Beyond Neil Gaiman’s story, which already has a live-action series, Sandman is also an important character in the mythology and folklore of several countries.
After several years waiting for a live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s story, the first season of The Sandman has arrived, a character who, in addition to the Vertigo comics, has an important place in mythology and folklore.
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Beyond the cartoons of DC Comics (or the villain of a certain Spider-Man in The House Across the Street), Sandman has been present in popular culture, whether in the form of children’s stories, or in songs like Mr Sandman by The Chordettes , and even Metallica’s Enter the Sandman.
To refer to the Sandman or the Sandbox is to speak of a mythological being who, according to legend, visits people when they have slept, so that thanks to the magical sand that he spreads in his eyes, with which men and women have their dreams.
between dreams and nightmares
This story goes back to European cultures, such as the Celtic or Galician, where it is mentioned in stories of oral tradition that when we feel sleepy or tired we have a discomfort in our eyes, similar to when sand falls on our eyes.
This, the legends recounted, was due to the presence of the sandbox, who begins to throw sand in our eyes to induce us to sleep. Once asleep, this sandbox allows us to have dreams or nightmares, depending on whether the children (or adults) have been good or bad
Have you slept, but when you wake up you don’t remember what you dreamed? According to legend, the sandbox used the sand from it to cleanse our minds. This story is justified since in the 19th century sand was used to clean houses.
From dreams to literature
This figure of the Sandman, or the sandbox, was captured by Hans Christian Andersen in Ole Lukøje (Ole-Lik-oie), a story where a child recounts the dreams he has for a week, which this character provokes by sprinkling his sand like dust magical.
In countries like Norway and Sweden, this sandbox is known as John or Jon Blund and in the Netherlands, Belgium and southern Africa, it is known as Klaas Vaak.
This sandbox is responsible for happy dreams, and is kind to children. Although in some cultures this figure of Sandman instill fear
music could not miss
Not only literature gave an account of this Sandman, music has also put its grain of sand in spreading the legend of the sandbox.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKnPrbPK5vA
Two of the best-known songs date from the 20th century, the first being Mr. Sandman, written by Pat Ballard and performed by the vocal quartet The Chordettes.
And we could not forget one of the great successes of the Metallica group with Enter the Sandman, authored by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.
And what about the comics?
The two big publishers have at least one Sandman character, who has become important characters for both companies. In Marvel, one of Spider-Man’s villains is the Sandman, a convict named Flint Marko.
While in DC Comics the first Sandman dates back to 1939, with Wesley Dodds, who was a millionaire who fought crime, using sleeping gas to put criminals out of action.
The most important incarnation of The Sandman is Morpheus, a character created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth, in one of the mythologies that has captivated readers, and therefore has a prominent place in the DC Universe, building his own mythology.
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Source: Nerdist
The Sandman arrives at DC Black Label in a deluxe edition
One of the most popular and critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time, Neil Gaiman’s award-winning masterpiece The Sandman has set a standard for mature, lyrical fantasy in the comics field.
SMASH and DC Black Label bring you The Sandman; Deluxe Edition Book 1. This edition collects issues 1-16 of The Sandman original series along with Sandman Midnight Theatre, from the mind of Neil Gaiman, who takes you by the hand in this great mythology of dreams.
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