54 pages • 1 hour read
John GwynneThe Shadow of the Gods
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Tainted
The Tainted are the literal manifestations of The Impacts of Cultural Memory: They are humans descended from one of the dead gods. For example, Berak and Glornir are both descended from the bear god, Berser.
Being one of the Tainted is both a blessing and a curse, as their heritage grants them extraordinary abilities, such as enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and, for some, access to magic. However, the same power isolates them from the rest of humanity, marking them as “other.” In the wake of the gods’ downfall, they are viewed with suspicion, disdain, or outright hatred. Their powers, derived from the gods whose conflicts nearly destroyed the world, are a reminder of the chaos and destruction that divine forces once wrought. As a result, the Tainted are scapegoated, enslaved, and hunted, their existence framed as a threat to societal stability. The danger inherent in being discovered leads to most hiding and suppressing their abilities when they can. The Bloodsworn, later revealed to be entirely comprised of Tainted people, band together for mutual support.
On an individual level, the Tainted symbolize the struggle for self-acceptance and the complexities of identity. Characters who are Tainted or interact with them must navigate a world that defines them by their blood rather than their choices. However, while the Tainted are victims of societal fear and cruelty, they are also capable of immense destruction, embodying the fear that drives their persecution. The ambiguity is most evident in the dragon-born, who, like Lik-Rifa, use their power to dominate and destroy. The Tainted thus become a lens through which Gwynne examines the ethical complexities of power: How it is used, who wields it, and to what end.
Children
In The Shadow of the Gods, children—Breca, Bjarn, Harek, and the others who are kidnapped—are at the heart of the narrative and represent the delicate balance between Familial Bonds and Sacrifice in a brutal and unforgiving world. In Vigrið, children represent a fragile thread of hope for a better future. The exploitation of children, therefore, becomes symbolic of the world’s moral decay.
Agnar threatens Bjarn to force Berak to reveal his Berserkir nature, and Ilska and her dragon-born followers kidnap dozens of Tainted children to power their ritual to free Lik-Rifa from her prison. By showing how children are used as pawns in the struggles of gods and mortals, Gwynne critiques the cycles of violence and power that define Vigrið, presenting the plight of children as a symbol of the world’s brokenness.
The dehumanization contrasts with the fierce love and devotion Orka and Uspa show toward their respective sons. Orka’s entire journey shows the lengths a parent will go to protect their child. Likewise, Uspa trades away her one bargaining chip—her knowledge of the location of Oskutreð—to convince the money- and glory-hungry Battle-Grim to help her save Bjarn from the Raven-Feeders. The power of maternal love speaks to a potential alternative to the violence of this world—a world that could perhaps be built upon more humane, more compassionate values.
Oaths
Oaths are central to The Shadow of the Gods and its characters’ motivations, becoming an important motif in the text. The use of oaths in the novel draws heavily from its Norse inspiration, where honor and reputation are paramount. In Norse sagas, oaths were sacred and binding, often upheld at significant personal cost. Likewise, in Vigrið, this sense of honor is deeply embedded in the culture. A spoken vow is seen as inviolable, and breaking it is considered an act of the greatest shame.
On a thematic level, Gwynne uses oaths to explore broader questions about loyalty, freedom, and the cost of one’s choices. The oaths the characters make to each other throughout the story are virtually all manifestations of The Costs of Vengeance and Glory. The Battle-Grim, including Elvar, all participate in a binding ritual with Uspa, where they swear to rescue her son from Ilska and the Raven-Feeders in exchange for the location of Oskutreð. Orka uses the blade used to kill Thorkel to cut herself, swearing a blood oath that she will avenge him and rescue their missing son. Finally, Varg swore a similar oath to his dead sister, Frøya. Such oaths can be both motivating and destructive, as Varg and Orka’s oaths hold them back emotionally by dragging them into endless cycles of violence and ruin.
