20 MORE religions and faith practices 398

Pagan History Paganism is one of the oldest religions known to humanity Its origins are obscure but conjectured to have arisen with humanity’s desire to explore the unknown and seek unity with the divine force Therefore, Paganism has no founder or founders, no earthly leaders, no prophets, no messiahs, and no saints Paganism (from Latin ƒ‰ƒ—•, meaning “country dweller, rustic”) is the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of pre-Christian Europe Ancient faith was influenced by the natural world and the threat posed by the elements The inhabitants of Britain originally worshiped their ancestors, but when Britain’s climate changed radically around 3000 bc, the ancestor cult came to an end, and Britons looked to nature itself to influence their fortune The Celtic peoples originated in Central Europe in the sixth century bc Over the next three centuries, the Celts spread both westward and eastward They took their religious beliefs with them; however, they also adopted local deities that they came across and attributed deities to local natural phenomenon near to where they settled The Pagan Celts perceived the presence of the supernatural as integral to their world The sky, the sun, the dark places underground all had their spirits, life forces, and personalities Every mountain, river, spring, marsh, tree, and rocky outcrop was endowed with divinity much like many American Indian tribes Celtic polytheism, sometimes known as ‡Ž–‹… ƒ‰ƒ‹•ǡ refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Celtic peoples of Western Europe prior to Christianization Celtic polytheism, as its name suggests, entailed believing in a number of different deities and was also animistic (believing in spirits existing in natural objects, such as trees and rocks) Religious beliefs and practices of the Celts varied throughout the different Celtic lands; however, there were commonalities shared by all One of the most popular theories for a belief in fairies (such as