Who is God in The Sandman? A Deep Look at This Modern Mythology‘s Supreme Beings

In the intricately built universe of Neil Gaiman‘s seminal comic series The Sandman, many powerful godlike beings exist. But there is one supreme creator above all – The Presence. While rarely directly seen, The Presence represents the ultimate divine force in the Sandman mythos. However, below The Presence stand the most iconic figures – the Endless.

The Endless – Anthropomorphic Gods of Absolute Power

The Endless are seven all-powerful anthropomorphic beings who represent fundamental forces and concepts. They are among the most powerful entities in the Sandman universe, often exerting more direct influence than The Presence. Here is a deeper look at each of the immortal Endless:

Destiny – The blind oldest sibling who carries the Book of Destiny, representing predestination. He knows all past and future events but has no control over them. Destiny was inspired by the Greek Ananke, the primeval goddess of inevitability. Some of Destiny‘s most intriguing moments come in The Sandman: Overture prequel, where he defies expectations by opposing his siblings.

Death – The nurturing, lively second-oldest sibling and most beloved Endless. She escorts all souls after death, and is fond of humanity. As Gaiman said, "I think people have a very emotional relationship with death…It seemed more fun to play with people‘s expectations." Death‘s compassionate nature subverts the typical grim portrayal of death entities.

Dream (Morpheus) – The moody, brooding third oldest sibling who rules over dreams and imagination in his realm The Dreaming. His many names like Kai‘ckul derive from global myths about deities who shape dreams and reality. One of the series‘ central characters, Dream displays both cruelty and honor as he evolves.

Destruction – The prodigal fourth sibling who abandoned his duties to become an artist. Destruction represents entropy and decay, inspired by the Norse god Loki. In the comics, he is a peaceful contrast to Dream‘s gloominess.

Desire – An erotically charged androgynous sibling who can appear attractive or repulsive. Desire and twin Despair represent parts of human nature. Desire often manipulates and antagonizes Dream. The character was inspired by gods like Kamadeva, Eros, and Aphrodite who controlled desire and sexuality.

Despair – Depressed overweight sister of Desire, representing sorrow and loss. She is inspired by gods like the Babylonian goddess Gula and the Greek goddess of the underworld, Styx. In the series, Despair is often manipulated by Desire into harming others.

Delirium – The eccentric youngest sibling who was originally Delight but evolved into Delirium. She represents madness and chaotic creativity. Delirium‘s appearance and nature shifts wildly to reflect her realm‘s unpredictable nature. She was inspired by Greek and Roman gods of madness like Lyssa, Mania, and Dementia.

Here is a summary data table of the Endless:

The Endless have existed before gods, but are bound by complex rules and duties. Their power waxes and wanes with the state of their realms. Through their flaws, capriciousness and bonds to humanity, the relatable Endless subvert the trope of aloof all-powerful gods.

Dream – Gloomy Lord of Dreams and Stories

As one of the central characters, Dream embodies imagination and escapism. His other names like Kai‘ckul and Morpheus connect him to cultural dream/sleep deities across human mythologies. In the comics, Dream is portrayed as moody and often cruel, but also honorable. He follows rules set by The Presence, including not manipulating free will.

Over the series, Dream undergoes great change after being imprisoned and defiled by humans. He gains empathy and forgives past transgressions, but remains an essentially alien entity. He dies and is reborn in a new form more in touch with humanity. Dream‘s journey invites examination of themes like the nature of stories, how myths evolve, and whether gods should be humanized.

Gaiman‘s vision was to reinvent myths to be more reflective of our times. As he stated, “I wanted to write about the world, and I wanted to write about the gods that had been in the world because gods are a great metaphor.” Dream and his flaws make the god of dreams more complex and relatable than traditional aloof deities.

Lucifer Morningstar – The Rebellious Fallen Angel

Dream interacts often with other powerful mythic figures like Lucifer Morningstar, the charismatic fallen angel based on Satan. Though ruler of Hell, Lucifer grows tired of this duty and eventually gives Dream back Hell‘s key before abandoning his realm entirely. Lucifer serves as a foil to Dream – while both are aloof and proud, Lucifer rejects predestination and actively challenges the standing order of the universe.

Their deep but strained camaraderie provides great storytelling moments, like Lucifer sympathizing when a weakened Dream is unable to stop a nightmare he created. This highlights how despite their disdain for humans, figures like Dream and Lucifer cannot become completely detached from mortal affairs.

Corinthian – A Rogue Living Nightmare

Corinthian represents another interesting companion/foil to Dream – he is a nightmare created by Dream who becomes an escaped rogue force of terror. With no eyes and only teeth, he murders humans and inspires more evil.

Dream must exert great effort to recapture and reform Corinthian, only succeeding with help from human souls trapped by the nightmare. This failure of oversight highlights Dream‘s flaws and inability to entirely control his realm. But Corinthian‘s eventually redemption also reinforces the themes of change, mercy and humanity‘s influence on myths.

The Endless Reflect the Evolution of Gods in Mythology

The Endless draw strongly on ancient mythologies – Destiny‘s amorality echoing Ananke, Death‘s compassion inspired by Shinigami, Desire‘s capriciousness based on Eros. But The Sandman modernizes and humanizes these old myths.

The Endless change over time, make mistakes, feel human emotions, and their very existence is tied to humanity‘s beliefs and nature. Dream himself must change to survive. This reflects how gods have evolved alongside human storytelling. Once vengeful deities became more relatable heroes. And The Sandman‘s reinvention of gods for our times inspired much modern mythmaking.

As a long-time fan, I‘m endlessly fascinated by how The Sandman raised comics as an artform. Its intricately built mythology and relatable ‘humanized’ deities critique both ancient myths and modern tropes. Dream‘s spiritual journey especially resonated with many readers. And I hope this deep dive into its supreme beings has provided exciting insight into this rich comic universe!