The Deer and the Dragon

Christian beings like God, angels, and demons; Canaanite and Phoenician deities; and Norse and Greek gods and goddesses all coexist in the novel. Marlow was raised in a devout Christian household by a zealous mother; however, she has actively rejected her mother’s beliefs and worldview due to the trauma caused by her upbringing. Fauna makes it clear that Zeus, king of the Olympians; Frigg, the Norse goddess of marriage and motherhood; and the unnamed “God” of Jewish and Christian faiths are all real, suggesting that their pantheons and many others comprise various immortal “realms” in the world of the novel, sharply contrasting with the real-world beliefs of most Christians.

In the novel, Heaven and Hell exist, as Christian doctrine establishes, but there are many more than two realms, and they are not simply places for the “good” or “evil” that believers describe. In the novel, Heaven’s God has made “good” synonymous with “Heaven” to draw converts and compel loyalty. A non-Christian idea—the cycle of reincarnation—is also presented as commonplace in the novel. When Fauna takes Marlow to meet Betty, she reveals that she and Betty have known each other throughout many of Betty’s mortal lifetimes. Thus, faiths that are not mentioned in the novel but for which reincarnation is a core belief—such as Buddhism and Hinduism—are indirectly affirmed as coexisting alongside some Christian ideas, pagan gods, and more.