Godly Gods

Godly Gods

I think a vital aspect of the portrayal of the Gods is to make them unreal or abstract. That is to differentiate them from the normal people in the story. I would do that by using black light costumes and body paint. Due to the black light the costumes will glow in a specific way with very bright colors thus making the Gods sem abstract. Instead of using masks I would put blacklight face paint on the Gods faces. This way one can still see their facial expressions in a way, as they are not hidden by a mask, but they don’t look real. The fact that one can’t clearly see the God’s faces also adds a sense of mysteriousness to them. It takes away a sense of identity as there is no face by which we can identify the God.

    The different types of clothing and body paint will be based on the God's character and power. For instance Agwe is the God of water. This suggest blue. I would give Agwe a stormy wild look. In the book he is described as feared and worshiped. Thought he gives life with rain, he can just as well destroy it thought storms. Therefore I would have given him a costume showing him as powerful. I would dress him in all black and use bright blue body paint to draw signs on the cloth. That way he one can never clearly see his actual shape. I would add a cape to that that is black on one side and blue on the other side. With the help of that cape he can be able to vanish by covering himself up with the black side facing outward. Now he won’t be visible in the blacklight. His face paint I would do in a warrior like style; powerful and bellicose. Asaka will be an opposite of Agwe. Asaka and Agwe are dualities. Where Agwe is mighty she is gentle. Thought still using blacklight for Asaka’s costume she would be the God who looks the most natural. Asaka is the Goddess of the earth therefore I would give her a motherlike look. Gentle but sever. She will take care of you but you shouldn’t mess with her. Her costume would be a dress in brown and green. Her face paint would look like tree bark. You can see her face but at the same time it is hidden in the tree.

This represent that she exists in all of Nature.
    Like Agwe and Asaka are are dualities Erzulie and Papa Ge are. Erzulie is the Goddess of love. She would be wearing a dress with pinks and reds and a headdress with feathers. Her face paint will be relatively natural so one can see her face to an extent. Papa Ge is the God of death. His face paint will make his face look like a skull using reds and white. Similarly to Agwe Papa Ge is powerful but he is less mysterious and more charming, thought in a scary way. To underline his charm he would wear a suit and a zylinder. Like Agwe, Papa Ge would have a cape to make both himself, and to let others vanish.