Which gods will you meet on American Gods?

Bilquis / Old Gods

Based on the Queen of Sheba and played by Yetide Badaki, Bilquis, is characterized as the Goddess of Love in her Starz promo, but Goddess of Lust is probably more accurate. The Queen of Sheba, who is a Biblical figure but appears in Islamic, Coptic, Ethiopian and Yoruba narratives as well, was believed to be half-human, half-demon. She lives as a prostitute in L.A. and while her role in the novel was limited to a couple vignettes, there’s strong indication the show has more in mind.

Mr. Nancy / Old Gods

Mr. Nancy is the American name of Anansi, the charming and fast-talking Asante trickster god. In the folklore of the African diaspora, he also goes by the names Aunt Nancy and Brer Rabbit as well. Anansi came to America from West Africa by way of slave ships and has a strong presence in the Caribbean and American south to this day. (The actor who plays him, Orlando Jones, remembers hearing his stories growing up.) In the novel, he lives in Florida.

Mr. Ibis, Mr. Jacquel and Bast / Old Gods

The Egyptian gods Thoth, Anubis and Bast live in Cairo, IL as man, talking dog and talking cat, respectively. In Egyptian mythology, Thoth had the head of an ibis (hence Mr. Ibis, played by Demore Barnes) and Anubis was a jackal (hence Mr. Jacquel, played by Chris Obi in human form). With Bast, the two run a funeral home in keeping with their mythological expertise. Thoth judged the dead and Anubis was the god of mummification and the afterlife.