Following American Gods character promos for Shadow Moon, Mr. Wednesday, Mad Sweeney and Laura, we now move on to an Old God who was, at one time, one of the most powerful deities in existence, but has greatly diminished by the time we catch up with her in the story: Queen Bilquis, the Goddess of Love, who will be played by Masters of Sex actress Yetide Badaki.
The promo is very brief, but it does give us a rather unsettling glimpse into the methods Bilquis employs in order to regain some of her old power. Though the ins and outs (no pun intended) of this bizarre ritual may be altered slightly for the TV adaptation, in Neil Gaiman’s source novel, the Goddess actually works as a prostitute in order to lure unwitting men into her bed. She then feeds in their adoration and worship by… well, let’s just say she absorbs them and leave it at that.
Bilquis, who’s also known as Queen of Sheba, only has a minor role in the book, but showrunner Bryan Fuller has already confirmed that the character will have an expanded part to play in the TV series. Fuller has also confirmed that the “adoration” sequence referenced above has been filmed “exactly as written,” so be prepared to witness something truly unique to television (or anywhere else for that matter) when Bilquis is introduced.
American Gods is set to premiere on Starz on Sunday, April 30th at 9:00 PM. Will you be tuning in? Leave a comment in the usual place and let us know.