With the advent of comic books, when the entire world was raving about superheroes, Neil Gaiman stood out. His early fascination with mythology brought to us several new worlds that he conceptualized. He felt he “can’t do superheroes” and instead chose to do “god comics.” He believed he could spin mythology so that “it might feel enough like a superhero comic to fool people.”

And as they say, to break the norms, you need to know them well. Very few people in the world have a more profound knowledge of mythology than Neil Gaiman. So it only made sense that he busts the myths and answers the many questions about legends and folklore.

Neil Gaiman on the dominance of Zeus

In a recent video uploaded by Wired, Neil Gaiman flaunts his expertise by responding to the doubts and queries about mythology. One internet user wondered about a very valid assertive supremacy of the Greek God Zeus. Neil agreed with the user, saying, “Fu**ing Zeus gets everywhere, fu**ing Zeus is all over the place.” That is the reason “an awful lot of people are his descendants, one way or another.”

Almost defending the gods, Neil illustrates, “Nobody ever expected you to emulate them. They are always as much a warning as they are aspirational.” Perhaps one should take Neil Gaiman’s cautionary tale of the Greek God Zeus seriously. Wrath, several counts of infidelity, swallowing his pregnant wife, rape; the God of Sky didn’t exactly have a squeaky clean life.

Neil’s everlasting relationship with mythology

Neil Gaiman has a treasure trove of folklore and renditions of different mythologies in his arsenal. From the adult fiction American Gods, Anansi Boys, Monarch of Glen, and Norse Mythology, all the way up to The Sandman, every tale is inspired from or a version of existing lore. By his own admission, “retelling myths is important. The act of inspecting them is important.”

Neil insists that “even lost and forgotten myths are compost, in which stories grow.” Such a beautiful and poignant thought. It’s no surprise that he dreamt up the amazing tale of The Endless, giving us unforgettable characters. It’s this strong ethos at the center of the story that made The Sandman such a resounding success.

Do you agree with Neil’s opinions about Zeus? And what are your theories about the Endless from The Sandman? Let us know in the comments while you watch the live-action version of the same on Netflix.