Paganism (from Latin paganus) and Heathenry are catch-all terms which have come to connote a broad set of spiritual/religious beliefs and practices of a natural religion, as opposed to the Abrahamic religions. These beliefs, which are not necessarily compatible with each other, are usually characterized by polytheism and animism. Often, the term has pejorative connotations, comparable to infidel and Kafir in Islam. Paganism - Etymology. Paganism - Pagan. The term < ...

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• Paganism - Etymology
• Paganism - Pagan
• Paganism - Heathen
• Paganism - Terminology
• Paganism - Common Word Usage
• Paganism - Heathenry
• Paganism - Pagan classifications
• Paganism - Pagan religions
• Paganism - Neo-pagan religions
• Paganism - Neopaganism
• Paganism - Modern nature religion
• Paganism - Notes

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Paganism - Common Word Usage. The term has historically been used as a pejorative by adherents of monotheistic religions (such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam) to indicate a disbeliever in their religion. "Paganism" is also sometimes used to mean the lack of (an accepted monotheistic) religion, and therefore sometimes means essentially the same as atheism. "Paganism" frequently refers to the religions of classical antiquity, most notably Greek mythology or Roman religion, and can be used neutrall ...

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Paganism, Paganism - Etymology, Paganism - Pagan, Paganism - Heathen, Paganism - Terminology, Paganism - Common Word Usage, Paganism - Heathenry, Paganism - Pagan classifications, Paganism - Pagan religions, Paganism - Neo-pagan religions, Paganism - Neopaganism, Paganism - Modern nature religion, Paganism - Notes

Read more here: » Paganism: Encyclopedia II - Paganism - Terminology

For information on the band, see Samhain (band). Samhain (IPA: /ˈsawənʲ/) is the word for November in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. The same word was used for the first month of the ancient Celtic calendar, and in particular the first three nights of this month, the festival marking the beginning of the winter season. Elements of the festival are continued in the traditions of All Souls Day and Halloween. The name is also used for one of the ...

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• Samhain - Etymology
• Samhain - Ancient Celts
• Samhain - Celtic folklore
• Samhain - Neo-Paganism
• Samhain - Pop culture references

Read more here: » Samhain: Encyclopedia - Samhain

Cernunnos in Celtic polytheism is the deified spirit of horned male animals, especially of stags, a nature god associated with produce and fertility. As a "Horned God", Cernunnos was one of a number of similar deities found in many ancient cultures. Cernunnos - Origins. Cernunos is known, from archaeological sources such as inscriptions and depictions, to have been worshipped in Gaul, Northern Italy (Gallia Cisalpina) and the southern coast of Britain. The earliest known probable depiction of Cernunnos was ...

Including:

• Cernunnos - Origins
• Cernunnos - Etymology
• Cernunnos - Iconography
• Cernunnos - Medieval traces
• Cernunnos - Neo-Paganism
• Cernunnos - Wicca

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Roman Mythology Jupiter Mars Quirinus Divus Julius Divus Augustus Juno Vesta Minerva Mercury Vulcan Ceres Venus Diana Lares Fortuna Aeneas Romulus Numa Early Kings Pontifex Maximus Rex Sacrorum Vestal Virgins Flamen Dialis The ...

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• Pontifex Maximus - Etymology
• Pontifex Maximus - Origins duties and development of the Pagan Pontifices
• Pontifex Maximus - Legacy
• Pontifex Maximus - Christian usage
• Pontifex Maximus - The tradition of sovereign as High Priest
• Pontifex Maximus - Popular culture
• Pontifex Maximus - Incomplete list of Pontifices maximi
• Pontifex Maximus - Furthermore

Read more here: » Pontifex Maximus: Encyclopedia - Pontifex Maximus

Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Germanic pagans. In Germanic Neopaganism it is one of the eight solar holidays, or sabbats, where Yule is celebrated on the winter solstice: in the northern hemisphere, circa December 21, and in the southern hemisphere, circa June 21. "Yule" and "Yuletide" are also archaic terms for Christmas, sometimes invoked in songs to provide atmosphere. Indeed, this is the only meaning of "Yule" accepted by either the full Oxford English Dictionary or the Concise Oxford Dictionary, and peopl ...

Including:

• Yule - Etymology
• Yule - Traditional Yule
• Yule - Connection to modern Christmas
• Yule - Neopagan Yule
• Yule - Secular Yuletide
• Yule - Reference

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Odin is considered the highest god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism. His role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of both wisdom and war. He is also attested as being a god of magic, poetry, victory, and the hunt. His name is, in Old Norse, Óðinn. Although its precise meaning is debated, the name is thought to be related to the word óðr, meaning "excitation" or "fury". Worship of Odin dates to Proto-Germanic paganism, and the names Old English (and Old Saxon) Wōden; Old ...

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• Odin - Etymology
• Odin - General characteristics
• Odin - Odin and Mercury
• Odin - Celtic parallels
• Odin - Eddaic Odin
• Odin - Attributes
• Odin - Names
• Odin - Anglo-Saxon Woden
• Odin - Worship
• Odin - Sacrifices
• Odin - Shamanic traits
• Odin - Odin and Jesus
• Odin - Medieval reception
• Odin - Persisting beliefs in Odin
• Odin - Modern age
• Odin - Notes
• Odin - Literature

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Baphomet is an idol or image of a being typically described as demonic. The name first came to public consciousness as a part of the suppression of the Knights Templar. Baphomet - In the Templar confessions. During the judicial proceedings and inquisitions of the Knights Templar, assertions were made that the knights engaged in pagan idolatry. Statements had been obtained from former knights, stating that the order secretly worshipped an entity they called Baphomet. These confessions were obtained under dur ...

Including:

• Baphomet - In the Templar confessions
• Baphomet - Eliphas Levi and Baphomet
• Baphomet - Criticism of Levi's interpretation
• Baphomet - Baphomet as a demon
• Baphomet - Etymology of the name Baphomet
• Baphomet - Baphomet in popular culture

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Religion (see etymology below) —sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine; and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such belief. In its broadest sense some have defined it as the sum total of answers given to explain humankind's relationship with the universe. In the course of the development of religion, it has taken ...

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• Religion - Etymology
• Religion - Religion and science
• Religion - Philosophy and metaphysics
• Religion - Esotericism and mysticism
• Religion - Spirituality
• Religion - Myth
• Religion - Approaches to the study of individual religions
• Religion - Methods of studying religion subjectively in relation to one's own beliefs
• Religion - Methods of studying religion objectively in a scientific and religiously neutral fashion
• Religion - Development of religion
• Religion - Religion today
• Religion - Approaches to relating to the beliefs of others
• Religion - Exclusivism
• Religion - Inclusivism
• Religion - Pluralism
• Religion - Syncretism
• Religion - Universalism
• Religion - Systemization
• Religion - Religion and other approaches to forming beliefs about the nature of the universe
• Religion - Related philosophical stances
• Religion - Compare with

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Irish samhain is from Old Irish samain, samuin, samfuin, referring to 1 November (lathe na samna, "samhain day"), and the festival and royal assembly at that date in medieval Ireland (oenaig na samna, "samhain night"). Its meaning is glossed as "summer's end", and the frequent spelling with f suggests analysis by popular etymology as sam "summer" and fuin "sunset, end". Old Irish sam "summer" is from PIE *semo- , cognates are Welsh haf, Breton hañv, Old Norse language sumar all meaning "summer" ...

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Samhain, Samhain - Etymology, Samhain - Ancient Celts, Samhain - Celtic folklore, Samhain - Neo-Paganism, Samhain - Pop culture references

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The Samhain celebration survived in several guises as a festival dedicated to the dead. In Ireland and Scotland, the Féile na Marbh, the "festival of the dead" took place on Samhain. Samhain Eve, in Irish and Scots Gaelic, Oidhche Shamhna, is one of the principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and is thought to fall on or around the 31st of October. It represents the final harvest. In modern Ireland and Scotland, the name by which Halloween is known in the Gaelic ...

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Samhain, Samhain - Etymology, Samhain - Ancient Celts, Samhain - Celtic folklore, Samhain - Neo-Paganism, Samhain - Pop culture references

Read more here: » Samhain: Encyclopedia II - Samhain - Celtic folklore

In some types of neopaganism, particularly those influenced by Wicca, Samhain is one of the eight solar holidays or sabbats. It is celebrated in the northern hemisphere on October 31 or November 1 and in the southern hemisphere on May 1. The holiday, with Beltane, is one of the most popular among Neopagans, and public Samhain rituals invariably attract large gatherings. It is the last of the harvest festivals (after Lammas and Mabon); in some traditions it symbolizes th ...

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Samhain, Samhain - Etymology, Samhain - Ancient Celts, Samhain - Celtic folklore, Samhain - Neo-Paganism, Samhain - Pop culture references

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The depictions of Cernunnos are strikingly consistent throughout the Celtic world. His most distinctive attribute are his stag's horns, and he is usually portrayed as a mature man with long hair and a beard. He wears a torc, an ornate neck-ring used by the Celts to denote nobility. He often carries other torcs in his hands or hanging from his horns, as well as a purse filled with coins. He is usually portrayed seated and cross-legged, in a position which some have interpreted as meditative or shamanic, although it may only reflect the fact that the C ...

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Cernunnos, Cernunnos - Origins, Cernunnos - Etymology, Cernunnos - Iconography, Cernunnos - Medieval traces, Cernunnos - Neo-Paganism, Cernunnos - Wicca

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Cernunos is known, from archaeological sources such as inscriptions and depictions, to have been worshipped in Gaul, Northern Italy (Gallia Cisalpina) and the southern coast of Britain. The earliest known probable depiction of Cernunnos was found at Val Camonica in Italy, dating from the 4th century BC, while the best known depiction is on the famous Gundestrup cauldron found in Denmark and dating to the 1st century BC. In Gallo-Roman religion, his name is known from the "Pillar of the Boatmen" ("Pilier des nautes"), a monument ...

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Cernunnos, Cernunnos - Origins, Cernunnos - Etymology, Cernunnos - Iconography, Cernunnos - Medieval traces, Cernunnos - Neo-Paganism, Cernunnos - Wicca

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Cernunnos - Wicca. In Wicca, imagery derived from historical Celtic culture is sometimes used, including a depiction of Cernunnos, often referred to as The Horned God. This version of Cernunnos is based little on historical findings and more on phallic symbolism, merged from elements of Pan and from Eliphas Lévi's depiction of Baphomet. The adherents generally follow a life-fertility-death cycle for Cernunnos, though his death is now usually set at Samhain, the Gaelic New Year Festival usually taking place on Oc ...

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Cernunnos, Cernunnos - Origins, Cernunnos - Etymology, Cernunnos - Iconography, Cernunnos - Medieval traces, Cernunnos - Neo-Paganism, Cernunnos - Wicca

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The Celtic calendar divided the year into two halves, the "dark" half, beginning with the month Samonios (the October/November lunation), and the "light half", beginning with the Giamonios (the April/May lunation). The entire year appears to have been considered as beginning with the "dark" half, so that the beginning of Samonios may be considered the Celtic New Year's day. All months began at full moon, and the celebration of New Year took place during the "three nights of Samonios" (Gaulish trinux[tion] samo[nii]), the full moon of ...

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Samhain, Samhain - Etymology, Samhain - Ancient Celts, Samhain - Celtic folklore, Samhain - Neo-Paganism, Samhain - Pop culture references

Read more here: » Samhain: Encyclopedia II - Samhain - Ancient Celts

The attested forms of the theonym are traditionally derived from Proto-Germanic *Wōđanaz[1] (in Old Norse word-initial *w- was dropped before rounded vowels and so the name became Óðinn). Adam von Bremen etymologizes the god worshipped by the 11th century Scandinavian pagans as "Wodan id est furor" ("Wodan, which means 'fury'"). An obsolete alternate etymology, which has been adhered to by many early writers includi ...

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Wodanaz, Wodanaz - Etymology, Wodanaz - Odin and Mercury, Wodanaz - Celtic parallels, Wodanaz - Shamanic traits, Wodanaz - Worship, Wodanaz - Migration period, Wodanaz - Viking Age, Wodanaz - Medieval reception, Wodanaz - Revivals, Wodanaz - Notes, Wodanaz - Literature

Read more here: » Wodanaz: Encyclopedia II - Wodanaz - Etymology

In the Roman Republic, the Pontifex Maximus was the highest office in the polytheistic Roman religion, which was very much a state cult. His was the most important of the Pontifices (plural of Pontifex), positions in the main sacred college (Collegium Pontificum), which he directed. Other members of this priesthood included the Rex Sacrorum (king of the sacred rites), the Flamines (each devoted to a major deity), the Vestales. During the early Republic, the Pontifex Maximus selected the members to hold these posts ...

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Pontifex Maximus, Pontifex Maximus - Etymology, Pontifex Maximus - Origins, duties, and development of the Pagan Pontifices, Pontifex Maximus - Legacy, Pontifex Maximus - Christian usage, Pontifex Maximus - The tradition of sovereign as High Priest, Pontifex Maximus - Popular culture, Pontifex Maximus - Incomplete list of Pontifices maximi, Pontifex Maximus - Furthermore

Read more here: » Pontifex Maximus: Encyclopedia II - Pontifex Maximus - Origins, duties, and development of the Pagan Pontifices

In the Roman Republic, the Pontifex Maximus was the highest office in the polytheistic Roman religion, which was very much a state cult. His was the most important of the Pontifices (plural of Pontifex), positions in the main sacred college (Collegium Pontificum), which he directed. Other members of this priesthood included the Rex Sacrorum (king of the sacred rites), the Flamines (each devoted to a major deity), the Vestales. During the early Republic, the Pontifex Maximus selected the members to hold these posts ...

See also:

Pontifex Maximus, Pontifex Maximus - Etymology, Pontifex Maximus - Origins duties and development of the Pagan Pontifices, Pontifex Maximus - Legacy, Pontifex Maximus - Christian usage, Pontifex Maximus - The tradition of sovereign as High Priest, Pontifex Maximus - Popular culture, Pontifex Maximus - Incomplete list of Pontifices maximi, Pontifex Maximus - Furthermore

Read more here: » Pontifex Maximus: Encyclopedia II - Pontifex Maximus - Origins duties and development of the Pagan Pontifices