Faces of Slavic Deities in the “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman

Abstract

The article takes a closer look at the interpretation of the Slav pantheon made by English writer Neil Gaiman. In his novel American Gods, two worlds collide: old gods — who came to America from Europe, Asia, or Africa over the years and similarly to immigrants tried to fi nd their niche and adapt to the new environment — and the new gods, created by modern men and a constantly evolving civilization. In the first group, we can find representatives of Slavic deities, including Czernobog. It is worth paying attention to the way Gaiman decided to portray them and confront his vision with the current state of knowledge about Slavic beliefs.