First of all, I'd like to start out by saying this is actually a paper I did for one of my college classes and I got an A on it as well as a kudos from the theology department (and I'm not even taking Theology hee hee)

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller, rustic") is defined as being the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of pre-Christian Europe, and by extension a term for polytheistic traditions or folk religion worldwide seen from a Western or Christian viewpoint. The term has various different meanings, though, from a Western perspective, it has modern connotations of a faith that haspolytheistic, spiritualist, animistic or shamanic practices, such as a folk religion , historical polytheistic or neopagan religion. This would also encompass Wicca, Native American Spirituality and even Asatru. Asatru people prefer to be addressed as “heathen” to separate themselves from the rest of the pagan community.
Basically a pagan isn’t a label for just one religion. It’s actually a way of tribal life that existed before Christianity was introduced to Europe. It has been defined as a person who is close to the land. In the times of when Christianity was first introduced to Europe, this also meant the old religion of which embraced deities such as the Celtic god Wotan (who is also known as Odin or Woden throughout Scandanavia) and not embracing the Christian faith. They still hung onto the concept of a horned god of fertility and goddess mother figures. Ironically enough, in Christianity the “horned god” figure has become a symbol of evil known as Satan. Unfortunately, there was no solid, written text about the teachings within these older religions. Many of the stories that still exist about the gods have been passed down throughout generation to generation and the practices of the various rituals were kept within private circles when Christianity’s influence dominated the region. Many of the days which are celebrated within the pagan faiths are the solstices and equinoxes. These days were marked on ancient calendars kept by the people of that specific time. Each tradition has evolved from their early tribal days to set religions with their own rules, beliefs and laws today. Many pagans have acquired the label of “Witch”, which is taken from the old Anglo Saxon word “Wice” or “Wicce” that translates to sorcerer or magic user. In many cases throughout England and Northern Ireland the Gaelic word “Druid” or the Scandinavian word “Seit” which translates to “seer”; as per their practice of divination and shaman like duties was also used.
The druids were more than just mystical shaman like priests. In Celtic societies they also played the role of of priest, judge, scholar, and teacher. Like I mentioned earlier in this essay, little else is known about them and their practices. What is known is that the druids and the Celts were very savage and war like people; very much like the Vikings. One of their traditions that had been depicted in early drawings is the severing of an enemy’s head, impaled, and left to rot until Samhain where ale or mead was drank from it in honor of the fallen enemy. Other practices also included human sacrifice to the old gods along with animals. Today we do not live in a tribal society, and the word “pagan” has been “watered down” to a mere label that describes a person that bases their spiritual beliefs on those of the gods and goddesses of those ancient times.
Asatru is another religion that existed during the ancient pre Christian times. Asatru was an actual name given to the worship of the old Scandinavian and Germanic Gods. The Germanic and Scandinavian people were very much alike in lifestyle including the savage similarities between the Celts and the Vikings. The only difference is that the Asatru holidays are set on a different calendar and the worship of the gods was done through the means of a drinking horn and sometimes animal sacrifice known as “blot”. The “father god” they worshipped the most was the god Odin (who the Celts knew as Wotan or Woden). Later on, Asatru became official when the religion was recognized by the Icelandic government in 1972. People who practice the religion wish to be referred to as “Heathen” or “Tru-folk”, rather than “Pagan” because they feel it distinguishes them as being more affiliated with the Vikings and the Norsemen rather than the Celts, Druids and other faith groups that fall within the “pagan umbrella”. Although the two are very similar, in the aspect of the identities of the gods and goddesses mirroring each other, the holy days and ways of worship differ.
In the early 1950’s Gerald Gardner introduced a revival of the old religions with what is known as the Gardernarian Tradition of Wicca. Wicca is derived from the ancient word “Wicce” as well. He also published a written text known as “Witchcraft Today” . The book discusses some of the fundamental laws and rules that apply to the new religion of Wicca. Gardner embraced the old traditions, folklore, and even revived the concept of the horned god and the mother goddess. This is why many Christians confuse the concept of the “horned god” as Satan and associate the two together.
Gardner not only borrowed from the old Celtic folklore, he also researched the old Celtic calendar and named the days of celebration as “sabbats”. Gardner also implemented the concept of using an altar and various tools of practice much like Roman Catholicism. He also developed a set of rules and traditions. One of these rules is called the “Wiccan Rede”. It states “An ye harm none, do as thou will.” within its text. Gardner also included the old Hindu belief of Karma within the Wiccan religion. A law he called “The Tree Fold Law” states that your actions will come back to you three fold whether you do good or bad.
Although Wicca was a revival of the traditions of some very old European societies, not everyone adapted all of Gardner’s tradition or beliefs. Many took Wicca and implemented their own pantheon of gods and goddesses to the worship and rituals of Wicca and didn’t limit their worship to just one god and one goddess.
Other traditions of Wicca had sprung up over the years which also included Norse Wicca which use a drinking horn rather than a chalice and invoked the old Norse deities, and Dyanic Wicca which more of monotheistic belief that there is only a goddess. Dyanic Wicca had become very popular amongst the feminist community over the past decade. Many other people wished to not adapt the religion at all. They wanted to maintain the belief and worship of the old gods without all the rituals, rules and regulations that Wicca adheres to. In modern times, the community has the saying “All Wiccans are pagans, but not all pagans are Wiccans”. Neither spiritual path believed in a devil or a Satan. As a matter of fact, they don’t believe in Lucifer at all but still get a lot of intolerance from a lot of Christian churches; especially when 1971 happened.
In 1971 Aton Le Vay founder of the First Church of Satan, published a book entitled The Complete Witch (Republished in 1989 as The Satanic Witch). This struck outrage in the Wiccan community because Satan, being a Christian concept (and the Christian Church’s #1 enemy) , was now making his headway into the pagan community and associating himself with the witches! Wicca and paganism are “kissing cousins” because Wicca was born out of paganism, but the introduction of Satan into the “magical community” sparked more of a controversy because of the friction of belief systems. Not only that, the new “Satanic Witch” being present in the pagan community turned the “intolerance volume knob” up another few notches and created a mess of misunderstanding to anyone calling themselves a “witch” and wearing the ancient symbol of the pentagram which represents the connecting of all four elements, plus the spirit in the Wiccan world. Both religions worship a “horned god”, but the beliefs within that identity are like black and white only starting with one being a pre- Christian concept and the other being an entirely Christian concept. The Satanic Church jokingly states on their website “Satan is the best friend the Christian church has ever had. After all, he’s kept them in business for years.
Our ancestors of the old tribal times from around the world may have died off and evolved into what modern day society is, but their belief systems still exist within our communities even if it’s a reconstructed version. The next time you hear someone referring to themselves as a “heathen” or a “witch”, do not think they are insulting themselves. You may be in the presence of someone who knows the lost language of these ancient gods.