We’ve all heard the phrase, “a storm is coming,” but the one that is currently happening on Starz is a brewing battle-frenzy amongst gods. It is, of course, American Gods, the long-awaited and long-gestating adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s magnum opus.

With the author’s blessing, showrunners Bryan Fuller (NBC’s Hannibal) and Michael Green (ABC’s The River) offer their dizzying cinematics to the story of Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), an ex-convict who, upon release, hears the devastating news of his wife’s death and the adultery that caused it. His grief is put on hold though when he’s enlisted by a mysterious man calling himself Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). Wednesday needs some muscle as he recruits beings from classical mythology to fight for place in the world against the New Gods, entities of modernity such as media, technology, celebrity, and the like.

It’s a show fans of Gaiman are hoping to be worthy of the sacred text — and from what has been seen so far, it is; critics have been worshipping at the altar of American Gods. But with changes that have come about in the jump from page to screen, the show is taking on a life of its own, featuring characters both fresh and familiar, as well as an updated thesis for the nation’s current political climate. To aide you alongside Shadow’s odyssey through America, here’s a guide to the humans, gods, and creatures you’ll encounter.

Note: Those of you wishing to keep spoilers to a minimum may not want to read the Book Comparison sections, as they dive into how each character appears on the page.

Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle)

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Description: Shadow’s long-awaited release from prison yielded the worst news of his life: his wife, Laura, was killed in a car accident. Worse still, she died while giving a blowjob to Shadow’s best friend, Robbie. While on a plane to her funeral, Shadow encounters a mysterious man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. After taking a job as this con artist’s bodyguard, Shadow soon realizes Wednesday — and all of his friends — are gods looking to reclaim a world that has forgotten about them.

Book Comparison: Shadow was a small, bullied boy, but puberty prompted a growth spurt. As an adult, he remains stoic, even upon hearing of his wife’s death. “Shadow in the book doesn’t translate to the screen as well [as the other characters]. People don’t really wanna watch a man on the road running through internal monologue for weeks on end,” Whittle told Collider. “So what Michael and Bryan have done is introduce more color and they said they wanted to bring a few more layers, a bit more charisma, something that’s gonna entice people to join him on this incredible road trip around the states.”

Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane)

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Description: When Shadow first spies Mr. Wednesday at an airport, he’s pretending to be a senile old man in order to get a free plane ticket. He celebrates his small grift in First Class by throwing back drinks and enlisting Shadow for a special job. Taking his name from the day of their meeting (“Today’s my day,” he says), the crafty and charismatic swindler somehow knows all about Shadow, while flaunting an impossible mastery of magic.

Book Comparison: Initially described as “the man in the pale suit,” Mr. Wednesday retains much of the characteristics and plot beats as his book incarnation. However, the show isn’t just about his trip with Shadow. According to Fuller, it’s much more of an ensemble. “If there are three faces on the poster, it’s Wednesday, Shadow, and Laura,” he said. There are many hints to Wednesday’s true identity, from the ravens that act as his sentries to the story about the All-Father that kickstarts the first episode to the fact Wednesday is his day. Mr. Wednesday is Odin, the one-eyed leader of the Norse pantheon and the head of the Old Gods.

Bilquis (Yetide Badaki)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Christian

Description: Once a renown goddess of love and sex, Bilquis now only gets the worship she craves as a prostitute. Taking both men and women into her bed, her erotic rituals climax by literally swallowing her lovers inside of her.

Book Comparison: Bilquis’ more recognizable name is the Queen of Sheba, a Biblical figure who’s had many elaborations in Arabian, Ethiopian, and Jewish cultures. One of the ways to expand upon the source material for the show was to give the female characters more to do — especially Bilquis. The character only appears briefly in the beginning of the novel and towards the end, but on the small screen, “she’s got a huge arc and is a very important character,” Fuller said.

Czernobog (Peter Stormare)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Slavic

Description: Shadow and Wednesday find Czernobog living with three sisters in a rundown flat. A god of darkness and evil, he makes ends "meat" by bludgeoning cattle at a slaughterhouse, though he complains new, more humane ways of killing are making his skills obsolete. He’s reluctant to join the coming war, but perhaps a high-stakes game of Checkers with Shadow will change his favor.

Book Comparison: Gaiman describes the Old God as having a grey face and yellowing teeth. When Wednesday recruits him, he says he really needs his brother, likely Belobog, a god associated with light and goodness. In 1940’s Fantasia, Czernobog was envisioned as a dark, gargoyle demon in the “Night on Bald Mountain” sequence.

Mr. Nancy (Orlando Jones)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: West African

Description: As with any trickster god, Mr. Nancy (a.k.a. Anansi) is one of Wednesday’s more unreliable recruits. Often appearing as a prismatic spider that Jones said mimics South African street fashion, the deity from folklore loves to spin tales for anyone who’ll hear them — even to a ship full of slaves about to be sold in the Americas.

Book Comparison: Mr. Nancy appears on the page as a small, elderly man with “mahogany” eyes, a pencil mustache, lime-green fedora, lemon-yellow gloves, and checked suit. He’s the only character tapped for a book spinoff, Anansi Boys, which Jones confirmed was part of the casting discussions with Fuller and Greene. So, with the goal developing a shared universe under the American Gods banner, maybe there’s a TV show with Jones and the sons of Anansi in the future.

Easter (Kristin Chenoweth)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Germanic

Description: Easter is desperate to stay relevant. Once known as Ostara, the goddess of spring, she now bears the title Easter and welcomes offerings of jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. As Chenoweth said, she’s “very, very pissed that Jesus took her holiday.”

Book Comparison: A curvaceous woman with platinum blonde hair, Easter is found in San Francisco having a free picnic in the park for anyone who’ll come and eat. Shadow and Wednesday take her to a coffee shop, reminding her that she’s only doing well for herself in the new world by virtue of eggs, bunnies, and the Christian holiday.

Low Key Lyesmith (Jonathan Tucker)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Norse

Description: Low Key is Shadow’s cellmate in prison, one who offers sage advice to prepare him for the outside world. Not all of the novel will be featured in Season 1 of American Gods, but Tucker’s Low Key still only appears in the pilot episode because of scheduling conflicts with his role on Kingdom. The actor promises to return in some capacity for Season 2.

Book Comparison: Low Key is described as “a grifter from Minnesota” with a “scarred smile” and “orange-blonde hair.” One big change from the book is the character is now blind. “That’s not in the script,” Tucker told Collider. “That’s just something that Bryan and I were jamming about and he was like, ‘Yeah, give it a shot.’” As the name suggests, Low Key is actually Loki, the trickster god of chaos from Norse mythology.

Mr. Ibis (Demore Barnes)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Egyptian

Description: Mr. Ibis, more commonly known as Thoth, is the keeper of stories and knowledge. He often recounts tales of those who brought their beliefs in the Old Gods to America through a series of vignettes dubbed “Coming to America.” In the new country, he runs Ibis and Jacquel’s Funeral Parlor in Cairo, Illinois with his partner and fellow member of the Egyptian pantheon, Mr. Jacquel.

Book Comparison: Ibis is a slender “cranelike man” with “gold-rimmed spectacles,” towering at more than 6 feet in height. Much of him is the same on the screen, but his “Coming to America” and “Somewhere in America” tales are often used in the beginning of the episodes to introduce a character or theme.

Mr. Jacquel (Chris Obi)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Egyptian

Description: Mr. Jacquel traded in his deity name, Anubis, for one referencing his signature animal, the jackal. As the god of the dead, he peacefully ferries souls to the beyond. Though, nowadays, he operates a funeral parlor with his partner Mr. Ibis.

Book Comparison: Mr. Jacquel first appears to Shadow as a talking jackal. His story, like so many of the other characters, is expanded upon in the series as he encounters Laura Moon, who becomes somewhat of an annoyance.

Jesus (Jeremy Davies)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Christian

Description: There are many Jesuses in the world of American Gods: one is hispanic, one is black, and then there’s this one who enjoys sharing Ostara’s Easter holiday. Described as “overly empathetic,” he would be devastated if he knew the resentment Ostara holds for him.

Book Comparison: Jesus only really appears in Gaiman’s “preferred text” version of the book, but is mentioned by name a couple times in the wide-release format. Carrying over is the existence of a multiplicity of Jesues, who will be making appearances in the show.

The Zoryas (Cloris Leachman, Martha Kelly, Erika Kaar)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Slavic

Description: In their prime, the Zorya sisters were accustomed to royalty as guardians of the heavens, keeping a watchful eye in case any of the terrors trapped in the constellations broke free and threatened to destroy all of life. The eldest, Vechernyaya (Leachman), is now living on far less as a fortune teller — the best, if you ask her, because she tells her customers what they want to hear. Utrennyaya (Kelly) is the middle sister remaining in silent observation as she contemplates the present world. Rounding out these women, who mimic the Fates from Greek mythology, is Polunochnaya (Kaar), sleeping during the day and watching the constellations at night.

Book Comparison: You don’t cast Cloris Leachman in a background role. You just don’t. So when we meet the Zoryas, who came over with Czernobog to America and now live together in a flat, Vechernyaya sneaks off with Wednesday to reminisce about their once frisky selves.

Vulcan (Corbin Bernsen)

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Type: Old God

Pantheon: Roman mythology

Description: Vulcan, a god of volcanoes and the forge, is one of the few members of the Old Gods finding success in the modern world. Though he’s lost his flock, he found new followers in translating his domain into weaponry and, specifically, guns in a society where firearms reign supreme. Fuller teased of Vulcan’s interaction with Mr. Wednesday, “They’re both old, fiery gods and there’s something fun about these proper geezers getting together and causing trouble.”

Book Comparison: Vulcan is a brand-new character to the world of American Gods, one that Gaiman conceptualized while seeing a statue of the deity during a visit through a steel town in Alabama. As Green recalls, the author came across a factory where numerous workers were killed on the job. The owners found it cheaper to pay damages to the families instead of shutting the building down for repairs. “We started talking about America’s obsession with guns and gun control and, really, if you’re holding a gun in your hand, it’s a mini volcano,” Fuller explained, “and perhaps, through this character, there’s a conversation to be had.”

Mr. World (Crispin Glover)

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Type: New God

Description: Mr. World seems to be the leader of the New Gods, though his power and intentions are just as shadowy as Wednesday himself. Keeping an eye on the actions of the Old Gods, he realizes Wednesday poses an imminent threat and action must be taken. Some may compare Mr. World to Glover’s “Creepy Thin Man” vibe in Charlie’s Angels, but he appears as a man dressed in the finest black suits.

Book Comparison: America’s fear of the “they,” the mysterious “men in black” behind the largest cover ups in conspiracy theory history, is what gives Mr. World his power. Though some of his plot points in the book are mixed with one of his harder-to-police subordinates, Technical Boy. And that’s all we’re saying at the risk of spoiling too much from the source material!

Technical Boy (Bruce Langley)

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Type: New God

Description: The youngest member of the New Gods, but perhaps the most powerful, Technical Boy claims all manner of technology and digital communication as his domain. Impulsive and egotistical to a fault, his initial meeting with Shadow doesn’t end too well for either of them. Tech Boy’s entourage includes faceless figures he can digitize into the physical world who may be inspired by the Spooks (Mr. World’s servants) or the Intangibles (the invisible hands of the stock market) in the book.

Book Comparison: The young lad is far more passive on the page, choosing to bask in his own glory than the blood of his enemies. He’s a short, fat kid with acne on his cheeks instead of the vaping punk kid in sneaks seen on the show. Because this is a Fuller production, there will be plenty of Hannibal-esque blood — and Tech Boy’s behavior leads to one of the bloodiest moments of the first few episodes.

Media (Gillian Anderson)

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Type: New God

Description: Media looks like one of the most fun characters to play on the show, since she’s a personification of television and celebrity. Often appearing as pop culture icons, including Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe, she appears to Shadow on television screens to try and recruit him to fight for the New Gods instead of Wednesday. She’s far more apt to show her power of persuasion than physical strength.

Book Comparison: Fuller posted a collage of “the many faces of Media,” including David Bowie and Judy Garland. So we can expect Anderson’s iteration will be taking full advantage of her celebrity appearances.

The Buffalo

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Type: Creature

Description: Before Shadow embarks on his cross-country odyssey, he dreams of a buffalo with flaming eyes that warns of things to come and advises him to believe in the unbelievable. The visions take him to a bone orchard and later to a more primordial cave dwelling.

Book Comparison: In the book, Shadow calls him “the Buffalo Man,” as it appears as a minotaur-like creature. Its body is that of a man’s, “oiled and slick,” while its head is that of a buffalo, “rank and furry with huge wet eyes.” When Shadows asks if the Buffalo Man (elsewhere referred to as a Buffalo Woman) to be a god, it replies, “I am the land.”

Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber)

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Type: Creature

Description: Mad Sweeney is down on his luck — and for a leprechaun, that can be a dangerous thing. The loose canon, who lost the bulk of his Irish accent after years of living in America, enters the picture in Jack’s Crocodile Bar, where he loses his lucky coin in a bar fight with Shadow. He’s always able to satiate his thirst for battle while in the employment of Wednesday. The role was initially filled by Sean Harris, who had to drop out over “personal reasons.”

Book Comparison: While the spirit of Sweeney is maintained, the book envisioned the leprechaun with a trucker vibe, wearing a denim jacket with sewn-on patches, a baseball cap that reads, “The only woman I have ever loved was another man’s wife…my mother,” and a stained white t-shirt with the phrase, “If you can’t eat it, drink it, smoke it, or snort it…then f—k it.” His essence is maintained on screen, but with more suspenders.

Laura Moon (Emily Browning)

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Type: Creature

Description: Once a human, Laura is now something else entirely, trapped between the worlds of the living and the dead. Haunting (and at times protecting) Shadow, she must grapple with her adulterous betrayal of her husband, her postmortem epiphany, and her newfound inhuman abilities.

Book Comparison: Laura takes a much larger role in the series than on the page and stands alongside Shadow and Wednesday as a more prominent character. Part of the allure for fans of the book is that the show will fill in some of the gaps left to the imagination, including Laura’s backstory.

The Jinn (Mousa Kraish)

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Type: Creature

Description: The Jinn is a mythical creature of flame, said to know a person’s deepest desires. Working as a cab driver, he fears for his safety and considers fleeing America, and an encounter with a man named Salim may give him a chance to leave his life behind.

Book Comparison: In one of the “Somewhere in America” asides, The Jinn offers readers one of the more erotic scenes of the book, seconded only to Bilquis. Any reader hoping to see something on par with the ifrit’s “strange”-tasting and “fiery”…you know, will not be disappointed by this “exclusively gay moment.”

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