A History of Pagan Europe

by Prudence J. Jones, Nigel Pennick

A History of Pagan Europe is the first comprehensive study of its kind, and establishes Paganism as a persistent force in European history with a profound influence on modern thinking. This timely second edition bring the books completely up-to-date and includes analysis of recent work in the area. From the serpent goddesses of ancient Crete to modern nature-worship and the restoration of the indigenous religions of Eastern Europe, this wide-ranging book offered a rewarding - often provocative - new perspective on European history. This second edition includes: expanded discussion of the significance of the Olympian pantheon and the interrelationship of Greece and the Near East, and of the synthesis of paganism and Christianity new analysis of 20th century paganism and the coherence of paganism across time a new glossary and chronology. A History of Pagan Europe is essential for all readers interested in the development of religions across the centuries and around the globe.

Genres: History, Paganism, Religion, Nonfiction, Mythology, Ancient History, Spirituality

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[else fine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always a little leery of historians with an obvious axe to grind, and the authors of this book - better known for a series of New Age and Wiccan publications - definitely qualify. I think they overcompensated for their bias by being as dry and academic as humanly possible, thus rendering their legitimately interesting subject matter into a painful and tedious slog. If you can get past these two rather large hurdles, you will find a wealth of rewarding historical detail here, and a surprising look at European history for those of us who accepted without question that paganism was pretty much finished with the conversion of Constantine. Sorry, that sentence got really long.

[Rhyd Wildermuth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The question of paganism in europe doesn't present itself immediately as a matter of scandal, though the relative absence of histories on the subject does at least hint at the controversy of the topic. Usually relegated to Folkloric studies (with their classifications and archetypes) the issue of paganism is miserably under-treated.

Contention exists over the very definition of pagan--the general "western-academic" consensus is that it is a useless or over-used word, stolen by new-age neopagans to mean something somehow universal. History usually attempts to draw straight lines through time, successions of tendencies and thinkers one after the other until the present (or until the death of the idea), and is more than happy to this sort of thing as long as funding for "history of science" grants continue. Everything that can fit into the grand-narrative is important (or, conversely, nothing that has already been used in the grand-narratives matters), leaving the question of pagan/indigenous beliefs of europe to the celtic-tapestry lot (of which, i'm told, i belong).

So, what then to make of the libraries and archives full of catholic denunciations of "pagan" practices remaining all the way into the 19th century? Offerings at well, shouting at the moon, refusing to eat certain animals or drinking certain things on certain days. Injunctions against paying any attention to the phase of the moon at all are rife. The Catholic (and its reformist-children) church has long tried to uproot these practises, and as facile as it might be to attribute such tirades to religious hysteria, the fact people that some people still throw spilled salt over their shoulder or that most of old bretons in northwest france still tie ribbons over "fairie wells" (i've seen it personally) suggests that the pagan-tendency was never fully uprooted.

So, come we now to Jones and Pennick. Their book is an inadequate (but welcome) addition to the shelf that so far only contains books like The Golden Bough. Slim (288 pages), well-researched, but unsatisfying. I don't mean to be hard on them, seeing as how they couldn't seem to secure any sort of funding whatsoever for their subject matter (and recieved rather vicious reviews by folklorists for disturbing their comfortable calculus). But it's too small, a tiny drop in an drained pool. Still, since it's something at all, and more than interesting to read, i highly suggest it. Work on the lithuanian pagan kingdom is appreciated (not original, but most wouldn't know where else to turn), but the sense that they're screaming into the wind is difficult to shake. They know they're not wrong, they're not being foolish, and yet they seem to apologise almost--take us seriously, they almost say, even though the reader probably already is. I did, i still do. But having read other accounts alluding to the same periods, i can't help but think they could use a little more confidence.

One thing they do well, however, is begin to place european paganism within the context of other paganisms. One of the biggest objections to anyone beginning to address the issue is the right-wing tendency of some european and anglo paganisms: every white-boy software coder was pretty certain he was scottish after Braveheart, and not a few of them used this new-found heritage to argue against other indigenous-rights movements (scots were an oppressed people, too, and so why are all the american First Nations complaining?). There's a way out of this, and it seems humorously simple, though one needs to look elsewhere (I suggest India--Chakrabarty and Leela Ghandi). J&P begin some of the work to link paganisms outside of racial/tribal groups (race didn't exist as a notion till the 19th century--is no one reading Hannah Arendt anymore?), and a lot more could be done, but again we come back to the question: why should J&P have to apologise for a bunch of white idiots at Microsoft calling themselves "goths in the traditional germanic sense"?

[Eric Tanafon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've re-read this book several times, though its shortcomings are more apparent to me now. The writers were over-ambitious, and a bit biased toward Wicca and Celtic culture. But on the other hand, where else would you find a recipe to reverse the effects of baptism? (Hint: it involves alder bark.)

What A History of Pagan Europe does well is to convey that in Europe, as elsewhere, civilization was invented by Pagans; that Christianity's takeover was often violent, involving forced conversions of entire cultures; and that nonetheless, Pagan outlooks and practices continued far later than most people would think. I'll also say that the bibliography is helpful, and there are a fair number of footnotes (though still, not enough), which is unusual for something Nigel Pennick had a hand in. (In his other books you're always thinking, "Wow, that's interesting. I'd like to know more, but hmmm...there's no reference. How does he know that??")

But the book tries to cover too much ground too quickly, and the focus isn't always clear. I'd have liked to see more in-depth analysis of the worldview and the gods of each culture, rather than general statements about Pagan religion and a quick list of gods and goddesses with their main attributes. But the title of the book does say "History", and the text is rife with names, dates, and places. The pictures that are included are good and interesting (though sometimes placed out of context), but it would have been nice to have some more to help navigate through the sometimes dense text. Also, the lack of maps is a problem. There are a bunch of places where a tribe would be mentioned who lived north, or south, or across from some river or valley I've never heard of, and it would have been helpful to get some idea of where the hell these people were!

With all its faults, though, this is an important book that can help point one towards materials for deeper study. I will probably be reading it again.

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty great book considering it was written by "modern pagans", whatever that is supposed to be. It's Routledge and has a nice bibliography so I figured I'd give it a chance even though neither author seems to have any academic credentials to put in the cover blurb. Whatever. I know better than to put any stock in academia. I also, however, know better than to put any stock in crystal-rubbing Stonehenge rimmers.
That said, the book is surprisingly informative. All things, of course, have roots, especially religious traditions, which this is primarily a history of. The skeletal remains of what the authors call "pagan" seem uncontroversial at this point, but it is still an interesting coalescence of data, especially the bits on Scandinavia and the Baltics. Not much on the Mediterranean, which is kind of weird, but, whatever, Wiccans!

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a difficult read, but it was also extremely informative. I've had to read it three times to glean the information that I wanted from it, which is why it's taken me so long to post this review.

As the casual observer can tell, I am fascinated with those portions of history that are either sugar-coated, glossed over or ignored in mainstream education - unless you choose to become a history major.

This book, along with Ramon Jiminez's "Caesar & The Celts" fills in a few gaps in a Doctoral Thesis sort of way. Now do dig through their bibliographies for more nuggets of reading!

[Adrian Colesberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting review book. Paganism pre-Constantine was just called religion of course and this examination of what we know is very useful to anyone interested in a non-sentimental view of those beliefs. It takes serious scholarship to come up with answers simply because most of what we know comes from hostile sources, Christian texts assaulting the "pagans."

[Alan Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is truly loaded with information and is great to get an overview of european history, not just beliefs and practices. The chapters are about different regions but they all overlap each other. There is an overview of both beliefs and history of the peoples in each chapter. It reads like a collection of wikipedia articles and constantly lists places and groups of people I had to look up. And I mean constantly, but to fit this much information into 220 pages, there are things that have to be sacrificed. Sometimes it was annoying and they were just trying to do too much. Its 400 A.D. and a sentence later its 800 A.D. and then 200 A.D. a sentence after that. I give it 4 stars because I feel I learned so much information from it. I am just starting to research a lot of history and this book gave me a firm ground to stand on for the entire continent of Europe, and I feel few other books could accomplish that, and in 220 pages. I had more of an understanding of mythology and folk-practices than history, so if one were well versed in the opposite, they may have a different experience. I hung up a map of europe beside me and know the continent inside out now. I feel the information is pretty unbiased. Much less biased than most history books because the person actually has religious understanding. The writers are pagan practicioners, and I agree with other reviewers that they may have tried to come across as so unbiased that the book comes across as dry at times, like an encyclopedia. I dont recall really disagreeing with much, but in the last chapter, I feel that the writers really were excited to show the development of modern neo-paganism so much that they got a little biased on the couple of pages about the Third Reich, insisting that there is really no connection with Paganism, which I agree with for most followers but there are some pretty irrefutable facts to the contrary, at least among many higher-ups and people who helped start the movement towards German nationalism, which was really developing for 100s of years. I mention that because I think they were so into trying to present pagan revival as something so innocent that they didnt want to look at the real facts in some minority of cases. As I said, I see no real distortion of information that is intentional, the writers just clearly have a belief that all pagans are, while many times in history ruthless just like monotheist leaders but not in the same dualist, world transforming and prejudiced way, fully accepting of other religions because they believe in the other peoples Gods. That may be true to a pretty large degeee but its not entirely true. Many Pagans were upset when idols from other countries were brought in, destoryed short lasting temples instituted by an emporor or Pharoah who thinks differently than them, and actually sometimes did persecute cults even in Greece. Its much less common than in Monotheistic times and usually didnt result in mass killing but its there in a different way, although kindof understandable usually by what they are suppressing (which are often things that are not easy to coexist with in an organized society). And clearly at some point when mythology became more matriarchal, there had to be some degree of putting down older beliefs and cults, although they clearly survive. So...its not all necessarily bright and sunny in Pagan history, although we certainly dont see Crusades and such. I mean, they said that Viking raids are understandable because thats their way of life and view of the world, but wouldn't a group of Knights slaying people in the Balkans have the same view of themselves. That said, clearly Monotheists missionaries and such were less accepting and more ruthless. Im not arguing that. Its a fine book. Its slow at times and I got tired of looking stuff up but its the best book I've seen to get an entire overview in a small space and I'll probably read it again because I can't recall everything because there was so much to take in.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a New Age book but a chronicle of Pagan peoples and influence in Western history.

[Sverre · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of history can be reviewed from at least two main perspectives: 1. Does it present factual information without author bias, and 2. Does the text have a readable, comprehensible and logical format (i.e. is it accessible). As for the first, I think the authors have put in a lot of effort to provide the reader with well-known as well as obscure facts sifted from five thousand years of historical and archaeological research. It is unfortunate that also much of its contents relies on hearsay, guesswork and extrapolation. I believe that the authors, who reportedly are of the Pagan persuasion, have tried conscientiously to make a balanced and neutral presentation although in a few places I detect some tongue-in-cheek ironical digs.

As for the second perspective, its reader accessibility I would give it a failing mark. It is severely lacking in structure and focus. The text seldom stays on its stated chapter’s topic for more than a paragraph or two. It jumps forward and back in time; it constantly inserts anecdotal information; it flightily tosses around facts, tidbits and asides, lacking scholarly depth. Overall its presentational form is a mishmash. However, its detailed index does redeem its disorganization to a great extent. Is it useful? For the generalist interested in the topic it does offer up a lot of information. As far as any academic worth is concerned many would probably rate it as mediocre.

It is fascinating to comprehend how faith and beliefs have existed since the advent of man/womankind. Some have been localized to a small group, others have gained worldwide acceptance. Over time beliefs have become superimposed on each other. More authoritative creeds have tried to push aside and even obliterate less authoritative ones. Today we are witnessing authoritative forms of Islam attempting to vanquish western civilization which has become secularized and liberalized, favoring cultural pluralism. This book proves that nothing stays the same. Changing loyalties and beliefs are often catalysts for confrontation and suppression. Lasting solutions are found in dialogue, diplomacy and compromise. The imprint of paganism is still an underlying factor in our modern time (e.g. traditional customs, celebrations and rituals). Since neo-pagans will be interested in reading this book about the past I wonder: Based on their naturalistic polymorphous beliefs can neo-pagans contribute to reach convergent solutions in today’s world or is their interest quaintly isolated and insular, searching for the revival of obscure meanings from the past?

[Cobramor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The social and historical contexts represent a bigger part of this book, than the actual paganism bit. In fact, the gods and rituals are described in a manner that tries to address them as religion, there is definitely missing some romantism on this book.

It looks more like an index of cults and adoration than an actual book, which is a shame. Nevertheless, books on this subject are somewhat rare, so it's still a worthwile read.

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Pennick and Prudence Jones have done exhaustive research and reading to bring the readership this volume. A survey of Pagan religion ideas starting off first with the Greeks and the Cretan then going into Roman Paganism and then giving full survey of Celtic and Norse Paganism, finally ending up with Baltic and Slavic Paganism.

The idea of the Goddess and her consort come to life in the discussion of Minoan Crete. THE Minoans were an agrarian people who were very peaceful and lived in unwalled cities. This all changed with the Mycenaean’s who tended to be more war like and less pastoralists. They changed things to walled cities which were like fortresses and built them on top of hills. This continued into Greece mainland. Later came the Dacians and with their military conquests came the Olympian Gods we all know and sometimes love. Of course what this book lays out it that ancient paganism was not so simple an monolithic. Sometimes different regions each had their own gods.

The Etruscans of Northern Italy may have come from the Middle East or Anatolia. They were an advanced civilization that built elaborate temples, water ways and roads. The Romans would later learn from them. In fact the Romans were once governed by them and this contact influenced how they dressed and behaved. The Etruscans had a form of divination that was very similar to the Mesopotamian way of dong things and their skills were in demand even after they came under the control of the Roman. They used to have three deities Tinia (God of boundaries), Uni (nighttime goddess) and Minerva (War and Wisdom). The Etruscans also believed in fate and destination.

The Romans were Latins who established Rome on three hills. They learned from the Greek colonies in the south and the Etruscans in the North. There original deities became Grecianized and melded to the Greek deities. Using what they learned they became bent on conquest. They also allowed for any religion to be practiced, especially private ones in the place of your own home. Some cults that came from abroad were the cults of Isis and Serapis and Mithraism from Persia. As the Romans pressed forward they would leave behind documentation of the cultures they conquered and they would spread Roman ideas and religion as well.

The Romans conquered many people but the first spoken of were the Celts. Much like the Romans the Celts had different spirits who were connected to the land, well of tree. They did not worship in temples or buildings but rather in groves. Triple goddesses like the Miorrigan were prevalent of course this could have been a borrowing from the Greco Roman civilizations with who they came into contact with. The Celts were reported to engage in human sacrifice and using the sacrificial victims for divination purposes. The women also fought and some famous warrior queen were female. The deities were also male and female. But the priesthood by and large was male with a few exceptions where all the Druids were females.

What we would call the Norse or Germanic Tribes was something more complex then what we thing. They had many deities and many different religions in their areas.
Christianity became the continental religion. Sometimes via agreement like in Celtic Lands sometimes by a mixture of persuasion and force like in the German lands. Finally in the Baltics they held out until the bitter end. The authors finish off with touchng in the resurgence of modern paganism. Europe seems to have been ridden with massacreds and holocaust especially after the advent of European Christianity. There is no paganism in the Muslim world as they made no concession to previous pagan customs. Would be interesting to learn more about Middle Eastern Paganism and how it was impacted by Islam.

As a finishing note I would like to add that the Middle East especially thorough the Phoenicians had a major impact of European ideas and Paganism. A further review would encompass this subject matter.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much. I learned how much influence paganism has had on our culture. I was impressed with the history of this book from Rome, Russia, England, etc. Many ancient pagan customs have entered into my life at various times without my knowledge. An example or two would be tossing a coin in a fountain, bringing in evergreen at Christmas to picking up my bride and carrying her over the threshold on our wedding night.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encyclopedic and sometimes turgid, A History of Pagan Europe nonetheless details some all but forgotten details of pre-Christian life throughout Europe. It also does a good job of describing the battles between Christianity and Paganism for control of the continent. The book simply lacks the sweep, however, of something like The Golden Bough, through which readers interested in the historical transformation of societies would much more profit.

[Roger Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Overview. This perspective for a chronology of Political and Religous Power structures is very valuable. Syncretism and Political Domination are the sticks and carrots of political economy.
Supplemented with this Philosophical Tome. And I think something of a Red Pill experience would likely overcome most readers fresh out of High School State Education.
https://www.amazon.com/Sociology-Phil...

[Jorgon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven, mostly due to its short size and an attempt to cram as much as possible in it, but useful and interesting, considering that this is the only recent account of the subject, AFAIK. I had some quibbles with their interpretation (and transliteration) of the names and attributes of Slavic/Russian deities and supernatural creatures, but the chapter on Baltic peoples and mythologies alone was worth the price of admission.

[jack]

read this a while ago. good!

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paganism dates back more than 3,000 years in Europe. The author examines its history and practices covering all the regions from Britain to Germany on to Greece and the Romans.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly written, packed with knowledge minus personal hubris... really liked this book...

[Dominic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the reason ethnic-Europeans are feeling lost emotionally, politically, and socially is because they have been told by the media and education system that they do not have a culture and, if they feel that they do, their culture is evil. People should investigate their pagan heritage to regain the knowledge of their ancestors as well as their great achievements to find that their culture is not evil, but rather amazing in countless ways.

Religion is very important because so many other cultural aspects stem from it, such as ethics, art, camaraderie, folklore, festivals, etc. Even if you do not identify with paganism, it is important to understand the pagan backdrop to the great European civilizations. While the authors mention a revitalization of European culture, they tend to be more liberal in their neopagan ideology, seeing it more in line with environmentalism and the presence of female deities. Whichever the case may be for one’s inquiry, anyone who is interested in the revival of these cultures will be fulfilled in their search.

The book covers the religious development of the Greeks (including the Cretes), Romans (including the Etruscans), Celts, Germanic peoples, and Slavs (an often neglected group when it comes to paganism). Also included are some of the Asian/Middle Eastern groups that have overlap with some of these, for example, the cults of Mithras, Isis, and some other unnamed deities. Each chapter is subdivided into different topics, everywhere from the metaphysical and spiritual beliefs, the calendars used, rituals and festivals, and their connection with other civilizations. It also interesting to see contentious scholarship debate about the origins of certain religions and/or tribes, where they come from, who appropriated what from which culture, etc. Additionally, certain peoples’ lifestyle would influence their religious beliefs; Celts, for example, were nomadic, whereas Romans eventually preferred an urban lifestyle. The latter therefore developed intricate temples whereas the former saw natural landmarks as sufficient.

While the book covers many topics, this is perhaps also one of its flaws. At times it seems overambitious and sporadic. While the chapters are broken up into subsections, they still tend to jump all over the place and can be hard to follow. The authors could be talking about rituals of a particular group, then in the same paragraph give a short description of a spiritual entity, give a quick history lesson, and then get back to what it is they were originally trying to focus on. I also found the descriptions of the deities to be quite underwhelming. It is understandable that a survey as large as this is not an easy one to take on, but organizing the material better could have made it much more readable and effective. I noticed other reviewers have mentioned the same criticism.

With all of that being said, there is still a ton of useful information here. Not only is religion covered, but also the general history and development of each subsequent civilization. Whichever one you find of interest, there are certainly other resources available for further reading.

[Larry Cahoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult topic over a long period of time and a vast geography and therefore hard to cover well.

The authors seem to start out with a time based description by covering Greek and Roman cultures but then it becomes obvious that they have chosen to cover the topic by geography. With that choice they end up frequently jumping backwards and forward in time. This approach makes it difficult to get the feel of how history progresses. This becomes critical when the issue of how the christian church interact over time with the pagan culture and gaining an understanding of the evolution of how they treated the pagan beliefs.

This is important as the authors try not to just describe the pagan cultures in Europe over time, but also try to describe the interaction of the christian church with those cultures. This dual purpose flows throughout the book.

All of these are good goal and worthy of presentation, but the way the authors present the material it make it difficult for the reader to get the big picture of what the beliefs were and what was happening historically. The reader must make significant effort to get the most out of the book.

A shortcoming of the book is that the reader should not be expected to have a good feel for the place names mentioned in the text. The maps in the book are inadequate to fill that gap in understanding.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a generally informative book and I did learn a good deal of information. However, the organization and writing style hindered the actual transmission of that information. It seems that the authors really wanted to write two books. One would have been a discussion of various Indo-European religions, their similarities, and how they evolved. The other book would have been focused on the historical migration of various Indo-European pagan groups, their interconnections, and their conflicts with Christianity and Islam. Unfortunately, the authors chose to write one book encompassing both issues. This forced the discussions to lack sufficient depth in a number of areas and also created some confusion as the authors would frequently bounce between topics with only cursory explanations (or, almost as frequently, no explanations at all for an assertion). Overall the good outweighs the bad, but the bad prevents this book from being as good as it could have been.

[Hank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the authors appear to be neo-Pagans, they do a good job acting as neutral historians, putting down the raw facts of European paganism and providing illustrations. The purpose of this book isn't to make one an expert on pagan history, it is to help you discover the regionality that most interests you, and points you in a direction that will allow you to expand on your curiosity.

That isn't to say the book is short on great factoids - it has lots of fascinating info, and certainly beats perusing articles online.

In my case, I would like to read more about Icelandic, Irish, and Scandinavian paganism at some point.

This is a worthwhile introduction to the subject. The authors' thesis that paganism is being revitalized in the modern age is only briefly addressed in the opening and closing chapters.

[Grace Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here are my issues with the book: 1. From the get go it comparisons to obscure things to explain and area/people/or belief...so then you have to look up this other thing to figure out what it was trying to explain in the first place. 2. The book focuses more on the Romans and their influence of the world, then the pagan cultures themselves. 3. The language is that stodgy "I'm going to use as many obscure words as possible to make myself sound smart as will fit in a sentence 3 line sentence without saying anything as I can."
There are tidbits of interesting information, but even that is tainted by the outdated nature of the "history" presented.
Don't read if you don't have to. If you're in ADF ask your preceptor for more options.

[Shelby Rollenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A History of Pagan Europe is incredibly informative. There are a few issues I found with keeping the dates straight, but that could be because I am not as familiar with the historical events being referenced. The work scratches the surface about the various areas of Pagan Europe, providing equal attention to each area. That being said, if readers are looking for in-depth information about a particular area/group, this is not the right book. That level of information can't be encompassed in such a short work.

As an introduction to all of Pagan Europe, this is an excellent choice. I definitely learned a lot!

[kacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

best when tracing the history of modern (neo)Paganism, the chapters on older Pagan history honestly read like the "Setting" material from an RPG handbook in their sweeping generalizations and broad-ass brushstrokes. we get it! you're Pagan and angry (join the club)! that's your right! but it's not scholarship. go straight to Beard or Burkert for helpful studies of Roman or Greek religion, and crack open any Vampire: The Dark Ages sourcebook for overviews of Celtic, Nordic, or Slavic Paganism that are just as scholarly (read: not at all) and better-written.

[Tana · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of good information, but because their topic was so broad it felt like they mostly skimmed over most things rather than going in-depth. I certainly have a better understanding of European paganism now, but it left me with more questions than answers and I'm not sure they really achieved their goal.

[Ashton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have time to get into everything here.

Useful for history? Sure. But it's also 30 years old and under the assumption that all contemporary pagans believe the same thing (that there's a Divine Feminine figure and a Divine Masculine figure and that all other deities are just manifestations of these two)

[Geeky Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a summary of pagan practices from a wide variety of 20th century sources. This third party perspective goes into a shallow view of paganism. Mostly just which gods came from which 1st party sources

[Betti Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have done with better editing...

[Kjǫlsigʀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable tour de force through (mostly European) traditional religion, and refreshingly solid in its research at that.