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Celtic Paganism in the Grail Quest, 2004.
Questions whether we are in danger of explaining "inexplicable" elements in the Grail legend too quickly, with references to a nebulous 'Celtic paganism'.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
Celtic paganism is often used to explain "inexplicable" elements in the Grail legend. However, other explanations are also possible. The paper demonstrates this by showing how some "inexplicable" facets of the Grail legend that are usually ascribed to Celtic paganism may have their origin elsewhere, including in Christianity, secular symbolism, Bede's "Life of Saint Cuthbert" and the Lives of St. Kentigern," and/or medieval history and geography. It also examines whether the historical, geographical and hagiographical sources were used consciously or unconsciously. The paper concludes that, when faced with "inexplicable" elements in a Grail legend, scholars are often too quick to find connections, often very tenuous ones, to Celtic paganism.
From the Paper
"How are these narratives connected chronologically? And are the similarities deliberate? In their opening plot, these romantic and hagiographical stories are almost perfect Campbellian hero quests, so I think there may have been some pre-existing correlation between the early or oral versions of Peredur and the hagiographies. Yet the details of the Romances are so much like the saints' lives that I believe there is clearly some deliberate imitation. I will now attempt to untangle the way in which these books influenced on another. Bede's Life is based on the anonymous Life, which comes from the tradition that developed in Lindesfarne during or soon after Cuthbert's life. Bede wrote the Prose Life at the end of the 7th century and it influenced the writers of the Lives of Kentigern. The two Lives of Saint Kentigern were compiled in the 12th century, and the author of the fragmentary Life mentions his familiarity with the story of Cuthbert."
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Christianity and Paganism, 2004.
An analysis of the role of Christianity and Paganism in medieval literature.
1,584 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses medieval literature and assesses the role played by Christianity and Paganism. The paper explains that medieval writers used allegory to build a universe that was seemingly as wondrous, but more stable, than that of the pagan imagination. They used concepts with which pagans had long been familiar to construct a world in which individuals could no longer roam alone without the benefit of priests and be safe. Medieval theologians complicated what had once been simple, if at times frightening. One can infer from this that the medieval mind viewed the world as dangerous; magic had been one way to control it. However, it appeared that magic sometimes failed. It would be tempting, then, to accept a belief system that promised it would never fail, at least not in the long run in the next life. That there was no way to empirically prove the truth of this would not have bothered the medieval populace very much; after all, they had been long used to accepting the invisible and ineffable in the far less ordered cosmos of the pagan world.
From the Paper
"While that may have been a simple concept, thousands of years of paganism doubtless made it difficult for the new hierarchy to hold the population's attention on the new approach to life and death. It was probably tempting for people not far removed from the simple, nature-based practices of pagan rites to use those, rather than bring their desires to an intermediary. Instead of having the perceived ability to control their worlds, they were obliged to seek, instead, comfort from a priest whose promise had nothing to do with saving today's crops and warding off starvation by invoking the local corn goddess; the priest's promise was that God would deliver whatever was best for them in good time but, even if the crops failed and they starved, he promised a greater reward in the hereafter."
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Celtic Paganism and Druidism, 2005.
This paper discusses Celtic paganism and the Druids, including the history, religion, cultural importance and the impacts of both societies.
3,035 words (approx. 12.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, at the height of their domination in Europe, the Celtics, who were a warrior race in the 9th century B.C.E. that started on the island of Ireland, spread their religion across the British Isles to Turkey; however, they finally were conquered by the Romans and the Germanic tribes. The author points out that Druidism was passed down through an oral tradition typically kept by the bards and the ancient Druids; much of the Druids traditions are still kept because they were later recorded in medieval manuscripts and in oral tradition, folk lore and ritual. The paper concludes that, in the modern world, the Druids are still strong as a cultural fascination and several religious groups have been formed such as the British Druid Order and the Reformed Druids of North America.
Table of Contents
Celtic Paganism: A History
Celtic Traditions and Religions
Druidism and their Different Occupations
Influence of Christianity of the Druids
The Religious Beliefs of the Druids
Devices Used by the Druids
Druid Celebrations and Seasonal Celebrations
The Modern Druidic Movement
From the Paper
"The Druids are known for having many celebrations and ceremonies throughout the year. Some of these celebrations are religious others commemorate special events within their history. The Druids celebrate a series of fire-festivals on the first of each of four months. These festivals would start at sunset and last for three days. When these ceremonies start, great bonfires are built on the hilltops and cattle would be driven between the two great bonfires to assure them fertility. Couples hoping to be married would jump over the bonfire and run between them to encourage fertility as well. These festivities all have special significance within the culture of the Druids. The first is the Samhain, which means the end of the warm season. It takes place on November 1st which marks the combined feast of the dead and the new years day celebration on the Celtic calendar. This is the time when the veil between our reality and the reality of the otherworld can be easily penetrated. Thus, communication with those who have past beyond the veil is possible and many ceremonies attempt to communicate with the dead during this festival. Later the Christians would adopt the fire festival as the All Soul's Eve, and later it would become the secular holiday Halloween."
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Beowulf: Christianity and Paganism, 2002.
This paper explores the struggle between Paganism and Christianity within the epic of " Beowulf."
960 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at lines 175 through 188 of the epic "Beowulf" in order to examine the author's views of paganism and Christianity. It is also important to look at when and where this was written in order to understand the conflict surrounding the lines discussed. The author's choice of words, structure and cadence of the passage in question are also examined.
From the Paper
"The speaker seems to be creating a degradation of the people involved since the progression goes from heathenish hope, to the back of the heart, and then to hell. The line following this uses the same alliteration, but all words beginning with "h" are capitalized: Head, Heavens, High. These words all refer to a memory of God who rules all, which takes the previous line's degradation into a new perspective regarding the goodness of Christianity. Another interesting method used by the speaker in Beowulf is the placement of the phrases "cursed is he" and "blessed is he," considering they appear at the ends of their respective lines, which creates a stronger emphasis on these two bold statements. The final line of this passage states "find friendship in the Father's embrace." This shifts the alliteration to a new sound, while at the same time reveals the fact that these people are indeed Christian at heart whether they struggle to show it or not."
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Nordic Paganism, 1997.
An analysis of Nordic paganism from pre-Christian times to its influence on present Nordic and Germanic culture.
6,460 words (approx. 25.8 pages), 9 sources, $ 149.95
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From the Paper
"One thousand years later in the Viking Age, Nordic paganism developed into its highest form with ritual practices divination and temple worship. The decline of Nordic paganism came about at the end of the Viking era as a direct result of vast economic, political and ideological interaction with Christians and the subsequent empowerment of Christian priests by the Nordic kings. However, many aspects of Nordic paganism continued to survive through its literary legacies, as well as in Scandinavian folk tradition. Nordic culture can give us valuable insight into the formation and development of the Germanic people as a whole. In turn, understanding Nordic culture can assist us in examination of the Germanic scriptures known primarily as the Eddas. This in turn enables us to examine the hero archetypes of Germanic Paganism."
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The Christian Equation: Paganism in the Christian Church, 1996.
A look at how the organization of the Christian Church assimilated what it could not destroy and accorded pagan ideas a thin guise of holiness.
2,165 words (approx. 8.7 pages), 29 sources, $ 67.95
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From the Paper
"The philosophical question of ?What is religion?? has been answered in countless manners throughout the course of human existence, each striving to place their own beliefs above the last, or the next. But the complexity of religion can best be seen in how each parallels or absorbs part of another. Nowhere can this be better seen than in the organization of the Christian Church, which simply assimilated what it could not destroy. And so, elements of pre-Christian Europe survive even today under a thin guise of holiness. "
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How The Christians Converted Pagans, 2002.
Analysis of "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries", by Ramsay Mac Mullen.
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 1 source, $ 62.95
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Abstract
This seven-page-paper takes the reader on a guided tour through the critique of a book called "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries", by Ramsay Mac Mullen. In the book Mac Mullen explores the four-century transition that it took for Christianity to overtake Paganism as the leader of religious faiths in the world. The book author details the fact that it was not a quick and painless transition but rather a drawn out and often very painful process to get the new religions established. The author of this paper learned a lot about that transition period from the book and also gained a respect for Mac Mullen as a religious expert. 7 pgs. Bibliography lists 1 source.
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From Pagan to Christian Traditions, 2007.
A discussion on how Pagan rituals have evolved into Christian tradition, specifically Halloween.
1,050 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
The paper describes how, before the Spaniards arrived in North America, there were flourishing communities of Mayans and Aztecs, with a thriving tradition of sun worship. The paper examines how Halloween and the Day of the Dead share a common origin in the Christian commemoration of the dead on All Saints' and All Souls' Day. The paper further examines how Catholic tradition is partly based upon Celtic Pagan rituals.
From the Paper
"On the second day, the celebration is directed toward the adult deceased. They are thanked for their protection, and respectfully asked to continue bringing prosperity and grace to the family. The family welcomes the souls of the deceased into their homes to visit. Small alters, called offrendas, are constructed and all kinds of lovely things decorate them, including tiny sugar favors made in animal shapes, happy skulls, skeletons, bouquets of flowers and family photographs."
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Pagan Settings in "The Knight's Tale", 16.
Looks at the impact of the pagan setting on the narrative of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale".
3,555 words (approx. 14.2 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 99.95
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Abstract
Geoffrey Chaucer is a well-known poet of the 14th century who worked for the king as a manager of societal and traditional events. Nonetheless, his poems are rooted with compassionate consideration towards women, the common people, and uniqueness as articulated through multicultural signs signifying states and religious convictions. This paper deals with the impact of pagan settings on the story "The Knight's Tale." To illustrate how fundamental the impact has been, this paper utilizes disjunctive mixtures of the story as its theme.
From the Paper
"Contemporary readers might consider that a narrative in which so many aspects of a story take place coincidentally is a weakly schemed story, without a doubt. However this is the exact point that Chaucer is attempting to make throughout this story. The functions of "Fortune" do have an accidental and unintentional method of running. How can humans tolerate such an inadequately structured universe? This is one manner of wording the major issue which the poem portrays (Minnis, 1982)."
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Beowulf as Christian and/or Pagan, 1987.
Argues that medieval epic warrior hero represents best of both worlds. Discusses author's intentions, morality, evil, virtue and self-givingness.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 5 sources, $ 47.95
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From the Paper
"Thesis: This study argues that the reader who seeks to understand Beowulf and his author in their own terms, and not filtered through and altered by the reader's or critics' modern interpretations, will see that the warrior hero as personified by Beowulf is deliberately shown to be a man striding both worlds and in fact dedicated---though perhaps not entirely consciously --- to bringing the "best of both words" into one unified heroic whole."
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"Tess of the D?Urbervilles", 2004.
A look at the theme of paganism in Thomas Hardy's novel, "Tess of the D'Urbervilles".
3,869 words (approx. 15.5 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 105.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the author argues that a strong thread of paganism runs through "Tess of the D?Urbervilles" from beginning to end, reaching its climax in the dramatic scene of Tess?s flight to Stonehenge and her arrest at daybreak as she lies upon the altar stone of the monument.
From the Paper
"Stonehenge, like other ancient monuments of Wessex such as hill forts and castles, features several times in the writings of Thomas Hardy, both prose and poetry. Hardy was fascinated by archaeology and the societies and cultures of past ages, and particularly with their religious and mystical aspects. In The Return of the Native (1878) for example, he suggests that the custom of celebrating Bonfire Night on 5 November each year with huge bonfires on the crests of Wessex hills is of ?druidic? and ?Saxon? origin rather than relating to the Gunpowder Plot of the seventeenth century; (Grimsditch, 86) elsewhere, notably in Under the Greenwood Tree (1872) and The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), he makes great play with rituals that survive into his own age from ancient times. Stonehenge, situated in the heart of Wessex, constituted an extremely potent source of symbolism for Hardy, as well as providing a setting of unique drama for the climactic scene of Tess of the D?Urbervilles."
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The Snake in Roman Religion, 1993.
Examines the role of reptiles in ancient Roman culture, literature, mythology, paganism, focusing on Virgil's "Aeneid".
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 5 sources, $ 119.95
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From the Paper
"The purpose of this paper is to view the relationship of the snake as an element of ancient Roman religion and, as such, the influence which it may have exerted upon Virgil's composition of the Aeneid. The research will briefly look at the pervasive presence of the snake, and its alternative forms, throughout the narrative of the Aeneid. Following this will be a presentation of the nature of ancient Roman religion and how the snake was viewed in antiquity. Finally, the Aeneid will be explored for any synthesis of the religious aspect of the snake as a literary device. Linear references to the Aeneid by this writer will be based upon the translation by Robert Fitzgerald (New York: Vintage Books, 1983), and for that reason are distinguished from linear references cited by others using different (i.e., earlier) translations."
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"The Dream of the Rood", 2002.
A literary analysis of the poem "The Dream of the Rood" and ancient Pagan practices.
650 words (approx. 2.6 pages), 2 sources, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This essay analyzes the Old English poem "The Dream of the Rood" and examines the overshadowing of Christian elements by pagan elements. The author notes that this can be explained by the historical context of the poem, for the author felt compelled to include pagan elements as a co-opting tool in order to convert them to Christianity. Since the thematic focus of the poem is the victory won by Christ over sin, the tactical use of pagan elements that perhaps overshadow Christian elements is justified by the strategic goal of converting pagans to Christianity.
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Edmund Spenser?s "Faerie Queen", 2005.
This paper discusses that, in Edmund Spenser's in Stanza 46 of Canto IX, Book One, of "Faerie Queen", the belief in fairies and other pagan elements co-exist with the Christian belief in God.
1,775 words (approx. 7.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, although rooted firmly in the Christian religion, E. Spenser's "Faerie Queen" nevertheless contains frequent positive references, both explicit and implicit, to the pagan Goddess religions, which Christianity worked so hard to replace in the British Isles. The author points out that this assertion is supported not only by the actual imagery, metaphor and other poetic devices but also by Spenser's brilliant conception of time as something nonlinear, a dimension in which past and present mingle to create an imagined reality. The paper illustrates that the first two lines of stanza 46 incorporate a combination of pagan and Christian references: The word "goodly" was closely related to the word "godly"; the reader must think that this is a reference to a tree in the Garden of Eden, which is supported by the next line, which describes the fruit upon this tree as "apples, rosie red".
From the Paper
"First, however, it is necessary to give a very brief synopsis of the events that have transpired to this point. Redcrosse Knight has come through a series of terrible ordeals on his quest to free Una's parents from the prison of the evil dragon. (Una is the woman he loves.) Along the way, both she and he have come to death's door many times. What is striking about each of their rescues, however, is that although for the most part the savior comes in godly form (as in the Lion who protected Una until he himself was killed in for his efforts), the presence of Una -- who, at one point, is taken for a goddess by a group of "nature dwellers" (i.e. pagans) as she makes her way back to the Redcrosse Knight -- is a repeating theme of the old pagan religions. Put simply, Una is a goddess-figure who weaves through the text alongside other Christian themes (as well as other, more ambiguous, themes such as the "three sisters" who heal the Redcrosse Knight through resentence so he can continue on his quest to kill the dragon and free Una's parents)."
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Slavic Culture, 2005.
This paper discusses Pagan Slavic religion, customs, art and mythology.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 10 sources, $ 44.95
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Abstract
In this paper, by analyzing the three Slavic culture of Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian, one can realize the power of animism within these pagan religious beliefs. The writer shows that through the customs, mythology, and artwork presented in these belief idioms, the manifestation of animal can be seen in the spirit world in relation to war or even protection from evil spirits. Further, the writer discusses that before the advent of Christianity, the belief in idols was prevalent, and made a strong and enduring cultural legacy for the Slavic pagan peoples.
From the Paper
"This cultural study examines the paganism of Slavic cultures in relation to religion, customs, art, and the mythology that supports these belief systems. By taking various parts of Russian, Polish and Ukrainian culture, one can evaluate the customs in relation to religion and the traditions that build customs in the practice of pagan beliefs. By evaluating these three Slavic cultures in this respect, the necessary relationships between art and mythology can be drawn to help elucidate the background and influence that culture has imposed on these pagan religions. Through the Slavic culture of the ... "
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