Another Pagan voice lost is mourned. A school for "Vikings" is set up in Norway. And the origins of the "horned god" archetype are examined. It's Watery Wednesday, our weekly segment of news about the Pagan community! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
John Belham-Payne, musician and Pagan priest, passed away last month from kidney disease. Our affiliates at The Wild Hunt have offered in response a tribute to Belham-Payne's accomplishments and all that he's done for the Pagan community to which he belonged.
What with movies like Thor and TV shows like Vikings thrilling audiences, the ancient and medieval Norse have had something of a resurgence in pop culture lately. So perhaps it should be of little surprise then that one of Norway's colleges is adding a program to teach students traditional "Viking" skills like blacksmithing, ax-throwing, or roof thatching. But the courses have proved even more popular than the Oslo school expected.
The Many Gods West festival, which several of our writers and affiliating attended last year, is now prepping for its 2016 summit. If you're interested in attending you can find out more about the festival here at their website.
The Horned God is a popular motif among modern Pagans; of that there's little doubt. But was he so popular among our ancient forebears? Wiccan writer Jason Mankey argues he was not and that in fact, the concept of a common, widespread "horned god" motif is mostly a modern invention, along with the deity's association with Satan.
Pantheacon is easily one of the most popular and successful Pagan and polytheist events in the world, usually hosting between about 2000 and 3000 guests. Whenever such a large gathering of diverse voices and faces occurs, it's important to remember some of the most sacred rules in Pagan culture: the importance of both hospitality and sacred space.
Top image by Ardfern