Who are the pagan gods? – Relation with Sindhu- Germany- Egypt

Do you know that all the cultures are interlinked with one another? Paganism was basically the antique religions of the middle ages. They were the worshippers of nature. Sindhu, Germany and Egyptian cultures have practiced paganism from its origin. It is quite safe to say that the ancient world was the paradigm of different cultures. In this article we will explore the extent of paganism in across different cultures.

What is paganism?

To explore the extent of paganism, we must understand what it actually means. Paganism is originally pre Christian religion. It imbibes in it many religions. Paganism celebrates nature outside the beliefs and practices of the main world. It comes from the word polytheism. Paganism has been considered as an interior religion since the advancement of Christianity. However, it remains unsearched that all the popular mythologies of the world have been adapted from Paganism. Hope this write up clears some misconceptions.

Paganism and Germany:

The Germans practiced paganism from the early Iron age until the advancement of Christianity. Many archaeological remains proof the existence of Pagan gods in Germany. Though there are very few written sources of Germanic paganism but it still finds place in the oral tradition. Roman writer Tacitus gives a brief account of the existence of Paganism in his book Germania. In Iceland various sources of written Paganism was found. However, this were all written by Christian writers. One prime example can be Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf which is pagan poetry but at the same time has Christian elements in it. However Germanic dialect can give us a clear understanding of the pagan Culture. Germanic language uses neuter noun which is from the paganism tradition. Gothic guþ, Old English god, Old High German got, and Old Norse guo are taken from pagan dialect. The following are the list of Pagan Germanic deities. Wodan  or Wotan is an Anglo Saxon pagan deity.  He is the god of wisdom, healing, death and royalty. Even during 11^th century he was acknowledged. Through this deity, nature in its death form was worshipped. Thor is not only a character in Marvel but a pagan god. He is the god of thunder and lightning. He carries a hammer with himself. The Germanic Paganism were of the view that temples or other such buildings are inappropriate place for gods. So they placed them in forests and were worshippers of nature. The Germans believed that the lakes and marshes were sacred. According to legends German pagan goddess Nerthus live on an island in a lake. Sacrifices formed a major part of this tradition and Sacrificial festivals were organised. Wooden figurines of humans were sacrificed. They were the believers that after death humans were transferred to other world. Thus the belief of more than one world existed. Weapon sacrifices also formed a major part of the pagan Culture. The weapons of the defeated enemies broken and sacrificed in to lakes and rivers .However the transition from Paganism to Christianity marked the decline of Paganism as a religion.

Egyptian Paganism:

Egyptian Paganism dates back to ancient Egypt. It is mainly a polytheistic mythology. In the present world it is known as Kemetic tradition. The modern holidays of the Egyptian culture is also from the pagan tradition. They celebrate several festivals each month. They have different calendars per temple but regardless of that pagan customs of holidays are still followed. The popular festivals include:

• Wep Ronpet, the Kemetic New Year

• Feast of Opet

• Feast of the Beautiful Valley

• Solstice Celebrations and Equinox Celebrations (sacred to Hathor, Eye of Ra)

• Feast of the Beautiful Reunion

• Full and New Moon Celebrations (sacred to various moon gods depending on the season)

• the birthdays and festival days of various gods and goddesses.

The Egyptian religion honours a number of deities. This custom is taken from the pagan Culture. A few of these are as follows:

• Amun– He is the creator god. He is also the patron of the primal city of Thebes. He has been interpreted in later Egyptian religion as Ra, the sun god. The Greeks and the Romans associated their deities Zeus and Jupiter with him.

• Anubis–  Anubis is the god of mummification and after life. He is a god of lost souls with a Jackal in hand.

• Hator- She is the sky deity. She is the goddess of women, fertility and love.

• Thoth: He is the god of writing wisdom and moon. He is believed to be self-created.

There are many other deities of the pagan Egyptians who are still worshipped. Egyptian religion is perhaps the only religion which upholds its ancient culture with rigidity. According to pagan beliefs the Earth was created by their creator deity from a single point. The modern Egyptian theories draw the concept of declaration of innocence from the pagan Cultures. It contains of forty-two sins of a deceased person and the wisdom texts. They had a very interesting concept of afterlife and believed that the heart of a dead person is weighed with an ostrich feather. If the heart is heavy with Sins, then the person is eaten up by a monster Ammit. Those who pass this test turn into Akhu meaning blessed ancestors. Till date beliefs of reincarnation continue to exist.

Sindhu Paganism:

Sindhu Culture’s origin lies in pagan roots. The Sindhu Culture worships a number of deities with various idols. They worship each and every force of nature. The rituals of sacrifice during festivals is also derived from Paganism. All the important deities of the Sindhu Culture have connection with nature. Sun, earth and all the forces of nature are worshipped. Even planets are worshipped. Later Sindhu Culture was known as Hinduism. Sindhu got its name from the great Sindhu river in the Western Indus valley. The concept of Alpha and Omega which means God has neither a start nor an end is the pagan beliefs in Sindhu Culture. Moreover, the general beliefs of Hinduism like life after birth and festivals are an indication of pagan systems. We can say that Sindhu Culture still proudly upholds it’s ancient heritage. The concept of cosmology also stands upright. Among the principal deities of Sindhu Culture, mother nature or popularly called Prakriti Is the most celebrated. It is thought to be a part of Goddess Kali who is behind all occurring in the universe. There are many such concepts of nature worship in the Sindhu Culture. However, we would cite the interpretation of Om in Hinduism to make this more vivid.

The concept of Om: Om in Sindhu religion is the driving force behind all. It is often pronounced as Aum. It is the consciousness of the inner self. Om is actually the sound of the nature. Not only in Sindhu religion but also in Buddhism and Jainism Om is adapted. The origins of Om lie in 1200 BC which was the peak time of pagan Cultures. Sindhu religion or Hinduism is nothing but the ascendant of the Pagan beliefs. The letter ‘A’ represents the waking state, ‘U’ represents the dream state and ‘M’ is the unconscious state. Omkareshwar is one of the 12 jotirlingas situated in Madhya Pradesh. It tells us the meaning of Om and its relationship with nature. Even in Yoga Om is chanted to boost our immune system. Om finds a significant place in Germanic tradition as well. Thus truly we should take pride in our ancient Hinduism which still retains its antique Culture with pride and dignity.

So this was a brief about Pagan Cultures and how they are present today. Hope we cleared some common misconceptions. Paganism is not an inferior Culture but our ancient history which we should be proud of. Keep waiting for more such information. We will be back with more such articles. Keep following us and stay safe.