Pagans: The Visual Culture of Pagan Myths, Legends and Rituals

A clear, concise and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and beautiful visual and material culture of paganism

For more than a thousand years, a diverse range of peoples, from Ireland to India and from the Andes to Australia, have been labelled ‘Pagan’ by the Christians who encountered them. Since the twentieth century new groups have emerged – wiccans, druids, neo-shamans and heathens – who openly call themselves Pagans. But who are these Pagans and what do they believe? Which gods and goddesses do they revere? Do they worship nature? Do they practise divination and magic?

From sacred plants imbued with supernatural powers to hand-carved amulets that repel evil, and from mischievous spirits of nature to holy mountains, Pagans find divine value in the natural world and spiritual significance in the material universe. Delve within these pages and examine the myriad paintings and sculptures, shrines and ceremonial objects that reveal the stories, symbols and rituals of Paganism.

Contents List:

Introduction
Ancient Ways
1: Goddesses + Gods
2: Myths + Legends
3: Numinous Nature
Ritual
1: Sacred Sites
2: Witchcraft
3: Oracles + Divination
Community
1: Festivals
2: Embodied Faith
3: Journeying

About the Author:

Ethan Doyle White is a writer and researcher interested in the religious beliefs and practices of early medieval England as well as contemporary Paganism and related forms of occultism. He is the author of Wicca: History, Belief, and Community in Modern Pagan Witchcraft and co-editor of Magic and Witchery in the Modern West. Other publications have dealt with topics including modern Pagan activity at Britain’s archaeological monuments, the revived worship of the god Antinous, and the occult films of Kenneth Anger.