what was the meaning of having the war masterminded by Loki and Wednesday to gain power? Was it a metaphor or symbol for something? Sorry to ask but I am more used to straight ahead simple adventure fantasy, I am not very intellectual and have trouble with deep layered things. I hope you can help me understand thanks.

i dont know if its a metaphor for anything. I could be completely wrong but I just thought it was an idea he had, his take on Ragnorak.

Wednesday says, somwher ein the book (and it's also part of his mythology), that a battle dedicated to him gives him power, no matter who wins.
I don't know if it says this explicitly or not, but I also understood that, the greater the battle (in terms of size and of heroicity and of the greatness of the people involved), the greater the power he'd get from it.
So, Wednesday's power is fading, and he doesn't resign himself to fade away like some of the other old gods mentioned in the bok, or to change, or to scrape for worship like some others do. So he schemes the plan -to stir up the old gods against the new gods, to lead them into war and, before the crutial battle, to dedicate the battle to himself. So, no matter which side wins, he's getting this enormous power, coz what is greater than a battle between gods? It's his way of aquiring new power.

And don't be so hard on yourself, it's not about being intelectual or not, sometimes we miss things or don't connect them. That's what the forums are for, to discover the stuff you missed coz oyu were reading too late at night to understand the words any more (<--own experience there)

I have to agree with Cloverheart on this one. However, I feel I would like to add the small point of sacrifice. It seems to me that Wednesday is assumed to be dead, and the battle may as well be dedicated to him. Therefore, all the deaths of these Gods would be dedicated to him if it were to go through. The stick was being taken from the world tree to dedicate the battle to him, was it not?? I can't really remember. It's been a while since I've read this book. You can disagree with me if you'd like?????????

sorry guys but maybe it has nothing to do with the charters what so ever and it's just a sick parody of the real world.
you know how in american its the old versus the new, well if you thinnk about it could just be as straight forward as that. No underlying meanings no big picture just an honest war one that dispplays itself to us everyday.
example no on worships 8 tracks anymore they worship cds or sorry mp3 players, and so 8 tracks are dead.
so maybe the point to the novel is to remind us of where the originol ideas for all these fancy things came from and where the credit should go to. Saying the worship should go to the idea and not the object.
i was never very good at saying and displaying my thoughts so i hope this is getting across clear..lol

I have to agree with both Cloverheart and Devon, The war sybolizes the battle between old and knew and it's part of Odin's and Loki's plan to gain power.

it has been said in book, as someone mentioned - that the war, great war, will give him the power, if it is a sacrifice for him, and that's for me OK

but same time he's a trickster, so for me, instead of that power and war things, he just gets pleasure from making tricks on people or gods, and that war at the end was really, really big one.

I think Wednesday was fed up of his seeming mediocrity, being in America. Like what the book implied, the new cultures are taking over the old religions. TV and the media has surpassed the myths and tales of the old gods. The old gods are considered obsolete now. So, in order to try to gain back his former glory, he resorts to executing a con with fellow god, Loki, who himself wants to brought back into prominance. So they began coaxing both sides of the fence, pulling strings to get the two sides to fight between themselves, knowing that the outcome was secondary to what they would ultimately gain, which was ultimate power. And being the gods of war, they would indeed gain ultimate power.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jeremy Cai,

Personally, the war was going to be the biggest sacrifice to Loki and ODIN how better to grow strong but on the sacrifice of the gods themselves. It would be the ultimate battery charge for them the kind of thing that would make them strong for all eternity. Thats what the branch from the world tree was for to sanctify the ground in their names and all blood shed upon it would be theres to have for power. Its the ultimate well we are in it for ourselves the rest of you just be our little puppets so we can make it..
well thats just my thoughts.. byes

I agree with Eldi, I think it is Mr. Neil's retelling of Ragnarok.

To my understanding the war was for the minds and hearts of the people. For these gods could not live if they didn't have the token of loyalty in someway. The people are who created them out of there intense desires,hopes,dreams. So without the peoples worship, they are nothing! So what better than to take out the opposing competitors so there's only one influence upon the minds.
And isn't this just an allegorical mirror image of our world. Everything fighting to gain your attention, to get you on there side, believe in there story! Cause if they do and they are able to gain many, well.... majority wins and the key orchestrating players gain all the respect, power, and wills of the people! And we all are aware of the "light" and "dark" side perspective
of going about doing these kinds of things. If not by personal experience, then reading it in our history books!
Back to the book; And by the end I would feel just like Shadow does; Awakened & humorously amazed! Awakened to the fact that it is us that has all the power, not the gods & humorously amazed at the fact that we were fooled into believing we NEEDED them to survive.