Ancestral European Religions: A Reference Guide
By Ralph Perrier
CONTENTS
1 Definitions
2 Cosmologies
2.1 Monism
2.1.1 Types of Monism
2.2 Pantheism
2.3 Polytheism
2.4 Atheism
3 Core Beliefs
4 Practices and Rituals
5 Denominations
6 Footnotes
1 Definitions
“Pagan” (Latin: pāgānus, ‘rural’) was supposed to be a slur that was invented by the catholic church to apply to every non-xtian religion but has since been reappropriated as a general term. Specific ethnic “Pagan” polytheistic religions are: Heathenry is Germanic Paganism (“Asatru” is one of the religions that fall under the Heathenry category). Fyrnsidu is Brittonic Paganism. Druidry is Celtic Paganism. Hellenism is Greek Paganism. Religio Romana is Roman Paganism. Rodnovery is Slavic Paganism. Romuva is Baltic Paganism, etc.
2 Cosmologies
Most pre-xtian European religions were Dharmic (non-dogmatic), so the cosmology was up to the person. The important thing was the beliefs, rituals, and connection to ancestry. Here’s a list of the most common cosmologies.
2.1 Monism
Monism is the philosophical view that all of reality is ultimately one, or that reality is fundamentally unified and that all things are interconnected through a single underlying essence or principle (i.e. materialist/agnostic monists believe this to be energy or matter). Everything in the universe is then seen as emanations or manifestations of this ultimate reality.
Monism comes from Pythagoras (1) who was a student of Abaris the Hyperborean (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaris_the_Hyperborean [link]) (Druidism), and Vedism is the eastern branch of Druidism that was brought to India by Ram the Druid (Rama in the Vedas) (https://www.academia.edu/13113385/Druidism_and_Vedism_Compared [link]).
Monist religions are: Pythagorianism, Stoicism, Platonism, Druidism (2), Vedism.
2.1.1 Types of Monism
There are different types of monism:
-Materialistic monists (all is matter) believe that everything is made of matter, and even things like thoughts or consciousness are just products of physical processes. This view aligns with atheism.
-Idealistic monism (all is mind) is the opposite, where everything is fundamentally mental or spiritual, and the physical world is a manifestation of mind or consciousness. This equates to panpsychism.
-Neutral monism (a mix of both) posits that there’s a single substance or principle from which both mind and matter arise, but it’s neither purely mental nor purely physical.\
2.2 Pantheism
Pantheism is a philosophical and religious belief that God or a divine reality is identical with the universe, or that the universe is a manifestation of God. This perspective posits that everything in the universe is interconnected and part of a larger, unified whole. In contrast, monism is a broader philosophical position that asserts the existence of only one fundamental substance or reality, without necessarily implying a divine or spiritual component. While pantheism is a type of monism, not all forms of monism are pantheistic, as monism can be purely materialistic or neutral, whereas pantheism typically involves a spiritual or divine dimension.
Pantheistic religions are: many pre-Socratic philosophies, Orphism.
2.3 Polytheism
Every polytheistic ancestral European religion is similar, the deities just have different regional names. For example, Dyaus Pita (Vedic), Zeus (Greek), Jupiter (Roman), Odin (Nordic), Wotan (German), Esus (Celtic), Wotanaz (Slavic), Ukko and Väinämöinen (Finnish), and so on are all derived from the Aryan allfather Dyeus Pter which translates to Sky Father. The name Zeus comes from the pronunciation of Dyeus, and Jupiter comes from the pronunciation of ‘Dyeus Pter’. Wotan is derived from Proto-Germanic Wodanaz, which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European root Dyeus. Odin comes from Old Norse and is related to the earlier Proto-Germanic Wodanaz.
Some polytheistic religious followers see the polytheistic deities as sentient personal gods, others see them as allegorical personifications of natural forces (numen/animism) or as emanations or forms/symbolic representations of a particular quality or principle.
Priority Monism (“the whole is prior to its parts”) is how monist cosmology applies to polytheistic European religions: lower deities or gods are personifications of natural forces (numen/animism) or manifestations or emanations of the ultimate reality and this means that the lower deities are not separate, independent entities, but rather symbolic expressions of the one underlying substance.
Polytheistic religions are: Heathenry (Germanic), Fyrnsidu (Brittonic), Druidry (Celtic), Hellenism (Greek), Religio Romana (Roman), Rodnovery (Slavic), Romuva (Baltic), etc.
2.4 Atheism
A few ancestral European relgions were based around an atheistic cosmology. Epicureanism is one. But secular paganism is mostly a new movement that is growing rapidly. Atheists join Pagan groups for a sense of community, social network, and connection to their ancestry.
Many modern secular polytheistic Pagans (3) are inspired by Carl Jung who combined psychoanalysis with Heathenry. The polytheistic deities = ‘archetypes (4) of the collective unconscious (5)’ to these Pagans.
3 Core Beliefs
In monist religions, monist cosmology posits that all phenomena reduces to one principle and the universe is composed of a single fundamental substance. This means that the divine is not a separate and transcendent entity but rather an inherent aspect of the universe, and humans are not separate from the divine but rather an unfolding or manifestation of it. Therefore, in monist cosmologies, self-realization or self-actualization is often seen as the process of recognizing and embodying one’s true nature as an expression of the divine. This can be seen as a form of self-deification.
In polytheistic religions, beliefs revolve around ancestor veneration, animism, and the belief in spirits inhabiting natural elements are common themes.
4 Practices and Rituals
In monist religions, rituals are about bringing someone to self-realization. For example, rituals like yoga, meditation, self-inquiry, and mantra recitation are used to help the individual realize their true nature as a manifestation of the divine. The goal is to awaken the individual’s inner divinity and is aimed at helping the individual realize their true nature as the ultimate reality.
In polytheistic religions, rituals are centered around the worship of multiple deities, each often associated with specific aspects of nature, human experience, and societal functions. To secular Pagans who are inspired by Carl Jung, rituals are ways of inducing ‘active imagination’ (6) or a part of the process of ‘individuation’ (7).
5 Denominations
Far-right Pagans are called Völkisch Pagans, they’re usually Heathens. Far-left (Woke) Pagans are Intersectional Pagans/Humanist Pagans/Inclusive Pagans, et. al.
Many leftist Pagans, especially in America, are just role-playing christian universalists. Polytheistic European religions were extremely clannish and tribal as they were rooted in ancestor veneration. Universalism came with christianity. Even the founder of modern secular Paganism, Carl Jung, promoted a form of Volkisch Paganism (C. G. Jung - Essay on Wotan (1936) (8)).
6 Footnotes
1. Druidism is the religion that was subverted to make Christianity, so Christians going to Druidism can continue celebrating the same traditions, symbolism, and holidays, just with a monist cosmology. Druidic Calendar: Yule (Winter Solstice) - December 21/22 Celebrate the rebirth of the sun (Christian Equivalent: Christmas (December 25)). Imbolc - February 1/2 Mark the midpoint between Yule and the spring equinox (Christian Equivalent: Candlemas (February 2)). Ostara (Spring Equinox) - March 20/21 Welcome the return of spring with eggs, rabbits, and feasting (Cristian Equivalent: Easter (movable date, typically in March or April)). Beltane - May 1/2 Honor the spirits of the land and the cycles of nature (Christian Equivalent: May Day (May 1) or Ascension Day (movable date, typically in May)). Litha (Summer Solstice) - June 20/21 Celebrate the peak of the sun’s power (Christian Equivalent: St. John’s Day (June 24)). Lammas - July 31/August 1 Mark the beginning of harvest time (Christian Equivalent: Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) or Lammas Sunday (movable date, typically in August)). Mabon (Autumn Equinox) - September 20/21 Celebrate the second harvest (Christian Equivalent: Michaelmas (September 29) or Harvest Festival (movable date, typically in September or October)). Samhain - October 31/November 1 Honor the ancestors (Christian Equivalent: All Saints’ Eve (October 31) or All Souls’ Day (November 2))
–Drudry, like it’s eastern branch of Vedism, was heirarchal and divided people into four hierarchical castes: priestly or intellectual caste (Druid = Brahman), warriors (Fláith = Kshatriyas), merchants (Bó-Aire = Vaishyas), workers (Fuidir = Shudras). Unlike Christianity’s concept of equality before God, this religion didn’t promote universal equality. Rulers or warriors derived their authority from intelligence, strength and lineage, not a universal god. The Druid caste system served as the system of grades of initiation in Masonry, and Masonry preserved many of the Druidic ceremonies in their original state. Side-note: these organizations (freemasons and other secret societies) gained tremendous power and were able to influence the course of history. Religion is a necessary core value system to form groups, so this is obviously one that works (hierarchical/anti-universalist, exclusive, high in-group preference, etc).
2. “And the Celtic Druids investigated to the very highest point the Pythagorean philosophy, after Zamolxis, by birth a Thracian, a servant of Pythagoras, became to them the originator of this philosophy”_ – ‘The Refutation of All Heresies’, Chapter XXII.–The Druids; Progenitors of their System by St. Hippolytus. Diodorus Siculus, Book V, §26-32 (36 BCE), and Alexander Cornelius Polyhistor, among other contemporaneous sources, also refer to the Druids as “Pythagorean”.
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_paganism [link]. These Pagans don’t worship a particular thing, they just appreciate the unity of existence, or seek to understand the ultimate nature of reality. Ancestor veneration is the only worship they do.
4.\ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes [link]
5.\ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious [link]
6.\ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_imagination#Carl_Gustav_Jung [link]
7.\ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individuation#Carl_Jung [link]
8.\ https://archive.org/details/carl-jung-on-wotan_20230629
Read more
http://ecer-org.eu [link]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Modern_pagan_organizations_by_country [link]
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