okay, check this out. i think it is Soma for the obvious reasons. they speak of waxing and wanning of the moon which is something that was mentioned under Soma. not only that but Odin offered him a bottle of Soma for his efforts for those of you who do not remember. and one of you was right when you said that gaiman said that he wasn't going to use roman (ect. as well) gods, so it can't be any of the gods like Hades.

Soma is the most accurate pick so far. but, hey~ya know what? it wouldn't matter anywayz, because if we ever did figure out who he REALLY was, we'd have to forget it, right?

~ian~

quote:

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Originally posted by Khnemu:
okay, check this out. i think it is Soma for the obvious reasons. they speak of waxing and wanning of the moon which is something that was mentioned under Soma. not only that but Odin offered him a bottle of Soma for his efforts for those of you who do not remember. and one of you was right when you said that gaiman said that he wasn't going to use roman (ect. as well) gods, so it can't be any of the gods like Hades.

Soma is the most accurate pick so far. but, hey~ya know what? it wouldn't matter anywayz, because if we ever did figure out who he REALLY was, we'd have to forget it, right?

~ian~

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Ummm...

Soma is the Vedic god of plantlife, healing (specifically disease), and (occasionally) riches. This god was named as such after the plant that produces a certain juice for use in sacrifice.

As for no Roman/Greek gods... I'm starting to think differently on that. Neil said he had no specific way for them to be there... he did not explicitly state that he didn't use them. For example, Medusa (the Gorgon) is in the end.

The Hades/Plutos/Orcus argument is slowly gaining favor... especially since the the woman the man is asking about could very well be Persephone.

My solid vote is still out on this one. I have to do some more reading.

-=- Saint NightWalker -=-
...solidly torn between Mammon and Hades now...

i think we are all stumped then...hm...i think we just need someone to ask Neil himself. however that's gonna work out.

~ian~

There is also a similarity with Updike's novel "The Witches of Eastwick..."

Only in that for a short time, no one could remember the name of, or the specifics of the conversations they'd had with Darryl Van Horne. And didn't he turn out to be some sort of demon, or the Devil himself?

I really think that it was the Egyptian God Amen - "the hidden one...the invisible creative power..." Maybe the partner mentioned was Amen's consort Mut or "mother".

We can all go to www.NeilGaiman.com and enter it in the FAQ and hope he answers - though can we trust him to be straight and not answer "I forgot." ?

Also, one aspect that has not been looked at in this nameless god's personality: he's compassionate. He sees the hurt look in the waitress's eyes and desires to help her because she won't get paid any other way. I don't recall Hades or Pluto being known for generousity (well, Hades did have a soft heart for sad women, so maybe it is Hades)


It is also interesting that he is seen as wealthy but has no money to give to her. As such, he might not be a god of wealth, but a god of fortune - such gods normally dealt out good and ill fortune, both of which are in great abundence in the Vegas. Neil describes the money as a sacrfice, it is a sacrifice for luck.

"I'm placing this bet (sacrificing my money) in the hopes that I will have good fortune on this roll of the dice." This is the silent prayer uttered by those in Vegas. The god looked at the flow on money and found the place the waitress would have good fortune.

My $.02 - I'm placing a bet!

quote:

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Originally posted by jaer:
Also, one aspect that has not been looked at in this nameless god's personality: he's compassionate. He sees the hurt look in the waitress's eyes and desires to help her because she won't get paid any other way.

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Actually, if you look back to page 1, I did mention the god's personality, when I brought up the idea of the soma that was mentioned - as a possible clue to the god's identity (although I didn't say that the god was Soma, but rather affiliated with it in some respect). I agree that this god's feeling of pity plays an important role in his identity.
(If you go back to investigate, it was my third posting, where I brought up the possibility of a Hindu god)

i think it may be the African god Ombwiri if anyone can find anything about him on the net.

~ian~

Quite right, calliope . . . you did mention it, and I do apologize for not giving credit were credit is due.

I just keep thinking of "Destiny Turns on the Radio" the Quentin Tarantino movie QT plays the luck spirit. Not that I think they are the same thing, but similar ideas of gods being born from the prayers and sacrifices of money.

Course, that could just be me.

if what i heard is right on one of the other threads, it allmost has to be Ombwriri.

Who is Ombwiri?

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Originally posted by Khnemu:
if what i heard is right on one of the other threads, it allmost has to be Ombwriri.

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well...an Ombwiri. gardian angels for a number of groups in Central Africa. 'Physically, Ombwiri are white, like a ghost, and only visible to the initiated. They can inflict illness or misfortune if they wish, or bring wellbeing, wealth, etc..'

He brought wealth upon the girl serving him, and he observes as customers of the casino lose money. also, people seem to forget he's there, hence the 'only visible to the initiated.'

of course, like the rest, this is only a couple ppl's guesses. as i have said before, the only way we can know for sure is through Gaiman.

~ian~

nah i think it was dream aka greek pantheon morpheus - elusive, evasive, full of good ideas and creative but impossible to recall and quickly fading; found in focus in the heart of gambling, for who bets and has no dream of wealth; what do most people "dream" of ie covet - wealth, riches, chance of winning, risk; kindly, comforting, entering the minds of anyone and everyone with ease; and as for soma, recall the obliterating drink or balm in "strange new world" which brought calm and forgetfulnss - soma; the character is too well written- even for neil- to be a god of deep obscurity - my vote is for dream

i would really like to think it was Dream. but there are many other descriptions that fit better. i think that is just one of the few you are looking at. just take a look at the Ombwiri.

I did a little searching, and I'm pretty sure this mysterious god is a Hindu god known as Ketu.

Let's start with the myth of Ketu's origin. He was first a man named Rahu, who wanted to drink Soma, the drink of Immortality. Once he drank it, Vishnu and another god (can't remember) realized who Rahu was, and proceeded to cut off his head. But since he was immmortal, he became two separate beings, the head, Rahu, and the body, Ketu. There's kind of a duality between these two, and Rahu is usually considered the "bad one" and Ketu is the "good one".

This origin myth could be the reason why the the forgettable god wants Soma. He desires it's taste once again.

Ketu is also a god that bestows wealth onto others, explaining why Shadow felt a "great sense of wealth" in the car, and why he granted the waitress the knowledge of where to go in order to take part in a spending spree. He is also a god that governs over loss, which would explain why he is in Vegas, where Gaiman stresses people go to LOSE money. That's just a brief summary of key points. I certainly don't know enough about this god to go into any more detail.

But also, I read that he wears something that broadcasts a "mystery light." So I'm guessing he is forgettable since he is hidden by the light that is being emitted by himself.

Also, I read that one indicator of this god is invisibility.

So, in conclusion, I hope you all agree that this god is Ketu. Unless someone already mentioned all of this, and I end up looking like a trite loser.

quote:

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Originally posted by Biggles:
So, in conclusion, I hope you all agree that this god is Ketu. Unless someone already mentioned all of this, and I end up looking like a trite loser.

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No trite losers here. I believe that you are the first here to mention Ketu. And hearing what you have to say, I believe that yours might be the most likely. Someone ask Neil- he's going to Canada isn't he?

quote:

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Originally posted by Biggles:
But also, I read that he wears something that broadcasts a "mystery light." So I'm guessing he is forgettable since he is hidden by the light that is being emitted by himself.

Also, I read that one indicator of this god is invisibility.

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I don't know sanskrit, but one of the pages says that Rahu means to hide or conceal.

Could this be another example of a dual nature of a god?

I like the soma link and the hidden wealth, but it seems there are still a few loose ends from Wednesday's meeting with the mystery man.

Apart from the Soma link I think Amen seems pretty appropriate. The name Amen means 'The Hidden', the following quote is a rendering of a portion of the papyrus of Nesi-Khensu

the being whose births are hidden, whose "evolutions are manifold, and whose births are unknown, the 'holy Form, beloved, terrible, and mighty in his risings ; the lord of wealth, the power, khepera who created every evolution of "his existence

on the link
www.touregypt.net/amenattr.htm

I also just thought that another piece of evidence pointing to Ketu is that when Shadow is driving him, he is also in the car with Mama-Ji (or Kali). I'm not sure who the other god in the car with them was, but maybe Shadow was driving just Hindu gods in the car. Maybe they were all in the same car for a reason, since they are from the same pantheon.

There's also issues about the material and immaterial duality of Rahu and Ketu. And they are both closely related to issues of the Sun and the Moon, since they are always trying to chase after and (if I'm not mistaken) eat the sun and moon. This is because these two heavenly bodies are supposed to be the two gods that discovered Rahu was not a god drinking of the soma.

Another bit of evidence is that in one line, Gaiman writes of the god "he follows the money until he spots a node...". Well, the word node is often used when describing Ketu and Rahu. They are described as nodes in the sky or something like that...other people might want to check that out...

Anyways, I'm at work right now, so I guess I should work.

Since when does being at work mean you have to do work?

I believe the other person in the car was the giant dwarf who was humming, but I could be mistaken.

Also, while I like the ideas posted here (note I haven't even posted one, so I feel a bit shmuckish saying this) but I think the fact that Shadow cannot even remember the name is important.

If he couldn't place a face, that's one thing - something not ivisible to the un-initiated or a god who radiates a mysterious light - but those are visual. The fact that he can't even grasp the name must be something.

Well, I'm gonna pose an idea, which might be ripped apart completely, but I'll say it. How about the christian God? If one thinks about it, christians call their god God - kinda like they don't know his name, or cannot comprehend it. Their are few representations of God, really, as if no one remembers his face, but he would have a holy (almost rich or wealthy in holiness) feel to him.

I know that there are names for God, Yaweh (sp?) and Jehova (sp?), but the meaning of these are rather scant, as if the god does not have a name.

A stretch, I know, but the god was compassionate and could see things like money flow. We know Jesus is real (Called a lucky son of a virgin without mentioning his father's name).

Hiding the identity would also prevent excommunication. :-)

Just a thought I had. I'm done now.