synthesis between the ancient and the modern
Summary
In The poetics of myth Eleazar Meletinsky (2000:272) states that “myth [can be seen] as the basis for artistic creativity and the poetic expression of ... universal sentiments”, while Northrop Frye (1976:71) argues that “mythology is a form of imaginative thinking, and its direct descendant in culture is literature, more fiction, works of literature that tell stories”. Neil Gaiman’s American gods is a mythical novel which articulates some of the universal concerns of contemporary society in a world where the spiritual link with the gods has largely been severed and belief systems have mostly lost their meaning Gaiman addresses these concerns through the genre of fantasy, but it is fantasy which “blends the ordinary and the fantastic into an incredible mixture” (Meletinsky, 2000:270). The novel’s unique style in conveying tales that have fashioned the past, the manner in which it deals with what Delphi Carstens (2003:24) describes as “the crossroad of science, myth and magic”, and its blending of mythical elements put modern society in touch with a profound inner, spiritual world “the richness of the soul” (Davis, 1998:8) In this regard, the protagonist Shadow Moon has a significant role: he can be seen as a shaman or prophet through whom the novel attempts to “reach below the surface of modern superficialities and reconnect with something old and mysterious within the depths of our souls” (Freke, 1999:6). This “something new” manifests itself in large measure in Shadow’s fantastical experiences
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