American Gods
Cover of first edition (hardcover)
Author	Neil Gaiman
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	William Morrow
Publication date	June 19, 2001
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	480 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-380-97365-0
Followed by	Anansi Boys, "The Monarch of the Glen"

American Gods is a novel by Neil Gaiman. Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Fantasy literature is Fantasy in written form Historically speaking the majority of fantasy works have been literature A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. The year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a Book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with Cloth Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. Anansi Boys is a Novel by Neil Gaiman. It is a companion to Gaiman's earlier novel American Gods. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Neil Richard Gaiman (ˈgeɪmən (born November 10, 1960) is an English author of Science fiction and Fantasy short stories and The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on a mysterious and taciturn protagonist, Shadow. Americana refers to artifacts of the Culture of the United States, the history and folklore resultant from its Westward expansion. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" The Protagonist or main character is the central figure of a story. It is Gaiman's fourth prose novel, being preceded by Good Omens (a collaboration with Terry Pratchett), Neverwhere, and Stardust. Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter Witch (1990 is a Fantasy Novel written in collaboration between Terry Pratchett Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Neverwhere is the companion Novelization by Neil Gaiman of the television serial Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman Stardust (1998 is the first solo prose novel by Neil Gaiman. It is usually published as a novel with illustrations by Charles Vess. Several of the themes touched upon in the book were previously glimpsed in The Sandman graphic novels, for which Gaiman may be best known. The Sandman is a Comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo A

The book was published in 2001 by Headline in the United Kingdom and by William Morrow in the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

A signed and numbered limited edition has been released by Hill House Publishers. It is 12,000 words longer than the mass market editions and represent Neil Gaiman's preferred edition. This is the version now in print from Headline in the UK.

Gaiman's subsequent novel Anansi Boys was actually conceived before American Gods, and shares a character, Mr. Anansi Boys is a Novel by Neil Gaiman. It is a companion to Gaiman's earlier novel American Gods. Nancy. It is not a sequel but is a part of the same fictional world. The novella, "Monarch of the Glen" (from the Legends II anthology, later collected in Fragile Things), continues Shadow's journeys. Fragile Things Short Fictions and Wonders is a collection of Short stories and Poetry by English author Neil Gaiman. This latter story also features the characters of Mr. Alice and Mr. Smith, a pair of dubious men who also appeared in a Gaiman short story called "Keepsakes and Treasures", suggesting that this tale is a part of the American Gods universe as well.

On February 28, 2008, Gaiman announced on his journal that for one month, the complete text of American Gods would be available to the public on his publisher's website. ^[1]

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Website Tie-In 3 Awards 4 Gods and other characters of myth appearing in the novel 5 Translations 6 Miscellaneous 7 References 8 External links

Plot summary

The book follows the adventures of ex-convict Shadow Moon, who is released from prison a few days early due to the death of his wife, Laura, in a car accident that also kills his best friend. Because his best friend, who was to give Shadow a job, has died, Shadow is hired by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday to act as an escort and bodyguard, and travels across America visiting Wednesday's colleagues and acquaintances. Wednesday is the fourth Day of the week in most western countries Gradually, it is revealed that Wednesday is an incarnation of Odin the All-Father (the word "Wednesday" is derived from "Odin's (Woden's) day"). Incarnation which literally means embodied in flesh, refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature (generally a human who is the Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Wednesday is recruiting American manifestations of the Old Gods of ancient mythology, whose powers have waned as their believers have decreased in number, to participate in an epic battle against the New American Gods, manifestations of modern life and technology (e. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" g. , the internet, media, & modern means of transport). The Internet is a global system of interconnected Computer networks "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press"

Mythological characters prominently featured in the book include Odin, Loki, Czernobog, the Zorya, the Norns, Anansi, Eostre, Kali, Thoth, Anubis, Horus, and Bast. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In Cryptography, LOKI89 and LOKI91 are Block ciphers designed as possible replacements for the Data Encryption Standard (DES Chernobog (also spelled Crnobog, Czernobóg, Černobog or Zernebog from the Russian Чернобог, each name meaning "black In Slavic mythology, the Zorya (alternately Zarya, Zvezda, Zwezda, Zory) are the three (sometimes two guardian Goddesses The Norns ( Old Norse: norn, plural nornir) are a kind of Dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore ags Ēostre is the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess attested by the eighth-century Benedictine monk Bede 's De temporum ratione Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga For other meanings of "Thoth" or of "Djehuti" and similar see Thoth (disambiguation. Anubis is the Greek name for a Jackal -headed god associated with Mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. In Egyptian mythology, Bast (also spelled Ubasti, and later Bastet) is an ancient Solar and War Goddess, worshipped at In addition to the numerous figures from real-world myths, a few characters from The Sandman and its spinoffs make brief cameos in the book. The Sandman is a Comic book series written by Neil Gaiman and published in the United States by the DC Comics imprint Vertigo Other mythological characters featured in the novel are not divine, but are legendary or folk heroes, such as Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman (September 26 1774 – February 18 1845 was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to large parts of Ohio Shadow himself is implied to be Balder, which is confirmed in the follow-up novella, "Monarch of the Glen". The story also features, in its most erotic chapter, a succubus-like re-invention of the Queen of Sheba, who while posing as a prostitute literally swallows a man through her sexual organs. A succubus (plural succubi) is a Demon who takes the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men especially monks in Dreams to have Sexual intercourse The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሳባ, 'מלכת שבא, ملكة سبأ) was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan "Bilquis", as she is called here, is later killed by one of the New Gods. Sexuality as a rule plays a prominent part in the plot and subplots; Mr. Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings Wednesday courts several young women on the journey across America, while Shadow is successfully seduced by a humanoid version of Bast. An exception to the association with sexuality is the Midnight Star of the Zorya, who gives Shadow the Moon but does not require a kiss in return.

When the New Gods murder Wednesday – thus galvanizing the Old Gods into action – Shadow obeys Wednesday's order by holding his vigil. This is accomplished by re-enacting the act performed by Odin of hanging from a "World Tree" while pierced by a spear. The World Tree is a Motif present in several religions and mythologies particularly Indo-European religions The world tree is represented as a colossal Shadow eventually dies and visits the land of the dead, where he is guided by Thoth and judged by Anubis. For other meanings of "Thoth" or of "Djehuti" and similar see Thoth (disambiguation. Anubis is the Greek name for a Jackal -headed god associated with Mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. Eostre later brings him back to life, obeying orders that she does not fully understand. During the period between life and death, Shadow learns that he is Wednesday's son, conceived as part of the deity's plans.

At the climax of the story, Shadow reveals that America is bad "growing ground" for Gods—that the power of gods eventually wanes as long as they spend time in America. Wednesday's attempt to rally the gods is proved to be a deception, in that the deaths of gods on both sides of the war would restore some of Odin's powers. The leader of the New Gods is revealed to be Loki, who was secretly working with Odin to create the "sacrifice of gods". In Cryptography, LOKI89 and LOKI91 are Block ciphers designed as possible replacements for the Data Encryption Standard (DES Odin would feed on the Gods' deaths, while Loki would feed on the chaos of the battle to empower himself. Shadow's information stops the battle in its tracks.

Shortly after the battle, Shadow follows a clue given him by Ganesh to discover that a man called Hinzelmann, who had sometime been Shadow's neighbor, is a kobold using secret murders to empower himself and prevent the town of Lakeside from succumbing to the economic decay that has claimed many similar towns. Ganesha ( Sanskrit: sa गणेश Gaṇeśa) also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar The kobold is a sprite of German folklore. Although usually invisible a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal fire a human being and a mundane Shadow confronts Hinzelmann, who is then shot by a local police man whose father Hinzelmann had previously killed to keep his secret. The presence of Hinzelmann as a kobold refers to the book's premise that dwarves, elves, leprechauns, and other spirits are derived from earlier myths of gods, and that whoever brings a story to a land brings the characters with it. Shadow later sees his friend and supporter, the apparently bisexual Samantha/Sam Black Crow, walking on a street with a companion, but does not speak to her.

Following this, Shadow visits Iceland, where he meets the original Odin, of whom Wednesday is an incarnation. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( He accuses Odin of Wednesday's actions, whereupon Odin replies that "He [Wednesday] was me, but I'm not him". Shadow gives Odin Wednesday's glass eye, which Odin places in a leather bag as a keepsake.

Various real-life towns and tourist attractions, including the House on the Rock (and its 'world's largest carousel') and Rock City, are featured through the course of the book. The House on the Rock is a complex of architecturally unique rooms streets gardens and shops designed by Alex Jordan Jr The Carousel at House on the Rock, located in Spring Green Wisconsin, is reported to be the the world's largest Rock City is a Roadside attraction near Chattanooga Tennessee on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Gaiman states in an introduction that he has obscured the precise location of some actual locales.

According to Gaiman, American Gods is not based on Diana Wynne Jones's Eight Days of Luke, "although they bear an odd relationship, like second cousins once removed or something". Diana Wynne Jones (born London 16 August 1934 is a British writer principally of Fantasy novels for children and adults as well as a small Eight Days of Luke is a children's fantasy novel written by Diana Wynne Jones published in 1975. When working on the structure of a story linking gods and days of the week, he realised that this idea had already been used in Eight Days of Luke. He abandoned the story, but later used the idea when writing American Gods to depict Wednesday and Shadow meeting on the god's namesake day. ^[2]

Website Tie-In

While Gaiman was writing American Gods, his publishers set up a promotional web site featuring a weblog in which Gaiman described the day-to-day process of writing, revising, publishing, and promoting the novel. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of After the novel was published, the web site evolved into a more general Official Neil Gaiman Web Site, and as of 2008 Gaiman still regularly adds to the weblog, describing the day-to-day process of being Neil Gaiman and writing, revising, publishing, or promoting his current project.

Awards

The book won the 2002 Hugo, Nebula, SFX Magazine Award and Bram Stoker awards, all for Best Novel, and likewise received nomination for the 2002 BSFA Award, World Fantasy Award, International Horror Guild Award and Mythopoeic Award. Winners of the Hugo Award for best science fiction or fantasy Novel, along with all the nominees are presented here Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. SFX is a British Magazine devoted to Science fiction and Fantasy subjects especially media-related topics but not containing fiction The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The British Science Fiction Association (BSFA annually presents four awards (though numbers have differed in previous years based on a vote of BSFA members and recently also members of The World Fantasy Awards are annual international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of Fantasy. The International Horror Guild Award is a recognition presented by the International Horror Guild (IHG to recognize the achievements of those who create in the field of The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given by the Mythopoeic Society to authors of outstanding works in the fields of myth fantasy and the scholarly ^[3] It won the 2004 Geffen Award. The Geffen Award is an annual award given by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy since 1999 and presented at the Annual Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention

Gods and other characters of myth appearing in the novel

Aido-Hwedo Ainu Alvíss Ammet Anansi (Mr. In Vodou, especially in Benin and Haiti, Aida-Weddo (also Ayida-Wedo, Aido Quedo) is a Loa of fertility Rainbows Aino is a figure in the Finnish National epic Kalevala. It relates that she was the beautiful sister of Joukahainen. Alvíss ("All-Wise" was a dwarf in Norse mythology. Thor 's daughter Þrúðr, was promised to Alvíss In Egyptian mythology, Ammit (also spelt Ammut, Ammet, Amam, Amemet and Ahemait) was the personification of Divine Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore Nancy) Antinous Anubis (Mr. For the constellation see Antinous (constellation; for the Asteroid, see 1863 Antinous; for the mythological figure see Antinous son of Eupeithes Anubis is the Greek name for a Jackal -headed god associated with Mummification and the afterlife in Egyptian mythology. Jacquel) Artemis Asgard Ashtaroth Athena Atum Bacchus Balder (Shadow) Banshee Baraka Baron Samedi Basilisk Bastet Babalu Aye Bielebog Black Dog of the Moors Bloody Bones Blue-caps Brahma

Bran Brownie Bucca Centaur Coatlicue Conan the Bald Czernobog Dactyl Damballa-Wedo Death of the Endless Delirium of the Endless Djinn Dwarves Eagle stones Elegba Elves Eostre (Easter) The Fates Fairies Finn Four Horsemen Frau Holle Freyr Freyja Frigg Fu Sang Ganesha Geb Geri and Freki Golem Gorgon Grey Monks

Gryphons Gwydion Hades Hathor Hera Hermes Hero Twins Hershef Hodags Hopi Horus Hubur Huginn and Muninn Inktomi Ifrit (Arabic cab driver) Imp Isis Isten of the Hungarians Jack the Giant Killer Jack up the Beanstalk Jesus Johnny Appleseed Ka Kali (Mama-ji) Kitsune Kobolds (Hinzelmann)

Knockers Kubera Leprechauns Lady Liberty Loki (Low Key Lyesmith/ Mr. A jackal (from Turkish çakal, via Persian shaghal ultimately from Sanskrit sṛgālaḥ) is a member of any of three In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology For other uses of the names Asgard, Asgaard and Asgård, see Asgard (disambiguation In Demonology Astaroth (also Ashtaroth, Astarot, and Asteroth) is a Prince of Hell. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. Atum (alternatively spelled Tem, Temu, Tum, and Atem) is an important Deity in Egyptian mythology, whose cult centred In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The banshee (ˈbænʃiː from the Irish bean sí ("woman of the síde " or "woman of the Fairy mounds " is a Barakah ( Arabic: بركة: also Baraka) is an Arabic term meaning Blessing, particularly spiritual gifts or protection In Vodou or voodoo, Baron Samedi ( Baron Saturday, also Baron Samdi Bawon Samedi or Bawon Sanmdi) is one of the aspects of Baron In European bestiaries and Legends a basilisk ('bæzɪlɪsk from the Greek βασιλίσκος basilískos, "little king" In Egyptian mythology, Bast (also spelled Ubasti, and later Bastet) is an ancient Solar and War Goddess, worshipped at In the religious system of Orisha worship Babalu Aye (also known as Omolu Shonponno Obaluaye and Sakpata is the spirit of illness and disease Belobog, Belbog, Bialbog, Byelobog, Bielobog, Belun, Bylun, (all names meaning White God is a reconstructed Slavic A black dog is a spectral being found primarily in the folklores of the British Isles. Bloody Bones is a Boogeyman feared by children According to Scott Andrew Hutchins Bloody Bones comes from Ireland and is sometimes called Rawhead and Bloody-Bones Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. Bran the Blessed ( Welsh: Bendigeidfran, literally "Blessed Crow" is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. In modern pagan mythos the Bucca is the name of a Cornish sea or fertility Deity, transformed from descriptions of the Bucca or spirit inhabiting mines in nineteenth In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human Coatlicue, also known as Teteoinan (also transcribed Teteo Inan) "The Mother of Gods" (Cōhuātlīcue koː Conán mac Morna, also known as Conán Maol ("the bald" is a member of the Fianna and an ally of Fionn mac Cumhail in the Fenian Cycle Chernobog (also spelled Crnobog, Czernobóg, Černobog or Zernebog from the Russian Чернобог, each name meaning "black In Greek mythology, the Dactyls ( Greek for " Fingers quot were the archaic race of small phallic male beings associated with the Great In Vodou, Damballa is one of the most important of all the Loa. Death is a Fictional character from the DC Comic book series The Sandman (1988 - 1996 Delirium is one of The Endless, Fictional characters from Neil Gaiman 's Comic book series The Sandman. GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange was an online service Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate Aetites, also called Aquilaeus or eagle stone, is a stone said[ ''Please name specific person or group'' ] to Eshu (other names include Exú, Esu Eleggua, Esu Elegbara, Eshu Elegbara, Elegba, Legba, and Eleda An elf is a creature of Norse mythology. The elves were originally imagined as a race of minor nature and fertility gods, who are often pictured as youthful-seeming ags Ēostre is the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess attested by the eighth-century Benedictine monk Bede 's De temporum ratione A fairy (also fay, fey, fae, faerie; collectively wee folk, good folk, people of peace, fair Fionn mac Cumhaill (ˈɸʲiːn̪ˠ mˠak ˈkũw̃aːlʲ in Irish, ˈfɪn mə ˈkuːl in English) (earlier Finn or Find mac Cumail or mac The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the forces of man's destruction described in the Christian Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. Mother Hulda is a German Fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household "Frey" redirects here For other uses of Frey and Freyr, see Frey (disambiguation. Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya) is a major goddess in Norse Paganism, a subset of Germanic Paganism. Frigg (or Frigga) is a major goddess in Norse paganism, a subset of Germanic paganism. Fusang or Fousang (扶桑 Mandarin Pīnyīn fúsāng is a country described by the Chinese Buddhist missionary Hui Shen (慧深 Japanese Ganesha ( Sanskrit: sa गणेश Gaṇeśa) also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar Geb (pronunciation as such from the Greek period onwards formerly erroneously read as Seb) or Keb (in Egyptian originally Gebeb/Kebeb meaning probably In Norse mythology, Geri and Freki (also Gere and Freke) are a pair of wolves, companions of the god Odin. In Jewish folklore, a golem (גולם sometimes as in Yiddish, pronounced goilem) is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter In Greek mythology, a gorgon ( Greek: γοργώ or γοργών transl The Tironensian Order or the Order of Tiron was a monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey (established in 1109 in the woods of Tiron (sometimes The griffin is a Legendary creature with the body of a Lion and the head and often wings of an Eagle. Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Egyptian mythology, Hathor (Pronounced Hah-Thor ( Egyptian for house of Horus) was originally a personification of the Milky Way In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer Hermes ( Greek,, ˈhɝmiːz in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them of Shepherds and The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been In Egyptian mythology, Heryshaf ( Egyptian Ḥry-š=f "He who is on his lake" transcribed in Greek as " Harsaphes " The Hodag is a fictional animal that is part of the folklore of the American state of Wisconsin. The Hopi maintain a complex religious and mythological tradition stretching back over centuries In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is the sea personified as a Goddess, and a monstrous embodiment of Primordial chaos. Huginn and Muninn, sometimes anglicised Hugin and Munin, are a pair of Ravens associated with the Norse god Odin. In Lakota mythology, Iktomi is a Spider - Trickster spirit and a Culture-hero for the Lakota people. Ifrit, also spelled efreet, also ifreet, afrit, afreet ( Arabic: ʻAfrīt: عفريت pl ʻAfārīt An imp is a mythological being similar to a Fairy or Demon, frequently described in Folklore and Superstition. Isis is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and is celebrated in their mythology as the ideal mother and wife patron of nature and magic friend of slaves sinners " Jack the Giant Killer " is a Fairy tale. As a variation on " The Brave Little Tailor " it shares some similarities to what is known today as " Jack and the Beanstalk is an English Fairy tale, closely associated with the tale of Jack the Giant Killer. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Johnny Appleseed, born John Chapman (September 26 1774 – February 18 1845 was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apples to large parts of Ohio Kali redirects here See Kali (disambiguation for other uses Not to be confused with Kali (demon, the personification of Kali Yuga The kobold is a sprite of German folklore. Although usually invisible a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal fire a human being and a mundane For Stephen King 's novel see The Tommyknockers. The Knocker, Knacker, Bwca ( Welsh) Kubera ( Sanskrit: कुबेर (also Kuvera or Kuber) is the king of the Yakshas and the lord of wealth in Hindu mythology In Irish mythology, a leprechaun (leipreachán Goddesses named for and representing the concept Liberty have existed in many cultures including classical examples dating from the Roman Empire and some national symbols such In Cryptography, LOKI89 and LOKI91 are Block ciphers designed as possible replacements for the Data Encryption Standard (DES World) Leucotios Maahes Macha The Maharal of Prague Manticore Marid Marie Laveau Mawu Medea (not Media) Mithras Moirae Morrígan Mound Folk Norns Nut Odin (Mr. In Gallo-Roman religion, Loucetios ( Latinized as Leucetius) was a Gaulish god invariably identified with Mars. Maahes (also spelled Mihos, Miysis, Mios, Maihes, and Mahes) was an ancient Egyptian Lion -headed god Macha (/ˈmaxə/ is a presumed Goddess of ancient Ireland, associated with war horses sovereignty and the sites of Armagh and Emain Macha Judah Loew ben Bezalel ("Judah Loewe son of Bezalel" also written as Yehudah ben Bezalel Levai '''Loewe''' '''Löwe''' 1525 &ndash Thursday 7 September The manticore is a Legendary creature similar to the Egyptian Sphinx. MARID was an IETF working group in the applications area tasked to propose standards for E-mail authentication in 2004 Marie Laveau ( September 10, 1801 – June 16, 1881) was an Louisiana Creole practitioner of Voudou renowned in New Orleans In Dahomey mythology, Mawu (alternately Mahu) is a creator goddess, associated with the Sun and Moon. Medea (Μήδεια Mēdeia) in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of The Mithraic Mysteries or Mysteries of Mithras (also Mithraism) was a Roman mystery religion which became popular among the military in the late The Moirae or Moerae (in Greek – the " apportioners " often called the The Fates) in Greek mythology, were the white-robed The Morrígan ("terror" or "phantom queen" or Mórrígan ("great queen" (also known as Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain The Norns ( Old Norse: norn, plural nornir) are a kind of Dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse In the Ennead Mythology, Nut (alternatively spelled Nuit, Newet and Neuth was the goddess of the Sky. Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. Wednesday) Obatala Ogu Oisín Osiris Ọṣun

Pan Papa Legba Paul Bunyan Persephone Phoenix Piskies Psychopomp Ptah The Queen of Sheba (Bilquis) Quetzalcoatl Ra Rakshasas Ratatosk Raw-Head Rusalka Saint Bride Satyr Seker Set Sha Wujing Shango Shiva Sobek Soma Spriggans Buile Shuibhne (Mad Sweeney) Thor Thoth (Mr. Obatala is also a genus of spiders ( Amaurobiidae) In Yoruba orisha (also spelt orisa For the Togolese prefecture see Ogou Togo. In Haitian Vodou and Yoruba mythology, Ogun (or Ogoun Oisín ( Old Irish, pronounced /ˈɔʃiːnʲ/ or roughly "ush-een" often anglicized to Ossian) son of Fionn mac Cumhail and of Sadb (daughter Osiris ( Greek language, also Usiris; the Egyptian language name is variously transliterated Asar, Aser, Ausar, Ausir (or Oshun) (ɔʃún in Yoruba mythology, is a spirit - Goddess ( Orisha) who reigns over love intimacy beauty wealth and diplomacy Pan ( Greek, Genitive) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks of mountain wilds hunting and rustic music paein means to pasture In Haitian Vodou, Papa Legba is the intermediary between the loa and humanity Paul Bunyan is a Mythological Lumberjack who appears in Tall tales of American folklore. In Greek mythology, Persephone ( Kore or Cora) was the embodiment of the Earth's fertility at the same time that she was the Queen of the Underworld The phoenix ( Ancient Greek: Φοῖνιξ phoínix is a mythical sacred firebird in ancient mythologies starting with the Greek and later the Many religious belief systems have a particular spirit, Angel, or Deity whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the Afterlife In Egyptian mythology, Ptah (also spelt Peteh) was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead Cosmogony, which was more literally The Queen of Sheba (ንግሥተ ሳባ, 'מלכת שבא, ملكة سبأ) was the woman who ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Habeshan Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcōhuātl keʦalˈkoːwaːtɬ is an Aztec sky and creator god. Ra (pronounced Rah and sometimes as Rê, is an Ancient Egyptian sun god. A rakshasa ( Sanskrit: राक्षसः rākṣasaḥ; alternately rakshas, Malay: raksasa, Bengali: rakshosh In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr ( drilling tooth, sometimes anglicized Ratatosk) is a Red squirrel who runs up and down with messages in the Bloody Bones is a Boogeyman feared by children According to Scott Andrew Hutchins Bloody Bones comes from Ireland and is sometimes called Rawhead and Bloody-Bones In Slavic mythology, a rusalka (plural rusalki) was a female Ghost, water Nymph, Succubus or Mermaid -like Demon In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot For the places in Azerbaijan see Şəkər. "Sokar" redirects here In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Set (also spelled Seth, Sutekh or Seteh) is an ancient god who was originally the god of the Desert Shā Wùjìng ( is one of the three helpers of Xuánzàng in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Sobek (also called Sebek, Sochet, Sobk, Sobki, Soknopais, and in Greek, Suchos) was the deification of crocodiles Soma ( Sanskrit: सोम) or Haoma ( Avestan) from Proto-Indo-Iranian * sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance Spriggans are Legendary creatures known from Cornish faery lore The Buile Shuibhne (translates as "The Madness of Sweeney" or "Sweeney's Frenzy" is the tale of Sweeney (or Suibhne) a legendary king of Dál nAraidi Thor ( Old Norse: Þórr) is the red-haired and bearded God of Thunder in Germanic paganism and its subset Norse paganism For other meanings of "Thoth" or of "Djehuti" and similar see Thoth (disambiguation. Ibis) Thunderbirds

Troll Týr Ubar Urd Uppsala Valaskjalf Valkyries Vila Vishnu Voodoo Voudon White Ox Wisakedjak (Whiskey Jack) Votan World Tree Yemaja Ymir Zaka Zombies Zorya

Translations

• Ameerika jumalad (Estonian),
• Amerykańscy bogowie (Polish), ISBN 83-89004-10-0
• Zei Americani (Romanian), ISBN 973-733-070-6
• אלים אמריקאים (Elim Amerikaim) (Hebrew)
• American Gods (Italian), ISBN 88-04-52083-3
• Deuses Americanos (Portuguese)
• Američtí bohové (Czech), ISBN 80-85911-98-1
• Unohdetut jumalat ("Forgotten Gods") (Finnish), ISBN 951-1-18055-X
• Amerikai Istenek (Hungarian), ISBN 9639441538
• American Gods (Spanish), ISBN 84-8431-627-0
• Američki Bogovi (Croatian), ISBN 953-220-126-2
• Američki Bogovi (Serbian), ISBN 86-7436-039-4
• Американские боги (Russian), ISBN 5-17-019844-2
• Amerikos Dievai (Lithuanian), ISBN 9986-97-101-2
• Amerikan Tanrıları (Turkish), ISBN 9789751019042
• American Gods (German), ISBN 3-453-40037-2
• Amerikanska Gudar (Swedish), ISBN 91-3712-227-4
• 美國眾神 (Chinese), ISBN 978-986-7399-84-7
• Ο Πόλεμος των Θεών (O Polemos ton Theon/War of the Gods) (Greek)

Miscellaneous

In the acknowledgements of American Gods, Gaiman offers interested readers information on acquiring a tape or cd of the music of The House on the Rock. The Thunderbird is a Legendary creature in North American indigenous peoples' history and culture A troll is a fearsome member of a race of creatures from Norse mythology. Iram of the Pillars ( Arabic: إرَم ذات العماد) also called Aram Iram Irum Irem Erum Ubar Wyrd is a concept in Old English and Old Norse culture roughly corresponding to fate or Karma. Gamla Uppsala ("Old Uppsala" is a parish and a village outside Uppsala in Sweden. In Norse mythology, Valaskjálf ("the Shelf of the Slain" is one of Odin 's Halls a great dwelling built and roofed with pure silver In Norse mythology the valkyries ( Old Norse Valkyrja "Choosers of the Slain" are Dísir, minor female deities Fairies in Slavic mythology come in several forms and their names are spelled differently based on the specific language For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Dahomey mythology|Yoruba mythology Vodun or Vudun (vodṹ — that is with a nasal u on a high tone) (so The White Bull is a Fable written by Voltaire. The story takes place in Ancient Egypt where Princess Amasidia meets a white bull Wisakedjak ( Wìsakedjàk in Algonquin, Wīhsakecāhkw in Cree and Wiisagejaak in Oji-cree) is the Crane Wōden is a god in Anglo-Saxon paganism, together with Norse Odin representing a development of a Proto-Germanic god * Wōdanaz In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ( Old Norse Yggdrasill, ˈyɡˌdrasilː the extra -l is a Nominative case marker is the World Yemaja is an Orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religion. In Norse mythology, Ymir, also named Aurgelmir ( Old Norse gravel-yeller) among the giants themselves was the founder of the race of In Vodou, and especially in Haiti, Azaka-Tonnerre (also Azaca or Azacca) is in the same "family" of Loa as Azaka Medeh - zombie is a reanimated human corpse Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the people being controlled In Slavic mythology, the Zorya (alternately Zarya, Zvezda, Zwezda, Zory) are the three (sometimes two guardian Goddesses Estonian (; ˈeːsti ˈkeːl is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1 Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Hungarian ( magyar nyelv) is a Uralic language (more specifically a Ugric language) unrelated to most other languages in Europe. Croatian language ( hrvatski jezik) is a South Slavic language which is used primarily in Croatia, by Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina in neighbouring Serbian (sr-Cyrl српски језик sr-Latn ''srpski jezik'' is a South Slavic language, Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Turkish ( tr Türkçe IPA) is a language spoken by over 63 million people worldwide making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Write to: The House on the Rock, Spring Green, WI 53588 USA, or call (608) 935-3639.

References

• Gaiman, Neil. "More Mysteries of the Oracle", Neil Gaiman's Journal, 2007-03-01. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Retrieved on 2007-01-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon.  

External links

• Full text of American Gods from the publisher, HarperCollins, available for one month starting in late February 2008
• Gaiman's American Gods Journal
• only the gods are real, a listing of all the gods and mythical beings featured in American Gods
• Most honored fantasy book list: American Gods ranks at the top
• Internet Speculative Fiction Database - Top 100 lists: American Gods ranks second on the 'Balanced' and 'Popular' lists, and third on the 'Critical' list
• Review by Tom Knapp

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