"It is Wednesday, my Dudes."

            All memes aside, this blog is going to be focused on the way that Odin is portrayed in Gaiman’s American Gods as the enigmatic and unsettling Mr. Wednesday. I would like to talk about how he is similar to the Odin we have read about so far, and how he might differ from him in some ways. In addition to that, I think discussing American Gods—especially the gods within the universe—would be incomplete without thinking about how a deity such as Odin is being used in the social and political contexts of today.

            From the moment of his introduction in American Gods, Mr. Wednesday has been surrounded by an air of mystery, and our clueless protagonist’s attempts at trying to unearth the answers to his (and also our) questions only raise more question marks. Although it is likely that by this point Shadow knows (or at least suspects) that his employer to be related to Odin in some way, there is still some sense of uncertainty. We are told to believe everything. Consequently, the countless parallels between the Odin of Norse mythology and Mr. Wednesday—most glaringly his missing eye, silver tongue, and two raven confidants—all point us to this conclusion.

            Mr. Wednesday is to his own admission a grifter, a hustler, a con man. He delights in what he does for the sake of it: “’Why are you doing what you’re doing?’ ‘Because I want to,’ said Wednesday” (pg. 2017). However, it is ultimately also how he survives. This grifter lifestyle echoes what we’ve read of Odin and the many ways he tricks, deceives, and outsmarts people using his quick wit, silver tongue, and no small amount of magic. While American Gods has thus far not featured the full-on transformative powers of seid (at least not explicitly) for Mr. Wednesday, there are several moments where his ability to get into character are described in a way that blurs the line between “really good acting” and “straight-up magic.” Lastly, his use of runes and charms is also mentioned; like many of the references and hints in American Gods, it is passed-off as a side-note or a trivial detail. In this example, it is tied to Odin’s sexual exploitation of women: “He was doodling with his fingernail in the spilled salt, making squat, blocky rune-like shapes. The waitress stood passively beside him, reminding Shadow less of a fawn and more of a young rabbit caught in an eighteen-wheeler’s headlights, frozen in fear and indecision. Wednesday lowered his voice, so much so that Shadow, only across the table, could barely hear him. ‘What time do you get off work?’ ‘Nine,’ she said, and swallowed. ‘Nine thirty latest.’ ‘And what is the finest motel in this area?’ ‘There’s Motel 6,’ she said. ‘It’s not much.’ Wednesday touched the back of her hand, fleetingly, with the tips of his fingers, leaving crumbs of salt on her skin. She made no attempt to wipe them off. ‘To us,’ he said, his voice an almost inaudible mumble, ‘it shall be a pleasure-palace’” (pg. 214). Like his practice of seid, his use of runes and charms as well as his views of women echo what we know of Odin from the Poetic Edda.

            The last thing I’m going to talk about is Odin’s role to play. I’m not talking about his role as a leader for the “Old Gods” in American Gods, but rather what he means to us today. If we go by the rules which Gaiman has set for us in American Gods, gods are defined by who believes in them, and what people believe about them. In light of the rise of Odinism and the appropriation of Norse mythology by hate-groups, we would expect Odin to reflect this new interpretation of the Norse deity. Our dear Mr. Wednesday would relinquish his hustler lifestyle in favor of hate-speech and white nationalism. This begs the question: would he be more or less powerful in this new form? I honestly don’t know. The redefinition and appropriation of runes by white supremacists would certainly shake up Odin’s understanding of how to actually do magic; then again, if a god’s power is determined by our belief in them, does this really matter?