you mean the one with the name whiskey jack? Maybe I missed it though, I thought he was "Death" or the grim reaper of some sort though.

<insert witty sig here>

I am now completely convinced that he was the Egyptian God "Amen" Below is an Excerpt from a website I found.
http://www.touregypt.net/amen.htm

Many other people have posted that they think the God was "Amen". I am just trying to show more proof. The Luxor Hotel, The duel aspects of the Egyptian Gods. It all fits.
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"The word or root amen, certainly means "what is hidden," "what is not seen," "what cannot be seen," and the like, and this fact is proved by scores of examples which may be collected from texts of all periods. In hymns to Amen we often read that he is "hidden to his children, "and "hidden to gods and men," and it has been stated that these expressions only refer to the "hiding," i.e., "setting" of the sun each evening, and that they are only to be understood in a physical sense, and to mean nothing more than the disappearance of the god Amen from the sight of men at the close of day. Now, not only is the god himself said to be "hidden," but his name also is "hidden," and his form, or similitude, is said to be "unknown;" these statements show that "hidden," when applied to Amen, the great god, has reference to something more than the "sun which has disappeared below the horizon," and that it indicates the god who cannot be seen with the mortal eyes, and who is invisible, as well as inscrutable, to gods as well as men."

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"The young to them are mistakes
Who only want bread but they're force-fed cake."

This may have been covered before, BUT... in the Terry Pratchett book "Mort", in which Death takes an apprentice (an extremely similar incarnation to the one that appeared in "Good Omens") Death has precisely the same effect on mortals that the unknown god has in "American Gods". And "wealth" has a long standing association with Death for all the reasons mentioned before. Not necessarily Hades or Pluto, but TP's Death, maybe?

Nameless God

Nameless God... maybe it is...

Well how about this.. In greek the word Hades means "unseen". Legend has that Hades had a helmet of invisiblity, so he would be unseen by the living and the dead. The greeks (Roman too) also called him Pluto which just happens to mean "wealth". Hence, Hades/Pluto/Ploutos connection would suggest that he is the unseen God of wealth. Check it out on some of the mythology sites or search for "Mythology and God of wealth", you'll end up with Pluto/Hades. Shadow recalls that he could not remember the dude only the impression of wealth. And what better spot for one drawn to wealth than Vegas. Remember when he is down in the vault, watching the guys count the money, and later he rewards the waitress with a tip on meeting a guy who is going to win lots of cash. The description shows him seeing a matrix in his head, watching the flow of money and finding a "node", almost like finding the motherlode in a mine or cave...very much an underworld theme. I also think Las vegas may have ties to the Underworld via the mafia and stuff like that. Vegas does have Caesar's palace and the Luxor, but does it have a parthenon or acroplolis? I did't find any references to any other Greek and Roman gods in the book, but could this be one? Pretty far fetched thinking, but what the heck.

I had something very clever to say about this, but, ironically, I have forgotten it. I hope it comes back while I am writing. Here's another thought while we're waiting: It can not possibly be Morpheus, the God of dreams from Sandman, because the thing about Morpheus was that he didn't care about wealth. All he cared about was his job. It could, however, be a god of dreams from a non-sandman pantheon, as it seems to me that all of the money could symbolize people's hopes and dreams. I also find it entirely likely that we are not supposed to know who this god is, as he is a god of concealment and forgetfulness, and thus, why would anyone have ever written about him in the past?

I think it's the best fit.

I think it's the best fit.

I've always been of the mind set that its a silly elvis reference somehow. Cause people are always thinking they saw him (but that wouldn't explain why Shadow couldn't remember him) and people worship him (just go to Graceland on his death day or birthday). I think it would be a great joke if thats who it is.

funny as the Elvis idea is, Elvis is the opposite of this god. People think they saw elvis who really didn't, whereas people think they didn't see the nameless, faceless god when they really did. Plus, Shadow thought the crazy dwarf guy was named Elvis, and had there been some other Elvis in the book, don't you think Neil, in his infinite awesomeness, wwould have mentioned it somewhere in there?

Yea He would have, good point. But it was just my first thought when I read it.

he seemed to me to be the god of loss.

or maybe a particular god of loss.
the way it went on about people really gambling because they like to lose.

______________________________
No cake for the impuritor

Yeah, although the God of loss ought to have some hand in all of the stupid diet food companies as well, like the famine guy in Good Omens.

I think he is luck, true its an intangible but how else could you explain the waitress and her "stroke of luck"

quote:

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Originally posted by Aliera:
This may have been covered before, BUT... in the Terry Pratchett book "Mort", in which Death takes an apprentice (an extremely similar incarnation to the one that appeared in "Good Omens") Death has precisely the same effect on mortals that the unknown god has in "American Gods". And "wealth" has a long standing association with Death for all the reasons mentioned before. Not necessarily Hades or Pluto, but TP's Death, maybe?

---

Hades does seem like a viable candidate, especially if you read this link on him:
Hades

(And I'll quote it for the link-lazy)

quote:

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Hades possesses the riches of the earth, and is referred to as 'the Rich One'. Possibly also because, as Sophocles writes, 'the gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears'. Of all the gods, Hades is the one who is liked less and even the gods themselves have an aversion of him. People avoided speaking his name lest they attracted his unwanted attention. With their faces averted they sacrificed black sheep, whose blood they let drip into pits, and when they prayed to him, they would bang their hands on the ground.

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Remember at Laura's grave he puts the gold coin--real gold--into the earth with her because that is what comes to him as the right thing to do, and he wishes her "Good night", which if you take it pretty far from the literal, could refer to the darkness of the underworld.

Hades also rules the dead, and though he won't let them leave he can grant them temporary reprieve--perhaps why Laura's ghost is there when needed?

So, add that to the passage from the link above, and Hades seems like the right choice. He even sides with the Old against the New--so he must be old, right?

Maybe Not.

Here's my spin, inspired oddly enough by a search to find a review of AG to give to a friend. You can find the full version of it here:

AG Review

But here's the (IMO) key section:
“Gaiman has fashioned a new myth about modern Americans…”

Modern Americans, not Greek Gods.

Further:
“One realizes how magical even the plainest portions of the country are…No imagination can escape the boundaries of America’s wide and varied landscapes, and even gods are humbled by it.”

Shadow is not a god, certainly not an old god who would have no power in the New World. He is, like his adversaries, a new creation, one of American culture

A culture that accepts the diversity of our heritage (as Americans) as well as the changing face of the modern world (Internet, Wall Street etc).

Not to sound overly patriotic, or hokey, or overly post-9/11 sentimental; but like the images in a Rockwell painting, Shadow represents The American, period.

Not you, not me, but the sum total of all that was, is, could be, called the American spirit.


-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
And that’s my 2cents.

It's not that he can't be seen. Shadow can see the man. The problem is that he cannot be grasped. Since he cannot be grasped, his words are not heard by us nor can his face be recalled. It's not that he inspires forgetfulness, but rather that he does not inspire impressions or memories.

I just discovered Neil Gaiman recently. Actually, I've skirted around him often in the past years without ever realizing. I actually read American Gods because I didn't enjoy the beginning of Good Omens (It was Pratchett enough that the non-Pratchettness of it jarred me) and I heard of American Gods through BMB. Loved it, bought it, devoured it.

But I digress, since I've only recently finished the book, I've yet to do my study into the identity of the god. I think I'm going to trail after the inability to grasp, the mystery woman, Soma, and the nature of Las Vegas.

"You can't study orchids with a bulldozer" ~from the wonderful music world that is Magnetic Fields

oops. Same topic, wrong thread.

"You can't study orchids with a bulldozer" ~from the wonderful music world that is Magnetic Fields

Just found the following quote on the web:

quote:

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"A god unknown to his fathers, he will honour with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts" (Daniel 11:38). This new god did not exist in Daniel's day, but will become well known in the end days. This god will be honoured with gold, silver, precious stones and costly gifts - different than previous gods. Images of gods were made with these precious metals but did not receive the offerings of such, but received meat, drink, animal and human offerings, etc. This unknown god is closely related to the modern day god of wealth. Hahn calls this the god of money to buy wealth, power, control, and investments.

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could be the guy?

If you're interested in the idea above check out the following link where it refers to an "unknown god of money"

Unknown God of Money

I like the idea that he could be Luck, if only because it reminds me of Lady Luck from Terry Pratchett's Discworld - it is unlucky to say her name, and she has no worshippers.

quote:

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Those who seek her never find her yet she is known to come to the aid of those in greatest need. Then again, sometimes she doesn't. She does, it may be gathered, have a soft spot for last, desperate million-to-one chances, but it would be unwise to depend upon this.

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(From the Discworld Companion)

I think this sort of fits in with the way he helps the waitress. And a Casino seems like the perfect place for Luck to hang out.

Just an idea!
Satu

I really like the Luck idea.

I mean, check out anyone rolling dice, watching a lottery drawing for which they hold a ticket, etc. Such a person is usually muttering (or at least thinking) "Oh please, oh please ... ." With whom are they pleading? No one ever seems to use a name. And if you ask the person afterwards, "Who were you praying to just now?", likely s/he will say "Huh? Praying? I wasn't praying!"

Yet this god must get more prayers, each and every day, than any other god in America.

Especially in Las Vegas.

- Cho