Europe Primitive Religions
Witchcraft, Norse, Greeks, Romans

the whole Bible, Bible Gateway
 Jesus on the Cross
 1,093 prophecies and types of the Old Testament fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah and His Church

Witchcraft:

In Europe Witchcraft has always been very active... today, there are an estimated 60,000 witches in France, with earnings of $200 per year and 8,000 in England...

In Ireland there are no witches, because something special happened with St. Patrick: He has resurrected 39, and the witches wanted to make a mockery of him. So, one of them would pretend to be death, and the others would call St. Patrick to resurrect him... St, Patrick came, and said, "he is death", and walk away...and he was death!... two days later they call St. Patrick again, and resurrected the really death witch... and no more witches in Ireland... Magic, Witchcraft

Greeks:

Greek      Gods
Roman
The ancient Greeks were polytheists, as all the animists... but the Greek god-devils never existed, only in the imagination of the novelists, as in the case of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey... the heroes of his novels were deified as Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite...and afterwards, the Romans copied them changing their names to Jupiter, Apollo, Venus...

These god-devils had marital and extramarital sex relations, and many feuds and intrigues... they were no God, but "devils", "idols" (psalm 96:5)... they committed all the possible sins...

The central god figure was a female,, "Mother Earth", known as Demeter, or Aphrodite in Corinth, Artemis in Ephesus, and Hera, the sister and wife of Zeus.

In addition of Mother Earth, other natural forces were deified: The sun, sky, moon, other planets, the storms, fertility, death... and Zeus became the king of gods, after many intrigues and fights...

The "priests" interpreted the wills of the gods, communicated with them, and appease the gods with prayers, rituals and magic acts... but the "family altar" was the usual place of worship for both the Greek and Roman families.

The Greeks did believe in a life after death: For the heroes, a special place of happiness, the Elysian Fields, was reserved; the souls condemned for being evil were sent to eternal punishment, in Hades; the soul judged to be good, was sent to the realm of the Blessed.

"Mystery Cults" in Greece:

They were popular at the times of Jesus... Christianity took nothing from the gods-devils, but it was influenced by these Mystery Cults and by the Greek philosophy.

A Mystery Cult claimed to introduce men to a closer, more intimate relationship with the gods, by means of secret rituals and prayers... they were "secret", and each one had a preparation and an initial rite, with dramatic performances that insured the initiate would never forget the experience...2 were most popular:

The "Orphic Mystery": With severe ascetic life, wearing white robes, abstaining from meats, and living a celibate life, to secure a place in Heaven.

The "Dionysian Mystery": Was most sensual, with nightly orgies to the god of wine, Dionysius, intoxication by wine, convulsive dancing, hallucinations, sexual pleasures... a divine madness!.

    Hellenism:

After Greece was conquered by Rome, the Greek philosophers conquered the world: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle... they introduced several ideas, that are still a force in the world today:

They claimed that man was master of his own fate... he was a god unto himself... but they were not sure of man's ability to safe himself. To them man was not the measure of all things. God still ruled the universe, and the destiny of mankind...

They had a haunting desire to find a better world beyond this one on earth, an eternal peace in heaven; some kind of escape from earthly miseries caused by Roman rule.

Others said: Why wait for death to enjoy the beauty and peace in heaven? Why not have heaven on earth?... and there arose the vision of a Messiah... some divine agent coming from heaven who would rid the world of sin and war, and free them from the burdens placed upon them by the Roman Empire.

This Hellenistic period furnished a fertile environment for the birth of a new world religion: Christianity.

Romans

(See picture of gods before, on "Greeks")

The Romans took the Greek gods, changing their names: Zeus became Jupiter, the greatest. His wife Juno, was the Greek Hera. Apollo the god of healing. Aphrodite became Venus, the god of love.

Dionysius became Bacchus, the god of orgies. - Julius Caesar converted the aristocratic Roman Republic into a military dictatorship. And his successor, Octavian Augustus, changed the dictatorship into a divine emperorship... the Emperor was god!... the surname Augustus was taken as suggesting "an alliance with the gods"... the Romans saw in religion a vital, effective form of social control.

The center of worship was an altar in the home, and before any altar in a public place...

The "priests" employed magic tricks, astrology, amulets, charms... there were 2 kinds: "pontifices" for rituals, and the "augurs" to consult the gods.

Norse, Scandinavians:

   Asatru or Įsatrś is an Icelandic word, a translation of the Danish word Asetro. It was intended to mean belief in the Asir, the Gods. In Scandinavia the religion is called Forn Sišr (which means the Ancient way), Forn sed (the Old custom), Nordisk sed (Nordic custom), or Hedensk sed (Pagan custom).

The Norse or Viking people from Scandinavia, had many god-demons... the Bible says that the gods that are no God, are devils (Psalm 96:5)... they represent the cosmic forces of nature.

Some Gods: See Pictures

    Thor is the Thunderer, who wields Mjolnir, the divine Hammer. His chariot racing across the sky generates thunder. Thursday (Thor's Day) was named after him.
    Odin is the one-eyed God; he gave up one of his eyes in order to drink from the Fount of Wisdom. He is a magician and wise one. He learned the secrets of the runes (Northern European alphabet) by hanging himself on the tree Yggdrasil for nine nights.
    Frey is the God of Yule (born on the Winter Soldtice, December 21). He is a God of peace and plenty who brings fertility and prosperity. His father was Njord.
   Freya (aka Freyja) is the Goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, and perhaps a dozen other attributes. She leads the Valkyries who take the souls of slain soldiers to Valhalla (Odin's great hall).
   Frigg is Odin's wife. She is the patroness of the household and of married women.
   Skadi is the Goddess of independence, death, hunting and skiing. Scandinavia was named after her.

    The souls of the hero warriors, killed in battle, were carried to Woden in the Valhalla (heaven), by the female Valkyries. Those who have lived very evil and treacherous lives go to Hifhel, a place of torment.

    They had few temples; Nordic worship occurred in open fields or forests.

    Priests would offer animal or human sacrifices. - The bodies were buried with the owner's tools, dogs, horses, and food for use in Valhalla.

HOME   E- Mail to: J. Dominguez, M.D.   Last edition: September 11, 2004