People hear “pagan” and recoil. For centuries, Paganism was associated with witchcraft, demons, and the dark arts.
The connotation makes people weary of pagans and pagan religions, but it’s completely false.
Here, we’ll explore what Paganism really is and discover how it got a bad reputation.
What is Paganism?
In cultural hive minds, Paganism can describe a wide range of cultural practices, from animism to ancestor worship and personal spiritual practice to witchcraft and devilry.
We think of wild Germanic tribes making sacrifices to tree spirits to ensure a bountiful harvest, witches making offerings to the ancestors, and nomadic groups worshipping local pantheons.
Although some of these ideas have a basis in reality, they’re often exaggerated.
In a strictly academic sense, Paganism describes polytheistic religions with pantheons of gods and goddesses. Pagan religions often have a group of major gods and a large variety of minor household and nature gods or spirits.
Paganism’s Long History
Pagan religions predate monotheistic religions. Humanity’s first religion was likely some form of animism, a belief that spirits controlled the world.
The longest surviving human religion, Hinduism, is also a form of paganism.
However, the word “Pagan” wasn’t used until Christianity became the dominant religion in the West.
Prior to that, nearly all religions, except Judaism and a handful of other local practices, were polytheistic, and worshipping multiple gods had no negative connotations. It was normal.
Christianity and Paganism
The term “Pagan” first appeared with the early Christians, who used it to describe rural Romans who still worshipped Jupiter (Zeus) and the Greco-Roman pantheon.
It was also a class distinction. The wealthy gentry and the ruling class followed Emperor Constantine to Christianity, while the rural peasant class worshipped their ancient gods.
Early Christians called the rural, simple folk “Pagans” to keep them separated from the wealthy elite.
The early Roman Church cared more about political power than religious practices. They allowed the rural pagans to worship as they saw fit as long as they continued paying taxes to Rome.
Paganism in the Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the Christians battled for religious, spiritual, and cultural dominance. Pagan gods morphed into Christian demons. Any religious practice that didn’t fit the Church’s decree was heresy.
Blasphemy was punishable by death.
The Middle Ages saw the Spanish Inquisition, witch-hunts, and wars between the different Christian sects.
Pagans were forced to convert. Those who didn’t were persecuted as witches or devil worshippers. Pagan rituals and traditions, used for millennia, were demonized.
As a result, most of the Pagan religions perished.
Pagan Traditions Survived
The Christians of the Middle Ages didn’t completely destroy Paganism. The rulers realized it would be easier to convert people if they could maintain their traditions.
So, the Christians stole many pagan religious practices, rebranding them as Christian. They moved their holidays to align with pagan rituals.
The winter solstice celebration became Christmas, a celebration of Jesus’s birth, even though he was likely born in September. The Spring Solstice became Easter, a celebration of Jesus’s resurrection, but it kept the name Easter, which comes from a Germanic Goddess of the spring.
Many pagan traditions are so ingrained in our everyday lives that we don’t even stop to think about their origins. Halloween, Christmas trees, Easter eggs, bridesmaids, herbal remedies, the days of the week, bonfires, and more came from paganism.
The Christians even allowed Pagans to keep some of their deities. They were elevated to sainthood rather than struck down as demons. For example, Saint Brigid of Ireland originated as a Celtic goddess associated with wisdom and healing.
Pagan Religious Practices
Pagan religious practices varied greatly. There was never one “Pagan” religion with a specific set of rituals, traditions, and practices.
The term encompasses a broad range of religions from different times and places.
Examples of Pagan Religions Throughout History
Most religions throughout history were polytheistic.
Here are some examples of Pagan religions that thrived throughout history.
The Greco-Roman Pantheon
The most well-known pagan religion originated in Ancient Greece around the 2nd millennium BCE. The Greek pantheon includes gods and goddesses such as Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hades.
When the Romans surpassed the Greeks as the dominant culture, they adopted the religion. Zeus became Jupiter, Aphrodite became Venus, and Hades became Pluto. However, it was the same fundamental religion, with only minor changes to the names and stories.
Norse Paganism
With the Marvel cinematic universe’s celebrations of Thor and Loki, the Norse religion is becoming more well-known in pop culture.
Norse mythology features warrior gods and goddesses who fight to enter Valhalla, the hall of heaven that celebrates warriors.
Druids
The Druids were the religious leaders of the Celtic peoples, a which describes many of the groups living throughout Europe from the Iron Age through the Middle Ages.
Celtic deities varied greatly over time and geography. They worshiped regional gods, river spirits, and idols, offering luck or protection.
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt holds a mystical fascination over us. We stand in awe of the massive structures they built and wonder at their obsession with the afterlife.
The pagan religion features Ra, the sun god who embarks on a journey across the sky each day, Osiris, one of the earliest examples of rebirth and resurrection, and Nut, the Goddess of the sky.
Judaism
Though we consider Judaism a monotheistic religion, the oldest parts of the Old Testament hint that there may be other gods.
Was it genuinely monotheistic, or was the God of Abraham worshipped as the primary god?
Modern Paganism
Paganism still flourishes today. One of the world’s major religions is polytheistic, while some of the lesser-known religions are making a comeback.
The Old Religions
Small subsets of people around the world still follow the old religions. The Greek, Roman, Norse, and Druid gods still have followers, though their numbers have significantly dwindled over the centuries.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the oldest major religion in the world. It originated as early as the 15th century BCE and still has billions of worshippers today.
Hinduism features gods like Brahma, the creator; Shiva, the destroyer; and a wide range of spirits and deities who play varying roles in life.
Western Paganism
Many people are turning away from the strict Christian religion and exploring ancient ideas of paganism. They’re embracing their inner spirituality, seeking help from goddesses, and embracing the spirits inside all things.
Modern paganism celebrates the life force of the universe and the connection between all living things. It is an escape from the rigid structure of the church and a return to a more personal relationship with the world and the universe.
Pagan Traditions Deserve Respect
Paganism defined humanity for millennia. The traditions still influence us today.
But we must respect more than its history and influence on our culture.
Pagan religious practices seek to achieve the same goal as modern, accepted religions. They bring peace to practitioners, offer a sense of meaning, and provide ways for people to take control of their own lives.
It doesn’t matter whether someone worships one god or many, recites prayers or incantations, or praises Jesus or Zeus.
All that matters is that we are good people, doing our best to make this world a better place for all.