There's also the fact that Gaiman rarely seems to write numinous that convinces me; I don't care if they're anthropomorphic, therianthropic, or a black stone at the root of a cornstalk, gods are not merely humans writ large with world-changing powers. But that's another rant.

YES. Gods are not merely humans writ large with world-changing powers. The narcissism of that attitude (and the lack of imagination) frustrates me.

It's almost true that I got into Brandeis on the strength of my contempt for Disney's Hercules. --I sense an entrance essay in your past that I'm dying to read :-)