In Old English, the vernacular language of Anglo-Saxon England, the equivalent term was hæðen ("heathen"), a word that was cognate to the Old Norse heiðinn, both of which may derive from a Gothic word, haiþno. The word pagan is a Latin pejorative term that was used by Gentile Christianity (also: Pagan Christianity) in Anglo-Saxon England to designate non-Christians. What is known about the religion and its accompanying mythology have since influenced both literature and Modern Paganism.ĭefinition A political map of Britain c. The deities of this religion provided the basis for the names of the days of the week in the English language. The belief system also likely included ideas about magic and witchcraft, and elements that could be classified as a form of shamanism. Little is known about pagan conceptions of an afterlife, although such beliefs likely influenced funerary practices, in which the dead were either inhumed or cremated, typically with a selection of grave goods. There is some evidence for the existence of timber temples, although other cultic spaces might have been open-air, and would have included cultic trees and megaliths. Cultic practice largely revolved around demonstrations of devotion, including sacrifice of inanimate objects and animals to these deities, particularly at certain religious festivals during the year. There was also a belief in a variety of other supernatural entities which inhabited the landscape, including elves, nicors, and dragons. The most prominent of these deities was probably Woden other prominent gods included Thunor and Tiw. Further suggestions regarding the nature of Anglo-Saxon paganism have been developed through comparisons with the better-attested pre-Christian belief systems of neighbouring peoples such as the Norse.Īnglo-Saxon paganism was a polytheistic belief system, focused around a belief in deities known as the ése (singular ós). Contemporary knowledge of Anglo-Saxon paganism derives largely from three sources: textual evidence produced by Christian Anglo-Saxons like Bede and Aldhelm, place-name evidence, and archaeological evidence of cultic practices. The pejorative terms paganism and heathenism were first applied to this religion by Christian Anglo-Saxons, and it does not appear that these pagans had a name for their religion themselves there has therefore been debate among contemporary scholars as to the appropriateness of continuing to describe these belief systems using this Christian terminology. A variant of Germanic paganism found across much of north-western Europe, it encompassed a heterogeneous variety of beliefs and cultic practices, with much regional variation.ĭeveloping from the earlier Iron Age religion of continental northern Europe, it was introduced to Britain following the Anglo-Saxon migration in the mid 5th century, and remained the dominant belief system in England until the Christianisation of its kingdoms between the 7th and 8th centuries, with some aspects gradually blending into folklore. The right half of the front panel of the 7th-century Franks Casket, depicting the pan-Germanic and Anglo-Saxon legend of Wayland the SmithĪnglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, or Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th and 8th centuries AD, during the initial period of Early Medieval England.
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