While there are many different interpretations, the essence of the term "paganism" consists in the confession of polytheistic religions, as well as in idolatry. The word itself comes from the Church Slavonic meaning "people", "tribe".
Instructions
Step 1
As a rule, pagan gods were compared with any elements of nature. For example, Zeus was the god of the sky (thunderer) in Ancient Greece, Indra in India, Taranas among the Celts, among the Scandinavian peoples - Thor, among the Baltic nations - Perkunas, among the Slavs - Perun. The god of the sun among the ancient Greeks was Helios, among the Egyptians - Ra, among the Slavs - Dazhbog. The ancient Greek god of water was Neptune, in India - Varuna.
Step 2
In addition, worship was carried out and various spirits, demons, etc., for example, dryads, water, wood goblin, nymphs. At the heart of pagan cults is the impact on nature with the help of magic. The pagans believed that the cycles of the rebirth of nature, social life are interconnected. For this reason, the festivals associated with agriculture also included a variety of feasts, wedding ceremonies, and the like.
Step 3
Over time, pagan beliefs were replaced by world religions - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. The ideology corresponding to a developed class society could not be supported at the expense of pagan cults, which were tribal.
Step 4
In 980, Prince Vladimir tried to create a pagan pantheon in Kievan Rus, but this attempt failed. As a result, the baptism of Rus took place in 988. The cities were the centers of the proclaimed religion, at the same time, pagan cults existed in the villages for a long time: according to archaeological excavations, until the 13th century, the burial of the dead was carried out under the mounds, which did not correspond to the Christian rite. In popular beliefs, the gods of pagan times were correlated with Christian saints, for example, Veles with Blasius, Perun with Elijah the Prophet. At the same time, the belief in goblin and brownies was also preserved.
Step 5
One of the directions is neo-paganism, which is a reconstructed pagan teachings of antiquity or completely new teachings. It is worth distinguishing between neo-paganism and ancient unbroken traditions, for example, shamanism.
