Themes of Hinduism in American Gods

Hinduism is a broad term that encompasses the beliefs of many people. What exactly Hinduism means depends on the person you ask. In my studies of Hinduism, one memory sticks out, going to the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco Texas. While I was there talking to the representative of the temple, we got on the topic of “how many gods are there in Hinduism.” He replied with something like “268543843 gods. But, the number isn’t important.” In his belief the gods are innumerable and if you could count them the amount would constantly changing. Another belief is that there is a single god who can take infinite forms. Gods fall in and out of popularity and sometimes into obscurity. Later, he talked about how it doesn’t matter who or what you worship just that you don’t hurt anyone in the process.

Karya Siddhi Hanuman at Frisco, TX

Any god can be a Hindu god in the temple representative’s opinion. This belief touches on something similar to the metaphysics of “American Gods.” If you believe in something and worship it, purposefully or not, it is real. The new gods like Technology and Television come to mind. We worship them without realizing and we provide valuable sacrifices like money or time. In this light, you could argue that these are Hindu gods. We worship them with our attention and we mostly don’t hurt other while doing so.

            Many Hindu writings, like the Bhagavad-Gita for example, show that the gods can take many forms. In the Gita its Vishnu as Krishna but in “American gods” all of these gods have this ability. They use these forms to get close to humans and to impact their lives. Mr. Wednesday uses this to get close to shadow and to blend into the human world around him. Similar to how Krishna takes human form to influences and help those around him.

Vishnu as Krishna reveals his true self to Arjuna

            Eventually Kali herself, a popular and still worshipped Hindu god, comes into the book. (124) The description of her is, “something huge, a naked woman with skin as black as a new leather jacket., and lips and tongue the bright red of arterial blood. Around her neck were skulls, and her many hands held knives, and swords, and severed heads.” This description is strikingly accurate to illustrations of Kari all around her places of worship. Her fierceness and wrath are also characteristically accurate. In response to a question asking her what she would do if she was attacked, she says, “if they try such a thing, they will find me hard to catch, and harder still to kill.”

Modern popular Smashan Kali painting by Raja Ravi Varma

            The concept of Dharma is also at work here. This is also another concept whose definition is a little hard to nail down. The temple representative thought of dharma as the cosmic order but Sikhs and other Hindus may give you a different answer. The old gods are trying to maintain their rule against these newcomer gods. This could be thought of as them maintaining their cosmic order. The book keeps alluding to a coming storm. Storms being inherently chaotic makes the Dharma connection fitting. 

Syncretism of Christianity and Old Norse Paganism in Njal's Saga

Hey! It’s your friendly neighborhood anthropology major Nicole, back once more to talk about Viking culture. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the syncretism of Christianity and pagan religion as it happened in Iceland around the year 1000. To do this, I’ll be looking at how this event was described in Njal’s saga—a saga that is known for mirroring some historical truths. What influenced the abrupt conversion to Christianity? How did it impact Viking culture? These are a couple of the questions I’ll be attempting to answer.

First, I think it’s necessary to define syncretism here. Syncretism is, essentially, a combination of religions, cultures, or modes of thinking. In this context, we’ll be discussing the amalgamation of the brand-new religion, Christianity, with the pre-existing pagan religion following the Old Norse gods. While it’s true that a conversion to Christianity took place in Iceland and the culture shifted rapidly, this doesn’t mean that the ways of thinking and existing that were tied to paganism completely died out. Instead, what Iceland was left with was this strange combination of the two lifestyles that, in the end, didn’t lead to a radically different culture for a long time.

What pushed people to convert to Christianity? Law was a major factor, it seems like. At the Thing in Njal’s saga, Thorgeir made a point that if everyone was split on their laws and religion, then peace would also be split, and nobody could live with that. He announced this once they had reached a decision:

‘This will be the foundation of our law,’ he said, ‘that all men in this land are to be Christians and believe in one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and give up all worship of false idols, the exposure of children, and the eating of horse meat. Three years’ outlawry will be the penalty for open violations, but if these things are practiced in secret there shall be no punishment.’

It became the law for people to follow Christianity, and to only perform pagan practices in private spaces. It’s said here that later, pagan practices were prohibited in private settings, as well. But, this brings up a good point. Despite their conversion to Christianity, people still followed their old ways of living that were tied to their honor culture. They participated in pagan traditions, as well as violent acts—they would fight and kill each other over blood feuds, just as they had before the conversion. Christianity didn’t immediately make them any more mild or peaceful. Njal’s saga gives many good examples of this—one being when Hildigunn throws Hoskuld’s bloody cloak over Flosi’s shoulders and invokes God when she persuades him to avenge his fallen friend:

Then she spoke: ‘This cloak, Flosi, was your gift to Hoskuld, and now I give it back to you. He was slain in it. In the name of God and all good men I charge you, by all the powers of your Christ and by your courage and manliness, to avenge all the wounds which he received in dying – or else be an object of contempt to all men.’

She is reifying Viking honor culture and violence as she says this. Christianity didn’t have a large effect on how she thought he should handle this situation. If anything, the religion gave her the language she needed to convince him that avenging Hoskuld was something worth doing. While they are undoubtedly Christians, they also have their pagan identity that cannot be simply erased or replaced by a new religion or lifestyle.

There’s much more to be said on this topic, and many more examples to give—my account of syncretism between paganism and Christianity is simplified here, but I hope the point at least got across. Though Iceland did rapidly convert to Christianity, there wasn’t this copy and paste of Christian morals, ethics, and lifestyle. They remained true to their honor culture and pagan practices while also taking the path to follow a new religion.

Murder in a "Christian" Household

Njal’s saga’s setting is uniquely positioned around the Christianization of Iceland. This allows us to see the author's interpretation of how the Icelanders adapted to this fundamental change in their society. Using violence to solve problems (like blood feuds) holds contrast to the modern-day values of Christianity. In the saga, men who have adopted Christianity also hold on to the violent problem-solving methods common to the sagas, like blood feuds. This blog will talk about the interesting contradictions to Christian doctrine that shows up when the Icelanders convert. From revenge killing in the name of God, to planning to kill a family in the same room that your holy objects are in, this saga sees it all.

.           Almost immediately after the switch to Christianity, the saga has a killing in the name of God. Hoskuld’s son, Amundi the Blind, confronts his father’s killer. The killer refuses to offer him compensation for his father’s death. Amundi replies “I don’t know that to be just before God” …” seeing that you struck so close to my heart. I can say this-if I were sound in both my eyes, I would either have compensation for my father or take blood revenge, and may God now settle between us.” Amundi walks out of the booth and turns around to find that his vision has returned to him, he says “Praise be to God, my lord. Now it can be seen what He wants.” Amundi then rushes back into the booth and buries his axe in his father’s killer’s head. Even though he is a Christian he still kills in revenge. In this saga, killing someone isn’t a relatively villainous thing to do but even the real antagonist of the saga converted.

19th-century rendering of the Law Rock in Þingvellir. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althing

            Mord Valgardsson, the antagonist of the saga, converted to Christianity. Its known to the people of Iceland that Mord is an evil person. He was partially responsible for the killing of Njal’s friend Gunnar. Mord’s father returns home and tells his son that he needs to kill the Njalssons to regain his authority, a classic villainous plan. After this planning Mord says “I wish, father, that you would accept the faith” … “you’re an old man.” Mord’s father replies “I don’t want to.” … “and in fact, I would like you to renounce the faith and see what happens.” Mord’s father then proceeds to break Mord’s holy objects. He dies soon after that Even though Mord is a true villain, he is Christian. He plots to kill a family in the same room he has holy objects in.

                                                  a broken crucifix on white background. 

            The adoption of a new religion is bound to be met with a little friction. This saga is set in a time that allows it to document the relatively odd and Anti-Christian practices of the Icelanders who call themselves Christians. This saga sees men kill others for revenge in the name of God and the antagonist of the saga plots the death of a family in the same room he holds his holy objects in. Controversy and friction experienced when adopting a new religion like Christianity makes sense, but the way these Icelanders make it work is something else.

A Pop Culture Portrayal of Viking Myth & Saga in Samurai Jack Episode X: Jack and The Lava Monster

"At last, the gates of Valhalla open to me. 

Rise, warrior! Rise! Honorably I must be defeated. 

I cannot let up."

Samurai Jack confronting the Lava Monster; Samurai Jack Episode X: Jack and The Lava Monster, Photo courtesy of www.sidereel.com

For those who don't know Samurai Jack was a Cartoon Network show that aired in the early 2000s that detailed the adventures of a 'foolish' Samurai warrior wielding a magical sword who was sent into the twisted future by a shape shifting master of darkness named Aku. This episode was written by Michael Manley, and directed by Robert Alvarez & Genndy Tartakovsky. In this strange new time ruled by Aku, the Samurai journeys and quests for 6 seasons of action packed adventure to find a way to return to his own time. Throughout the course of the series Jack encounters a variety of different people. A significant amount of the people Jack encounters have a rich cultural background that is rooted in historical and modern cultures. More often then not these people are victims of Aku's evil, treachery, and corruption.
In this particular episode Jack is walking through a desolate land, and through the wind hears a voice carried on the wind calling him. "come." after ignoring the voice for some time the voice begins to overwhelm his curiosity and he follows it until he arrives at the edge of a scorched blackened earth, and in the distance he sees a large mound of rock. He moves through it, and when he arrives he goes through several arduous ideals, overcomes terrifying obstacles, and throughout the gauntlet we are shown the corpses of those who failed to brave the trials. At last Jack arrives on a circular platform surrounded by lava. A giant man of Rock, rubble and molten lava rises from the ground in front of him and says, 
"Welcome to your doom." They clash in battle for a brief moment and Jack, horrified by what he has seen asks, "Many warriors have been lured here to their end.Why have you done this?" and the monster answers him very simply, "My purpose is to battle."
They continue to battle, and the monster expresses joy in having a battle after so long, and it seems that none before have made it through the gauntlet to get to him.  After an equal matched skirmish Jack stops and refuses to battle any longer. He sits down, and the monster begs him to continue. Jack suggests that he just strike him down, but the monster refuses and states that he cannot strike the defenseless, and implores jack to continue fighting. the monster answers him:

"For freedom.

The master of this kingdom of rock is just a man.

A cursed man trapped in a rock body.

It happened long ago.

So long ago now.

'Twas once a time where I, too, was a man.

A mighty warrior like thee."

A flashback ensues as the monster explains how he came to be this way. He explains that Aku threatened his people, and he the leader of his people waged war against him, and instead of striking him down when they were defeated, Aku imprisoned him deep withing the earth, robbing him of joining his companions in Valhalla for all eternity. Overtime he learns to manipulate the rock around him, and formed a body for himself and the kingdom of rock to lure the greatest warriors in the hope that he will be slain in battle and get access to Valhalla.

Jack agrees to fight him, and the battle is great. After a well matched fight Jack defeats him, and the rock is cast away to reveal a handsome looking warrior who matches the stereotypical appearance of a viking. The man ages rapidly before his eyes and falls to the ground. Jack runs to his side, and he asks for his sword, and tells jack not to be sad. The man dies with his sword in his hand the skies part and two giant glowing golden haired Valkyries descend from the sky to carry the warrior away with them to Valhalla. Jack carves a note indicating his freedom in the pillar in which the monster's saga is carved, and continues on his journey leaving behind him a newly green land.

This story has many mythic elements that directly a line with Viking myth and saga. The belief that a warrior must die in battle to be received in Valhalla, the miserable fate that he is cursed to by Aku, the nobility reveals by insisting that he not battle the defenseless, and the saga like magical beckoning that lures Jack to him are all very reminiscent of both viking myth tales like those told in the Poetic Edda, and the overwhelming sense of dread, yet compulsion to destiny that is present in the sagas. Jack is drawn there against his wishes yet he is compelled there by something magical, a destiny of sorts. In this way Samurai Jack tells a tale that represents the myths and sagas of Viking literature in an unique but respectful and accurate way.

Condescending Christian Criticism

The Saga of Grettir The Strong takes place around the time of the Christianization of Iceland. The pagan and Christian tension is noted and we see some of the results of that tension in the saga. The negative portrayal of paganism and of those who do not follow Christian doctrine in the death of Glam and the exploits of Thorbjorn and his foster-mother Thurid is a critique on the old Icelandic ways from a Christian perspective.

            It takes Thorbjorn multiple attempts to get Grettir to get off the island. As Gretter’s sentence gets closer and closer to ending he is pressured to expedite his efforts. He turns to his foster-mother, Thurid, who is a known to practice magic. The book introduces her as a woman “who was very old and not considered capable of doing much” … and” had been well versed in magic and knew many secret arts when she was young and people were heathens”. The writing classifies those who are pagan as heathens. On top of that, even though it is recognized that she holds power, she is considered unable to do much. This is almost like the author is saying “all this magic business is great, but its nothing compared to the power of God and my religion.” The book continues on and touches on how paganism is forbidden, and if you are going to practice it you must not do it publicly. The legal punishments are also mentioned in the same paragraph. (173)

“Magic Circle” by John William Waterhouse (1886

            Thorbjorn employs his foster-mother in his mission to kill Grettir. Thurid curses Grettir and sends him an object with curses embedded in it. Her magic would eventually kill Grettir. (185) When it is made public that Thorbjorn used pagan magic to kill Grettir, he is ostracized from many gatherings and can’t even collect the bounty on his head. This is significant considering how many people wanted Grettir dead. The way he is killed is so horrendous to the people that it seems to redeem and distinguish Grettir from his outlawry. The killing also made the practicing of black magic illegal. (190-191) The negative attitude toward paganism throughout this part of the story is obvious and nowhere near subtle. There are other events in the story that are less explicit but still hard to miss.

            Glam is a character who doesn’t follow or care about Christian doctrine. Throughout his employment under Thorhall, nothing bad happened until Christmas Eve. Glam gets angry with the farmer’s wife because she refuses to cook for him. “It is not Christian custom to eat on this day.” Glam replies, “you have all sorts of superstition that I dismiss as worthless.” Glam then forces her to make him food and she warns “I know that you’ll suffer for it today if you go ahead with this evil act.” Sure enough, the next day Glam is found brutally killed. (77-78) This foreshadowing implies that it is Glam’s lack of Christian morals and practice that gets him killed. In addition to the previous point, this fast-acting display of the power of Christianity holds a contrast to the pagan magic that took time and effort to achieve its goal of killing Grettir.

Lord Grettir and Glamhttps://thepostgradchronicles.org/2017/10/29/monsters-and-the-monstrous-in-the-sagas-the-saga-of-grettir-the-strong/ 

            Anti-pagan attitudes can be seen throughout the saga. The killing of Grettir is one of the most obvious and straightforward. This section of the story goes as far to talk about how Iceland is no longer pagan and the consequences of practicing magic. Even though Thorbjorn and Thurid kill Grettir an infamous and widely hated outlaw they are shunned for using magic. The faster acting and more efficient display of Christian power, on the other hand, implies Christian superiority over paganism. This is not only a criticism of traditional Icelandic life from a Christian perspective it’s a condescending Christian criticism.