Ok, so if pagans worship many gods...?

Question

Pagans, which gods do you worship? Are they individual choices, or is there a universal "list" (sorry for the lack of a better term) of the gods to worship?

If I'm a little off on my understanding, I apologize. I'm just going off of the answers from another question that I asked!

Answer 1

Well, I've seen a few "universal lists" that are, pretty much, just a listing of deities we know something about - typically, their name, the culture they're from, and a brief description of their sphere of influence. Those lists aren't terribly useful, if you ask me - it'd be the equivalent of looking for a date by knowing someone's name and what city they live in.

Typically, Pagans worship a relatively small number, in comparison - one, maybe a small handful that they pay particular attention to, and perhaps a larger pantheon that they honor to a somewhat lesser extent. Some folks work with a single pantheon, while others have no real attachment to a pantheon, and instead focus on connecting with specific deities. Add to that the folks who consider all the different individual deities to be reflections of a singular God and Goddess. All told, there's plenty of variety in how Pagans approach this topic.

Now, one thing you might end up hearing is that it isn't so much that the Pagan chose the deity, but that the deity chose the Pagan. Some folks have... things happen to them, that specifically call them to an individual deity. I suppose you can consider that to be individual choice... but I don't think you can consider it to be the Pagan's choice. ;)

Answer 2

Ne·o-Pa·gan·ism (nē'ō-pā'gə-nĭz'əm)
n. Any of various religious movements arising chiefly in the United Kingdom and the United States in the late 20th century that combine worship of pagan nature deities, particularly of the earth, with benign witchcraft.
(American Heritage Dictionary)

My particular path is a Celtic Path. I worship deities that were once worshiped by Celtic-speaking peoples in the Iron Age. Some of the names of my deities are Taranis, Cernunnos, Epona, Sulis, Lugh, Sequana, and Don (most of these are Gaulish deities). The tribal Celts worshiped hundreds of different deities but these are the ones that I've learned to know. From my experience, a deity calls to an individual and chooses them, but I have heard of it happening the other way around. For a description of Gaulish deities:
http://www.geocities.com/nemetoneponas/deities.html
There are also many neo-pagans who worship Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Canaanite, Norse, etc. deities. For a quick reference for information about a deity:
http://www.godchecker.com/
But it is much better if one reads the myths about the deity and learn about where and how they were worshiped to understand them. A website can't really describe a deity in only a sentence or two.

Contrary to the definition above, not all neo-pagan religions practice magic---and of those that do practice magic, not all of it is benign.

Answer 3

Although polytheism is common in Pagan belief systems, it is not a requirement. Some Pagan belief systems are monotheistic.

As for which gods one worships, it would depend on the individual and the teachings that they follow. Personally, I mainly subscribe to the Greek pantheon. Others that I know follow a Native American tradition, a Norse tradition, a Celtic tradition, etc., and they all have different pantheons that they prefer.

Answer 4

It really depends on the pagan. Thee are pagans who are animistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, duotheistic, polytheistic and even atheistic or agnostic. So you get a whole wide range of ideas that pagans have just about the nature of the Divine itself.

Now, as to specific deities, again, it's very personal. Some, like me, tend to work with only certain single deities. Others will work with an entire pantheon, especially among reconstructionists (people who try to recreate the ways of a particular dead culture as much as possible). You also have the Wiccan Goddess and God, a duotheistic view of Deity that says that "all Goddesses are one Goddess, and all Gods are one God". (This tends to drive the strict polytheists, who see the deities as individual beings, absolutely bonkers.)

Sometimes pagans choose the deities, but often the deities choose the pagans. And many times it's a mutual agreement. Again, though, this is an incredibly individualistic topic, but good question :)

Answer 5

Prior to Judaism and Christianity, every culture had a pantheon of gods and goddesses. To create a "list" as you describe, all you would have to do is research a specific nation.

In ancient Greece, they had Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, etc. In Rome there was Jupiter, Venus, Mars, et al. In India you have Vishnu, Kali, Shiva, and so on.

To find out what pantheon you resonate with, just ask! You will begin to have dreams or other occurrences will happen to help direct you.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Isn't that a form of Adultery? Look at the beginning when Cain and Able both offered sacrifices. Was God different then than now? Cain offered fruits and Able offered the First Born. Who was accepted? Are we acceptable to God when we come before Him with Pagan Rites? What you are getting at, I think, Is Christmas okay? The answer is that christmas is in honor of Jesus. We can honor him anytime during the year, but we chose to do it the same time the Pagan Festival of Winter Solstice Occurs honoring: Yule (Wiccan) Main article: Yule In Wicca, a form of the holiday is observed as one of the eight solar holidays, or Sabbat. In most Wiccan sects, this holiday is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Although the name Yule has been appropriated from Germanic and Norsk paganism, elements of the celebration itself are of modern origin.

Answer 7

pa·gan /ˈpeɪgən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pey-guhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim.
3. an irreligious or hedonistic person.
–adjective 4. pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim.
5. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans.
6. irreligious or hedonistic.

Answer 8

Err, pagans believe in many different things, animism for example is pretty common. It is the belief that all plants and/or animals are sentient to some degree and a part of a mystical whole.

Whether they believe in gods is a matter of what faith they follow.

Answer 9

Personal Choice.

:)

Answer 10

Many of us worship the mother goddess.