Did you recognize the characters of The Sandman? Many of them come from well-known stories that belong to different cultures. The dreamworld of this new Netflix fantasy series combines figures from various world mythologies.
The franchise is based on the eponymous DC comic books created in the 1990s. But the filmmakers added storylines, developed their connection to old legends, and made surprise castings. However, The Sandman creator Neil Gaiman has supported the casting changes, stating:
Let’s dive into the origins of The Sandman characters in a nutshell.
“I know the rule is you’re meant to ignore the trolls and not feed the trolls. But I would look at people sounding off on Sandman who were obviously not Sandman fans. What I would watch would be 60,000 Sandman fans going, ‘Of course you’re doing it this way. Of course you have a non-binary Desire, Desire was always non-binary, that’s brilliant casting.’ Or ‘Gwendoline as Lucifer, what amazing casting.’ And then you’d get five or six people trying to make a lot of fuss who never read Sandman in the first place. And I mostly decided I was done with it. Occasionally I do feel like I’m taking an enormous sledgehammer to squash the tiniest ants, and you really shouldn’t. But then again, they can be really irritating sometimes, and I’m proud of what we made.”
Inspirations from Greek Mythology
Netflix
Morpheus, portrayed by Tom Sturridge, is the King of the Dreaming. The image of the protagonist stems from the comic book character Dream of the Eternal. However, Morpheus’s name and role come from the Greek god of sleep. The relationships between Dream and his siblings, seven powerful beings known as the Eternals, resemble squabbles between the Olympian gods in ancient myths.
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In contrast to the benevolent Greek god of dreams, the cinematic Morpheus is a dangerous person. Filmmakers David S. Goyer and Allan Heinberg made their TV series’ protagonist a dark reflection of the mythological divinity. This interpretation of Morpheus corresponds to his image in the comic book. The King of the Dreaming creates nightmares and dreams and rules over them. In episode 4, “Lost Hearts,” he annihilates a nightmare called the Corinthian who escaped from the human realm and started murdering people. In episode 7, Morpheus similarly destroys the nightmare Gaul that manipulated a little boy, Jed. The modern interpretation is much more formidable than the god of antiquity.
The Fates, performed by Nina Wadia, Souad Faress, and Dinita Gohil, appear recurrently in several episodes of The Sandman. These supernaturals have their origin in three Greek divinities, the Moirai. People of antiquity believed that these goddesses created the thread of human life. Their number was important because one of this team spun the thread, another measured its length, and the third one cut it off when someone’s life had expired.
The Moirai could give a man either good or bad times. The creators of The Sandman kept this characteristic of the Fates. In episode 11, they refuse to help Muse Calliope escape her imprisonment. Instead, this divine team advises her to get help from her ex-husband, Morpheus. Just as the ancients said: the Fates are neither good nor bad.
Inspirations from Christianity
Lucifer Morningstar is Morpheus’s antagonist from episode 4, “A Hope in Hell.” The personality of this hell ruler is taken from the Christian religion. Unconventionally, actress Gwendoline Christie, known for her role of Brienne of Tarth in The Game of Thrones, plays Lucifer. The feminization of this character diverges from the traditional Christianity image of the male fallen angel.
The representation of Lucifer in the related comic books follows the traditional Christian image of the lord of hell. Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth created this character for The Sandman #4 in 1989. Blond and dangerous, the comic book Lucifer was a man. The filmmakers gave the role to a female performer to emphasize the opposition between Morpheus and his antagonist.
Another theme borrowed from the Bible is the brotherly relationship between Cain and Abel. As you may remember, the Old Testament describes Cain murdering his younger and nicer brother Abel. This was an act of random violence. But the filmmakers took the story a step further. Abel is resurrected every morning, only to be killed by Cain after lunch on the same day. It seems that modernity plays darker tunes than the original Biblical stories.
The Sandman Legends & Lore
In episode 6, “The Sound of Her Wings,” the audience meets Morpheus’s sister, Death. The image of this character comes from many legends surrounding personifications of demise. Nonetheless, Death is usually portrayed as a man, for example, the Angel of Death in the Christian lore and a minor god Thanatos in Greek mythology. The comic book The Sandman established a new female figure of Death as one of the seven Endless. The TV series remains faithful to this feminized personification.
One more character of The Sandman that emerged from legends is Hob Gadling. In episode 6, Morpheus and Death meet this man in a 15th-century tavern. Gadling brags about his ability to avoid dying. Amused Death grants him immortality, creating the first immortal man. The origin of this idea is a medieval legend about the Wandering Jew. Gadling travels through ages and lands, but every hundred years, he returns to the same tavern to meet with Morpheus. Over the centuries, the immortal man and the ruler of the Dreaming have become friends.
The success of The Sandman with the public led Netflix to order another season. Although season 2 has not been confirmed yet, we can expect a tangle of new stories when it will be released. Let’s hope future episodes will hold as many myths and legends as the previous ones.
