Wot is a Pegan?!?!
....I hear you ask.
Well, first of all, it's not "pegan". Nor is it "pagen". It is PAGAN. (Please do not make that mistake, it is very annoying.) "Paganism" is an umbrella term. That means it's a term that applies to many religions, rather than a religion in and of itself. At it's most basic, a Pagan is simply an adherent of a religion that is not Abrahamic (meaning not Christian, Jewish, or Islamic). A tighter definition (which is the one we use here) excludes excludes Eastern and Dharmic religions as well (such as Shinto and Hinduism). While they are technically Pagan, often they prefer not to be placed under the Pagan umbrella. In general practice, the word Pagan tends to refer to members of a Neo-Pagan religion more than anything else.
So what's a Neo-Pagan?
Neo-Paganism is another, somewhat smaller, umbrella term. It applies to any religion that is new and not Abrahamic, and primarily to those religions that are inspired by, derived from, or reconstructed forms of pre-Christian polytheisms of Europe and the Near East.
Are all Pagan religions Polytheistic?
No. Polytheism - for those unaware - refers to religions that worship three or more deities. Some Pagan religions are ditheistic, some are more henotheistic, some pantheistic, some are monotheistic. "Monotheistic?" I hear you ask. "I thought that was limited to Abrahamic religions?" Not so! Behold: Tengriism. (I reckon it counts.) Some Pagan religions are even atheistic, or non-theistic. Some are simply animistic.
But what do all those terms mean?!
Polytheism: the belief and worship of many gods.
Ditheism: the worship of two gods.
Henotheism: the belief in many gods, but the worship of only one.
Pantheism: "all is deity", the belief that everything/the universe/the world is god.
Monolatrism: the belief in many deities, but the belief that only one is worthy of worship.
Monism: the belief that all deities share a source.
Monotheism: the belief in and worship of one god.
Atheism: the lack of belief in a deity.
Animism: the belief that all things have a spirit.
Polytheism is further divided into soft polytheism - the belief that all deities are aspects or forms of one or two overarching deities - and hard polytheism - the belief in multiple deities as separate, distinct entities.
List o' Pagan Religions
(Disclaimer: as mentioned above this thread primarily geared towards Neo-Paganism, so while we have done our best to include most of the major paths that one might be interested in, it does not list every single Pagan religion that exists.)
Wicca
A coven-based fertility religion. Wiccans are initiates of groups called "covens", all of which are lineaged through initiation to the creator of the religion, Gerald Gardner. Wiccans worship two deities, known to non-initiates as "the Lord and Lady of the Isles" and known by name only to Wiccans themselves. Wicca is fertility based, and its rites involve sexual elements. It is a priesthood, and this, as well as the sexual aspects, are why minors are not initiated by the vast majority of covens. Wicca was described by its founder as a "witchcult", meaning both that it is a religion that places great import on cultus (that is, physical and "observable" elements of a religion) and is a religion of witches that involves witchcraft and the practice of magic. It is an orthopraxy, placing its emphasis on "correct practice" rather than correct belief.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft is not a religion, and in itself is not Pagan. It is a craft, and as such can be practiced by individuals of many religions, including Abrahamic ones, and by those who consider themselves non-religious. There are forms of religious witchcraft, however, such as Wicca. Some people, usually Pagans, may describe their primary spirituality as a form of religious witchcraft and may self-define primarily as, for example, a Green witch or an eclectic witch. That's fine. It should be understood, however, that witchcraft itself is not religious.
Recon Religions
Reconstructionist or "recon" religions are attempts to reconstruct the Pagan religions of pre-Christian cultures. If there's a pre-Christian religion we know about, there can be a recon form of it, essentially, but this is easier or more difficult for the practitioner based on how much lore (the myths and legends of the religion) survives and how much historical and archaeological information we have. Members of recon religions attempt to practice the religion as it was practiced, but recognize that they live here and now, and as such it's not possible to practice the religion exactly as it was practiced. (For example, it is no longer considered appropriate to sacrifice slaves and criminals to Odin.)
We will touch on some major Recon religions of note, but others include (and are not limited to):
Finnish Recon
Various Celtic Recons (no, they are not all the same)
Religio Romana (Roman recon)
Sumerian Recon
Heathenry and Asatru
Asatru is a reconstructionist religion. Asatru itself is part of a small umbrella called "Heathenry" that includes all Teutonic and Nordic recons and recon-inspired paths. Asatru is the most popular, but there are other terms like "Theodism" and "Forn Sed" ( "Old Tradition" ) that have slightly different slants and focuses. Odinism is also a term but it is associated with racism, so tends to be avoided. Some choose simply to refer to themselves as Heathens. Asatru is polytheistic, and focuses on the worship of Aesir and Vanir, two tribes of gods, a handful of Jotun, and honors ancestors and land-wights, or spirits. They draw their beliefs and practices from the Eddas and Sagas as well as archaeological and historical evidence. The text Havamal is the basis for ethical guidelines.
Slavic Recon
Slavic Reconstructionism is a polytheistic religion seeking to reconstruct the ancient ethnic religion of the Slavic peoples, a diverse group of people including Russians, Ukrainians, Bielorussians, Poles, Slovaks, Rusyns, Kashubs, Sorbs, Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, and Bulgarians among others that are united by their shared language, culture, and customs. In ancient times, religion among these different groups varied wildly, even between individual villages, though in modern times it is dominated by East Slavic thought and sources. Traditional folklore and customs are highly regarded and form the basis of material. Dualism is an important and permeating concept, though not necessarily in the Western sense of it, as are nature spirits and gods.
As a sub-concept - there is Double Faith (Dvoje Vierie, or Dve Viere) - a syncretic Slavic religion that arose as a result of forceful conversions that survives in traditional culture in the villages. It combines Orthodox and Catholic practices with heathen ones, syncretizing old gods with Christian saints and blending heathen stories into Christian folklore.
Hellenism
Hellenism is a form of reconstructionism focused on Greek pre-Christian religion. Hellenics have the largest bulk of myth and lore to draw from, but it tends to be Athens-focused; different city-states in Greece did things in different ways and so did people in the countryside. Homer, Hesiod, and the Homeric and Orphic hymns are notable. Hellenics value piety among other things, and some may eschew the practice of magic as impious. The holiday calendar is extensive, based on time of year and of month. The monthly calendar is Greek and based on the phases of the moon.
Kemeticism
Egyptian reconstructionist religion. Some groups interpret the Egyptian gods, the Netjer, in a largely monistic sense, though this is hardly the only interpretation (indeed, it may not be historically supported). (See above.) The Laws of Ma'at are of note as moral guides.
Shamanism
Shamanism is not a religion. It's a tradition of other-world travel and spiritual techniques specific to particular peoples of Siberia. Other cultures may have corresponding techniques and traditions, but it is proper to call those by their culturally relevant titles - for example, seidhr in Asatru - rather than appropriating a term from a different tradition. It is often used for all such animistic, spirit-traveling traditions in anthropology but this thread is not anthropological, thus no such misappropriation will fly here.
Druidism
Druidism is not a religion. The Druids were the priests, doctors, teachers and law-givers in Celtic cultures. They were wiped out by the Romans, and living Celtic cultures no longer have a use for them, that is, their place in the cultures has been replaced by modern doctors, teachers, and law-givers. The teachings of the Druids have been lost, and it is inappropriate to nick off with this title. There are groups that use the word "druid", like OBOD and ADF, but they have failed to define the title as they use it and really have no right to it.
Vodou and Santeria
Vodou (also Voudon, Voodoo) and Santeria are Diaspora religions, meaning religions that came out of the mass enslavement and forced transportation mostly of African peoples. Because of the penalties for keeping pagan worship as slaves, it became fused with Catholicism. While there is one overarching God, there are several spirits that are called on for intercession and aid. Both are initiation religions that include three stages of clergy as well as lay people. While Vodou and Santeria are very different- they also have a lot in common because of their roots.
Eclectic Neo-Paganism
The most popular form of Neo-Pagan religion. Not a religion in itself, it's a phrase that describes what may be the majority of Pagans. Eclecticism is the practice of taking what one considers the best of beliefs and practices from a variety of religions and cultures and creates one's own religion from these. It is very hard to do well, as there are many things - runes, for example - that cannot be removed from their cultural settings, lest they lose all meaning. So the ethical ENP must make sure that in their studies they are not appropriating things that cannot be removed from their cultural context, and that they are respectful to the gods involved and the cultures and religions they are taking from.
Feri
Feri, sometimes called Anderson Feri, is a tradition of Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, emerging from the work and teaching of the late Victor Anderson and his wife Cora. It is semi-initiatory: one can practice the religion alone, but one can only reach a certain point in one's studies without gaining initiation and introduction to its mysteries. The Feri Tradition is polytheistic, recognizing many manifestations of the Divine from many different places and times, but it is primarily a Goddess-centered religion, worshiping an androgynous deity referred to as "God Herself" or the Goddess. It is gender-equal and open to those of any sexual orientation. Training and magical practices place a strong emphasis on the importance of fully realizing the male and female principles within oneself. Other teachings include the three souls and the iron and pearl pentacle.
Reclaiming
Founded by Starhawk and Diane Baker, Reclaiming is essentially a monotheistic religion. It is a form of Goddess Worship, the Goddess of the religion considered to be an immanent life force. It was formed by combining elements of Dianic witchcraft with elements of Feri. While Goddess- and feminist-focused, it does initiate men, in comparison to Dianic witchcraft. Reclaiming works with fiction and fairy tales as a form of teaching and has a great stress on political activism, particularly feminism and environmentalism. Reclaiming's chants are popular throughout Neo-Paganism, for example "We All Come from the Goddess".
Standing Stone
Scott Cunningham's form of Neo-Pagan witchcraft, the basis of many others' eclecticisms and mistaken by many to be Wicca (which is fair enough given the titles of some of his books). The religion is based on his books "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" and "Living Wicca" (both misnomers), personal work and introspection, and his recently published Book of Shadows. Cunningham was initiated into Wicca, but left shortly after his first-degree initiation. He draws inspiration from Wicca in creating his own religious witchcraft, but they don't share much in common. Standing Stone is light-slanted and soft polytheistic, worshiping a largely genial Goddess and God.
Dianic Witchcraft
Never a part of Wicca, although it referred to itself as such for quite a long time. Created by Zsuzanna Budapest, it is a form of feminist witchcraft worshipping a single Goddess. It's largely coven-based, although there can be solitary practitioners. It is also nearly entirely woman-only, and most covens will not initiate men. It focuses on women's mysteries and considers itself an earth- or nature-based religion. It took some inspiration from Wicca and as such its coven-based rituals tend to be quite ceremonial in nature. Despite the name, it is not connected to Roman religion or the Roman goddess Diana. Some Dianics recognize the existence of a God, but do not worship him, at least not to the extent they do their Goddess.
Seax-Wica
Created by Ray Buckland, it nonetheless does not contain any of the mysteries of Wicca and is not a Wiccan tradition. While it does place an emphasis on coven work, one can dedicate oneself to the religion and its gods alone and practice solitary. The gods of Seax are the Anglo-Saxon deities Woden and Freya. The name is taken from the Scottish knife, the seax, which is also a primary ritual tool. It is loosely Wicca-based and as such rituals are fairly ceremonial, although not as ceremonial as some.
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