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

by Ethan Doyle White

A fascinating, clear, 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. 450 color illustrations

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

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2023

About the author

Ethan Doyle White (PhD) is an archaeologist and historian. Among his primary research interests are the religions of early medieval England and the cultural reception of the pre-Christian past, especially in modern Paganism and related forms of occultism. As well as producing monographs and edited volumes on these topics, he has published in a broad range of peer-reviewed journals. An academic book reviewer for several outlets, he is on the editorial board for the American Academy of Religion's "Reading Religion" website.

Reviews

[Sandra Koka (pielasit_sirdi)]

Tik viegli salikt visu pagānismu vienā mīklā, apviļāt steriotipu miltos un karstā stigmas eļļā izcept uz uguns liesmas. Taču mūsdienās pagānisms ietver plašu reliģiju skaitu, tomēr, lai arī daudziem no tiem ir kopīgas iezīmes, to prakses atšķiras.

Kas tad īsti ir pagāni? Kādus rituālus tie piekopj? Kādiem dieviem tie tic?

Vēsturnieks un arheoloģists Ītans Doils Vaits veicis padziļinātu pagānisma izpēti visā pasaulē un apkopojis to šajā vēsturiskajā analīzē, kas ir bagātīgi papildināta ar ilustrācijām un fotogrāfijām.

Interesanti šo grāmatu lasīt arī mūsdienu Latvijas kontekstā- lai arī lielākā daļa iedzīvotāju pieder kādai reliģiskai konfesijai, tomēr arī senie rituāli un svētki tiek ik gadu svinēti. Reti kurš skaļi atzīsies zīlēšanas piekopšanā, tajā pat laikā kāzu tradīcijās, Līgo naktī un Ziemas saulgriežos neskaitāmas tradīcijas tiek nodotas no paaudzes paaudzē.

Tāpat bija arī interesanti saistīt grāmatas pieminētos personāžus citās grāmatās, kā "Kirke" vai "The Mercies", kas vēsturi parāda pilnīgi citādā gaismā.
Ir vairākas versijas, kā vārds "pagāns", kas latīņu valodā nozīmē cilvēks, kurš dzīvo lauku apvidū (laucinieks), kļuva par apzīmējumu cilvēkam, kas nav kristietības sekotājs. "..iespējams, ar jēdzienu paganus viņi apzīmēja cilvēkus, kas turpināja būt civiliedzīvotāji un nepiebiedrojās Jēzus kareivjiem." (16.lpp.)

Šo ilustrēto detalizēto kultūrvēsturisko izdevumu visvairāk novērtēs vēstures un reliģijas entuziasti. Tieši plašais fotogrāfiju un ilustrāciju daudzums padara grāmatu vizuāli pievilcīgu un ļauj detaļās izpētīt pasaules kultūras dažādību laikmetu griežos, kā arī reliģijas ietekmi un allaž mainīgo transformāciju, reizē liekot baidīties par nākotni.
Vai tas, kādu pasauli redzam šobrīd, būs tas pats, kādu to redzēs pēc simts un divsimts gadiem?

[Ugnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Žinynas pradedančiajam su gražiom iliustracijom, atspausdintas ant kokybiško popieriaus, todėl malonus vartyti ir žiūrėti. Gana apibendrinantis ir todėl susidaro paviršutiniškumo įspūdis, tačiau atrodo, kad čia daugiau autoriaus sprendimas supažindinti ir neiti į detales, todėl vienas šalia kito atsiduria indai, skandinavai, Afrikos gentys ir abiejų Amerikų čiabuviai, o tada dedam šuolį ir kalbam apie šių dienų judėjimus. Manau, kad besidomintis kažin ar ras čia sau ką naujo, tačiau tokiam fragmentiškų gabaliukų rankiotojui kaip aš gali būti įdomių dalykų.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking to start approaching the study of Pagan or cultural religions and beliefs. The author holds a PhD in Archeology and Medieval History, and the content seems well-researched. The layout of the book is a bit strange at times, but this did not take away from the useful information inside of it. As an old Norse scholar, I didn’t agree on his comment about the saga of Eirik the Red, but there are always differing opinions even in the same scholarly community.

For practitioners of neo-Pagan faiths: I believe this book is a great starting point for you to delve into the history of some of the themes or practices you find in your faith. Having access to scholarly sources and materials that reflect credible research will help you better understand your religion and appreciate the value it possesses :)

[lucy black · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, hardcover, full colour book with really well chosen images. It covers in broad strokes early religions and neo religions that have been inspired by them. I liked how the author used examples from around the world but I did still find it a bit Greek gods and classic painters focused. I think I would like a book with more on the druids, folk lore and domestic spiritual practices but this was interesting. I liked the way he debunked some theories but still involved new age religions. I could look at the pictures for days.

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

absolutely stunning book visually but the text was kinda basic

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A museum in a book. :)

This is a very general look at paganism, covering a lot of ground in not a lot of pages. If you're knowledgable about the subject, the book's overview of topics may come across as lacking in depth and discussion. What it is remarkable at, however, is incorporating photographs and art pieces in order to illustrate myths and religious concepts. It also explains really well how art and culture determines how we view the supernatural. An absolutely gorgeous book for both the art lover and the religious studies scholar.

[José Luis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edición muy cuidada, con gran número de ilustraciones y fotografías acompañando al texto.

[Muriel (The Purple Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pagans presents a decently comprehensive, and lavishly illustrated overview of pagan or, alternatively, non-Abrahamic religions, past and present, through its deities, its rituals, its symbols and broader iconography.

I really appreciated the fact this, on the whole, very good reference included contemporary pagan religions derived from European traditions and history – alongside traditional religions from Africa, East Asia and the Americas – and treated them with respect and dignity.

The author also did a good job of pointing out the fact a lot of contemporary pagan practices aren't, actually, directly derived from ancient pagan practices (as pertaining to those traditions rooted in Europe's pre-Christian past, at least), but that this doesn't lessen their validity as legitimate religious or spiritual traditions. Where contemporary paganism does overlap with historical re-constructionism and actual historical tradition, this was pointed out as well – to some extent.

I did, unfortunately, spot an actual mistake in the text (perhaps an oversight on the editors' part), and a couple of points, here and there, lacked some nuance. It's also not the most thorough text you'll encounter on the subject of ancient and contemporary pagan, or Earth-centred, or non-Abrahamic religions – there is apparently controversy surrounding the usage of the term "pagan", when it comes to those religions, so use the one you prefer – but it really is a very nice, visual reference on the topic and I'm glad I not only read it, but have a copy of it to store in my non-fiction library. And I would thus happily recommend it to other readers interested in this subject.

[Natalie Storozhenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a great introduction to non-Abrahamic religions and pre-Christian cultures of various peoples worldwide. It covers different aspects of these religions and offers snippets that may intrigue you to explore further into the topics of your interest. Thus, it is not intended to provide in-depth research on each non-Abrahamic religion but rather to entice you to learn more later. The suggested reading list for further exploration supports this aim. I am unsure how valuable that list is, but I definitely plan to check it out since learning more about this topic was my motivation for picking up this book. Additionally, the illustrations in this book are stunning; I loved the inclusion of several prints by my favorite artist, Waterhouse. I totally recommend this book as a starting point. If you are already well-versed in pre-Christian beliefs, I would suggest choosing something with more substance on the specific topic.

P. S. An important point to note, especially if you do not plan to learn about paganism, is that the term 'pagan' originally carried a derogatory meaning with negative connotations created by Christians. Although neo-pagans have adopted this name, it is still better to refer to specific religions or movements, like Wicca, by their own names.

[Oscar Munguia Cordero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book! I have to say, I had never read a book about paganism before, and I was marveled by how easy it was to read. It’s definitely an introductory reading; I really appreciate how it talks about both the past and the present of paganism. The author also uses many different religions from across the globe, I appreciate the variety and the attention to detail for each one of them. The book is extremely visual, it has tons of photos and old paintings that really immerse you in the worldview of these individuals. The photos convey so much more information than any detailed explanation could.

[Michaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an academic, interesting high-level survey of paganism's roots as well as its current manifestation in Neo-paganism. Interesting illustrations as well. There was one weird statement on page 141 regarding 16th and 17th century witch hunts, "Over the course of this period, around 40,000 to 60,000 people were executed as witches, most of them women and (emphasis mine) most of them almost certainly innocent". Really? Do we have historical records evidencing any truly guilty "witches"? Odd.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Vasilis Stefanou · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer to understand multiple cultures and their pagan roots. Additionally, the book is full of illustrations that gives a visual reference to each element.

[Wayne Neylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this very informative and beautiful to look at. Didn't want it to end😀

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations and covers a wider range than many such compilation/coffeetable books, but its also a mile wide and an inch deep.

[Nikol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched primer on paganism written by an academic. However, the real highlight of the book is its illustrations and overall design.

[epicuri_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

muy chulo, ligero de leer, fotos chulitas, bastante guay todo sisi

[anai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

very informative & interesting. just too much on wiccans. wiccans pmo.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book to dip your toes into paganism-honestly worth it for the pictures alone

[Niall MacDougall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elite coffee table book

[Connie]

Interesting overview from a variety of places.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is practically a goldmine of all different types of Paganistic religions both in the ancient past and modern day! It's filled with various graphics and artwork that have had significant meaning throughout history. I also really liked how this book explored how Paganism and Christianity were interlinked in history and how these two religions are viewed and practiced, stemming from how people of these religions viewed/treated each other in the past. It shows how everything has a butterfly effect. I would give this book five stars if the formatting in some sections cut off some sentences in the middle; sometimes, I would need to remember what was being said prior because a sentence would cut off to show a related graphic with a new topic. But this book makes me want to research ancient Hellenism and Norse mythology so that I might go on a deep dive for that.

[Ieva Strazdiņa [mrs.lasitaja] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaunākā @janisrozeinsta uzziņu grāmata “Pagāni”, kur autors pievēršas pagānu tēmai – kas vispār ir pagāni, ko šis termins ietver un kā mainījies tas, ko uztveram par pagāniem šodien un ko par tiem dēvēja vēsturē.

Man patika šī grāmata. Es biju drusku bailīga, jo iepriekšējā uzziņu grāmata “Dvīņi” lika drusku vilties, taču velti – “Pagāni” attaisnoja manas cerības.
Grāmatā autors stāsta par to, kas notika līdz ar kristietības rašanos – kā mainījās un izzuda neskaitāmas ticības saviem lokālajiem dieviem un gariem un, kas pārsteidzoši, kā tās mēdz atdzimt par 20.gadsimtā, protams, citā veidolā un nereti interpretējot vēsturi.

Es patiesībā uzzināju diezgan daudz jauna par dažādām reliģijām, par talismaniem, upurēšanām, svētām celtnēm un tā tālāk. Man patika kā autors stāsta šos stāstus. Visvairāk pārsteidza tas, cik lētticīgi mēs pieņemam par patiesiem dažādus faktus, piemēram, ka Taro kārtīs ir kas maģisks, lai gan izrādās, ka patiesībā tās sākotnēji bijušas vienkāršas spēļu kārtis, kurām vēlāk piedēvēja nākotnes paredzēšanas spējas. Vārdu sakot jau atkal pierādījās, ka vēsture ir viena aizraujoša lieta, turklāt, kad mums tiek iedots objektīvs skatījums – daudzas lietas nemaz neizskatās tā, kā šķiet uz pirmo acu uzmetienu.

Grāmatai ir interesanta struktūra – sākumā no tās mulsu, jo nesapratu pārautos tekstus, kur pa vidu tika iekļautas nelielas nodaļas, tomēr, kad beidzot to sapratu – viss tapa skaidrs. Taču jūs brīdinu, lai nemulstat. Grāmatā ir bagātīgs un krāšņs vizuālais materiāls, kas šādās grāmatās nav mazsvarīgi.