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European Paganism: The realities of cult from antiquity to the Middle Ages
European Paganism provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of ancient pagan religions throughout the European continent.
Before there where Christians, the peoples of Europe were pagans. Were they bloodthirsty savages hanging human offerings from trees? Were they happy ecologists, valuing the unpolluted rivers and mountains? In European Paganism Ken Dowden outlines and analyses the diverse aspects of pagan ritual and culture from human sacrifice to pilgrimage lunar festivals and tree worship. It
* a 'timelines' chart to aid with chronology
* many quotations from ancient and modern sources translated from the original language where necessary, to make them accessible
* a comprehensive bibliography and guide to further reading.
Before there where Christians, the peoples of Europe were pagans. Were they bloodthirsty savages hanging human offerings from trees? Were they happy ecologists, valuing the unpolluted rivers and mountains? In European Paganism Ken Dowden outlines and analyses the diverse aspects of pagan ritual and culture from human sacrifice to pilgrimage lunar festivals and tree worship. It
* a 'timelines' chart to aid with chronology
* many quotations from ancient and modern sources translated from the original language where necessary, to make them accessible
* a comprehensive bibliography and guide to further reading.
390 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2014
Good overview of European Paganism.
June 3, 2025
Does pretty much what it says on the tin, and for the most part I really liked it. It's the first reasonably scholarly book I've read that really focuses on what you might call the mechanics of historical paganism: what shrines looked like and what were considered suitable sites for them; who worshipped there; what sort of rites people celebrated; how they reckoned time; what kinds of priestly roles they recognised; how they dealt with major life events. It's less interested in pantheons and myths, which is fine, because there are lots of books out there that look at that.
The referencing is pretty good, and for the most part Dowden writes as a sympathetic outsider, although there are one or two places where for some reason he finds it necessary to position the pagans he is writing about as "wrong": "If [...] we are convinced, as I am, that the pagans were wholly deluded in supposing various gods to exist [...] then what purpose was served by this apparently futile activity?" (meaning sacrifices, I think, although I had to read back several pages to establish that, so it is not entirely clear.) This is unfortunate, especially since it is so at odds with the rest of the book; I actually wondered whether Dowden was responding to some sort of pressure from his publishers (Routledge) to distance himself from neopaganism. Even so, I would recommend this quite highly.
The referencing is pretty good, and for the most part Dowden writes as a sympathetic outsider, although there are one or two places where for some reason he finds it necessary to position the pagans he is writing about as "wrong": "If [...] we are convinced, as I am, that the pagans were wholly deluded in supposing various gods to exist [...] then what purpose was served by this apparently futile activity?" (meaning sacrifices, I think, although I had to read back several pages to establish that, so it is not entirely clear.) This is unfortunate, especially since it is so at odds with the rest of the book; I actually wondered whether Dowden was responding to some sort of pressure from his publishers (Routledge) to distance himself from neopaganism. Even so, I would recommend this quite highly.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews