Modern Pagan Religions
This area contains books of interest to Neo-pagans of many traditions or paths.
Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1990 ISBN 0-06-250077-5.
Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1989.
_______. Ancient Ways — Reclaiming Pagan Traditions. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 199?.
Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. Syracuse, N.Y: Syracuse University Press, 1988.
A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism. Tuscon, Ariz.: ADF Publishing, 2005.
A World Full of Gods explores arguments for and against “classical” monotheism, atheism and polytheism. His basic assumption is that people's spiritual and religious experiences reflect underlying reality and that polytheism is the best explanation for people's widely varying experiences. The second half of the book explores how polytheistic viewpoints are applied to ethics, personal practice and belief, eschatology and time, and myth. I consider this a must-read for all Pagans. (SR)
A History of Pagan Europe.London and New York: Routledge, 1995.
A well-written and fairly objective study of the history of Paganism with solid bibliography and footnoted text. Some of the information, such as how intact Paganism “survived” in Europe, is more speculative than I would like to see in a history. (SR)
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd., 1991 ISBN 0-631-17288-2.
Hutton’s books challenge the widely-held concept that folk traditions and practices contain Pagan survivals. He works very hard to find what solid historical evidence exists and whether or not it can be used to support the existence Pagan survivals. Generally, he concludes that there are very few folk practices can be held to be genuine survivals of earlier Pagan practices. Some of his evidence is less than totally conclusive and I have to wonder how qualified he is to interpret archaeological and literary evidence when his own training is as an historian of the 17th century. Nonetheless, we highly recommend his books, especially Pagan Religions... since all too many Pagan writers perpetuate the “ancientness” of Pagan religion without critically examining the sources. Hutton’s works are a refreshing call to critical thinking when dealing with history. (SR)
Pagan Religions... is one of my favorite books debunking some common held interpretations of the spiritual practices of the Celts. The illustrations in this book are excellent and Dr. Hutton’s research made me re-think some of my beliefs and I agree with Dr. Hutton 80% of the time. (In a few cases I find his interpretations of the information totally off base). Some people think that Hutton is unfriendly to pagans, when in fact he is a champion of many pagan causes in England. This is a must read. (DT)
_______. The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. ISBN: 0-19-820570-8 (hardback); 019-288045-4 (softback).
Stations of the Sun... is a very informative book that details the history of such British folk traditions as Morris dancing, mummer’s plays, rushcarts, well dressing, pace egging and wassailing. This is one of the most thorough chronicling of these folk traditions and their history. As with all of Hutton’s books, I agree with what he writes 80% of the time but find some of his information off base. (DT)
________. The Triumph of the Moon : A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Hutton documents the history of Wicca or “Modern Pagan Witchcraft,” as he calls it. He looks at what evidence supports claims of Wicca being an ancient religion and what contradicts those claims, and charts the development of Wicca from the mentalities and cultural milieu of the late 19th century and the 20th century. His research is extensive and thorough. Every Pagan should read this book before they are exposed to other books that make unsubstantiated historical claims about Wicca, the persistence of Pagan worship, or the “Burning Times.” (SR)
________. Witches, Druids and King Arthur. Hambledon & London, 2003.
Mazes and Labyrinths. London: Robert Hale, 1990 ISBN 0-7090-5508-0.
This is a great book about the labyrinth throughout history and in many cultures. I like the historical information and I LOVE the photographs of labyrinths, especially in Britain. (DT)
