Culture : Folklore And Neo Paganism

This article is about witchcraft and its different varieties of practices in different cultures. This article explains how witchcraft exists and plays an essential part in structural and functional aspects of a society. It also sheds the light on the journey of witchcraft from being profane and wicked to acceptable part of a culture.

This shows how the God (master) and the Goddess (mistress) dwell deep within us from the beginning of time. The power is hard-wired in our brains “minds”; of course, they dwell in our hearts and souls too. Now it is our choice if we open our hearts and souls to this power. Whether we choose to use it and live the life they have forever put in us that will never die, or bind it up and close the door and forget it ever existed, is up to us.

Scandinavian Paganism, more commonly known as Norse Mythology, was a popular polytheistic religion during the Anglo-Saxon time period. It is believed to have been derived from the culture of Germanic Paganism. According to Norse Mythology, at the center of the universe lies the greatest ash tree, known as Yggdrasil, whose roots and branches spread across the universe connecting each of the nine realms of Aesir, giants, and Niflheim. The world was believed to have been created by the body of Ymir, a giant that was killed and dismembered by the first gods. His flesh created the earth, his bones formed the mountains, and his blood filled the seas.

The stories will come to a point that they are the same but are in different time periods, There will be two topics that this essay introduces that will have similarities and differences they are both based on witchcraft and black magic. One background comes from a village in the late 1600’s there was catastrophic things going on with people being blamed using witchcraft, and being hanged without being proved by using witchcraft. The next story comes from Wisconsin in the 1950’s of a senate who produced a lot of investigation and hearings to try and expose infiltration of the US government. the stories will have their own way of exposing the events that have happened and why it occurred.

The recurring theme of paganism does to some extent explain why Chauchetière and Cholenec had to slightly alter their written accounts of

When analyzing all of the information provided in the two books, Witchcraft in Europe by Alan Charles Kors and Edward Peters and Magic and Superstition in Europe by Michael D. Bailey, there are a multitude of common themes that appear repeatedly in both pieces of work on the topic of witchcraft. These common themes vary in topic with some relating to the stereotypical appearance of witches, the actions witches performed, or even the legal procedures involving the conviction of witches. These themes do not only show themselves in those two pieces of work, but also in The Trial of Tempel Anneke by Peter A. Morton. While common themes can be seen in reference to Tempel Anneke’s trial, there are also many

The modern film The Witch by Robert Eggers is set in the 1630’s in New England and follows a Puritan family in their struggles against witches and witchcraft after being banished from the Commonwealth. The story depicts the fears of witches and witchcraft from a Puritan perspective while drawing on portrayals from the Pagan and Christian tradition of the witch to reinforce this image. The Witch uses Pagan, Christian and Puritan concepts of witches and witchcraft to establish an superstitious atmosphere filled with fear, uncertainty and paranoia; this effect aims to represent a similar psychological state of mind the Puritans had towards witches during the Salem witch crisis. Firstly, the elements The Witch uses to develop this atmosphere are images of common witch familiars and animals that have been attributed to them throughout history. Secondly, witchcraft that have been believed to be performed by witches as well as their association with the devil establishes a sense of superstition. Finally, the personality and physical traits of the witch’s character is used to enhance the fearful atmosphere throughout the film. Appearances of animals and familiars associated with witches occur throughout the film and gives a foreboding sense of what is to come.

Pagans are addressed directly once again and summoned to join the banquet of Christ who calls them back to light. The language of “renewal” is noteworthy here, especially because it presupposes the building up and restoration of what is already there. Pagans maintain a sense of dignity and are not equated with the demonic. The image of an invitation to a banquet where food of salvation and a cup of immortality is offered is also different from the images of remedying diseased patients through “cautery and knife.” Where the medical analogy conjures a paternalistic image of forcing out evil from within someone by any means necessay, the invitation to a banquet images a welcoming of the other to come into one’s own space. The image is

There is a movement where I am from that translates to “Pagans Made to Themselves.” I’ve heard of them here in Latin America and Spain. While I haven’t heard many rumblings about this movement from the U.S, I do believe there is some version and probably most resembles Eclectic Paganism.

Living with earth-centered Pagan values is not new or unusual. Though blessed with a surplus of modern conveniences & high technology, something in all of us deeply connects to a simpler past. In fact, the term "pagan" comes from the Latin word for "country dweller”. Most people experience Paganism today as artifacts of popular culture rather than as a complete spiritual practice. Many seasonal festivals such as Halloween, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Easter, May Day, & Groundhog Day, plus hundreds of other folk traditions, originated in ancient Paganism.

When it comes to celtic literature, the ‘Otherworld’ is a common theme found throughout various genres of literature which represents a sort of ‘heaven-like’ place. In Celtic mythology the Otherworld is depicted as a supernatural world that provides abundance, joy, and everlasting youth and beauty. We typically see the Otherworld as being very elusive, but in Celtic literature some mythical heroes get the opportunity to visit the Otherworld, sometimes by invite from one of it’s inhabitants or just by a lucky chance.

It deals with the broad study of historical pagan practices prior to the Christianization of the people. It’s an ndispensable info for this project due to its section dealing with pagan practices and rituals, some of which deal with werewolves.

Advancement and modernization appear to be an inevitable component of civilizations with the progression of time. However, no matter how far a society moves into the future, there are always features of the past that remain with society. One such feature that has remained across centuries is folklore. Folklore is defined as the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories, of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth (Stevenson 679). In other words, folklore consists of the unquestioned beliefs of a society that act as an adaptable reserve of knowledge and ideas for future generations. There are three general forms of folklore: social folklore, material folklore, and narrative folklore. Social folklore consists of the beliefs, customs, and rituals that are characteristic of the society. Material folklore is reflected in pottery, methods of embroidery, and paintings. Narrative folklore tends to be the form that people have the most experience with due to its dynamic inclusion of oral literature, songs, epics, plays, and choreographed art. In the United States, some form of folklore is often taught during primary education with increasing exposure to the various forms as one progresses on to higher education. For instance, George Washington chopping down the cherry tree is an example of narrative folklore commonly known by many schoolchildren in the United States.

Many people today can associate with the classic tale of leprechauns and a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. This tale is a recurring myth within the realm of Celtic mythology. Celtic mythology was an integral part of ancient history throughout the British Isles especially Ireland. Authors of this magnificent form of literature have created stories that were based on the events of that time period and their works have transcended to future generations up until today. Overall, Celtic mythology and folklore has had a magnanimous impact on the world in lending itself for priceless amusable, educational, and historical excellence.

Culture, in general, marks an individual’s interests whether it be their religious practice, their habitual meals, or their ancient legends that they speak about to future generations. Any culture must have a birth place, most of them spawning in local communities, or erupting from a specific group of individuals. The more indigenous music and stories and that brood from these smaller communities is considered folk culture. Though, most of the legends, jokes, and myths told from these specific families in past generations die off, accustoming to the specific events that are occurring today. This is recognized as popular culture or “pop culture”; appealing to a larger and more general audience. The creation of a certain type of culture, including “pop culture,” must have a starting place whereas in this case its mother is folk culture. Folk culture reveals the strength and concentration about a certain individual in any community, but it also reflects upon their willingness to incorporate and celebrate new traditions that are introduced.