The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy

Review by captcold for The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy
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Facts are presented dispassionately, and without emotion in a book that spans millenia.

While Hutton avoids a strictly chronological path, the depth and completeness of his coverage of pre-Christian theology in the UK stands as a reference book of this time.

A well written and solid book. Not for those who are looking for specific validation or reinforcement of their particular belief of the moment, nor those who think recontructionism is a viable path of spirituality.

Review by AdelaMae for The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy
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If your religion draws inspiration from the British Isles, you need to read this book. The tone is rather dry and you won’t see any simple answers, but what Hutton does do materfully is present as broad a spectrum of historical evidence as possible and give you the tools you need to draw your own conclusions. As a pagan myself, I would say that the pain of losing some of my most cherished misconceptions about ancient paganism was well worth it for the excitement of finding out what this rich and dynamic tradition might actually have been like.This is not a book that will give you a fully formed religion that you can practice at home. What it will give you is an outline of what we know from primary sources about the ancient religious practices of the people of Britain and an opportunity to fill in the blanks for yourself.

Review by Sonid Peregrinus for The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy
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Re: “We Don’t Do Sacrifices”: Pagan Gathering Concerns ChristiansOn August 2, 2002, the Ottawa Citizen ran a story entitled “We Don’t Do Sacrifices”: Pagan Gathering Concerns ChristiansThe article on modern paganism left me mildly amused,
largely because of the views of its proponents. What’s the ‘scoop’ on modern paganism anyway? Is it a post-modern smorgasbord, or just a load of contemporary hype? For the “unenlightened”, the facts are most revealing.In his book “The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles”, Ronald Hutton presents one of the most balanced, and historically valid accounts of modern paganism available. He observes that the past twenty-five years has seen an unusual growth in pagan-related books and the like, many of which
make the indispensable claim of somehow being “Celtic”. A popular example of this can be found in the writings of Caitlin Matthews. Though her books serve up a virtual smorgasbord of arcane Celtic practices, calendric festivals and the like, there are few valid source-references for her claims. One fascinating revisionist technique she uses is to fuse these earlier Celtic “fire feasts” (such as August 1st) with the solstices and
equinoxes, making eight festivals in total. This amalgamation, known as the “Wheel of the Celtic Year” is no more than a contemporary phenomenon, a product of modern witch cults. No known pre-Christian people celebrated all eight festivals of this calendar, until adopted by the modern Wicca movement. But it sure sounds yummy to those who WANT to believe it.Another earlier work that is often cited by modern (Celtic?) pagans is Robert Graves’ “The White Goddess” (1944). Drawing upon imagery from the Celtic and Graeco-Roman worlds, then adding his own personal religious notions and poetry, its metaphorical and mythological contents were passed off as historical fact. By presenting those who wanted to believe with a matriarchal religion in the form of a Celtic Great Goddess, while asserting that ancient societies were ruled by women, he became the hero of many modern day feminists. His ‘Celtic Tree Calendar’ was equally contrived in order to suit the appetites of this same contemporary audience. He later admitted: “It’s a crazy book and I didn’t mean to write it”. Evidently, Graves failed to warn his readers that it was a work of sustained
metaphor, rather than that of literal truth.And what of “Wicca” and that symbol of modern paganism, the pentagram? Here again are examples of modern (re)invention, containing some fascinating new elements. To begin with, the word ‘wicca’ does not derive from the same root as that for ‘knowledge’, as many of its adherents would claim. Rather,
it is simply the Anglo-Saxon word for a male witch (‘wicce’, being the female equivalent). Building on Graves’ (and other earlier) works, the 1960’s and 1970’s saw the publication of increasingly dubious materials, all of which perpetuated the Goddess-myth, relegating male Gods (or even Jesus Christ) to that of consorts. This was also the time frame which witnessed
the invention of the pentagram. Nonetheless, the modern pagan movement evoked a powerful new creed, one in which radical feminism, Wicca, and Wicca-related practices became intermingled with witchcraft, goddess worship and women’s rights, in effect blurring the line between religion and magic.The movement has certainly become one of the most eclectic on record. Rather than studying the past more closely, by the 1980’s it began incorporating a myriad of different beliefs. This curious ‘pix and mix’spirituality combined elements from Jungian psychology, North American aboriginal beliefs, eastern religious traditions, along with Celtic, Saxon and Norse mythology into a gigantic morass. Its practitioner unwittingly
extolled the virtues of a its new “inclusive” nature through the use of ‘craft lore’ (not to be confused with ‘oral tradition’), deemed by most Wiccan writers to be more important than historical evidence. In proceeding this way, it lost contact with the thought-worlds it deemed of central import, concentrating instead on its own insular thinking. More recently, I have heard of how followers of Wicca claim that Christians sometimes ‘borrow’ their beliefs. In reality, the reverse is true, as Margot Adler states: “the most authentic and hallowed Wiccan tradition [is] stealing from any source that didn’t run away too fast”. So is Wicca in some
mysterious, even mystical way, “Celtic”? Absolutely not. Are present claims true, that modern paganism is a repository of “ancient wisdom”? Not unless you believe the mid-twentieth century to be ‘ancient’! In fact, modern paganism has
virtually nothing in common with that of the past except the name, which itself is of Christian coinage. If they did “do sacrifices”, they’d at least be standing closer to reality. Modern paganism, in all its forms is truly “New Age”.Not surprisingly, the writings of contemporary pagans are characterized by an intense and consistent hostility towards the Christian church. And while Christians have good reason to be concerned, they should not be unduly alarmed. Because in
the end, all modern paganism serves up is a plate of gravy, leaving their bewildered followers to wonder – “where’s the beef?!!”Steeped as it is in fanciful claims of historical authenticity and shrouded in its own revisionist mantra, it represents yet another (albeit colourful) bit of contemporary hype. The Irish-Canadian poet, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, perhaps put it best by stating: “Through storm and fire and gloom I see it stand, firm and broad and tall, the Celtic Cross that marks our
fatherland, Amidst them all! Druids and Danes and Saxons vainly rage around its base; It standeth shock on shock, and age on age, star of our scatter’d race”.But it is our scholar Ronald Hutton who adds a real note of finality to the matter. Commenting on the arrival of Christianity into the Celtic lands,he states emphatically that “[Christianity]
succeeded apparently because of the sheer power of the message being preached, to which the existing [pagan] religions had no effective answer”.