Luka Trkanjec

 This article explores the nature of West Slavic deity Triglav, postulating he was primary a god of the underworld. Parallels that connect Triglav with chthonic beings from Slavic folklore are highlighted, notably dragons and serpents, and with three-headed characters of more ancient Indo-European myths.

The cult of the West-Slavic god Triglav ('Three-headed') is relatively well described in medieval sources documenting the conversion of the Pomeranian duchy on the shores of Baltic, through the efforts of the German bishop and saint Otto of Bamberg. The events of his two missionary tours there (first one in 1124-5, second in 1128) were recorded by the bishop's principal biographers, Ebbo and Herbordus, together with some details of pre-Christian beliefs and traditions that the saint had to overcome. Ebbo in particular, in his Vita Ottonis episcopi Bambergenis, gives two reports (II: 13, III: 1) that offer some valuable insight into Pomeranian beliefs about Triglav.

Based on these accounts, most researchers and popularisers of Slavic mythology tend to assume that such a three-headed god actually represents a unity of three deities: a divine triad, or even some sort of pagan Trinity. Others, however, have noted a darker streak in this mythic character. Both Čajkanović (1994:79-80) and Čausidis (2005:448) speculate he was a chthonic deity, while Gieysztor (1982:125) sees in him a northwestern variant of Veles, proto-Slavic god of dead. This paper aims to show, through a study of historic sources, ethnographic data and comparative mythology, that Triglav was indeed believed to be mostly an underworld deity, and that the triplicity of this deity ought to be considered in the context of his chthonic nature.

Peg Aloi and Hannah E. Johnston

Studying Witchcraft

The presence of this volume is testament to the growing acceptance and viability of the academic study of contemporary paganism and Witchcraft. It also marks an important trend in this field: the increasing number of books and articles devoted to the study of modern Witchcraft which are written or in our case, edited, by those from 'within the field'. To write about Witchcraft from an academic standpoint when one is also a practitioner of Witchcraft raises issues that have plagued ethnographers and religious scholars for decades. On one level, the scholar can become her own ethnographer, having access to communities and texts that a layperson might find difficult to procure. But how can the cool-headed objectivity so important in a scholarly observer be maintained? How can practitioners agree upon a consistent use of terminology, or a universal definition/description of beliefs and practices amid the pagan community's diversity, eclecticism and lack of a standardized lexicon? We do not offer answers to these questions, but we think it is important to acknowledge that this fledgling field (Paganism Studies) is a dynamic and even controversial one, to say the least.

The study of the Slavs, a scholarly field uniting several disciplines, including past and present Slavic history, literature, language, folklore, ethnography, economy, art, andreligion, as well as the study of monuments of material and spiritual culture. Within each Slavic country, the history, culture, and language of that country are not included withinthe framework of Slavic studies but are studied as part of that country's own history, philology, and other branches of the social sciences.

Before the 20th century. The origin of Slavic studies dates back to the establishment and consolidation of the earliest Slavic states, when the Slavs, becoming conscious of Slavic communality and ethnic unity, began expressing these concepts in written works. Such writings included Nestor's Primary Chronicle, the chronicles of Anonymous Gallus and Cosmas of Prague, and the Chronicle of Priest Duklianin. During the period of feudalism, historical works and works of topical fiction dealing with Slavic affairs included the Hussite treatises, the Czech Dalimil verse chronicle, the Pulkava chronicle, the History of Poland by J. Długosz, the Treatise on the Two Sarmatias by Maciejof Miechów, the historical works of Marcin Kromer, and the works of the Polish poet J. Kochanowski. Other works of this type included Russian chronicles and chronographs, Byelorussian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian chronicles, and V. Priboevich's treatise The Origin and Destinies of the Slavs.

Wicca is a term commonly used to describe modern Pagan Witchcraft - also known as the Craft of the Wise. Among the many traditions within Witchcraft, the better known include: (1) the Gardnerian, which derives from the teachings of Gerald Gardner (1884-1960); (2) the Alexandrian, which follows the ideas of Alexander Sanders (1929-88) redeveloped from those of Gardner in the late 1960s; (3) the Traditional, which professes to trace its lineage back to 'ancient wise women' and 'cunning men'; (4) the Hereditary, in which the lineage is claimed within a family, (5) the Dianic, which is based upon feminist principles and (6) Hedge Witches, who are solitary practitioners. Most people refer only to the first two traditions as Wicca, using 'Witchcraft' for the others.

Roots in Ancient Cultures

The many present-day American religious communities clustered under the name Paganism have roots in ancient cultures from all over the world. "Pagan" originally meant "country dweller," implying a life lived off the land, close to the seasons and cycles of nature. Today, the many congregations and communities of "Neo-Pagans" in America, different as they may be, would all describe their tradition as an Earth Religion, in which all life is seen to be sacred and interconnected. Many American Pagans are active participants in the environmental movement, seeking to live in a way that honors the Earth and the cycles and balances of nature.

When Witches cast a magic circle in which to perform ritual and celebrate their deities, they say they are 'going between the worlds'. The circle becomes sacred space, separate from the everyday world and everyday consciousness, a magical un-place where the customary boundaries between dreams, desires, fantasies, realities, seen and un-seen, what is and what might be, alter. Witches and Pagans inhabit a similarly in-between socio-religious space in contemporary Western societies, negotiating continuously between the worlds of the dominant culture and their own path as they create and perform their identities. The anthropologist also negotiates between worlds: those of her own and the other society, of the academy and the world outside, of the mainstream culture and marginal – in this case magical – sub-culture that constitute her 'field'. This book speaks to all these journeys and the considerable effort, discomfort, courage, conflict, ingenuity, resourcefulness, flexibility, apprehension, fear, wonder and excitement that they may, and often do, entail.

Definition of religion

According to Chambers Concise Dictionary, religion is defined as "belief in, recognition of, or an awakened sense of, a higher unseen controlling power or powers, with the emotion and morality connected with such; rites or worship; any system of such belief or worship; devoted fidelity; monastic life."

This definition clearly does not recognise the structural differences between the major faiths. For example, Christianity is divided up into several churches or denominations, which could be argued to be religions in their own right, so great are the doctrinal differences between them. Just about the only thing they all agree on is the doctrine of salvation, but even there the precise means of how salvation is achieved is disputed. Hinduism is really an umbrella term for a group of religions or spiritual paths, which all share a Vedic world-view and come under the broad umbrella of Hindu dharma (truth). Indeed, many Hindus do not call themselves Hindus, as the name simply means "Indian". There are six main traditions or darshanas in Hinduism, and Hindu beliefs embrace everything from polytheism to monism to monotheism (a similar range of beliefs can be found across modern Paganisms).

Paganism and Neo-Paganism are religions that practice, reclaim, or experiment with non- and pre-Christian forms of worship. The term pagan, from the Latin word paganus (country dweller), was used by early Christians to describe what they saw as the backward, unsophisticated practices of rural people who continued to worship Roman gods after Christianity had been declared the official religion of the Roman Empire in 415 CE. The term maintained Romantic (relating to a literary, artistic, and philosophical movement originating in the eighteenth century) revivalists in nineteenth-century Europe reclaimed a negative connotation until it. Inspired by the works of early anthropologists and folklorists, who attributed spiritual authenticity to pre-Christian Europeans and the indigenous people of the Third World, revivalists coined the term neopagan to characterize the religions they were creating. Today the terms pagan and neo-pagan are often used interchangeably by Neo-Pagans to emphasize the historical and cultural continuity they claim with their spiritual forebears.

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa), but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans. I intend only to show that these two religions are indeed different and distinct; this article is not meant as an attack against Wicca or those who are Wiccan. There is a list of the sources I used at the end of this article, and it is my hope that whether you agree or disagree with what I have to say, you will at least go check it out for yourself by reading some of the sources listed. I hope that this article will encourage the active pursuit of knowledge and spiritual development though knowledge.