I don't often write about xtianity but recently a lot of them have been trolling our page so I thought I would return the favour and annoy some of them........How much of xtianity was stolen from pagan traditions?
1. xtian Hell = stolen from the proto-Germanic word for the afterlife / hidden 'Hel' and the Goddess of the underworld.
2. Greek name for xtian hell Hades = Stolen from the Hellenic name for the underworld and the God of the dead and king of the underworld.
3. Xtian garden of Eden = name and apples stolen from Idunn (pronounced Ih-dune) the Norse Goddess who tended a sacred garden and grew the golden apples that gave immortality to the Gods. In the original xtian story, it was figs and the garden was called the holy plain/meadow, only changing to apples and Eden once xtianity reached Europe. Academics often say the name Eden comes from a Sumerian word because it sounds like it but there were no apples in that story or other similarities and ‘sounds like it’ doesn’t mean cognate in the linguistic world.
4. The xtian cross = Stolen from the sacred European sun cross. For the first hundred yrs that xtianity was in Europe they didn’t have a cross as a symbol and the Roman cross that was used to crusify people was shaped like an 'X'. The European sun cross also called the eye of Odin, Sun wheel etc etc has been venerated in Europe for over 10,000 years.
5. Xtian Easter = name stolen from the Germanic Goddess of the Dawn Eostre. There were also Goddess of the Dawn names all over pre xtian Europe that were cognate with Eostre.
6. Xtian christmas = Jesus didn't have a birthday because he is a fictional character. That aside, xtians argued for centries as late as the 18th & 19th centuries that christmas was pagan so they shouldn't celebrate it. Some orthodox xtians still argue about it today. Xtians stole the prextian mid-winter festival called Yule in Germanic cultures because the people refused to give up the celebration. Indeed the birth of jesus was originally 'attested' (lol) as being in march in early xtian texts.
7. Xtian name for the creator god in Finland 'Jumala' = name stolen from the Finnish pagan God Jumala.
8. Xtian name for creator god in English ‘god’ = Stolen from / rooted in A proto Germanic word for Odin and cognate names which later branched off to mean good and also God when it became modern English.
9. Xtian holy trinity = Stolen from European native spirituality. The concept of 3 gods in one was an alien concept to people in the middle east. They took it from the pre xtian European Gods / spirituality. In Europe the Gods and indeed people have 3 levels to their spirit (though in later traditions this broken down further into 7or8)
10. Xtians eating the wafer at mass = Stolen from pagan traditions where eating the wafer was representative of taking the sun into oneself.
11. Xtian springs and wells named after saints = Ursurped to stop pagans performing sacrifices at springs and wells. King Alfred the great gave land that encompassed rivers, streams, wells and springs to the church all over England. He also gave them funding to build churches on that land, all to stop pagans worshipping the Gods there. This was replicated all over Europe and is part of the reason that the church became so powerful and rich in Europe. In the Germanic pagan traditions springs could carry knowledge, wisdom, energy and other gifts from the Gods depending upon the origins of that spring.
12. The oldest xtian churches = were built on sacred pagan sites. The pope wrote a letter to all his bishops all over Europe commanding them to reuse pagan sites building churches upon them rather than knocking them down. He even instructed them to refashion the pagan altars into xtian altars. It was done so that the pagans wouldn’t carry on using them secretly but also so that the churches and altars would stand as a symbol of xtianity taking over what came before. (such hubris! As if they could)
13. Ever greens like holy and xtmass trees = Stolen from very ancient pagan traditions of bringing evergreens into the home and planting evergreens near to the home to make the home feel closer to nature, alive and green when the land was quite bleak and cold during the mid-winter season.
14. Xtian Saints = Stolen from pagan traditions. In the pre xtian world heroes and great leaders who gave everything even their lives for their people rather than live for personal interests were held high on a pedestal to inspire the masses long after their death. These noble heroes were even strong enough in their evolved spirit to resist the pull of the afterlife remaining in our realm near to where they died as Elves who would give wise counsel and aid to humans because even in death they cared so deeply about their folk. Our ancestors also broke into their ancestor’s barrows / burial mounds to take bones and wear them in their hair. Children would dance around the burial mounds and sing praises of their ancestors and their deeds in the hope that they might inherit some of their ancestor’s spirit. In xtian times priests would often carry the bones of saints into battle and the bones of saints would be kept under xtian altars.
15. Okay, I gave up typing here as I only have an hour of spare time this evening but you get the message.......... One day when I have a couple of days free I will write this in a more academic style but you could write a whole book on this subject. Perhaps some of you can think of a few more xtian practises that were stolen from pagan times. Discuss in the comments.
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