Neil Gaiman bought multiple folklore gods to life in his novel American Gods. Each of these Gods and goddesses were bought to light through the main character Shadow. Gaiman took these classic folklore gods and added his own twist to their story that deemed fit for his novel. After researching multiple gods there were two that stood out the most. These two folklore gods played their own important role in American Gods. Hinzelmann and Mad Sweeney are two gods that are interesting both in and out of Gaiman’s novel; Hinzelmann and Mad Sweeney play portray their own important meaning throughout the novel.
German mythology is where Hinzelmann stems from. Hinzelmann who might also be known as Heinzelmann or Luring,is a kobold (can come in the form …show more content…
When Shadow comes close to death after falling in the frozen lake he comes to the realization about who Hinzelmann really is. While trapped under the ice Shadow comes across multiple bodies, children’s bodies. Coincidently the person who sent him to the frozen lake (Hinzelmann) was the same person who rescued him after the lake had broke beneath him causing him to fall in. When Shadow asked Hinzelmann why he rescued him and the reason was because e “owed a certain party a debit” and that he was “good for his debts” (Gaiman 2017 500). Hinzelmann had owed Wednesday a favor, and that favor was to keep Shadow safe. “This town, I care for it. Nothing happens here that I don’t want to happen. Nobody comes here that I don’t want to come here. That is why your father sent you here. He didn’t want you out there in the world, attracting attention. That’s all” (Gaiman 2017 501). Towards the end Hinzelmann’s words, reflect on the person he really is. This man will do whatever it takes to keep what he cares about safe. In the story Lakeside is almost a safe haven for Shadow. Even though sacrificing children seems horrid, Hinzelmann had a reason for doing it, just like he had his reason for helping Shadow and protecting
German mythology is where Hinzelmann stems from. Hinzelmann who might also be known as Heinzelmann or Luring,is a kobold (can come in the form …show more content…
When Shadow comes close to death after falling in the frozen lake he comes to the realization about who Hinzelmann really is. While trapped under the ice Shadow comes across multiple bodies, children’s bodies. Coincidently the person who sent him to the frozen lake (Hinzelmann) was the same person who rescued him after the lake had broke beneath him causing him to fall in. When Shadow asked Hinzelmann why he rescued him and the reason was because e “owed a certain party a debit” and that he was “good for his debts” (Gaiman 2017 500). Hinzelmann had owed Wednesday a favor, and that favor was to keep Shadow safe. “This town, I care for it. Nothing happens here that I don’t want to happen. Nobody comes here that I don’t want to come here. That is why your father sent you here. He didn’t want you out there in the world, attracting attention. That’s all” (Gaiman 2017 501). Towards the end Hinzelmann’s words, reflect on the person he really is. This man will do whatever it takes to keep what he cares about safe. In the story Lakeside is almost a safe haven for Shadow. Even though sacrificing children seems horrid, Hinzelmann had a reason for doing it, just like he had his reason for helping Shadow and protecting