Germanic paganism

Emil Doepler's depiction of the Second Merseburg Charm, 1905. In the charm, gods from continental Germanic mythology heal a horse.

Germanic paganism refers to the indigenous religion of the Germanic people from the Iron Age until Christianisation during the Middle Ages. Rooted in Proto-Indo-European religion, Proto-Germanic religion expanded during the Migration Period, yielding extensions such as Old Norse religion among the North Germanic peoples, Continental Germanic paganism among the continental Germanic peoples, and Anglo-Saxon paganism among the West Germanic people. Among the East Germanic peoples, traces of Gothic paganism may be discerned from scant artifacts and attestations. According to John Thor Ewing, as a religion it consisted of "individual worshippers, family traditions and regional cults within a broadly consistent framework".

Variations of Germanic paganism

• Anglo-Saxon paganism
• Continental Germanic paganism
• Frankish paganism
• Gothic paganism
• Norse paganism

See also

• Heathenry (new religious movement)

Further reading

• Grimm, Jacob (2004), Teutonic Mythology, translated by Stallybrass, James S., Dover Publications
• Buchholz, Peter (1968), "Perspectives for Historical Research in Germanic Religion", History of Religions, 8 (2), University of Chicago Press: 111–138
• North, Richard (1991), Pagan words and Christian meanings, Rodopi, ISBN 978-90-5183-305-8