Curious Corner

I grew up as a very curious kid and I am grateful that light still shines in my eyes. And the zeal to seek answers for my endless questions fulfills me more than any meal ever could. As a child I was captivated by the many stories of gods and how they created us and this world. Every religion has such stories of genesis. However with time and age, a new question popped into my head. If humans created religion and religion made gods then does that mean we created Gods? Where do various gods in different mythologies come from? But back then nobody has answers to my questions. And these questions remained unanswered for many years until I stumbled upon a book – ‘American Gods’ by Neil Geiman.

The book has a plot that revolves around a character named ‘Shadow’ and his journey through America where the lines of imagination and reality get blurred. I would not give any plot spoilers here. However one of the most intriguing things for me in that book was – the story of ‘How gods came into existence?’ or in other words how they are born. The book reveals that gods come into existence from our imagination and our beliefs. Everything about the Gods, from their names to their supernatural powers stems from human beliefs and our collective faith sustains them. The greater the number of believers and the firmer their beliefs, the greater will be the influence of a god. And even more interesting part in that book is – ‘How gods die?’ and cease to exist anymore. When the idea that brought them into this world dies with the last of their believer, or when the faith in that god disappears with time from the minds of people, the god dies.

The plot of the book involves many gods from many religions and cultures, And weaves together many mythologies from all over the world. From ancient Norse mythology to urban legends, from gods of wars to gods of technology & gods of media and many more. It has quite a captivating plot. Nonetheless, after reading this book and thinking a lot. I think I got what I was seeking – the answer to my question. The answer however is not that simple and it ranges from clear ‘yes’ to ‘who knows’. There is no answer for the philosophical idea of metaphysical GOD, which many religions consider formless and without any attributes or characteristics. And is considered as the energy or force that sustains the universe and life in it. 

However, for all other run of the mill gods, the clear and simple answer is – yes, through our collective belief, we bring them into existence. This is true for all the gods that exist in hundreds of mythologies spread across the world from Norse to Greek to Roman to Indian and many more. We shape them with our imagination and they are born with an idea. From gods of war to fertility to rain & thunder, they are all born out of the human mind. Even though forces of nature already existed, it is we who personified them in our image and gave them their mythological tale. This is true for not only ancient gods but also for modern myths and urban legends.

The stories of birth of modern gods and urban legends, mentioned in the book, fascinated me even more than the answer I got for my previous question. The quote above is spoken by the character of ‘Lucy – the god of Media’ or shall I say social media. We all know that the lines are very accurate for our times. The ‘TV’ has been replaced by ‘smart-phone’, ‘tablet’, ‘laptop’ and a variety of other devices, but the idea is still the same. We devote a great deal of our time and attention to social media. And in this we may sometimes sacrifice the real world connections. I could only wonder in awe, how aptly the author here encapsulated reality of our world into these beautiful lines.

I have been an avid reader ever since I got into college and at times you come across some ideas in one book or another which changes everything. And turns reality upside down. I would definitely consider the book ‘American Gods‘ one of those books that will change your perspective of looking at the society and its mythology.